Cardamom Oil Gautemala

Item#: 504064 CAS: 8000-66-6   FEMA: 2241

Odor Strength: Medium
Odor Description: Spicy, warm, camphor, eucalyptus, camphor, medicinal balsam
Taste Description: Cardamom

During the fall months, many find themselves reaching for pumpkin spice, chai flavors, and other warm & hearty flavors.  Cardamom is a spice commonly found in many of these accords, and is a key note in many flavor and fragrance applications.  Cardamom is featured in top-shelf fragrances such as Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit de l’Homme and Hermes Hermessence Cardamusc.

Cardamom spice is from the seed pods of the Elettaria cardamomum plant, which is native to tropical Asia.  Now, it is commonly grown and distilled in Guatemala, and India.  Cardamom shoots grow year round, and are usually ready for harvest between October and November, depending on the climate of the given year.  Each plant can bear fruit for around 4 years.  Cultivation & harvest are highly labor intensive, and usually done by hand at elevation on forested mountain slopes.  After pods containing the Cardamom seeds are removed from the plant, they must be dried by the sun light or in ovens.

As a spice, the dried pods are typically ground into a fine powder.  While ground cardamom is highly aromatic and flavorful, cardamom essential oil can impart equally potent flavor and fragrance.  Many times, essential oil is more shelf stable and cost effective for aroma delivery.  Cardamom essential oil is extracted using steam distillation.  This process involves using high pressure steam to release aroma compounds trapped in the spice by allowing them to evaporate with the steam.  The steam must be hot enough to extract the valuable fragrant volatile compounds, but cold enough that it does not damage them.  The steam then passes through a cooling chamber; which condenses the it to water.  Since essential oil is less dense than water, the oil floats to the top of the decanting chamber and can then be lightly skimmed off.  The final product is an oil rich in alpha terpinole acetate, 1,8 cineole, and sabinene.

Perfumers use cardamom oil in warm-spicy blends, chypre formulations, and a variety of masculine scents.   Cardamom smells sweet and spicy, woody and romantic.  It is often found with accords such as tonka bean & vanilla, rich woody cypress & cedar, spicy cinnamon and clove, and bright citrus such as lemon & bergamot.

Flavorists value cardamom for the warmth it lends to holiday spice blends and popular flavors such as curry and chai. In sweeter blends is often accompanied by clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.  In savory applications, it is found with saffron, turmeric, ginger, and chili.

A close relative to ginger, cardamom essential oil has a plethora of benefits for gastrointestinal health.  The extract can quell nausea and indigestion.  When diffused, it can open sinuses and improve focus.

Vigon’s Cardamom Oil Guatemala

If you are interested in seeing a sample or placing an order, please email Nicholas Bourne at nbourne@vigon.com or call 570-422-6026.