u/Illustrious_Kiwi5910

A few days ago, we did paozhi on a batch of Chinese frankincense.Frankincense naturally has a bright, highly diffusive aroma. In a blended incense formula, it can easily move to the front and become very noticeable in the opening.

So this processing has two main purposes.

The first is to make the aroma a little more restrained. After processing, it does not rush forward as quickly and can sit more naturally within the whole formula, appearing more in the middle or later stages.

The second is to change its physical state. Frankincense contains a lot of resin and oil, so when it is ground directly, it can become sticky, clump together, and be difficult to turn into a fine, even powder. After processing, it becomes more brittle, easier to grind, and easier to mix evenly with the other aromatic materials.

The method itself is simple. Heat the frankincense slowly over low heat without adding water or anything else, and keep stirring. Once the oils begin to come out and the surface starts to look glossy, spray in a small amount of white rice vinegar, continue stirring briefly, and then remove it from the pan.

After it cools and dries completely, the frankincense becomes noticeably more brittle. You can hear a clear snap when breaking it by hand, and at that point it is much easier to grind into a fine powder.

Gansong (甘松, Nardostachys jatamansi), often known in English as spikenard or jatamansi, is a traditional aromatic material used in Chinese incense and medicine.

The Xiangcheng describes its fragrance as resembling a hundred flowers. After proper paozhi, we also find that it develops a distinctive mixed floral aroma, not like one particular flower, but more like many floral notes appearing together.

We first wash the roots thoroughly to remove soil and decayed matter.

Then we collect plant ash, dry it, and sift it. The fine ash is placed in a ceramic jar together with the cleaned Gansong, and water is added.

After about one week, the Gansong is taken out, thoroughly rinsed, and then dried in strong sunlight, usually for around ten days.

We have also tried other methods.

With plain water, the material has to be repeatedly soaked, washed, dried, and soaked again for about twenty-one days, and the result is only moderate.

Rice-rinsing water takes about seventeen days and works somewhat better, but still not as well as plant ash.

After repeated comparison, the plant-ash method gave us the best result.

Once the paozhi is complete, the Gansong gradually develops the “hundred-flower” fragrance we are looking for.

One of the most important ideas in Chinese blended incense is peiwǔ (配伍) — how different aromatic materials are given different roles so that they eventually become one complete scent.

A formula is not just a list of ingredients.

It is a set of relationships.

In this video, I use a historical osmanthus formula from Chen Shi Xiang Pu as a relatively simple example.

The formula uses fresh half-open osmanthus flowers as the main material, together with agarwood, sandalwood and maoxiang. Using Song-period weights as a rough reference, the proportions are approximately:

• 448 g fresh half-open osmanthus
• 19 g agarwood
• 19 g sandalwood
• 37 g maoxiang (茅香), using lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) leaves in our current preparation

To explain how the materials work together, I use the traditional Jun–Chen–Zuo–Shi (君臣佐使) framework.

A simple way to understand the system is to imagine an organization.

Jun — the Sovereign

The sovereign sets the direction and determines the identity of the whole formula.

Here, osmanthus is the sovereign. The final scent is built around its floral character.

Chen — the Minister

The minister supports the sovereign and helps coordinate the rest of the formula.

Agarwood takes this role. It connects the floral, woody and herbal materials, while adding sweetness, depth and persistence without taking over the scent.

Zuo — the Assistant

The assistant fills in what the structure still lacks.

Sandalwood gives the formula more woody body and weight, but in a small enough proportion that it does not overpower the osmanthus.

Shi — the Envoy

The envoy helps the formula move outward and express itself.

Maoxiang naturally has a sharp, lifted aromatic character. After processing, that character becomes softer, while still helping lift the floral quality into the air.

The envoy does not become the message.

It helps the message travel.

This is one of the simplest examples of Jun–Chen–Zuo–Shi because the formula happens to contain four aromatic materials and their roles are relatively easy to see.

Other Chinese incense formulas can be much more complex. They may contain many more materials, and one ingredient may perform more than one role.

There is another reason this formula is especially interesting.

