Incense - STICKS

Since antiquity incense has been used for creating aromatic, fragrant spaces both indoors and out with fine natural incense resins, woods and herbs. Incense has always been deeply intertwined with religious ceremonies, as well as the practice of medicine. In fact the first reported healing practices, recorded in ancient Egypt, exposed patients to the smoke of incense for healing.
Strengthen your connection to nature as soft clouds of frankincense, mastic, storax, sandalwood, juniper and lemon grass ascend to the heavens!
Incense awakens us to the pleasures of earth's aromatic treasures and our interconnection with nature. Envelop yourself in fragrances that greet the rising sun with a clean and invigorating aroma, entertain guests with exotic fragrances, purify indoor spaces, enhance dream activity, relax with a soft, smooth, calming mixture that eases the troubles of the day, or blend a warm, sweet and seductive mixture to stimulate your sensuality for an evening of mystery and intimacy.

Types of incense sticks
Incenses from India ("agarbatties") represent literally thousands of different ingredients and compounds. They usually contain liquid perfumes as well as solid base ingredients such as sandalwood powder, charcoal and a resin known as "jigit".

Any such incense can be expected to have 50 or more ingredients. As a result, the variety of incense from India is quite vast. Described below are five processes which encompass all varieties of stick incense from India. Each type is prefaced with a word that denotes the basic nature of each incense. While some incenses don't fall exactly into any one category, these descriptions are helpful, particularly once you have tried a given type.

MASALA is the Indian word for a blend of spices and/or herbs, such as those used in making curries or other food dishes. Masala incenses are made by blending a number of solid ingredients into a paste which is then rolled onto a bamboo core stick. Masalas usually do not contain liquid perfumes, which can evaporate.

CHARCOAL is integral in the manufacturing of a blank stick, which is then dipped into a mixture of perfumes and essential oils. Charcoal blanks usually contain sandalwood powder, a resin and possibly other substances. Most "charcoal" incenses are black or near-black in colour and are distinctive because they are rich in fine liquid perfumes.

DURBARS (and Champas) are wet-process incenses which frequently contain ingredients entirely unfamiliar in the West. They are usually very slow burning and quite sweet and spicy in bouquet. They can amalgamate solid and liquid perfumes in a gummy base which never quite dries, making the sticks themselves soft to the touch. All are highly fragranced.

COMBINATION incenses are those which have the qualities of both the Masala and the Charcoal. It is possible to make a Masala incense and then dip it into liquid perfumes, producing a very colourful and rich bouquet. These incenses usually have a great deal of depth and leave a lingering after-fragrance, once burned.

WOODBASE incenses, including many Ambers, contain little more than powdered or shaved wood plus a resinous or solid perfume. They are really Masalas, but since the woodiness is so distinct in most cases, it is best to put them into a separate category.