What Is The Worm In Moonshine?

Page 2 – This super condensing worm, like all of our products, is made from heavy duty 22 gauge pure 99.9% Paul Revere food grade copper. This worm is durable and built to last a lifetime. A Worm is made of cooper tubing that ranges in total length from 16 to 20 feet. The cooper tubing is coiled so it is only around 24 inches in height. The tube fits in a barrel. Steam is condensed from the still when water flows around the cooper tube.

1. This Worm has been tested and will work great!
3. SHIPPING

We ship all of our stills via FedEx, and we offer shipping to customers in the contiguous United States (48 States). All of our moonshine stills are made to order, but we will ship your order as soon as possible. We will contact you via email, and let you know the when your order has shipped along with the tracking number.

1. Because these stills are individually handcrafted to ensure the highest quality, please allow six to eight weeks for delivery* WARRANTY We have a 100% guarantee on workmanship on our moonshine stills.
2. We are the only still manufacturer that offers this.
3. PAYMENT We take all major credit cards or Paypal.

We make it easy! We realize that some of you may prefer to pay with a check. If this is your situation please and let us know this is what you would like to do. We will be glad to work with you. : Discount Stillz 5 Gallon Super Condensing – Moonshine Still Worm

What is the worm for making alcohol?

As engrained in our popular culture as the worm in the tequila bottle (.or tequila lollipop ) may be, that image is actually common misconception. “The worm is never found in tequila,” says Heriberto Oviedo, the tequilier (like a sommelier for tequila) at the Cantina Beach restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton in Key Biscayne, FL: “The worm you see is in a product called mezcal which is often confused for tequila,” Both spirits are made by distilling the agave plant, and while mezcal can be made from a blend of one of 250 types of the cactus-like succulents to be classified as tequila, a bottle must be at least 51 percent blue agave (agave tequilana).

• The higher the percentage of blue agave, the finer the bottle.
• So tequila is a type of mezcal, but mezcal is not tequila, and only mezcal has worms.
• Well, not exactly.
• According to Anthony Dias Blue ‘s Complete Book of Spirits, that “worm” is actually a larva from one of two types of moths, known as maguey worms, that live on the agave plant.

These larvae are called gusano and bottles of mezcal that contain the lil guys are referred to as con gusano, But why the gusano? Theories abound. One traces the origin back to a distiller named Jacobo Lozano Páez, who in 1940 found that the larvae changed the taste of the agave and so began adding it to his spirits.

• Others believe that it brings good fortune and strength to the lucky person who finds it in a glass.
• In his book, Dias Blue writes that the insect serves as evidence of a mezcal’s potency; to pickle the gusano, the spirit must have a high percentage of alcohol.
• Oviedo is pragmatic.
• More than anything, mezcal brands use the worm for marketing purposes,” he says.

“There used to be myths and legends that the worm would bring special powers, but none of those stories are true.” Regardless, Cinco de Mayo—or any day!—is still a great day to celebrate with an agave -based spirit.

What is the worm in a still?

Worm what? – In short, worm tubs are a type of condenser. They are a traditional way of turning spirit vapour back into liquid and they work like this: The lyne arm at the top of the still is connected to a long, coiled copper pipe (worm) that sits in a huge vat of cold water (tub), which is usually outside.

As the vapour travels down the worm, it condenses back into liquid form. There are only a handful of distilleries that still use this method to condense their spirits, with most now preferring the more modern and efficient ‘shell and tube’ approach. The general assumption is that because the cold water in a worm tub causes the vapour to condense fairly rapidly, there isn’t as much copper contact, generally making for a heavier style of spirit.

But, like with all things whisky, this is only one part of the process and there are many factors that combine in each distillery to influence the style of a spirit. “Some believe that worm tubs tend to create heavy spirits, but that’s not necessarily true as they are capable of producing lighter characteristics depending on how they are used – it’s a fine balance,” explains Jackie Robertson, site operations manager at Talisker on the Isle of Skye.

