Description
Litsea cubeba
Originally from Southeast Asia, this berry comes from a tree of the Lauraceae family which lives at altitude in the mountainous provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan and Fujian up to Taiwan. But it is also cultivated in Vietnam.
The berry, which is round and black, like a peppercorn, is picked when ripe. Its picking is long, because, meticulous, it lasts three months when the grains turn red around the month of June. The berries are spread out for a few days in the sun on bamboo mats for natural drying.
The fruits of Litsea cubeba have a remarkable olfactory interest due to its strong citral composition which refers to lemongrass, verbena and lemon.
The scent that emanates from it is pleasant, flowery, with a strong note of citrus and verbena.
