Antonio Mcgowan
Incense has been used for thousands of years in various cultures for a multitude of reasons, from creating sacred spaces to aiding in meditation and prayer. Making your own incense blend allows you to harness the power of scent to evoke memories and emotions. The key to creating incense lies in choosing the right binder—a sticky substance that holds all the ingredients together. The type of binder you use depends on your preferred method of using incense, whether it's burning or warming. Traditional options include makko, a blend that often includes tabu no ki, joss powder, guar gum, tragacanth gum, and honey.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Common binders | Makko, Joss Powder, Guar Gum, Tragacanth Gum, Honey, Water, Balsam, Dates, Red Wine, Salt, Brandy, Tabu No Ki powder, Nanmu powder |
| Kneaded incense | Nerikoh |
| Kneaded incense binder | Dried plums and honey |
| Kneaded incense preparation | Roll into pea-sized pellets, dry for a few days, place in a sealed unglazed ceramic or glass jar for at least 48 hours |
| Binder quantity | 10-30% of the incense recipe |
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What You'll Learn
Using honey as a binder
Honey is a great natural binder for incense, with a long history in the art of incense-making. The process of making kneaded incense with honey can be traced back over a thousand years to the Chinese Tang Dynasty and the Hei-an period in Japan.
To make honey-based incense, you will need to create a dough-like consistency with your chosen ingredients. Start by grinding your dry incense ingredients into coarse granules, similar to the texture of sea salt. You can use a variety of dried herbs, seeds, berries, resins, barks, roots, and woods, depending on your preference. For example, juniper berries, pine needles, lavender flowers, and rosemary leaves are all great options for aromatic incense. Once you have your chosen ingredients, you will need to add your honey. It is best to use wild honey, and if this is not available, opt for a high-quality honey that has been cooked. To cook the honey, gently heat it while stirring continuously for around 20 minutes to remove air and reduce water content. Drizzle in enough honey so that your mixture binds together and forms a sticky dough. The honey will not only act as a binder but also as a preservative.
Next, you can form the dough into small, pea-sized pellets by hand. If you want to make the traditional Japanese kneaded incense balls, called Neri-Koh, you can pound the incense-honey mixture with a mortar and pestle for 15-20 minutes until it becomes a homogeneous paste. Then, cut the paste into small squares and roll each piece into a ball. A perfectly kneaded incense ball should be round and seamless, with a slight ooze of honey, and should not be dry.
Finally, place your incense pellets or balls on a board covered with wax paper to dry. Enclose the board in a large paper bag and leave it to dry for a couple of days. Turn the pellets or balls twice a day to ensure even drying. Once they are dry to the touch, place them in a sealed unglazed ceramic or glass jar for at least 48 hours. The longer you age the mix, the more refined the scent will become. To use your incense, gently heat the pellets or balls in an incense stove.
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Japanese Nerikoh incense with dried plums and honey
Japanese Nerikoh incense is a kneaded incense that uses dried plums and honey as its binder. The process of making it involves grinding dry incense ingredients into coarse granules, which are then measured and placed in a bowl. The mixture is then kneaded with honey and formed into pellets, which are dried and aged in an unglazed ceramic pot.
To make Japanese Nerikoh incense with dried plums and honey, start by grinding your dry incense ingredients into coarse granules, similar in size to sea salt. The specific ingredients used can vary depending on the desired fragrance, but they should all be ground to a consistent size. Once ground, measure out your ingredients, using a consistent unit of measurement, such as a ratio of one part dried fruit to one part incense. Place the measured ingredients in a large bowl.
Next, you'll create the binder and mix it with your dry ingredients. Drizzle honey slowly into the bowl until the mixture forms a sticky dough. Honey acts as both a binder and a preservative. You can also add dried plums to the mixture, as they are traditionally used in Nerikoh incense and provide a natural stickiness. Knead the mixture with your hands until the ingredients are well combined.
Once the dough is formed, pinch off small pieces and roll them into pea-sized pellets. Place the pellets on a board covered with wax paper to dry. Enclose the board in a large paper bag and let it dry for a couple of days, turning the pellets twice a day to ensure even drying.
After the pellets have dried, place them in a single layer in a sealed unglazed ceramic or glass jar. Age the incense in the jar for at least 48 hours. The longer you age the mix, the more its fragrance will develop and refine. Traditionally, Japanese incense makers would age their Nerikoh incense in an unglazed ceramic pot, sometimes burying it near a stream for an extended period.
Finally, your Japanese Nerikoh incense with dried plums and honey is ready to be enjoyed. You can gently heat the pellets using an incense stove or a hot micah plate. Remember to clean your tools with alcohol after handling the incense.
