Seamus Hammond
Incense is a product of aromatic plant matter, such as tree sap, with an oil or resin base. In Orthodox Christian practice, incense is burned in a censer by a priest or deacon to venerate various parts of the church building and the people present during prayer. The smoke of the incense is believed to symbolise the ascent of prayers to God. Incense is typically made from resins, woods, and herbs, and can be formed into cones or sticks by adding a binding material and a combustible material like makko powder. Alternatively, non-combustible incense, or loose incense, can be made by grinding and mixing ingredients like resins, balsams, raisins, dried fruits, and honey. To make orthodox incense, one must first assemble the necessary tools and supplies, such as charcoal, mica, a coffee grinder, and mixing bowls.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Aromatic plant matter (e.g. tree sap), oil or resin, makko powder, bamboo charcoal, mica, distilled water, fragrant hydrosols, natural resins, woods, herbs |
| Tools | Tweezers or tongs, coffee grinder, 2 mixing bowls or food-grade plastic bags |
| Methods | Combustible (using binding and combustible materials to form cones or sticks), non-combustible (loose incense or incense pellets) |
| Storage | Small tea box with a lid |
| Purpose | Used in prayer and religious ceremonies, creating aromatic spaces, healing |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
- Orthodox incense is made from aromatic plant matter, often with an oil or resin base
- Incense can be made combustible or non-combustible
- Combustible incense is made by forming mixtures into cones or sticks
- Non-combustible incense is loose incense or incense pellets
- Tools and supplies: bamboo charcoal, makko powder, tweezers, tongs, mica, coffee grinder, distilled water, mixing bowls, and food-grade plastic bags
Orthodox incense is made from aromatic plant matter, often with an oil or resin base
Incense is a product of aromatic plant matter, often with an oil or resin base. In Orthodox Christian practice, incense is considered an important liturgical implement. The smoke of the incense is believed to symbolise the rising of prayers to God. Incense is burned in a censer and ignited by burning charcoal. The censer, containing the smoking incense and charcoal, is used by the priest or deacon to venerate the church building and the people present during prayer.
To make orthodox incense, you will need aromatic plant matter such as tree sap, resins, woods, and herbs. You can also use essential oils with a base of resins, balsams, raisins, dried fruits, or honey. First, gather your tools and supplies, including bamboo charcoal or makko powder, tweezers or tongs, mica, a coffee grinder, distilled water or fragrant hydrosols, and two mixing bowls or food-grade plastic bags. Then, pulverize your ingredients into a fine powder using the coffee grinder. If you are using fresh ingredients, you can grind them yourself to obtain the freshest powder. Otherwise, you can start with pre-powdered substances. Next, mix your powdered ingredients with distilled water or fragrant hydrosols in one of the mixing bowls or plastic bags.
If you want to make combustible incense, form your mixture into cones or sticks by adding a binding material and a combustible material directly to the incense mixture. You can use makko powder, which is a natural combustible material from the Tabu-no-ki tree. It burns slowly but with high heat. Create an indentation in the ash using an ash press, fill it with makko powder, and compact it slightly using the ash press again. Alternatively, you can use the charcoal method by heating your incense ingredients with a small mica plate placed on top of the charcoal. Poke a vent hole from the top of a cone-shaped mound of ash down to the charcoal and place the mica plate on top.
If you prefer non-combustible incense, also known as "loose incense" or "incense pellets", simply grind and mix your ingredients without adding any binding or combustible materials. You can add soft resins, balsams, raisins, dried fruits, or honey to form pea-sized "pellets". Orthodox churches typically prefer "flowery" type scents for their incense, such as rose, lilac, lily of the valley, or jasmine. However, you can experiment with different fragrances to create your unique blend.
Resin Incense: Burning Rituals and Ancient Aromatic Experience
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Incense can be made combustible or non-combustible
Non-combustible incense, also known as "incense of the ancients", is either "loose incense" or "incense pellets". Loose incense is simply the ingredients themselves, after grinding and mixing. Incense pellets are loose incense with the addition of soft resins, balsams, raisins or dried fruits, and honey, formed into pea-sized pellets. This type of incense is heated using charcoal, makko, or mica placed atop charcoal. Makko is a natural combustible material derived from the Tabu-no-ki tree, which grows in parts of Asia. It is a powdered substance that burns slowly but with high heat. An indentation is made in the ash, filled with makko powder, and compacted slightly with an ash press.
To make combustible incense cones or sticks, you can use gum arabic or tragacanth as a binder, mixed with charcoal or saltpeter to gain combustion. However, saltpeter is toxic, so some people prefer to use makko instead. To make incense pellets, soft resins, balsams, raisins or dried fruits, and honey are added to the loose incense mixture.
When making incense, it is important to pulverize your ingredients into a very fine powder to ensure proper burning. It is also recommended to grind everything together one last time to help blend the aromas of each ingredient.
