Seamus Hammond
Incense is a fragrant product that is burned to release its aroma. It has been used for thousands of years, dating back to ancient civilisations in Egypt and China, where it was employed for religious and pragmatic purposes. Today, incense is used across the world and is produced in a variety of forms, including sticks, cones, and coils. The incense mixture typically consists of combustible dust, essential oils, and fragrance oils, which are combined with small quantities of water to form a dough that can be shaped. Incense products are often handmade, with companies like Phool employing women from marginalised communities in India to hand-roll their incense from upcycled flowers. Incense is widely available from wholesalers, distributors, and importers, with brands like Wild Berry, Aromar, and SONAVI offering a range of unique scents and natural products.
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What You'll Learn
Incense cones
Incense has been used for thousands of years, dating back to ancient China and Egypt. Today, incense cones are a popular way to enjoy the benefits of incense, offering a convenient and compact alternative to traditional incense sticks. Here are some key things to know about incense cones:
Variety of Scents
Long-Lasting Fragrance
Easy to Use
Natural Ingredients
Some incense cone brands, like Phool, focus on using natural ingredients. Phool collects sacred flowers offered in Indian temples and employs women from marginalized communities to upcycle these flowers into incense cones. Their cones are charcoal-free and handcrafted, providing a natural and sustainable option for consumers.
Health and Wellness Benefits
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Incense burners
When choosing an incense burner, it is important to consider the type of incense you will be using. For example, if you are using cored stick incense, you will need a burner with a hole or slot to hold the stick in place. If you are using cone incense, a flat surface or dish-shaped burner is more suitable. Burners with lids or covers can help contain the smoke and aroma, while those with storage compartments can be useful for holding extra incense sticks or cones.
The size of the burner is also an important consideration. If you plan on burning incense for longer periods of time, a larger burner with a deeper dish or well will be able to hold more ash. Burners with curved or enclosed shapes can also help direct the smoke and intensify the aroma. For those who value portability, smaller and lightweight burners are available that can be easily moved from room to room.
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Incense in ancient civilisations
Incense has been used for thousands of years, with the oldest textual source on the fragrant material found in the Vedas, specifically the Atharvaveda and the Rigveda. One of the earliest uses of incense dates back to around 2000 BCE in Ancient China, where it was employed in the religious sense for worship. The ancient Chinese used incense composed of herbs and plant products, such as cinnamon and sandalwood, in formalized ceremonial rites.
Incense was also prominent in ancient Egypt, where it was used in religious ceremonies and as offerings to deities. The Egyptians crafted intricate cones and sticks using aromatic resins, herbs, and spices. The use of incense in Egypt was both pragmatic and mystical, as it was believed to counteract malodorous products of human habitation and drive away demons, while also manifesting the presence of the gods and gratifying them with its pleasant aroma. Resin balls were found in many prehistoric Egyptian tombs, and one of the oldest extant incense burners originates from the 5th dynasty. The Temple of Deir-el-Bahari in Egypt contains carvings depicting an expedition for incense.
The ancient Babylonians and Israelites also used incense extensively while offering prayers or divining oracles. The Babylonians spread the use of incense to Greece and Rome, where it was incorporated into religious practices to honour the gods and purify sacred spaces. In ancient Greece, woods and resins were burned as an oblation and for protection against demons, while in Rome, fragrant woods were replaced by imported incense, which became important in sacrifices and in the cult of the emperor.
In India, the use of incense is deeply rooted in the country's ancient cultural and religious practices, with references found in the ancient Vedic texts, the sacred scriptures of Hinduism. Incense became an integral part of Hinduism and Buddhism, and its use in medicine is considered the first phase of Ayurveda. In China, incense was associated with Taoist and Buddhist traditions, and the art of incense appreciation, known as Koh-do, emerged during the Tang Dynasty.
