r/Incense

Image 1 — 700g royal green sultan select medical grade hojari frankincense
Image 2 — 700g royal green sultan select medical grade hojari frankincense
▲ 34 r/Incense

700g royal green sultan select medical grade hojari frankincense

Got this huge lot from Oman among many other rare resins. And wanted to share. This should be the second rarest form of hojari there is besides the converted blue sultans grade hojari. I absolutely adore the green color of this batch. And while it may not be the absolute best royal green sultans select hojari there is I think it’s absolutely amazing especially for the price I paid.
I’d love you guys thoughts on how it looks and if the quality is alright and just wanted to share my latest stash
Thanks for your help!

u/Afdud — 1 day ago
▲ 33 r/Incense+1 crossposts

500g rare genuine socotra dragons blood resin

Got this huge batch from a friend in Oman. Never had true dragons blood before but it’s absolutely amazing especially the color
Now I need to find out what to use 500g for

u/Afdud — 1 day ago

I need help!

I’m feeling really demoralized. I’ve been passionately creating my own incense for years, experimenting with various herbs, resins, oils, and more. Now, I want to turn this passion into a business, but sourcing proper materials in Turkey has been incredibly challenging.

Common incense-making materials like makko and powdered birch or oak sawdust aren’t available here. So I tried using fine pine sawdust, attempting to grind it into a flour-like consistency with an electric coffee grinder, but it didn’t work. I’m stuck at the very first step, just trying to get natural sawdust with the right texture so I can start experimenting.

It’s frustrating because this seems like such a basic, raw material that I don’t understand why it’s so hard to find. Is everyone here using makko for incense making? Are there any alternative materials I could try?

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u/absentheum — 1 day ago
▲ 12 r/Incense

Precision incense heater (aka subitism) build with details

I built this precision heater (aka "subitism") a few weeks ago and it's been working great. Total cost was $85. Here's all the details on how I built it. Feel free to ask questions.

##0. Safety

These DIY heaters (or even commercial ones) are inherently unsafe. Don’t be dumb. Keep away from children, pets, and anyone that can’t be trusted. Remember to shut it off (use some kind of automatic shut-off timer if you have trouble with that). Don’t use a metal tool to place incense on the heater as you could accidentally short the heater and damage the power supply. Build and use at your own risk.


##1. Educate yourself

This entire build is based on the design by Kyarazen. Do an internet search for "how to build an electric incense heater" and read the blog post. He provides a lot of good information, but also leaves out some key details. There are some posts here in the subreddit that I found helpful as well. Once you understand the basic idea of the build, this post will help you fill in the gaps.


##2. Shopping list

Holder

  • I used a small 5" bowl from a china set I own.
  • Something with 2" of flat space at the bottom is ideal

Raw Mica Sheets (2x3")

  • Two sheets for the build and one sheet to heat on, which can be used multiple times but will need to be replaced from time to time
  • Only place I could find raw mica was Etsy

Nichrome 80, 32 gauge

  • You'll only need 27cm for the build
  • Purchased from Amazon as a 33' roll

DC Variable Power Supply

  • Adjustable voltage is key, the one I purchased is 3-24v
  • Check cord length before you buy to make sure it suits your needs
  • I purchased the "Shnitpwr" brand from Amazon, works fine but the voltage drifts down over time, also the control is very sensitive

Female power plug with leads (2.1mm x 5.5mm)

  • Purchased from Amazon

M3 brass standoff kit

  • I used four 20mm stand-offs with studs, four 10mm stand-offs with no studs, 8 screws, and 2 nuts
  • Purchased from Amazon

Small neodymium (rare earth) magnets

  • These are used to secure the heater to a ceramic dish and to secure your heating mica sheet on the heater
  • Purchased from hardware store

2” metal fender washer

  • Placed under the ceramic dish to hold the rare earth magnets to the dish
  • I like this solution as it allows me to secure the heater without using glue
  • Purchased from hardware store

M3 washers

  • Used for clamping ring terminals and nichrome wire to the stand-off studs
  • Purchased from hardware store

Ring terminals

  • Crimp these to the leads of the power supply plug and then you have something that can be cleanly clamped to the stand-offs
  • Any basic wire stripper tool should have a crimping tool on it
  • Purchased from Harbor Freight, but auto stores probably have them, just make sure they include small enough ring terminals for your stand offs

Awl

  • Very simple, cheap tool to put holes in mica
  • No need to mess with a dremel/rotary tool, a sharp nail would probably work well too
  • Purchased from hardware store

##3. Build Notes

Punching the holes for the stand-offs

  • This is where you are most likely to break the mica sheet, so do these first before punching the much smaller holes for the nichrome wire.
  • Go very slowly with the awl and test to see if the studs/screws will go through the holes before making the holes too big.