At Talisker, we are passing a lot of cold water through the tub, condensing the vapour quite quickly to reduce the copper contact, so you’re going from the vapour phase to the liquid phase. If you retain warm water in your worm tub, you can slow down that condensing process and allow much more of a copper conversation with the vapour.” Enter relative newcomer Ballindalloch, which started making whisky in 2014 and uses slightly warmer tubs to create a lighter style.

Distillery manager Colin Poppy explains that the distillery was built inside an 1820s listed building, so the design had to fit the site. “There was no room inside for shell and tube condensers,” he explains. “We could’ve put them outside but we decided early on that we wanted to be traditional, so we decided on worm tubs.” Ballindalloch’s tubs are about 10,000 litres each and the copper worms are about 70 metres long.

• The most common statement I get from guests is ‘how come your spirit is light and fruity when you use worm tubs?’.” Poppy explains that at, the worm tubs operate using a closed loop system that recycles the water.
• This means it is never quite as cold as other worm tubs, where water is often drawn from a river.

He says this allows the vapour more copper contact in the worms before condensing. Not only that, the distillery carries out a very slow distillation, which also means lots of copper contact. Sandy McIntyre and Gordon Dundas from Ian Macleod Distillers

How do you clean moonshine still worms?

Home Distiller Other discussions for folks new to the wonderful craft of home distilling. Moderator: Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 5:03 am Location: Northern Kentucky by » Mon Mar 09, 2015 4:02 am How do most of you go about cleaning out your worm with vinegar or is there another way to do it easier or what do most of you do thank you Smokey Hollow One of the hardest things to do is to forgive, but you must not forget that you HAVE TO forgive in order to be forgiven.

• Distiller Posts: Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2010 7:24 am Location: The Islands by » Mon Mar 09, 2015 4:07 am There’s no easy way to clean out a worm! I fill mine up with vinegar or similar, stop the end up, and let it pickle for a while.
• Then a good sluicing with water.
• Distiller Posts: Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2010 7:24 am Location: The Islands by » Mon Mar 09, 2015 4:20 am bellybuster wrote: Circulate or soak hot Oxyclean.

Magic stuff Sounds magical. What is it/in it? Site Donor Posts: Joined: Tue Jan 20, 2015 5:08 pm by » Mon Mar 09, 2015 5:18 am Bellybuster is right.oxyclean is the stuff. Get it hot an circulate.then a real good rinse. Works better than vinegar IMHO. Patience.the early bird get’s the worm, but the second rat get’s the cheese. Posts: Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:46 am Location: The Left Coast by » Mon Mar 09, 2015 8:42 am Oxyclean *can* be used on copper, it’s a very commonly used cleaning agent in homebrewing. You will want to purchase the special package of oxyclean that is made without any perfumes or dyes.

It is as far as I know universally regarded as safe, everyone that I know uses it and recommends it (as do I). It does need to be thoroughly rinsed. If you have to clean stubborn organic gunk off of your copper it will go a good job but you need to be really careful because it is a strong oxidizing agent, hence the name, though not as strong as bleach.

If you let it soak too long or fail to rinse it completely it will turn your copper green. That said, I would only use the stuff on copper if I was trying to clean some very stubborn stuck on organic residue, such as in the hypothetical case where the boiler puked and then got dried out before I could clean it (knock on wood).

I would first try soaking it in full strength vinegar too, because I have had success removing organic gunk from copper fittings in my homebrew set up before. Vinegar won’t ruin the copper no matter how long you let it soak. If your worm is just run-of-the-mill dirty from running it, no puking, I wouldn’t use oxyclean.

Vinegar should get all of the black sulphur residue out no problem. I buy all my liquor at the hardware store. Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 5:03 am Location: Northern Kentucky by » Mon Mar 09, 2015 6:26 pm Thanks alot guys and TO YOU TP.