Cleansing Stones with Incense: A Step-by-Step Guide
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Combustible incense is made by forming mixtures into cones or sticks
The practice of making incense sticks and cones has a long history in China, dating back more than 500 years, and it has since spread to Japan and other parts of East Asia. Incense can be made with natural ingredients like wood, herbs, flowers, resins, and essential oils.
To make combustible incense sticks or cones, you'll need to form a mixture of various wood, resin, herb, or floral incense powders. Beginners can start with a simple mixture of sandalwood and 2-3 other types of powders, using resins like frankincense or myrrh sparingly. Traditional Chinese incense uses only powders, with no essential oils, to achieve a truer scent. Once you've measured out your chosen powders, mix them together in a bowl with a spoon or chopsticks until well blended.
After mixing, slowly add water to the incense powder mixture, thoroughly combining after each addition. It's important not to make the dough too moist. This dough can then be formed into cones or sticks. For sticks, there are two main types on the market: those with a bamboo core and those without.
The art of making incense is a meditative process, enjoyed by both the maker and the user. Many Orthodox Christians burn incense during their daily prayers, believing that the smoke carries their prayers to God. They can be purchased from various monasteries and online stores.
Mosquito Incense Sticks: Are They Harmful to Health?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Non-combustible incense is loose incense or incense pellets
Incense has been used for centuries as a ceremonial tool, with different scents evoking specific moods and memories. Making your own incense is a great way to create unique and personal fragrances that can be used to mark occasions or simply enjoyed.
Non-combustible incense, also known as loose incense or incense pellets, is a type of incense that requires a separate heat source, such as charcoal, to be burned. This type of incense is typically made from a combination of dried herbs, resins, and binders, which are mixed together and formed into pellets or left as a loose mixture.
To make non-combustible incense pellets, you will need to gather your chosen ingredients, which can include a variety of dried and ground herbs, resins, and essential oils. The herbs can be chosen based on their aromatic properties, with bitter herbs like sagebrush, mugwort, and juniper berries providing a sharp scent, while sweet herbs like rose petals, lavender, and cinnamon offer a softer, more floral fragrance. The resin, which makes up the other half of the mixture, should be in a powdered form, and soft resins like galbanum can be warmed to make them easier to work with.
Once you have prepared your ingredients, you can begin combining them. Start by grinding your dry ingredients into coarse granules and combining them in a bowl. Slowly add small amounts of honey to the mixture, which will act as a natural binder and preservative. You can also add essential oils and balsams at this stage to enhance the fragrance. Continue mixing and kneading the dough until it reaches a sticky consistency that can be formed into pellets.
Using your hands or a small spoon, form the dough into small, pea-sized pellets. Place the pellets on a firm 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, turning the pellets occasionally to ensure even drying. Once the pellets are dry to the touch, transfer them to a sealed unglazed ceramic or glass jar, ensuring they are arranged in a single layer to prevent sticking. The incense pellets can now be stored until you are ready to burn them.
Burning Fresh Herbs for Incense: A Sensory Experience
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Tools and supplies: bamboo charcoal, makko powder, tweezers, tongs, mica, coffee grinder, distilled water, mixing bowls, and food-grade plastic bags
To make orthodox incense, you will need a variety of tools and supplies, including some that are specialised and others that you may already have in your kitchen.
Firstly, you will need bamboo charcoal or makko powder. Makko is a natural combustible bark from the Tabu-no-ki tree, which grows in parts of Asia. It is a powdered material that burns slowly but with high heat, and it is needed if you are making cones or sticks or burning loose incense. You will also need tongs or tweezers to hold the charcoal while lighting it.
Next, you will need mica. This is an optional extra, but if you are using this style of incense burning, you will place the mica on top of the charcoal.
You will also need a coffee grinder to pulverise your ingredients into powders. You can omit this step if you are using pre-powdered substances, but grinding your own ingredients ensures the freshest results.
Distilled water is another necessary ingredient, especially if you are making cones or sticks. You will also need two mixing bowls or food-grade plastic bags to hold your pulverised ingredients until the final mixing.
Finally, you will need measuring tools such as a gram scale, measuring cups, or spoons to measure the ingredients in your recipes, as well as a drying cloth or wax paper for drying some recipes.
Luck Incense Stack: Enhancing Your Fortune and Environment
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
You will need aromatic plant matter such as tree sap, oil or resin, and charcoal to ignite the incense. You can also add natural combustible material like makko powder, obtained from the Tabu-no-ki tree, to make cones or sticks. To create a flowery scent, which is typical for orthodox incense, you can use rose, lilac, lily of the valley, or jasmine.
You will need a coffee grinder to pulverize your ingredients into powders, two mixing bowls or food-grade plastic bags to hold your pulverized ingredients, and tweezers or tongs to hold the charcoal while lighting it.
First, pulverize your ingredients using the coffee grinder. Then, place the pulverized ingredients into the two mixing bowls or food-grade plastic bags. Next, add the makko powder to one of the bowls or bags and mix it with the other ingredients. Finally, use the tongs to hold the charcoal while lighting it, and place the lit charcoal on top of the mixed ingredients to ignite the incense.