In the traditional Chinese incense-making system I follow, fresh flowers are generally not used directly. Oleaceae flowers are treated as an exception, and osmanthus is one of the most important examples.

The historical formula specifically calls for half-open osmanthus flowers.

Fresh osmanthus is not simply added so that the finished incense will smell exactly like a fresh flower. After grinding, drying, processing, blending and burning, its scent changes.

The result is still clearly floral, but it is no longer simply “fresh osmanthus.”

Across different Chinese incense formulas, the Jun–Chen–Zuo–Shi system works as an underlying structure, giving different materials different jobs so that together they form the final scent you actually experience.

When Chinese handmade incense is freshly made, the scent is not yet its final, fully developed scent.

Some materials may stand out too much. Some notes can still smell raw or sharp, and the different materials may not yet feel fully integrated. Natural plant-based binders also have a scent of their own, which can be more noticeable when the incense is fresh.

So after the incense is made, we let it rest and slowly mature. Traditionally, this process is called xunxiang (窨香).

Our usual method is to wrap the fresh incense in cotton paper and place it in ceramic jars, away from light. The jars are covered, but not completely airtight, leaving a very small amount of air exchange.

Every so often, we take out a stick and burn it to see how the scent is developing. Sometimes we burn the same batch once in spring and again in summer, and the difference is quite obvious. As long as the scent is still changing, we keep resting it.

What we pay attention to is whether the sharper parts have settled down, whether the rawness has softened, and whether the underlying smell of the binder has gradually faded. When the whole scent starts to feel smoother and more stable, it is getting close.

In our own experience, simpler formulas usually rest for around three to six months, depending partly on things like the oil content of the wood. More complex blended incense often needs much longer. One to two years is quite normal for us.

Once the scent has become basically stable, we consider the incense ready. But it does not stop changing completely. It will continue to develop very slowly over time.

In our experience, incense should be kept away from light and humidity, and it should not be left exposed to open air for long periods. At the same time, it does not necessarily need to be completely airtight. A very slow exchange of air and moisture can help the incense continue to mature.

This is one reason paper tubes are commonly used for traditional Chinese stick incense. They protect the incense from light and dust while still allowing a small amount of air and moisture exchange.

Many plastic packages create a much tighter moisture barrier. If the incense or the air inside the package carries some moisture when it is sealed, that moisture has fewer ways to escape.

That is why, for incense like this, we usually prefer a dry, shaded, relatively enclosed environment rather than sealing it completely airtight.

In Chinese blended incense making, smoke is one of the things we use to judge whether an incense has been made well.

We look for smoke that feels light, soft, clean, and naturally gathered or dispersed. We also pay attention to whether it feels harsh or carries an obvious burnt-wood character.

Xiang Sheng, an important historical Chinese incense text, gives very specific descriptions of smoke:

“The smoke rises gently like a thread, gathers into a ball, and lingers without dispersing.”

“The smoke rises three feet, gathers into a ball, dense and lingering.”

“Its smoke rises straight, coils, and gathers.”

In another section on heating incense, it says:

“Incense is best when it produces no smoke.”

One is about appreciating smoke; the other is about avoiding it. But the underlying idea is similar: more smoke is not necessarily better. What matters is whether it is light, clean, soft, and has a natural character of its own.

The exact shape of smoke constantly changes with the air around it, so we do not judge an incense by a particular loop or pattern. We look at the overall character of the smoke and the way the incense burns.

Ash is another part of that observation. In a good burn, the ash may remain attached for a while and bend or curl naturally, but more curling does not mean better incense.

Our understanding is that one of the key factors behind both smoke and ash is the balance between the oily or resinous components of the aromatic materials and their plant fibers.

When the fibrous side is too dominant, the smoke tends to become heavier and harsher, with a stronger burnt-wood character.

When the oily components and fibers are in a good balance, the smoke tends to feel lighter and softer, and the ash is more likely to remain together and bend naturally as it burns.

But more oil is not necessarily better either. Too much can also disturb the burn and change both the smoke and the ash.

