Nutmeg & Peppermint
Bergamot & Lemon rind & Patchouli
Tarragon & Ceylon cinnamon bark
Liatrix leaf & Olibanum
Guaiacwood & Rosemary
Red cedar & Vetiver root
Balsam fir & Black peppercorn
Oakmoss & Clove bud
Myristica fragans
Our nutmeg grows on the Bonds islands of eastern Indonesia. These islands - the original source of nutmeg - were a global secret throughout the 15th century, until in August 1511 they were discovered by a Portuguese general, and the European race for nutmeg trade dominance began. Our fruit is harvested with handheld telescopic pickers and left to dry in the shade - the seed oil is then steam distilled at source.
Mentha X Piperita
A cross between Water mint and Spearmint. We partner with farmers in Yakima Valley, Washington, to grow and steam-distill our high grade peppermint oil.
Citrus bergamia & citrus limon
The La Face family planted their first bergamot in the 1930’s and have been mastering the craft of producing citrus oils ever since. They have become our go to growers for Ffern citrus - and Winter 20 makes no exception. Grown on Calabrian hills overlooking the Ionian Sea, the fruits are hand harvested, and the oil extracted at source.
Pogostemon cablin
Scentless when fresh and native to Asia, Patchouli is a member of the ‘Lamiaceae’ or Mint family. Our Patchouli is hand harvested on the Indonesian Island of Java. It’s then shade-dried, and briefly fermented, helping to break down the cell walls before copper still hydrodistillation.
Artemisia dracunculus
Our 'Dragon Sageworth' is grown in the Sputh of France. The plants do not produce fertile seeds - instead the roots are hand split in early spring. In June the leaves are trimmed and the oil distilled. Our variety has a distinctive aniseed facet, with an earthy undertone.
Cinnamomun verum
Cinnamon has a long history as a valuable and sacred spice - imported to ancient Egypt from its native Sri Lanka as early as 2000BC. We chose the Ceylon variety, also known as 'true cinnamon' for Winter 20. Grown along the SW coast of Sri Lanka (sandy soils lead to higher quality oil), the bark is stripped, hung to dry for 5 days, and steam distilled.
Liatris odoratissima
Deertongue, blazing star, gayfeather - all names for Liatris, a member of the 'Boneset tribe' of sunflower plants. We extract an absolute from leaves grown along East coast USA. The oil is often compared favourably to tobacco - capturing the mature sophistication, and adding an herbal, hay note.
Boswellia carterii
Olibanum is a resin taken from the bark of the Boswellia tree. In our case, Boswellia carterii - a species native to Somalia. The trees grow wild along the Gulf of Aden in northern Somalia, and the resin 'tears' are harvested by local collectors over a period of weeks.
Bulnesia sarmientoi
Grown wild in the Gran Chaco jungles of western Paraguay, guaiacwood is known locally as 'Palo santo' (holy tree) for its supposedly extensive healing powers. It ranks among the heaviest and hardest woods known to man. As a slow growing tree, the harvest is closely regulated to ensure long term sustainability. Our wood is cut into chips and steam distilled at source.
Rosmarinus o cinalis
We've chosen a Tunisian rosemary for Winter 20 - the woody notes of the cineole chemotype (in contrast to the European camphor chemotype) build on the Guaiacwood and Red cedar to conjure a fresh winter forest. The plant is grown wild in the south, and hand harvested by sickle.
Juniperus virgiana
Our red cedar wood is grown and hand harvested in its native Virginia, USA, and principally used for cabinet making. Our oil is steam distilled directly from the cabinet maker's off cuts. It shares the classic woody notes of Atlas cedar, but introduces a distinctive 'pencil' facet.
Chrysopogon zizanioides
A Ffern regular: Haitian vetiver. We're incredibly fond of this ingredient. We chose the Haitian variety over its Javan competitor for its fresher, sparkling notes which work well with our bergamot, and because the root provides such a valuable and sustainable source of employment for the south Haitian community.
Abies balsamea
Our balsam fir absolute is extracted from wild grown needles east of Calgary, in Canada. The scent is often compared to that of jam. Intense, very long lasting, sweet, fresh and foresty all at once.
Piper Nigrum
Black peppercorn is a perennial climbing vine, native to the Indian Malabar coast. We turned to this ‘Pepper coast’ for our Autumn fragrance - the pepper that grows there has an earthier, more autumnal feel than the popular Madagascan variety. The reddening corn clusters are picked when ripe, and sun dried for three days before hydrodistillation.
Evernia prunastri
Oakmoss is not in fact a moss but a lichen. Our Oakmoss is foraged from the trunks and branches of wild growing oak trees in the hills of Samokov, Macedonia. It is then transported to Grasse, where the oil is extracted by a family run distillery.
Syzygium aromaticum
In 1969 Pierre Poivre - the renowned French horticulturist - smuggled a clutch of clove seedlings out of their native Indonesia, and introduced them to Réunion Island and Madagascar. The Madagascan variety has since established a reputation for yielding the finest oil - and this was the obvious choice for Winter 20. Our cloves are hand harvested by a network or families across the north east of the island, and water distilled at source.