Incense in Review
incenses. Although the incense smells very much like essential oils of vanilla, lavender, etc., the burning result for me has been the scent of burning hair. Not a pleasant experience at all. This usually means synthetic fragrance oils of a cheap nature were used.
Dhoop & Coil Incense Dhoop and coil incenses are unique in that they do not use a stick core. While cone incense may be like this, dhoop and coils are a mixture of fragrant materials and a natural gum to keep it burning. Cone incense, be it wood based or charcoal is in the same realm as punk sticks as they can only be dipped. They don’t have the same depth or potency of, in particular, dhoop. Dhoop is so concentrated in many circumstances it’s best used out of doors. This may seem silly by looking at the rather small size of a stick but very true regardless. Dhoops are very popular in places such as Tibet and India where they are used for healing. Indian dhoops are quite pleasant in any situation while Tibetan types might need a good getting used to. Many people are finding coil incenses, created for use in large Buddhist temples, very helpful at backyard BBB’s and gatherings. Especially ones made or soaked in citronella. They typically need a special suspension burner but can be very pretty to look at as well as useful.
Japanese Kodo While Kodo can fall into the category or joss stick (as it is a stick) or dhoop (as it has no core) it truly deserves to be in its own category. Long sticks, the usual width of a strand of dried spigot, is in my book the best when it comes to incense blending. Therefore Japanese incense can also be the most expensive with one box going for hundreds of dollars. Light, tranquil, many times simple, they are best used indoors. Large quantities need to be used outdoors which can seen by the large amount of sticks usually provided in each box. While many export (to the west) brands are flowery and uncommon of true Japanese types, very good incense for a reasonable price can be acquired if you keep an eye out. Morning Star (Nipping Kodo) is a very well known and popular maker to the west. They pride themselves in only using natural substances and many times provide the main ingredients. There incense also has very little smoke. It is worth it to buy there expensive types as they seem to have a better scent quality. This includes their delicious Japanese Cypress (Hinoki). Some not
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