Sent to me by Irene of the German incense blog Rauchfahne, these are frankincense resin sticks made in Oman (the "land of Frankincense") for or by IBN Saif Trading who trade in Hojari frankincense resin - an acclaimed tree resin gum from the boswellia sacra tree which grows in the Dhofar Mountains. These sticks appear to be the only ones they sell. The stick is rather similar to Jeomra’s Hojari - a stick also made from Hojari resin, though made in Germany by Georg Huber.
The stick, unlike Jeomra's, is not sprinkled with incense powder, so there is little obvious cool scent. Though, get close, and there's sweet, fruity frankincense, some salad herbs, and a touch of caramel. It reminds me both of Jeomra’s Hojari and of the new resin-smudge sticks coming out of South America. I think incense like this is the future. It's more refreshing, satisfying, and exciting than the increasingly safe and unexciting perfumed-masala Nag Champa clones being exported from India by Wonder Incense and others.
The stick, unlike Jeomra's, is not sprinkled with incense powder, so there is little obvious cool scent. Though, get close, and there's sweet, fruity frankincense, some salad herbs, and a touch of caramel. It reminds me both of Jeomra’s Hojari and of the new resin-smudge sticks coming out of South America. I think incense like this is the future. It's more refreshing, satisfying, and exciting than the increasingly safe and unexciting perfumed-masala Nag Champa clones being exported from India by Wonder Incense and others.
There's a deal of black smoke when the stick is first lit and is burning. I'm assuming that the black smoke is due to unburned particles because the material is being incompletely consumed by the flames. It's only when the flames are blown out and the material is smouldering with the hot slow burn that the smoke settles into the attractive white blue that many of us enjoy. The scent is gorgeous. Very much in the style of the resin-smudges from South America. It feels natural and pure. I'm not sure what the combustible material is - I've picked at the dry paste, which is really hard, and I assume it's wood powder. But I'm not getting any smouldering sawdust or burning paper smells, which I generally do with wood powder sticks. I'm wondering if they managed to do with just joss powder (tree bark) and a small amount of charcoal. Oh, I just wafted some smoke toward me (not recommended - I do it sometimes to get closer to the scent, but it's actually healthier, more natural, and generally better to just allow the scent to inform the room. Getting too close to the smoke is kinda like spraying perfume in your face. Not a good idea), and caught a touch of burning wood - a dull fragrance, not uplifting.
I like this, but, as with Jeomra’s Hojari, I find an opportunity has been lost. There is a bit more going on here than with Jeomra’s Hojari - there's a suggestion of herbs and spices, and there's that dull clean wood burning scent, but on the whole this is pretty much like burning some resin, except it's on a stick. The resin, though, is damned attractive. Soft, spicy, churchy. Citric touches. Yeah. Nice.
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| Cheaper when bought in the original packs |
They are available in the original packets of 8 sticks on a number of websites for a reasonable price: $7; $4; 25 Euros for five packs. Or you can pay a bit more for the "convenience" of buying them from a re-brander - who will take the sticks out of the original packs, and use their own packaging: $18 for 10 sticks; $12 for 12 sticks; $13 for 9 sticks. Or you can order direct from Saif for $2.10. All costs are without shipping.
Date: Feb 2025 Score: 36
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Nice review, Steve. I guess that the black smoke is because of the presence of hydrodistilled oil from Boswellia.
ReplyDeleteI've been looking into the health benefits of frankincense smoke. There are a number of medical articles which say, yes there is some potential risk to certain individuals breathing in incompletely consumed particles, but on the whole the health benefits are significant. Including promising research on the positive effects of Boswellia sacra on certain cancers.
DeleteTotally fascinating!
I am used to seeing black smoke when an incense is first lit (before the flame is blown out) from sticks which have been dipped in DEP.
DeleteI doubt that that this stick was dipped in DEP. But I've not seen thick black smoke come off frankincense while I was burning it. However, I do have limited experience of burning resins.
Is black smoke common when burning resins?
Or is it because it was made into an oil?
I've not burned oils - I warm them. Do essential oils have black smoke when burned?
Yes! In fact, in India, it has long been used as a remedy in Ayurveda. Also, Guggul (Indian myrrh) is known for its medicinal properties, and boswellic acid from frankincense is a well-established painkiller.
ReplyDeleteAs for black smoke, DEP does cause it in dipped incense. Essential oils, particularly those rich in terpenes, are major culprits. Steve, frankincense essential oil is mostly terpene, so if you light it, expect some serious black smoke. And resins? If burned at high temperatures, they take it to another level—a single tear of resin can turn the whole room into a black smoke-filled scene!
I do get a reaction to some resins, particularly frankincense. It is clearly the terpenes. I do sometimes get a reaction to certain incenses (stinging eyes, nose, lips, and tongue). I loosely narrowed it down to incenses I assumed contained halmaddi. And then I discovered that halmaddi contains terpenes, and that some people are sensitive to terpenes. Of course, if halmaddi is a tree resin, and contains terpenes, then other tree resins, such as frankincense, would also contain terpenes. Indeed, all plants contain terpenes. Which explains why I also find most Tibetan incenses to be a little dry and harsh.
DeleteHow wicked that someone who likes incense should have an allergy to the most natural and pure incenses!
I suspect that it is linalool that I am sensitive to. Using the ideas of sublingual immunotherapy, I'm considering if putting a small drop of basil essential oil under my tongue every day would gradually desensitize me.
Delete"How wicked that someone who likes incense should have an allergy to the most natural and pure incenses!" - Yes, very wicked certainly. Many fragrances contain linalool; do you also experience the same when wearing fragrances?
DeleteNo, not at all. And I wear a variety. I like "layering" as it appears to be called these days. I wear essential oils on my skin. Every day.
Deleteokay, very strange! I think you could be allergic to smoke or some other compound.
Delete