So we are not looking for “less smoke” or “more curling.” We are looking for a balanced burn.

With the thin incense sticks we make, when the burn is right, we sometimes extinguish them with a very quick pinch at the burning tip. With incense we know well, that extremely brief contact usually produces almost no noticeable heat.

This is only our experience with incense we make and know very well. It does not apply to other incense. The ember is still hot and can cause burns, so please do not imitate this.

Processing and aging are very important to this balance between oils and fibers.

We have made agarwood incense both with and without Fei Shui, a traditional water-processing method. When the agarwood is properly processed, the difference is easy for us to notice: the smoke becomes lighter and softer, with less irritation and less burnt-wood character.

Even with the same material, whether it is processed, how well it is processed, and the time and heat involved can all change the final burn.

Aging also changes the smoke. In our experience, incense that has rested for longer tends to develop a softer, lighter smoke.

For us, the way an incense burns reflects whether the materials were processed properly, the blend was balanced well, and the incense was given enough time to rest. Smoke and ash are the result, not the goal.

The basic process of Chinese blended incense is: preparing the aromatic materials → grinding → blending the formula → making and working the incense dough → resting → shaping → drying.

Before shaping, there are a few important steps.

Kneading helps distribute the different aromatic powders, water and plant binder evenly, while giving the dough the flexibility and cohesion needed for shaping.

Pounding — sometimes by throwing the dough, sometimes in a stone mortar — makes the dough more compact and even, but without the very high density created by strong machine extrusion. In our experience, this helps the finished incense release its fragrance more naturally into the air as it burns.

Resting the dough (醒泥) is especially important for blended incense. Its purpose is to give the different aromatic materials time to integrate, so their scents do not clash with one another. Simple agarwood or sandalwood incense may rest for around 2 hours, while more complex blends often rest for 12–24 hours.

These steps are part of what creates the distinctive scent experience of traditional Chinese blended incense.

Sandalwood can behave pretty differently once it burns. Sometimes it feels warm, soft and creamy. Sometimes it turns drier, rougher, even a little sharp.

One traditional Chinese way of working with it is to prepare the sandalwood before making incense. In this video, we soak it in green tea for about 24 hours, rinse it, then gently heat it until the wood starts to turn slightly purplish.

Chen Shi Xiang Pu (《陈氏香谱》) records:

檀香劈作小片，腊茶清浸一宿，焙乾。

（Sandalwood is cut into small pieces, soaked overnight in tea, then dried.）

We still use this method today. In side-by-side burning, the prepared sandalwood comes across softer and more rounded, with less of that dry, raw edge and more of its warm, creamy side coming through.

I’m curious if anyone here has tried something similar. Have you ever burned sandalwood that felt much drier or sharper than you expected? Or seen other ways of preparing it before making incense — steaming, washing, heating, aging, anything else?

I’ve been learning from a Chinese incense maker about a preparation method called Fei Shui (飞水).

It started with a question I found interesting: why process agarwood powder with water at all?

Very resin-rich agarwood—especially sinking-grade material—can already smell remarkably soft, sweet and complex when heated. But material of that quality can also be extremely expensive, which makes using it heavily in everyday incense unrealistic.

Agarwood used for everyday incense can still be genuinely resin-bearing wood, but with a larger proportion of pale wood. When burned, that extra wood can contribute more of the dry, smoky or sharp side of the scent.

This is where Fei Shui comes in.

The powder is placed in water, separated and filtered, then the process is repeated according to the condition of the material—often several times.

What I think is important is what the process doesn’t do.

It doesn’t create more resin.
It doesn’t turn ordinary agarwood into sinking-grade agarwood.

In the maker’s experience, it helps soften some of the raw, sharp character of certain lower-resin powders, allowing the warmer and rounder side already present in the agarwood to come through more clearly when burned.

So I’ve started thinking about Fei Shui less as a way of “improving the grade” of agarwood, and more as a way of working intelligently with material intended for everyday incense.

The finest material may need very little intervention. More everyday material asks more from the maker.

Has anyone here encountered a similar water-processing method with agarwood powder?