Connecting power plug leads to nichrome wire (see image #3)

  • I stacked everything on the stud of the bottom stand-off post in this order: mica sheet, washer, power supply lead with ring terminal crimped on, washer, nichrome wire with a little hook to secure around stud, washer, top stand-off screwed down tightly. Overkill perhaps, but I like clean connections.
  • Do this on one stand-off, then thread the nichrome through the mica sheet, and then repeat on the other stand-off.

Threading the nichrome wire through the mica

  • The awl just barely needs to go through the mica to make a hole big enough for the wire.
  • I made a template based off of the Kyarazen design on a piece of paper, then taped a piece of mica over the template and made my holes.
  • The passes were 25mm long and 3mm between each pass, you don't want the passes touching each other.

Do you need a precision (subitism) heater?

  • No, you don’t. A simple electric ceramic heater works just fine and is available for cheaper than the parts to build this precision heater. You can get an adjustable tea-light heater for even cheaper, which also works great.
  • The main advantage of the precision heater is it gives you instant and precise control over the heat. This is nice as you can much more easily play with the heat and see how it changes the experience of the incense.
u/pbiscuits — 1 day ago

Love Potala’s Aroma, Hate Keeping It Lit — Alternatives?

I very much enjoy the aroma of Potala Tibetan incense, but I’m getting tired of constantly trying to keep the sticks lit. Can anyone recommend masala or Japanese sticks with a similar earthy, dusty, monastery-like scent profile?

reddit.com

Incense with a "moist" quality

I love the most or juicy scent that dragons blood satya has. Are there any other incense with this quality? I would be especially interested in something that smells like a mossy forest.

reddit.com
u/satanlisp — 1 day ago

Cone Incense Reccs?

hiya!!! 2 days ago I bought this little gingerbread house incense burner. (cone not backflow) and I was wondering if anyone knows some sweet smelling incense brands I could try with it??

The “gingerbread” ones that came with my ceramic burner were mostly sawdust and smell pretty smoky, I’m looking for something with a sweet / woody taste? like vanilla or pine?

thanks for reading! love you!

u/DashingReindeers — 1 day ago

New to meiji koro.

Hello! I have acquired two bronze meiji era koro while thrifting and have been mulling over the best way to use them. I have a large chinese bronze censer full of ash for coreless sticks already but the meiji koro seem so small in comparison to the sticks I have.

I read about coals too but it seems like there are multiple kinds. Any advice is appreciated!

reddit.com
u/Ill-Emotion236 — 1 day ago
▲ 13 r/Incense

First steps

First picture:

Few weeks ago someone mentioned incense to me, got stuck in my head, a few days later I was at the asian supermarket and decided to buy a pack of HEM magnolia incense, burned it at home, liked it very much, came back a week later and got a couple more, as well as some fron a Fair Trade World Store

Ratings:

Hem Magnolia: 8/10

Hem Precious Lotus: 7/10

Hem Precious Jasmine: 6/10 (these are uneven I think, sometimes they smell like burnt hair, but 5 minutes later they smell nicer than the Lotus, could be 8/10)

Not pictured: Hem Pine 7/10 & Hem Citronella ?/10, not suitable for indoors imho, will use outdoors against insects

Globo Aroma Valley Cedar Wood: 8.5/10

Cones: 8.5/10, these supposedly are 7 different smells (Rose, Jasmine, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Sandalwood, Red Sandalwood and Nag Champa) but they all smell the same, I think sandalwood and nag champa dominate but I am not sure as I have not tried these scents individually

Second Picture:

My haul from an online shop that arrived today, have not burned most of these yet, ratings only if I burned them, might comment on the "raw" smell

Ducky incense holder box: 10/10, it has DUCKS

Mukunda Benzoin & Myrrh Masala: smells nice, I didn't order these, it's a gift from the shop, which is great service

Heritage Saraswathi: I thought these were Masala sticks, but turns out they're charcoal

Tree of Life Box, whispers of nature (grey), eternal sunrise (green) 3/10, wild fruits (pink), field of flowers (blue): great disappointment, these smell like soapy candles, they look like Masala sticks (brown and powdery) but the smell is so artificial, I burned a green one outdoors, the smoke smells better than the raw stick, but still like a candle, I dont even want to try the others...

