Are any of you fans of incense? I mean actually burning it?


I've burned incense sticks since the early Seventies. I've just loved exploring the many scents and styles... Some brands, like SPIRITUAL SKY, were blatantly synthetic, but I still loved them, like their Cherry, Strawberry Fields, Vanilla, Coconut. They even once made an essential oil which they called "SHALI". I guess it was a SHALIMAR-style blend... Their packaging-- showing a fabulously blue-skinned Krishna, with Mona Lisa smile, doing his celestial hootchie-kootchie dance--- was my first exposure to Hinduism and Hindu art...

Then you get brands which are eninently natural... my favorite here being AUROSHIKHA. They make an "Amber" scent which is the traditional sweet golden vanillic amber style... but laced delicately with clove. It puts my mind in such a lovely space! There is no doubt in my mind that the AUROSHIKHA fragrances are carefully made by spiritual noses who know how to awaken the soul and send spirits soaring.



I used to love the agarbathies hand-rolled in India... especially their rose and their pure sandalwood. Someone once said that cattle excreta was sometimes used in these sticks... and indeed, some of these true Indian scents do smell somewhat urinaceous, not unpleasantly.

Then there is "koh", the fabulous japanese charcoal style sticks, with no central reed, just packed charcoal. These are most delicate indeed, and the scents are quite subtle.

Are any of you fans of burning incense? What brands/scents have been your favorites? Where was that fabulous and chic, specialized incense store online I once used to slaver over? Do you know it?

I adore burning incense. My favourite would have to be one called "super hit". Its divine! cant remember who makes it though.

Ps. Its handrolled in india, very sweet and veerry long lasting. you really only need to burn a quarter of a stick at a time.

I've recently started using Nan-za, frankincense incense from Shoyeido.

I love the stuff, but since I don't live with someone who shares my opinion on the matter, I live without.

Oh I love Auroshikha's incense. I also like Morning Star, which is made in Japan. Last time I picked some up they had added fig and iris sticks to their line - they must be keeping up with perfume trends! I bought the iris, and like it quite a bit.

I used to burn it a lot more. Right now I like Juniper Ridge Wild Sage. I love all their incenses.

I just can't get past the smoke. I don't like smoke.

I use the Japanese incense packed without using the stick. I refuse to burn anything that's made with a stick in the middle, I'm snobby that way.

I burn incense quite frequently. My absolutely favorite is by Fred Soll: www.fredsoll.com, but I also like a lot of Japanese brands like NK.

Sounds glorious, Mare. The Fred Soll website claims to use REAL ambergris?? Wow!

sorry, should be Nan-zan.

Good old Nag Champa in the blue, white and red box. Still smells better than any expensive incense that I've tried, in my opinion. I've been burning it for 20 years now. Well, I hardly ever use it now, but somtimes still burn it near an open window to lift my spirits. My daughter has taken to burning it in her room, and I always say to her - "Mmmm, you smell so good!"


Having said that, I am very curious to smell Fred Noll's ambergris incense!

I like to burn incense, too, but also live with someone who does not like the smoke. As a result, I don't often get to do so.

Indian agarbatti is often too strong for me to burn inside the house. I do like the Precious Chandan incense made by HEM. When I go to India, I often visit a 150 year old incense store in Pune, and bring back some of their handrolled incense. They make a green rose incense and a aloeswood that are very nice.

My preference is more for incense in the Japanese style. I have several different kinds made by Shoyeido, including a fabulously expensive box of aloeswood incense I bought years ago (I only burn it on special occasions). That incense is stunning.

Years ago I visited an Orthodox monastery, and got some beautiful frankincense and myrrh resin that you by throwing it onto a charcoal brazier. That was fantastic and otherworldly, but it was a great deal of trouble to get the charcoal burning first.

I love this John Singer Sargeant painting, Fumée d'Ambre Gris:

http://www.clarkart.edu/museum_programs/co...art=1&nav=1

I'm afraid I associate incense too strongly with being a hippie student, indian bedspreads, beads, headbands, etc etc - it's hard to associate it with my life now! I do have some Hermes incense somewhere (I think it came with one of the Jardin scent presentations) but have never used it.

Most of the newsagents/convenience stores in the UK (at least in cities) are run by Indians and I also associate the smell of incense with their shops.

Of course, I realise that there's incense - and then again, there's incense, if you see what I mean, but I think I'll stick with my Diptyque candles and room sprays.

Oh, I have a few of those Auroshikha ones, but I don't remember if I like them or not.

I love an incencse called "Gateway of India". Comes in a slim tube. I like it because it's sweet, like violets and amber, but it's not too heady. There's a French company called Essences d'Auroville who makes incense only from natural essential oils that are wonderful. I love one called Happy Heart. Lots of geranium. And another incense that I don't know the manufacturor of, called Celestial Sandalwood, is lovely. Sweet vanillic sandalwood. Very soft. Reminds me of the basenotes of Chergui.

Then I burn resins (frankincence, myrrh and stuff) over smoldering coals. Not practical if you live in an apartment. Sets the fire alarm right off.

Oh, Czech & Speak's "88" incence is wonderful too.

Nag Champa during meditation, which is every day. I also like Tibetan Incense, but I don't have any at the moment. I especially like it when I get wiffs of it in my hair when I go outside ;-)

I like it but don't burn it year-round. It's kind of a seasonal thing for me, I only get the urge to burn incense around Christmas.

