Contents
These devices are united by a common manufacturer. For the beauty of the legend, the sites indicate the Alkofan or Khlynov home distillate factories owned by Elstal-Trading LLC from the city of Kirov. Digging deeper from open sources, we get data that among its activities, Elstal-Trading does not have a single one related to production, and the average number of employees is already 3 people. The conclusion suggests itself that the beautiful photograph of the workshop, posted on the sites in the sections “about the manufacturer”, has nothing to do with the devices. The three of us will not even be able to protect this building …
The difference in the devices lies in the cubes, the diameter of the steam pipes connecting the cube and the steamer, and slightly in the design of the steamer. In this review, we will consider everything in order.
Stills
Cuba Alcofan Aroma
For “Alkofan Aroma” cubes are offered, made on the basis of the “LuxStahl” pan with a capacity of 12 or 20 liters. The cover is native 1 mm thick with a built-in bimetallic thermometer and a clamp mount for the device.
The lid is attached through a silicone gasket with a standard non-adjustable clamp. Actually, that’s all … The package is minimal. Cubes are suitable for heating on any types of stoves. The height of the apparatus with a 12 liter cube is 44,5 cm, with a 20 liter one – 48,8 cm. The diameter of a 12 liter tank is 25 cm, and a 20 liter one is 30 cm. The thickness of the three-layer bottom is 6 mm. The material from which the pan is made is not AISI 304, as the seller claims, but the AISI 201 brand, which is poorly suitable for distilling. This, apparently, is already known to everyone except him.
Cuba Khlynov
For Khlynov, cubes with a capacity of 13 or 20 liters are offered with a spherical upper part, to which a flange with a moonshine still welded to it is attached with 6 winglets. Inseparability is the first minus of Khlynov in relation to its fellow.
The height of the apparatus with a 13 liter cube is 48 cm, with 20 liters – 61 cm. The diameters of both tanks are 26 cm. Like a frying pan. During operation, the tank does not clutter up the gas stove, taking the place of one burner.
The seller again declares that the tank is made of stainless steel AISI 304 and is not suitable for heating on an induction stove. Wall thickness 1 mm, flange – 2 mm, bottom – 3,5 mm. In general, not bad. The tank equipment is minimal – a bimetallic thermometer is embedded in the steam zone, and that’s all …
Cube Comparison
The manufacturer himself, comparing the cubes, unconditionally claims that the Khlynov cube is correct, and the cube with a flat lid does not allow working with a capacity of more than 1 l / h. He calls such cubes as those of “Alcofan Arom” cheap and wrong. Well, the opinion of the manufacturer about their products is always interesting …
In fact, the spherical shape of the top of the cube provides a large surface area compared to a flat one and, accordingly, large heat losses. With the same heating power, more steam will be condensed on the spherical surface and will return as phlegm back to the cube, which means that a smaller volume will go to the selection. The selection rate under comparable conditions will be lower, but due to partial condensation, the product will be more purified from heavy volatile impurities.
Everything is strictly the opposite in relation to the statements of the seller of the devices about their performance. The benefit of the spherical top of the cube is not in high productivity, but in the ability to obtain a greater degree of product purification at a lower productivity.
Both cubes belong to the category of the cheapest and do not even have a safety blast valve or a tap to drain the stillage.
The Alkofana Aroma tank, thanks to the three-layer bottom, can be used with induction cookers, and it is much easier to care for it thanks to the removable lid.
The Khlynova tank has the best top shape for distillation tasks and a wide enough mouth (120 mm in diameter) that allows an adult man to stick his hand into the tank and wash it normally. True, he is not friendly with an induction cooker.
Comparison of distillers
Both distillers have the same layout, only slightly different structurally. “Khlynov” is simpler and more familiar.
Distiller Khlynov
A standard dry steamer is connected to a cube by a short vertical pipe-steam pipe. Sukhoparnik can be used as an aroma basket due to the removable lid. The lid fastening has been criticized by some users due to a poorly thought-out lamb fastening with a small rubber non-heat-resistant gasket. During the first use, it squeezes out and the steam begins to break free.
The treatment is simple: installing a silicone gasket and washer. At the same time, it is worth changing the sealing ring from under the cover of the steamer.
The refrigerator, according to the seller, has 10 turns of the coil with a total length of 2 meters and is able to provide a capacity of 4 l / h.
