Use organic fresh edible fully blooming roses.

Gently pull the petals off the stem. Look through the petals and remove any wilted or brown spots. Discard the stem. Place the petals in a large colander and gently rinse them under running water to remove dirt and insects. Don’t soak petals in water.

Add the rose petals in a medium ceramic or glass saucepan. Fill up with distilled/filtered water until the petals are submerged. The petals will float on the water surface, and push them down into the water.

Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Then reduce to the lowest heat, cover the pot, and let it gently simmer for about 20 minutes. ( Do not let the water come to a boil and using high heat will ruin the color and other properties) The rose petals will release their color into the water and then turn pale. Turn the heat off and let it sit for another 10 minutes undisturbed.

Let the rose water cool below 104°F / 40°C. Put a fine mesh strainer over a large measuring cup to catch the liquid. Pour the rose petal mixture into the strainer. Discard the rose petals. Then stir the lemon juice, if using, into the rose water until evenly distributed throughout.