Ah, incense. No longer burn it as often as I like due to current apartment and air circulation, but have used many kinds over the years. Love the blue, white, red box Nag Champa, greenlily61! Current favorites are Shoyeido Kyo-nishiki and Nobika, Morning Star (another Japanese type) amber and aloeswood, and Hem amber. Favorite of all time was thalampoo of unknown brand / origin (those unmarked but for type '10 in a transparent bag' stick incenses), simultaneously green and musky. I have two interesting Tibetan incenses, one somewhat akin to a russet joss, the other a mixed-textures self-igniting powder and tiny bits that is heavy on what seems like eucalyptus.

I am a die-hard fan and I burn the real ecclesiastical Greek orthodox stuff, no "tutti frutti" smothered scents on mine; just solid, black tears of frankincense: DIVINE!!.

Mass and church celebrations are chokefull of the loveliest smoke in orthodox churches, the light coming from the colourful panelled windows, the atmosphere of old wax and cold marble floors, the wooden pews with antique gold chandeliers above them, visions of brides and grooms who have been crowned with silver wreaths in their weddings according to the orthodox canon, like they're royalty in the times of Byzantium...it's a magical picture that comes to my mind every time I smell incense!

I buy mine at monasteries and every time churches have their annual celebration (so they have little sachets for people to buy coming from Mount Athos, which is a unique in the whole world monastery community) and burn them on little charcoals for the purpose in a special censer. Of course one could simply place them in a little heatproof dish and let it smoke away...

You might try these:
http://archangelsbooks.com/proddetail.asp?prod=HCMFRANK

http://www.cenacle.co.uk/lists/Incense.htm (scroll to see the selection after the censers)

http://www.monasterygreetings.com/Products.asp?PCID=190

I'm glad we share an appreciation for incense too, helg!

Here is the monastery in Massachusetts. They have a store, and you can purchase incense online!

http://www.thehtm.org/catalog/index.php?cP...2b9688eab1f7873

:-))

I think Minette buys from there!

As a ,ot of the members on here know, I am a big fan of Baieido Japanese incense. The quality is so much better than Shoyeido.

http://www.oller.net/

Barry

love to burn incense. wrote about some of my favorites in this article, for memorial day. the resin in one of the photos is from the monastery in massachusetts. i include links to places where you can buy the ones i mention, including a lovely one from bhutan.

http://www.scentsignals.com/scentsignals/2...ial-day-an.html

waves to helg!

thanks for the lovely article, minette!

you're most welcome, jtc!

I burn it,,,prefer it to candles and room spray. Airs, Juniper Ridge are current favorites.

Yes, I am fan of incense too. I love everything scented! I find incense particularly relaxing. I buy mine at local Indian shop and love Night Queen, Vetiver, Sandalwood, ... scents. Currently I'm moving to my new home and I have a huge (heavy) box of scented candles and another one of incense and oils for burning.

Accolon, you are the only person i know that KNOWS of "Gateway to India"!! This has been my favourite incense for about 12 years! They're very hard to get here but i swear, they're heavenly!

I also love the japanese incense sticks a lot, those without a wooden stick inside them, they are very refined and soft. Don't know the brand, have to look it up, they come in green paper.
But i also have several different others at home regularly, esp. jasmine and sandalwood. I can hardly resist to buy them. And Nag Champa of course. I use them for fragranting my house, for lifting my spirits, for the verandah on summer evenings.

And i burn real incense on charcoal which truly touches my senses . Currently i use pure black (church) incense ("Aurum Nero") and a colourful mix with myrrh and different resins added. It's called "1001 Night".
http://www.shop-der-elemente.de/product_in...AURUM-NERO.html

I've only ever burned the Indian kind in scents of jasmine, rose, and sandalwood. It's very smoky so I only do it during the summer months when my windows are open. Also, traditionally, Indian homes are very open to the elements in order to catch any breezes so a smoky incense wouldn't have been a big deal. Plus, we Indians aren't into subtlety.

LOL. I found that I enjoyed Indian incense while I was in India, but it was a bit strong when I burned it at home in the US.

Context is important.

"Also, traditionally, Indian homes are very open to the elements in order to catch any breezes so a smoky incense wouldn't have been a big deal. Plus, we Indians aren't into subtlety"

Sgupta4, maybe that's why i like it best in open rooms, windows or the verandah door opened, it mingles nicely with the air and wind brings lovely whiffs to the whole area.

I'm a fan of Nippon Kodo incense. My favorite, Great Africa, is no longer made.

It contains frankincense, clove and cacao. Coincidentaly I am burning some now.

They also make a blend called Paris cafe that has coffee I like it.

Really!!?? I thought I was the only one who knew of it too! It's hard to find here too. One oriental food-store has it occasionally and I found it once at an oriental music festival. I'm going to town tomorrow and look for it. I would go today, but it's just too hot.

I love incense, as a Pagan who follows the Ancient Egyptian path, my favorite incense is (kapet) kyphi all all three of its types: Dioscorides' Kyphi, Edfu Kyphi and Galen's kyphi.

True to Ancient Egyptian ritual, I burn frankincense in the morning, myrrh in the afternoon and kyphi at night.

I buy my kyphi incenses from alchemy-works, they have the best handmade incense I have come across, need some chacoal though as this is a resin type incense. Heady, smoky and ethereal, transports you to another place, celestial and relaxing, also said to be an aphrodisiac.

I have also enjoyed Nag Champa and Airs brand incenses, especially Dragon's Blood.