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Incense ingredients
Incense is derived from natural ingredients, including herbs, resins, woods, and essential oils. The art of incense-making involves blending these ingredients skillfully to create unique fragrances. The basic ingredients of incense sticks, also known as agarbatti or joss sticks, include a bamboo stick, a paste, and perfume ingredients.
The bamboo core of cored stick incense is traditionally prepared from Phyllostachys heterocycla cv. pubescens, a species that produces thick wood and burns easily to ashes. The bamboo is trimmed, soaked, peeled, and split into thin sticks with square cross-sections of less than 3mm. This process has been largely replaced by machines in modern incense production.
The paste, or incense mixture, typically consists of charcoal dust, joss/jiggit/gum/tabu powder (an adhesive made from tree bark), and aromatic ingredients such as herbs, resins, and woods. The incense mixture must be well-pulverized with evenly sized particulates to ensure consistent aroma production when burned. The aromatic ingredients are the key to the scent of the incense, while the base and binder are meant to heat these aromatics and release their scents. Sandalwood, cedar, and pine are examples of strong-scented base materials, while gum binders like guar gum or xanthan gum are odourless and help hold the incense together.
Liquid scents, such as essential oils, decoctions, hydrosols, and other extracts, can also be added to enhance the fragrance. Water or other water-based liquids are necessary to "activate" the binder. However, essential oils, which do not contain water, can be used in small quantities to supplement the water content.
The blending process requires precision in the quality, balance, and ratio of each ingredient, as even slight variations can significantly impact the resulting fragrance. The moisture content, drying time, and production methods also play a crucial role in determining the final scent.
In addition to the traditional bamboo-based incense sticks, there are also "dipped" or "hand-dipped" direct-burning incense varieties. These are created by dipping "incense blanks" made of combustible dust into fragrance oils. This form of incense is often sold by flea-market and sidewalk vendors and requires minimal skill and equipment to manufacture.
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Incense manufacturing
Incense is an aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. It is used for a variety of purposes, including aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremonial rituals. Incense can be traced back to ancient times, with evidence of its use by the Egyptians, Chinese, and Indians.
The manufacturing process for incense involves several steps and can be done by hand or with the help of machines. Here is a detailed breakdown of the incense manufacturing process:
Preparation of the Core
For stick incense, the traditional method involves preparing the bamboo core by hand. This includes trimming, soaking, peeling, and splitting the bamboo to create thin sticks with square cross-sections of less than 3mm. In modern manufacturing, this process has largely been replaced by machines.
Mixing the Ingredients
The next step is to prepare the incense mixture. This typically includes aromatic wood, herbs, spices, natural gums, resins, floral ingredients, and other organic raw materials. These ingredients are carefully measured, mixed, and sifted to ensure even distribution and remove any large particles that could affect the burning process.
Creating the Incense Dough
The mixed powders are then kneaded gradually with the addition of small amounts of warm water and, in some cases, mineral colours. This creates a hard "dough" that can be shaped into various forms.
Shaping the Incense
The incense dough can be shaped in several ways, depending on the desired final product. For stick incense, the dough is forced through a hydraulic press to create long strands that resemble spaghetti. These strands are then cut to the appropriate length and laid out to dry. For cone incense or smaller coils, the dough is pressed into shaped forms or moulds.
Drying and Packaging
The shaped incense is then left to dry slowly for several days. This step is crucial, as improperly dried incense can warp or become misshapen. After drying, the incense sticks are weighed, bundled, and packaged for distribution.
Direct-Burning and Indirect-Burning Incense
Incense can be further categorised into direct-burning and indirect-burning types. Direct-burning incense, also known as combustible incense, is lit directly by a flame and then fanned or blown out, leaving a glowing ember that releases fragrant smoke. Indirect-burning incense, on the other hand, is non-combustible and requires a separate heat source, such as charcoal or glowing embers.
Other Forms of Incense
In addition to sticks, cones, and coils, incense can also be found in other forms. These include loose incense powder, paper infused with resin or oils, and incense ropes made by rolling incense powder into paper sheets and twisting them into ropes.
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