• I really appreciate it One of the hardest things to do is to forgive, but you must not forget that you HAVE TO forgive in order to be forgiven.
• Master of Distillation Posts: Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2007 11:54 pm Location: Hiding In the Boiler room of the Insane asylum by » Mon Mar 09, 2015 6:55 pm Just a thought How clean does the inside of a worm need to be ? What is best ? Recently cleaned copper or patina ? Distiller Posts: Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2014 8:54 am Location: Sittin’ on the side of the Mountain sippin’ and smilin’ by » Mon Mar 09, 2015 8:07 pm shadylane wrote: Just a thought How clean does the inside of a worm need to be ? What is best ? Recently cleaned copper or patina ? How clean does the inside of a worm need to be ? I don’t think the inside of a well used worm, can get much cleaner.

Steaming hot alcohol is a pretty good cleaner. What is best ? Recently cleaned copper or patina? In my opinion, the worm needs the patina from running. I just think the more the worm is used the better the likker taste. I have no scientific data, charts, etc.to back me up.

• Just my taste buds.
• I clean new worms with a vinegar and water steam run, then a sac run of whatever (usually old backings that I didn’t like or sugar wash).
• But on a worm that’s been used multiple times I just do a full steam run (with water only) and then another sac run, at the beginning of each summer.

Simple Lil’ Pot Still, no temp guage, no carbon, no scrubbers, nuthin’ fancy. Sometimes use a thumper, sometimes don’t. Real good info for New Folks: Site Donor Posts: Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2014 10:47 am by » Mon Mar 09, 2015 8:47 pm I’m with sassy. If it sits long enough without use. Regular use, once or twice a week, you shouldn’t have to worry about cleaning it. Fors and heads do a great job of cleaning. And you want a patina on your copper.

• Shiny copper can carry flavor through to your distillate from what I been told.
• Rinse it well after use and you should never have to worry with regular runs.
• I flush mine with the hose for a minute after the run, then blow through to help get any water out, and leave it sitting so it can drain of anything left.

Distiller Posts: Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2014 8:54 am Location: Sittin’ on the side of the Mountain sippin’ and smilin’ by » Tue Mar 10, 2015 7:45 am Paulinka wrote: Never tried only heard that after gin or absinthe the aromatic oils from the worm can be easily cleansed with hot margarine, followed by a degreasing and a final cleaning.

I’ve never made gin nor absinthe. And I’ve never used margarine for cleaning. This is first I’ve heard of this. I’ve buttered the sides of pots before, to prevent scorching a real thick must. But that was home made butter, not margarine. I’d think that just running a cleared sac wash thru would do just as well to remove the aromatic oils.

But I don’t know? Has to be someone on the site that knows about this. I knew a fella that cleaned his boiler with ketchup and another that used pickle brine for cleaning. Them boys was making likker for a different reason than me though. I just think all this kinda info/history is interesting. : Home Distiller

Why is moonshine explosive?

The Explosive Power Of Moonshine – Methanol and ethanol, the safe-to-consume alcohol, come out during the fermenting process of any alcoholic drink. Both are highly flammable with the potential to explode during distillation if they are not properly sealed and vented.

If there is a leak releasing ethanol gas in the still, the equipment used to process moonshine, a single spark could cause an explosion. Without proper ventilation, a tank boiling out the toxic alcohol can easily buckle. “In an aluminum shed among postcard orchards in Columbia County in New York, Derek Grout inspected a collecting tank of his state-of-the-art copper-pot still.

A blocked vent had caused the tank to buckle. “I’m just kind of glad we didn’t kill ourselves,” he said with a laugh.” – Toby Cecchini, Just Don’t Call it Moonshine

What is the difference between worm tub and shell and tube?

Basically – Worm tubs have the vapour in the worm/ the copper pipe, and the water in the tub. Shell and Tube condensers have the vapour in the tube and the water in the copper pipes. At the end of the lyne arms which come off the top of the stills, we find condensers or worm tubs.

• Both these condense steam/vapours coming off the stills, back into liquid.
• They do it in different ways.
• A worm tub is a wooden or metal tub constantly filling with cold water to cool the worm or serpent of copper filled with vapour, which spirals from the end of the lyne arm through the tub.
• As the vapours travel through the worm they are cooled by cold water flowing around the worm.