Crystal Magic Aventurine: I am absolutely not a crystal or astrology girlie, but I was intrigued. I thought there was ground crystal powder in the stick or something, turns out you get a baggie with a handful stones + incense. Smells like herbs

SAC Spring Rain Dhoop Sticks: 8.5/10 fresh and earthy

Hem cones Magnolia, Lotus & Fragipani: restock+ replacement of jasmine

u/ImARedBitch — 2 days ago

Subitism burner cord

I ordered a subitism burner from the UK and I’m in the US. I find the power source only goes to 12v and doesn’t get hot enough to heat the oud and put out any scent. Is there anything I can do? The seller is not helpful. Thank you.

reddit.com
u/Holiday-Mission-8917 — 2 days ago

Funky Ash Smell

Hi all, I've been trying to use white ash (baieido koro ash) in my incense bowl since I like the idea of burning the whole stick of coreless incense, but whenever it gets to the ash, it puts off a much different—and somewhat unpleasant —smell. Do I need to be doing something different or is that just how it goes?

reddit.com
u/Complete-Ebb5735 — 2 days ago

Cones to powder?

apologies if this is a stupid question—I’m assuming the answer is yes, but I’d rather ask. if I wanted to burn powder & the desired scent is only available in cones, could I just crush those into incense powder?

I am aware that I could try to replicate the scent by mixing and may go that route in the future. Thanks!! :)

reddit.com
u/secretgargoyles — 3 days ago
▲ 36 r/Incense

Those look insanely good !!

I'm obsessed with those thick and very dense looking incense sticks that burn for hours !
but are they any good ? for sure i'll order some in the next future as they look really banging !!

u/ionone777 — 3 days ago
▲ 20 r/Incense

Burned one of my homemade kyphi!

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.

u/Ravenclaw_14 — 3 days ago

Nuhr vs. Dukhni – No Contest

I recently wrote a review on Nuhr bakhoor which you can find here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Incense/comments/1ta7i5x/nuhr_partial_review/

 

Mostly due to the extremely high price of Nuhr, I ordered a sample pack of bakhoor from Dukhni based on recommendations here.

I gotta say, it doesn’t even come close to the Nuhr. Overall, the Dukhni incense was weak. Could barely detect it. Seriously, very little scent using either an electric warmer or one with a candle. What I could smell was okay, with some unpleasant “waxy” notes to it.

Trying right now to get something out of it using charcoal and tinfoil. Still no joy. It just doesn’t produce scent.

Nowhere near as good as the Nuhr. Which is sad, because there’s no way I’m using Nuhr as an every day thing when it comes in at $8 USD per tablet.

My question to everyone, what’s a good bakhoor incense at a reasonable price? I am willing to pay a little more for quality, but the Nuhr prices are nuts. Dukhni is obviously not it.

reddit.com
u/Threskiornis16670 — 3 days ago

More newby reviews (2)

Really enjoying spending an hour or two in the afternoon listening to an ebook and making notes on a new incense stick or two. I'm still very new to incense but here's more of my collection (so far). Price wise, these are all in the low range.

I'm super prone to migraines from scents, so I've included how much I can burn before the migraine brain tingles and nausea kick in for anyone else with scent sensitivities. Anything that gets to 3/4 is fine for a full stick if I move far away from it. I try scoring them without considering this unless it's really bad.

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Name: Nippon Kodo Seiun (Blue Cloud) Black (very low smoke) - 8.5/10

Sensitivity: 1/2 stick

This incense perfectly fits its name and is what I can best describe as the politest incense I've had so far. I can barely smell it at first, but it gently builds as it slowly drifts around the room. It's a very subtly sweet with a fresh earthiness and hint of dew and has nearly no smoke at all.

The sweetness does get a bit much in the last 3rd though so I snap this in half so it doesn't build too much. I particularly love how this smells about 20 minutes after it's finished burning. It leaves a very faint hint of the dewiness while leaving the air feeling so fresh and clean. Very refreshing.

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Name: Kousaido Hanga Choju-Giga Sumo 4/10

Sensitivity: 1/4 stick

I've came to the conclusion that I don't like the Hanga series. This is ok, if very synthetic soap-y smelling, but nothing to write home about. I can't really dfescribe what it smells like besides a muddy fruity/floral soap. Oddly it smells awful in the box unlit, but smells completely different when burning. It's just... fine, but I wish I hadn't bought it and will likely give it away. Unfortunate because the boxes from the range are so cute.

