Hyacinth enfleurage process and a genetic abnormality in a pink flower.

When it comes to enfleurage, each flower demands its own technique. This was flat 1 of 5 for the day. I pick the flowers every 24-48 hours making sure to minimize any green parts (I grow all flowers organically in my perfume gardens). Hyacinth is already a rubbery, water retentive flower. Some flowers shrivel and become papery on the enfleurage pommade while others go spongy and punky as they wilt. If you include the stems of hyacinth on the pommade, they will become mushy and slimy like aloe and contribute a rancid, swamp stench like the ooze of rotting vegetables. The idea is to maximize flower: surface area without tipping toward faster decomposition. I check the flowers on the flats every 24 hours and remove any that are going soft, and replace, fitting new flowers in like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.