Worm tubs give the vapour less copper contact – there is shorter length of worm for the vapours to travel through, before condensing back into liquid and pouring through the spirit safe. In condensers, the vapours pour out the lyne arm into the big tube space of the condenser from the top and cold water fills all the thin copper tubes from the bottom.

This way the colder water hits the colder vapours, and the slightly warmer water deals with the vapours as they come out of the lyne arm. There can be 50, maybe 100, thin diameter copper pipes containing cold water in a condenser, for vapours to react with. In the past all distilleries used worm tubs but in the late 60’s, early 70’s most distilleries changed to using Shell and Tube Condensers.

Only about 15 or so still have various worm tubs. Worm tubs allow a “meatier”, sometimes more complex, heavier spirit. Ardnahoe, Islay’s newest distillery will have 2 worm tubs – and what is believed to be the longest Lyne arms in the industry this dram will be interesting! Photos Worm Tub from old still in Islay Museum and outside condenser at Bowmore Distillery.

What is a still and how does it work?

Still – Wikipedia Apparatus used to distill liquid mixtures This article is about distilling apparatus. For other uses, see,,,, and,

This article needs additional citations for, Please help by, Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: – · · · · ( August 2021 ) ( )

Swan-necked copper in the distillery from in County Westmeath in Ireland. A still is an apparatus used to mixtures by heating to selectively and then cooling to the, A still uses the same concepts as a basic distillation apparatus, but on a much larger scale.

What does a worm do in alcohol?

What is the origin of the worm at the bottom of a bottle of the Mexican drink Mescale? | Notes and Queries | guardian.co.uk What is the origin of the worm at the bottom of a bottle of the Mexican drink Mescale?

• A NATIVE of Guadelajara, Senor Jaime Alvarez, gave me the following explanation: without the benefits of laboratory conditions, distillers of Tequila in the last century needed some means to test their product. The Agave worm was dropped into the tequila and a basic rule of thumb was that if the worm was still wriggling when it hit the bottom of the bottle, the liquor was safe to drink. If the worm died on the way down, the tequila was deemed unfit for human consumption. The legendary hallucinogenic benefits of eating the worm stem from the fact that the Agave worm feeds on the peyote cactus, from which the drug mescalin is refined.
  • Stuart Warburton, Bury, Lancs.

• I WAS on a course earlier this year with the vice-president of one of Mexico’s largest drinks companies, and I asked her this same question. Apparently, the indigenous Mexican ‘Indians’, who discovered the process of distilling the juice of the Agave cactus, did indeed eat the worms that live in the cactus. However, the business of putting one in the bottle is an entirely new development dreamed up by the marketing men: it allows ‘macho’ types to show off to each other and their girlfriends by eating the worm. The ‘tradition’ is pure invention.
  2. John Radford, Ilkeston, Derbys.

: What is the origin of the worm at the bottom of a bottle of the Mexican drink Mescale? | Notes and Queries | guardian.co.uk

What is a moonshiners worm made of?

Page 2 – This super condensing worm, like all of our products, is made from heavy duty 22 gauge pure 99.9% Paul Revere food grade copper. This worm is durable and built to last a lifetime. A Worm is made of cooper tubing that ranges in total length from 16 to 20 feet. The cooper tubing is coiled so it is only around 24 inches in height. The tube fits in a barrel. Steam is condensed from the still when water flows around the cooper tube.

1. This Worm has been tested and will work great!
3. SHIPPING

We ship all of our stills via FedEx, and we offer shipping to customers in the contiguous United States (48 States). All of our moonshine stills are made to order, but we will ship your order as soon as possible. We will contact you via email, and let you know the when your order has shipped along with the tracking number.

• Because these stills are individually handcrafted to ensure the highest quality, please allow six to eight weeks for delivery* WARRANTY We have a 100% guarantee on workmanship on our moonshine stills.
• We are the only still manufacturer that offers this.
• PAYMENT We take all major credit cards or Paypal.