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Name: Kousaido Hanga Mijikayo 2-3/10

Sensitivity: instant

I might have gotten a bad batch of this particular one but I haven't liked any of the Hanga set yet. It seems like the ingredients are not mxied properly. I get random bursts of very strong notes from a garden flora, a musky dampness and a sickly, migraine inducing sweetness that completely overpower everything else when they hit. It's not pleasant while burning. I'm getting the impression that Hanga incense is a really cheap range upmarked for tourists or something. I'll be giving these away like I have with the apple one and definitely won't be buying any more.

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Name: Kamayama Musk and Rosewood - (can't rate fairly)

Sensitivity: instant

The bottom of the tub says that Kamayama is a candle house and this smells exactly like what you'd expect incense made by a candle house to smell like. If I didn't know it was incense, I'd have thought it was a soy candle or room diffuser and comes with the same instant nausea/brewing migraine I get from them. That being said though, I actually liked it once I'd put it out and could only faintly smell what lingered. I think someone who likes scented candles and diffusers would love these and would rate them highly, but I it's not for me.

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Name: Shoyeido Xiang Do Forest - 6/10

Sensitivity: 3/4 sticks

These tiny boxes that include are really small and portable. They'd probably be great if you want to go sit in a park or somewhere and have some on hand. It's pretty strong.

This is a winter forrest personified when it gets started. These have a rick and heady evergreen top note and a subtle clean note that makes you think of those classic christmas cards with the cabin in a forrest covered in snow.

Sadly, it just smells like weed if you're not paying any attention to it which I'm really not fond of.

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Name: Kunjudo paper incense #5 - 7/10

Sensitivity: none

This would be higher but I can smell the paper burning occasionally and it's very smoky. Otherwise this is really good. It has a pleasent sweetness and overall smells modern and luxurious without smelling too perfume-y. I can identify the notes much more easily with this compared to traditional (pressed?) incense too. Not really a feature but an interesting observation. The strips are really nicely fragrant unlit, so I've put one in my purse for a nice little burst of it anytime I open it. I want to try more of these.

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Name: Shoyeido Kunro Kanro (Sweet Dew) - 6/10

Sensitivity: 3/4 sticks

This is a very uncomplicated incense that does exactly what it says on the tin. Simply a sweet, pillowy dew. similar to Forest, it's quite strong and a bit overpowering despite how small the sticks are (about 7-8cm). The sweetness is a bit sickly while burning for me personally, but it's not unbearable.

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Name: Kousaido Saga no Asagiri (Morning Mist of Saga)

Wooden box (thicker) version - 7/10

Low smoke version (not pictured) - 9.5/10

Sensitivity: none

I accidentally bought both the wooden box version and the thinner low smoke version in a cardboard box (70g) and MUCH prefer the low smoke version. The wooden box is really nice but the sticks are much stronger, produce a lot of smoke, and are too thick for any of my holders.

that aside, I LOVE this in the low smoke variant. It has notes of moss, damp earth and a crisp misty clean note that's quaint and nostalgic. It's probably a weird association but it makes me think of any rainy scene in the old(ish) watercolour Peter Rabbit & Benjamine Bunny animated movies. This will probably be one of my favoites during summer when it gets too hot.

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I'm also half way through a sample pack of the Yamadamatsu premium sampler (10pcs) and wow. Just wow. I'm taking my time with these and have 2 packs, once to see if I like it, twice to be sure, but it wasn't necessary lol.

https://preview.redd.it/v4p3cmlagq1h1.png?width=3072&format=png&auto=webp&s=fe7168380702225fdc9fab8521a1071941765295

https://preview.redd.it/rxvf4ll4jq1h1.png?width=4096&format=png&auto=webp&s=07061120b6c70b06fc1ceb3bd73ac01833cf3da3

reddit.com
u/Ganondaddydorf — 4 days ago
▲ 16 r/Incense

Recent JI haul

Clockwise from the square brown box. Kikka Senko.This is mosquito incense in coil form, much like the famous Kincho product.

Gyokuran Koh. This used to be in a wooden box and for a much higher per stick price. I wanted something easier to burn on a daily basis so I decided to give this a try. It’s pretty good Sandalwood.

Hyakuraku-kou samples, red and blue. I don’t know the difference between the red and blue but decided to try them all.

The famous HRK magnolia, never tried this before, but I bought it because of the talk on Reddit.

Sample sticks of 100% botanical sandalwood by Kikujudo. Haven’t tried this one yet.

Koyasan Taishido Sandalwood. This is a replacement/back up box. One of my favorite sandalwood I thought I needed more in case anything happens in the future. I like it at least as well if not more than the original Reikoh, in fact, the two work very well when they’re burned together.

u/Mammoth-Regular-3499 — 3 days ago