Incense

Very low smoke (almost invisible) incense with aloeswood and sandalwood oil, camphor, and calming spices.

Opening camphor alongside grounding fragrant wood and spices.

This ambient incense is the lowest smoke incense that I've come across.  I find that it is never overwhelming, and that it's scent is quite calming while at the same time engaging.  Camphor, aloeswood and sandalwood oil, and other spices are dominant in this incense, that feels very well balanced and clean.

I encourage experimentation with incense and tea pairing, but I think that Sinking Night goes well with any of the dark and aged oolongs.

15g incense ~ 46x 14cm sticks.  Approximate burn time of one stick ~ 30 minutes.

Bright aloeswood incense with a profile that's soft, rich, and dry, yet incredibly silky.  A real treasure.

Silky soft aloeswood, with notes of aged wood, rich in fragrant resin.

One of the most approachable and delicate of incense, this Hainan Aloeswood could burn nearby without ever feeling overwhelming.  The calming, subdued quality this incense brings to a room is as remarkable as it is ephemeral.

Aloeswood is an incredibly prized fragrant wood, more valuable that sandalwood.  Aloeswood comes from the Aquilaria tree, and it only becomes fragrant once it has been infected by a particular mold.  It has a scent profile that is both bright and dark at the same time, and is quite beautiful.

I encourage experimentation with incense and tea pairing, but I think that Hainan Aloeswood incense pairs quite well with all of Totem's green teas.

20g incense ~ 60x 21cm sticks.  Approximate burn time of one stick ~ 30 minutes.

Bright resin of frankincense with notes of sweet citrus, this elevating incense straddles Oman and Japan.

Ancient resin with notes of melon and orange peel.

Real frankincense tree resin from Oman is pulverized and combined with natural makko to create an incense that is structurally simple, but aromatically complex.  This style of incense is very clean and clear like many natural Japanese incense, but the frankincense material causes a transformation that is very elevating and invigorating.  The notes of sweet citrus and melon are lovely, and are nothing like the smoky, harsh, and overheated low-quality frankincense you might have smelled in a church.

Frankincense was one of the most prized materials of ancient Egypt and the Middle-East.  Alongside other resins like myrhh, opoponax, and mastic...  Frankincense was special among these (used by priests for offering and communing with the gods) because it has an upward-moving quality when burned (in contrast, myrhh has a very downward-moving quality, that's why they are so often paired).

I encourage experimentation with incense and tea pairing, but I think that this Frankincense goes well with any of the fragrant oolongs like Gui Fei or Wen Shan Bao Zhong.

15g incense ~ 46x 14cm sticks.  Approximate burn time of one stick ~ 30 minutes.

Rustic aloeswood incense with a profile that's slightly-dark, woody, and very aromatic.

Rustic aloeswood, with notes of aged, resinous tree bark and fragrant spices.

This Indonesian aloeswood has a rustic quality that gently sweeps through a room without being overwhelming.  This incense is reminiscent of aloeswood incense that can be found drifting in the air in China and Taiwan, but is of much higher quality.  The aroma is slightly spicy, and reminds me of temple walks throughout Asia.  

Aloeswood is an incredibly prized fragrant wood, more valuable that sandalwood.  Aloeswood comes from the Aquilaria tree, and it only becomes fragrant once it has been infected by a particular mold.  It has a scent profile that is both bright and dark at the same time, and is quite beautiful.

20g incense ~ 60x 21cm sticks.  Approximate burn time of one stick ~ 30 minutes.

Rich, bright, and smooth sandalwood that is very pure, and very high quality.

Aged sandalwood that is soothing and bright.

Sandalwood is one of the most prized aromatic woods, and it is known to maintain its scent for many years.  The sandalwood used in this incense has been weathered and aged before being ground and combined with a clean, low-combustion incense base.  The result is an incense that smells very natural and beautiful.

I encourage experimentation with incense and tea pairing, but I think that this sandalwood goes well with any of the fragrant oolongs like Gui Fei or Wen Shan Bao Zhong.

10g incense ~ 15x 21cm sticks.  Approximate burn time of one stick ~ 50 minutes.

Traditional Japanese profile incense with sweet cherry blossom scent and a cool, creamy texture.

Traditional Japanese incense, notes of cherry blossom, sandalwood, smooth spices.

This traditional incense is made from pulverized aloeswood and sandalwood, combined with spices such as benzoin, cinnamon, and camphor; blended and joined with sake.  This incense has a lovely cherry blossom scent, and evokes a late snow-fall on blossoms.

I encourage experimentation with incense and tea pairing, but I think that this incense goes well with a bitten-leaf oolong.

15g incense ~ 48x 14cm sticks.  Approximate burn time of one stick ~ 30 minutes.

Elegant carved wood incense burner with fireproof fabric for burning the entire incense horizontally.

Beautiful incense burner that burns the entire stick.

Smoke drifts up beautifully through the magnet-attached, slit-patterned lid of this incense burner.  Made with fireproof fabric, this incense burner will burn the entire incense stick horizontally, without leaving tiny unburned nubs, as happens with incense holders.  Fireproof 'fire-cotton' fabric is used so that air can flow easily all around the lit incense stick.  

Incense will not stay lit on a plain, flat surface.  But when placed on the 'fire-cotton' fabric in this incense burner, it will burn easily and safely.

This incense burner can easily hold longer 21cm incense sticks.