We make it easy! We realize that some of you may prefer to pay with a check. If this is your situation please and let us know this is what you would like to do. We will be glad to work with you. : Discount Stillz 5 Gallon Super Condensing – Moonshine Still Worm

Why are there worms in drinks?

So, why is there a worm in mezcal? – Larvae began appearing in mezcal bottles in the 1950s, when a mezcal maker discovered a moth larvae in a batch of his liquor and thought the stowaway improved its taste. He started adding “worms” to all his bottles as a marketing strategy. Soon, other mezcal manufacturers jumped on the bandwagon.

Why is there a dead worm in tequila?

The truth about the tequila worm – Contrary to popular belief, tequila doesn’t actually contain the worm. The worm was reserved for mezcal, which is known as tequila’s big brother. So what’s the difference? Tequilas consist of at least 51%, whereas mezcal must be 100% agave ( read more on the difference between tequila vs.

mezcal ). Mezcal is a smokey, aromatic spirit while tequila is more robust. The legend of the worm started in the 1950s when a Mexican mezcal maker discovered a moth larvae in a batch of mezcal. This mezcal maker thought the worm’s presence actually improved its taste. He placed a worm in each bottle as a marketing strategy.

Over time, other manufacturers followed suit due to its popularity. Today, tequila does not contain a worm in the bottle (in fact, the Mexican Standards authority prohibits it). But if you do find a bottle, they’re usually in lower-ended mezcal.

Does tequila have a worm in the bottle?

The Tequila Worm – Despite popular belief, there are no brands of tequila that have a worm in them. Instead, you can only find worms in bottles of Mezcal. Tequila and Mezcal are very similar; they are both made in Mexico, have a similar, and contain agave.

What is a distillery worm?

Worm tub A component in the distillation apparatus that converts the spirit from a gas to a liquid by running the vapor through a copper tube set in a pool of cold water. Although most distilleries now use, old-fashioned worm tubs can still be found. May 12, 2023 | Hyatt Regency Chicago

Do tube worms have teeth?

Life of an Earthworm

What’s it like to be a worm? How would the world look, sound, and feel if you lived at ground level or below, if you couldn’t control your body temperature or even shiver when you were cold, and if you had no arms or legs and could only wiggle to move about? Compare how your body does each of these things with how a worm does. Then do the journaling project at the end.

Seeing : Earthworms have no eyes, but they do have light receptors and can tell when they are in the dark, or in the light. Why is being able to detect light so important to a worm? Hearing : Earthworms have no ears, but their bodies can sense the vibrations of animals moving nearby. Thinking and feeling : Worms have a brain that connects with nerves from their skin and muscles. Their nerves can detect light, vibrations, and even some tastes, and the muscles of their bodies make movements in response. Breathing : Worms breathe air in and carbon dioxide out, just like us, but they don’t have lungs. They can’t breathe through their mouth, and certainly can’t breathe through their nose because they don’t even have one! They breathe through their skin. Air dissolves on the mucus of their skin, so they MUST stay moist to breathe. If worms dry out, they suffocate. As fresh air is taken in through the skin, oxygen is drawn into the worm’s circulatory system, and the worm’s hearts pump the oxygenated blood to the head area. The movements of the worm’s body make the blood flow back to the back end of the body, and the hearts pump the blood forward again. Carbon dioxide dissolves out of the blood back to the skin. Eating : Worms do not have teeth, but their mouths are muscular and strong. Nightcrawlers can even pull leaves into their burrows using their strong mouths. The front end of the worm, its prostomium, is pointed and firm, making it easy for worms to push their way into crevices as they eat their way through their burrows. (The mouth of the worm is just behind the prostomium.) Worms swallow pieces of dirt and decaying leaves, and the food passes through the pharynx, (located in body segments 1-6), the esophagus (segments 6-13), and into the crop, which stores food temporarily. The worm’s stomach is very muscular, so is called a gizzard, Like a bird’s gizzard, it grinds up the food, which then moves into the intestine, The intestine extends over two-thirds of the worm’s body length. In the intestine, food is broken down into usable chemicals which are absorbed into the bloodstream. Leftover soil particles and undigested organic matter pass out of the worm through the rectum and anus in the form of castings, or worm poop. Worm poop is dark, moist, soil-colored, and very rich in nutrients. That’s why farmers and gardeners like to have lots of worms in their soil. Cleaning out the blood : Worms don’t have kidneys, but they have something serving the same purpose. Worms have nephridia to filter out the dead cells and other wastes that are sloughed into the blood. Wastes from the nephridia are eliminated through the same opening as the digestive wastes. Worm urine is more dilute than ours, but has ammonia as well as urea. Heartbeats : Worms don’t have just one heart. They have FIVE! But their hearts and circulatory system aren’t as complicated as ours – maybe because their blood doesn’t have to go to so many body parts. Moving around: Worms have two kinds of muscles beneath their skin. The outer layer of muscles are circular muscles, which decrease the diameter but stretch the length of the earthworm’s body when contracted. The inner layer of muscles are longitudinal, which shorten but widen the body when contracted. Every segment of a worm’s body (except the first and last) has four pairs of tiny, stiff hair-like projections called setae, To move forward, this is what a worm does:

