Indonesia: plantations of Clove trees

Clove trees are a very resourceful and abundant in the hills of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Not prone to many diseases and they require low maintenance. They are a plantiful crop for farmers as all green parts of the tree can be distilled for use in perfumery: the leaves, the buds, and the stems.

The main olfactory differences between them are:

Clove leaf: woody, dry and earthy
Clove stem: spicy, sweet ans sappy (highest eugenol content; 85%+)
Clove bud: similar to the stem but less intense and smoother

Clove usually flower twice a year, one around july to september, and a smaller harvest around February to March. Most of the buds are gathered for cigarette processing but everytime more are being steam distilled into clove bud oil.

Once planted, a farmer must wait about five years before the first significant harvest. Not much maintanance is required and upon maturity, the farmer must check for diseases and collect his harvest. Stems and leaves will develop first followed by the sepals which will indicate that budding is approaching.

The leaves can be collected on a weekly basis and can be swept up from the grown as well. Buds are harvest during harvest season. The stems are collected along with the buds and separated by hands. Prior the distillation they must be dried for different durations depending on the preceding weather pattern.

Yields vary from 4,6% on stems and 2% on leaves.