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Gayo Lues is a regency in Aceh Province well known as a producing center for citronella, cymbopogon nardus. Today, the area of production reaches around 34,000 hectares managed by more than 2000 households. Until now, citronella oil was collected by the community through simple extraction technology and has not been able to improve the earnings of farmers. In this study, an experimental study of extraction of citronella essential oil has been carried out using a steam distillation system. The scope of this study is to optimize the extraction process of citronella essential oil using a steam distillation system. The process variables evaluated in this study comprise the extraction time and the nature of raw material (wet or dry). The results confirmed that there was a significant effect of extraction time proceeding the amount of oil produced whereas pressure and raw material requirements strongly influence oil quality. The results of this investigation could secure necessary information for the citronella farmers in Gayo Lues to develop better quality and value of the essential oil product.