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Common binders: makko, joss powder, guar gum, tragacanth gum
Makko, also known as tabu no ki, is a blend that often includes tabu no ki, clove, and sandalwood. It is a popular base and binder blend that simplifies incense-making. It is traditionally used in Japanese incense and is known to make minimal changes to the scent of the incense. It is also a good burner base on its own. Joss powder, also known as "jiggit" or "jiggat", is another popular incense binder derived from the bark of the litsea glutinosa tree, which grows throughout Asia. It is favoured as an incense binder because it not only binds but also serves as a base for the incense, helping it burn better. Guar gum and tragacanth gum are also commonly used as incense binders. They are gum binders that work well and are preferred by some incense makers. These gum binders are derived from plant mucilage and are known to have no scent, which is ideal for incense-making as it will not alter the aroma.
When making incense, it is important to consider the form of incense you want to create. For example, if you want to roll cones by hand, you only need the ingredients and a mixing bowl. However, if you want to make joss sticks or coils, you will need an extruder to achieve the desired shape. The type of binder you choose will depend on the form and function of your incense. If your incense is meant to be burned, you will need a binder that can burn, such as makko powder. On the other hand, if you are using a heater that warms the incense instead of burning it, you can explore other options, such as Japanese kneaded incense.
The base and binder of the incense are important as they heat the aromatics and release their scents. Therefore, choosing a base that complements the aromatic components is crucial. Sandalwood, for example, can be used as a base for incense with aromatics like frankincense or patchouli. Additionally, liquid scents such as essential oils, decoctions, hydrosols, and other extracts can be added to enhance the fragrance of the incense.
Some incense makers choose their base first and then select aromatics that complement it, while others choose their aromatics first and then find a base that complements or does not interfere with the chosen scents. It is important to note that the longer you age the incense mix, the more it will develop and refine, resulting in a better final product.
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Chinese incense uses Nanmu powder as a binder
Chinese incense, or xiang, has been used in China for thousands of years, with the first known incense recipe book dating back 2,500 years. The art of incense blending has evolved and spread to other East Asian countries, including Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.
Chinese incense uses Nanmu powder (楠木粉) as a binder. Nanmu powder is derived from Machillus nanmu, an Indonesian variety. It is a naturally darker wood powder, which makes it difficult to fake, ensuring a more stable quality. The use of a wood-based binder is beneficial for beginners as it aids the burning process, unlike gum, which can hinder it at certain quantities. The percentage of binder used in an incense recipe can range from 10-30%, depending on the powder's quality and the other ingredients in the blend.
Nanmu powder is not the only binder used in incense-making. Other common binders include makko, a blend that often includes tabu no ki, and joss powder, which is used in Indian incense. Makko is also a popular choice as it makes minimal changes to the scent of the incense and burns well. It is important to note that pure tabu no ki is not the same as makko, although it is an ingredient in the blend.
In Japan, a kneaded incense called Nerikoh uses dried plums and honey as a binder, which is aged in an unglazed ceramic pot. Honey acts as a binder and preservative, helping to bind the incense mixture into a dough that sticks together well.
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The percentage of binder used in a recipe
The binder is a form of glue that holds the incense together in the shape you choose. The percentage of binder used in a recipe depends on the type of binder and the form of incense you want to make. For example, a typical incense recipe will use just 1/8 teaspoon of gum binder for every 2 tablespoons of material. However, many recipes that use wood binders are 75% wood binder.
If you are making cones by hand, you don't need much more than the ingredients and a mixing bowl. However, if you want to make joss sticks or coils by hand, you will need to use an extruder to get an acceptable result.
When making kneaded incense pellets, dried plums and honey can be used as a binder. The honey acts as both a binder and a preservative. The mixture should be sticky enough to form into a dough and then rolled into pea-sized pellets. The pellets are then dried in a paper bag for one or more days and then placed in a sealed unglazed ceramic or glass jar for at least 48 hours. The longer the mix is aged, the better it will be.
When using gum binders, it is important to add water to your blend to "activate" the binder. While you do need to use a water-based liquid, it doesn't need to be plain water. It's also important to note that gum binders can be much stronger than wood binders, so adding too much gum binder to a recipe can cause it to bind so strongly that it can't burn.
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Frequently asked questions
Common incense binders include makko, joss powder, guar gum, tragacanth gum, honey, water, balsam, and dried fruit soaked in wine.
The ideal consistency for your incense mixture is stiff and dough-like. It should be crumbly on its own but stick together when you squeeze it.
The percentage of binder used in an incense recipe ranges between 10-30%, depending on the quality of the powder and the types of other ingredients in the blend.
Allow your incense to dry for at least several days and up to a couple of weeks, depending on the humidity of your climate. Turn the incense every day or two to ensure it dries evenly.