First it grips the soil with some of its back setae so its back part can’t move. Then it squeezes its circular muscles, which makes its body get longer. Since the back of the body is gripping the soil, the front part of the body moves forward. Then the front setae grip the soil and the back setae let go. Then the worm squeezes its longitudinal muscles, which makes its body shorter. The back part moves forward.

Try This! Activities

Journaling Project Imagine you are the first worm on earth with the ability to write in a diary. Based on your understanding of how worms live, write some diary entries. Try to pick days when you won’t get gobbled up by a robin! Choose three days from the following:

a nice, sunny day after an overnight rainstorm in spring a day when it’s pouring rain in spring a cool, moist summer day a hot, dry day in the middle of summer a warm, misty day in autumn a cold, windy day in autumn

Valentines. Imagine you’re a worm. Use art materials to create a Valentine for your best friend. Heart Sounds, Imagine what a worm’s five hearts would sound like if you were listening through a stethoscope. Practice making the sounds you think you would hear. Use your mouth or any objects to create the heart sounds. Take turns with your friends to hear each other’s versions of worm heart sounds.

: Life of an Earthworm

Why is shell-and-tube better?

Versatility and flexibility – Shell and tube heat exchangers are the most common variety of heat exchangers currently used in the industry sector, thanks to their efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Their design configurations are extremely versatile and flexible, so each heat exchanger can be customised to suit its purpose.

How long does it take to run a moonshine still?

How Long Does It Take to Make Moonshine? – As you can see, the process of fermenting and distilling moonshine is quite time-consuming. In general, you can expect it to take between 1-3 weeks to make moonshine, as the mash must ferment and the distillation process must be continued until the final shine is safe for consumption.

What does the worm in mezcal do to you?

Does the mezcal worm have hallucinogenic effects? –

1. What happens when you eat the worm in mezcal?
2. There are plenty of myths and local legends about the effects that the mezcal worm may have, but they are simply not true.
3. If you do feel something after eating a mezcal worm it is a placebo effect.
4. At best, you may get a little more of a buzz because the mezcal has been absorbed into the worm.

Which fungi is used to make alcohol?

Abstract – Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the main microorganism used in wine brewing, because this microbe has potent ability to produce alcohol dehydrogenase. We have recently discovered that some genera of mushroom produced alcohol dehydrogenase, and made wine by using a mushroom in place of S.

cerevisiae. The highest alcohol concentration in this wine was achieved with Pleurotus ostreatus (2.6 M, 12.2%). In the case of Agaricus blazei, the same alcohol concentration (1.7 M, 8%) was produced under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. This wine produced by A. blazei contained about 0.68% beta-D-glucan, which is known to have a preventive effects against cancer.

