I just got an order of incense materials coming in, and that includes an ounce of opoponax, I was wondering what I could do with it? What pairs well with it, and anythibg outside of incense I can do with it, Im very interested to learn about this resin!
I have an order coming in today, an ounce each of Guggul, Musk Seeds, Opoponax, Egyptian hibiscus powder, and Acacia gum (mostly for a binding agent), and Im not familiar with using any except for hibiscus powder, so I'm open to any suggestions, personal pairing preferences (lol the alliteration wasn't intended), or anything else you like to do with these ingredients, incense or otherwise (since for instance you can use hibiscus for drinks and dye as well, and acacia gum basically fills every role under the sun) and anything interesting about the ingredients or the plants they come from! Thank you so much!
So I burned one of my kyphi I'm maturing (wanted to see how they smell after 14 days, I'm maturing them up to 6 months, half a year) It was very lovely, and it knocked me out cold for 15 straight hours💀 Its super sedative lol
As per one user's request, I documented every note I was picking up as it burned, and the changes as it developed:
First smell- mastic pretty strongly, then it makes way to a light red, fruity smell.
30 mins
Much deeper red smell, a lot of nuances noticeable now and intensely fruity. Pomegranate, hibiscus, wine. and Im picking up more of the resins in the scent, the mastic and the frankincense are more noticeable and melded with the red fruity smells
45 minutes later:
caramelly, mellow red undertone, more sugary smell now, combining minute notes of each ingredient with a dark, slightly burnt tone hinting its close to reaching its spent point.
Y/N?
Was supposed to be a poll but apparently the sub is allergic to them 🤷♂️
Black Amber
Calamus
Cardamom
Cedar Resin
Frankincense
Mastic
Myrrh
Rose
Saffron
(Arriving soon)
Acacia Gum (to bind into maamool)
Guggul
Hibiscus
Musk Seed
Opoponax
Just a quick, refreshing cocktail for the heat, didn't really measure the limoncello tbh, just eyeballed it, and 1 tsp of crushed mastic tears, then shook it to incorporate it, then added it on the rocks!
Muscovite mica I collected in North Carolina's section of the Appalachians, sliced thin enough for the incense but thick enough to last (mica is heat resistant, smokeless, and lets the incense release its scent without burning and adding a burnt smell). The ground in those mountains sparkles like trillions of stars and diamonds because of all the mica flakes in it, it's quite beautiful
A citrine I found while sluicing in the Cullasaja river in Macon County (beautiful area btw, would definitely recommend making a trip there to sluice. There's tons to find there too. North Carolina is packing a crazy amount of gemstones. I've found garnets, gold, citrine, amethyst, ruby, emerald, moonstone, topaz, labradorite, and even some sapphires there)
Crushed 3 oud/sandalwood ma'amool, added some powdered amber (true amber, not soft amber), ground and added some small pieces of white frankincense, a little bit of myrrh, and a sprinkle of freshly ground cardamom. I can't wait to see how this comes out! I used everclear as my medium as I don't have access to perfumers alcohol at the present moment
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20 strands of saffron (lightly crushed and bloomed first), 2 crushed cardamom pods (unshelled, apart from 2 of the shell petals), 5 rose petals, a 1/4th cup of sugar, and a tablespoon of ground gum arabic. The gum arabic lends a really nice smoothness and mouthfeel. Honestly I might even up the other ingredients because the saffron still took over the rest