Monoi oil

The tiare flower (Gardenia taitensis), from the family Rubiaceae, is Tahiti's national flower. The small white, star-shaped flower grows on 3-foot (0.91 m) high bushes throughout French Polynesia, which features soil of coral origin, and blossoms all year long. Other names for this flower include Tiare Tahiti and Tiare Maohi.

Beyond their contribution to Monoi Tiare Tahiti, tiare flowers are deeply rooted in everyday Polynesian life. In traditional medicine, the flower is prepared in a variety of concoctions to alleviate a range of common maladies including the common cold, headaches and sunburn. Many Polynesians enjoy placing a few tiare flowers on a small, water-filled saucer to release the fragrance throughout their "fares" (Polynesian houses). The flower necklaces that are offered to tourists as a welcome gesture are created with tiare flowers, and vahine (Polynesian women) customarily wear them behind one ear.

The tiare flowers that are used in Monoi de Tahiti are hand-picked at a very particular stage of their growth, specifically when they are still unopened. The flowers are immediately taken to the manufacturing plant and stripped of their pistils. The flower portion is placed in refined coconut oil for a minimum of 15 days. This is known as "enfleurage" (flower soaking), a French term used to designate a specific extraction step. According to specific maceration standards set by the decree of Appellation d'Origine, which each manufacturer must scrupulously follow, a minimum of 15 tiare flowers must be used in every liter of refined coconut oil.

Coconut palm trees remain the most utilized Polynesian island tree and cover approximately 150,000 acres (610 km²) of land. Under favourable conditions, the coconut palm tree grows its first fruits during its 6th year and produces approximately 60 coconuts per year, from its 10th to its 70th year. As the nut begins to form it is completely empty and contains no nutrients. When its size increases, the shell hardens and becomes filled with a transparent liquid that will turn into oil upon full maturity.

When the coconuts fall from the trees, they are gathered to undergo the ancient process of extracting the coconut almonds. The shell is cracked open with an ax. The two coconut halves are left for several hours in the sun, until the almonds have shrunk enough to be removed and broken into small pieces. The fragments are then taken to special flat wooden barracks covered with sliding metal roofs which are popularly known on the Polynesian islands as "coprah dryers". The sliding roofs are only used at night and during the rainy season. The coprah is left to dry for more than a week until the coconut meat has lost over 90% of its moisture.

Placed into special natural fiber bags, the coconut fragments are shipped to the unique oil mill located on the island of Tahiti where they will be thrown into special machines and ground to a fine coco flour. The flour is then heated up to 125 degrees and finally pressed into raw coconut oil. After that step, the oil will undergo more refining to remove all impurities and obtain the highest possible quality.

Once the refining process is completed the coconut oil is placed into special storage tanks until it is purchased by one of only a handful of Monoi manufacturers. These manufacturers will proceed individually to the final maceration step which is to infuse the oil with Tiare flowers. Monoi de Tahiti must be stored in drums with a food-suitable liner or material. Drums must be lead-sealed when they leave Tahiti and kept away from humidity, light and heat.