Let’s smile sadly together with the buyers deceived by advertising. Moreover, further down the text the seller writes: “This efficient cooling allows you to achieve the distillation rate of a 13 liter tank in 1-2 hours.” We can count…
So, a 13 liter tank with a standard 2/3 bulk contains 8,5 liters of 12% mash. That is 1 liter of absolute alcohol. If we drive out all the alcohol to dryness, we get 2,5 liters of 40% moonshine. This means that the transfer speed is 2,5 / 2 = 1,25 l / h. Now this is more like the truth. And the real reviews of the owners speak of a very low distillation speed.
Distiller Alkofan Aroma
“Alkofan Aroma” is characterized by a steam tube of a much larger diameter, which reduces the risk of clogging during the distillation of mash with cake and the design of the steamer.
Moreover, completely cosmetic changes gave the seller a reason for fantasies: “With the help of a bell-bottom dry steamer, the effect of double distillation is achieved due to repeated vaporization and bubbling. At the output, you get a clean, aromatic product with a strength of more than 60% vol. in just one run!”
Without a reflux condenser and forced reflux return, no caps will provide condensation and re-evaporation of phlegm. This is obvious to all distillers, and in order to implement one re-evaporation or, in other words, one stage of separation, at least two physical plates are required. Moreover, the plates are much more perfect than this lid.
The wild phlegm formed in the dry steam tank is not enough to get something even remotely resembling the process of heat and mass transfer in the column. The amount of reflux is only slightly different from zero, in contrast to a plate column with a reflux condenser, where at least 80% of the reflux is returned back to feed the trays.
Without constant renewal, phlegm in a glass of a dry steamer will be enriched already at the start with heavy volatile components, give up volatile ones and the process will stop. After all, there is simply nowhere to take new volatile ones.
Re-distillation at one time on this equipment cannot be obtained under any circumstances. This is a lie.
Otherwise, the dry steamer does not differ much from the Khlynov dry steamer and has all the same design flaws.
Alkofan Arom’s refrigerator is the same as Khlynov’s, with the same capacity, but sellers are raising rates, promising the ability to overtake the contents of a 12 liter tank in 30-40 minutes. Apparently, previous promises did not impress buyers much. To lie so much to lie, why be ashamed.
Having a collapsible design, the Alkofan Aroma apparatus is placed in a distillation cube, which creates certain conveniences for storage compared to the non-collapsible Khlynov.
Reviews on devices “Khlynov” and “Alcofan Aroma”
Reviews for devices located on sellers’ websites are fake and are of an advertising nature. I won’t be unfounded, compare the reviews of “buyers” yourself on the apparatlux website selling Khlynov and the alcofan shop selling Alcofan Aroma.
Not only do the same reviews are signed by different authors, but they also do not look like real people. Take, for example, S.S. Sobolev from Moscow, aka S.S. Vetoshkin from Krasnodar, he is on another site already from the village of Podosinovets. A person with an apparatus cannot decide, his fate throws him all over Russia, and he also changed his surname. Did you get married? Or is it encrypted?
Real reviews of these devices are almost identical and not so favorable. Of the shortcomings often mentioned:
- low distillation rate: up to 1 l/h during mash distillation;
- lack of a tap for draining bards;
- low-quality sealing rings on the steamer;
- a wide range of prices between 12-13 liter and 20 liter modifications.
I will add from myself:
- absence of a blast valve;
- a conspiratorial manufacturer makes the reality of 24 months of warranty doubtful;
- too many deceit and unfair advertising on the site.
Well, about the positive:
- quite high-quality distillation cubes “Khlynova” for their price;
- the vertical arrangement of the serpentine cooler avoids pressure swings and foam emissions into the extraction. The refrigerator works in the optimal mode for itself;
- the overall build quality is good. Yes, that’s right, despite some design flaws;
- if you do not chase productivity, then at the output you can get a relatively good moonshine for devices of this class.
conclusions
- Moonshine stills “Alkofan Aroma” and “Khlynov” are distillers with collapsible dry steamers. Their target product is ordinary moonshine with the possibility of flavoring.
- The power of distillers is modest and corresponds to use for heating on a kitchen gas stove. The devices are freely placed under the hood.
- Both, after a little refinement, are suitable for beginner distillers.
- What is alarming is the manufacturer’s lack of real production capacity, fake reviews and inaccurate information in the description on the sites.
Reviewed by IgorGor.
PS The owner and editorial team of the site alcofan.com have nothing to do with the Alcofan shop in general, nor with the Alcofan Aroma machine in particular.