The wine made by using Flammulina velutipes showed thrombosis-preventing activity, giving a prolonged thrombin clotting time 2.2-fold that of the control. Thus, the wine made by using mushroom seems to be a functional food which can be expected to have preventive effects against cancer and thrombosis.

Does the worm in tequila do anything?

What Tequila has a worm in it? – None. That’s right, no tequila has a worm in it. That’s another common misconception. The Mexican spirit that has a worm in that bottom is actually as you’ve probably guessed by now Mezcal. Tequila and mezcal are quite similar as covered in my article on the difference between them Tequila and Mezcal, so the misunderstanding is acceptable.

1. Both tequila and mezcal are made by distilling the agave plant, however while mezcal can be made from a blend of one of 250 types of the cactus-like succulents.
2. In order to be classified as tequila, a bottle must be at least 51% blue agave (agave tequilana)-the higher the percentage of blue agave, the finer the bottle.

Which means tequila is a type of mezcal, but mezcal is not tequila, and only mezcal has worms. Read my full guide on Mezcal here to see how its made and more about the spirit with the worm. Then check out my guide on Tequila to really understand how they differ.

What is worm juice called?

We’ve likely all come across those bottles on the side of the road or at the local farmer’s market, below a handwritten sign reading “Worm Juice” or even “Worm Wee” and wondered if that mysterious brown liquid was really all it is chalked up to be. While the idea of a suburban squeezed liquid worm fertiliser sounds like nature’s bargain, you must be very careful to understand the origin and process used to produce the aforementioned ‘bargain’ product.

First up, worms don’t actually wee, so we recommend mentally crossing out the words ‘worm wee’ for all future use. If you’re curious, worms release their water waste through pores on their body, (the way we sweat) but it’s not the same as urine. The product often referred to as ‘worm wee’ or ‘worm juice’ is simply the excess liquid drained through a worm farm environment from inputs and watering.

It is more accurately known as leachate. If you’re a worm farm user, you’ll be familiar with leachate; it’s the liquid that passes through your worm farm and pools at the bottom to be drained. While leachate may likely have picked up some beneficial microbes on its way down your worm farm (as it’s passed by some of that magic worm cast), it has also passed through decomposing matter and therefore may contain microbes that are not so beneficial.

In our vermicomposting vs conventional composting article, we talk about the difference between aerobic (what you want) and anaerobic (what you don’t) which also applies here. Depending on how long the leachate is left to pool in the bottom of your worm farm, it may become anaerobic (if it smells bad, ditch it).

Therefore, as leachate can contain phytotoxic compounds it’s best to be cautious with your applications and avoid using it on your edible gardens. It can be used on ornamental gardens, but we recommend the most appropriate use for it is to put it back into your habitat to assist in maintaining appropriate moisture levels.

1. This way any beneficial microbes that are in there will be compounded and any bad guys that hitched a ride will be eliminated when they pass through the worm’s gut.
2. A well-functioning worm farm should also not have a significant amount of leachate – this can indicate your worm farm is too high in moisture.

Worms thrive in an environment that is moist but not wet, so getting an abundance of leachate is not your goal! So, what’s this incredible worm liquid people are talking about then? What you’re really after is the worm cast. This soil-like substance the worms leave behind after processing your waste is supercharged with an amazing diversity of beneficial microbes, enzymes & growth promoters.

Worm castings can be used to prepare worm cast tea or worm cast extract. When we prepare our commercial liquid Worm Cast Extract (WCE) we age, aerate and ‘feed’ the microbes in our worm cast to maximise the beneficial properties, particularly mycorrhiza fungi. We then utilise a proprietary method of extraction to harvest the microbes, fulvic acids, humates and nutrients into a pure rainwater solution for our farmers and gardeners.

The extract encourages microbiological activity and speeds up the growth rate of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes, helping plants compete with other pathogenic organisms – now that’s a quality brewed tea. Our Worms Downunder farm is peppered with ongoing experiments and perfecting the recipe for our Worm Cast Extract has been one of our greatest triumphs, so we definitely recommend investing in a couple of litres for your garden,