Contents
“I’m tired. I want more. And so that the quality does not suffer, ”I thought about this in the evening, disassembling, washing and reassembling my father’s old distiller.
Long separate distillation, the impossibility of aromatization, the absence of a reflux condenser, the random and often low strength of the final product, the inescapable fusel smell – this can get anyone. The next day, the Khmel-Master XM-5 moonshine still appeared in my house.
Story from my subscriber Denis.
Description of the apparatus XM-5
So, what did I get for hard-earned 13 rubles? In addition to the tank itself, made of good food grade stainless steel with a bottom of 500 mm, the kit included:
- sukhoparnik block with dephlegmator;
- double-circuit refrigerator;
- clamp clamp;
- wing screws;
- various connecting hoses made of silicone;
- sealing gaskets;
- Digital Thermometer;
- alcohol meter.
There were even instructions, but slurred.
The standard set of the Hop-Master does not impress with the richness of details
The assembly went off without a hitch. Everything is simple and clear without any instructions.
I’ll start with the advantages of working on the Hop-Master. He is one of the dubious ones. There is no need to cool, disassemble, wash and assemble the apparatus between the first and second distillation, since the whole process takes place in one step. That’s all, let’s move on to the cons.
Disadvantages of the moonshine Khmel-Master XM-5
Attention! While I was writing this article, the Khmel-Master XM-7 device was announced to enter the market. Think twice before buying.
Amazingly clean product – a lie from start to finish
Of the three methods listed, none of them work completely. It is not possible to completely separate the “heads” either during the first or during the second distillation.
The presence of a Panchenkov nozzle (OLTC) without a dephlegmator caused bewilderment (mesh wad is not a filter, but an enlarger of the contact area with phlegm), and a dwarf dephlegmator at the entrance to the second circuit is generally needed only for advertising purposes.
At the very least, only the sukhoparnik itself functions, but it’s generally unrealistic to make it somehow not so.
As a result, we have a marketing ploy to sell the device to beginners and those who are definitely not going to drink the result. The end product is smelly and poisonous. It will not be possible to fix this with the equipment of a “regular” kit.
In the presence of additional equipment and in the mode of single-circuit distillation, the XM-5 has the right to exist, but this already turns out to be completely different from the XM-5
Distillation speed – a tale for the lazy
The passport data of the XM-5 apparatus indicate that the distillation rate is 700 ml/hour. The usual single-circuit moonshine still produces in an hour a volume equal to the power of the heater multiplied by two.
That is, about 3 liters of 75% product per hour can be removed from the middle burner of a gas stove.
What did I get from the Hop Master? A disgraceful 400 ml/hour and spent almost 8 hours of time and twice as much water and gas than if I had done two fractional distillations on my old apparatus. Doubtful saving of time and resources, isn’t it?
6-turn cooler coil will not handle more than 1L/hr
Two distillations for one heating – even in such a trifle they lied
Why then do you need a primary cooler? That’s right, to cool the alcohol-containing vapors and drain the cold moonshine into the second tank, where it will begin to heat up again. As a result, we have two heating. This is just a pointless lie. For the love of art.
Cost in the basic configuration
For more than 13 thousand rubles, we got an acceptable (although not without flaws) tank and a dubious device for distillation. This money could have been spent far more wisely on any conventional distiller and equipment that would effectively expand its range of uses.
It is worth noting that variants of various dephlegmators of any height with refrigerators, diopters and sieve columns can also be purchased for XM-5, but why? You can also use it as a regular single-circuit moonshine still with a separate plug.
But a reasonable question arises – what did I pay for then? It’s just incredibly embarrassing!
Comparison with analogues
It is impossible to compare it in terms of technical characteristics with a normal distiller, since the processes occurring inside the units are directly opposite to each other.
He has a great many analogues, but it is pointless to compare them, due to their complete uselessness. It’s like comparing two crooked sticks: nobody needs both, but they have a plus – they are made of natural wood.
Quote: A universal tool will always do badly everything for which it is intended, compared to a specialized kit.
(From the supplement to the instructions for the Chinese multitool. The author is unknown, but damn right).
Where can I buy or order
This “Tsar Apparatus” is produced (yes, you heard right, that’s what it is called) by the Chelyabinsk distillation apparatus plant, but it sells it through a network of dealers under foreign brands.
So when ordering individually, do not count on more than a hole in the tank for a drain cock. Everything else is factory work.
There are a lot of online stores and landing pages offering the Khmel-Master XM-5 moonshine still with delivery to the apartment. The most popular of them are hopmaster5.rf and moscow.russiansmoke.rf.
I don’t know what to do with this pseudo-apparatus now. They don’t take it back, two weeks have passed, you can’t resell it, someone else will get poisoned.
Yes, and the tank itself will definitely come in handy, but what is above it is useless and does not hold water. Maybe someone had a positive experience in using the Hop-Master, share!