Incense in The Wind: Huss Incense

Thursday, 23 October 2025

Huss Incense

The best known and biggest German cone maker is Knox, whose products are available in the UK and elsewhere. As I got into incense I discovered that there are other German incense makers, and the tradition of making incense cones in Germany goes back to the 19th century. Knox was established in 1865, which as far as I'm aware makes them, outside of Japan, the oldest incense house still in existence. After Knox I became aware of Crottendorfer, and then Huss (there's also a Canadian branch: Huss). And that is the order of their size and popularity in Germany: 1) Knox, 2) Crottendorfer, and 3) Huss. I've communicated with a German, Sascha, who enjoys German incense cones, and they tell me that there are three more incense houses in Germany, smaller than these three, but each with their own following. The other three are Carl Jager (founded 1897), Bockauer (founded mid 1990s), and Oerm, and I shall explore them all!

Huss was founded in Neudorf in the Ore Mountains, Saxony, in 1928, by Kurt Huss as a part time business to supplement the family income. The business developed, and a factory was opened; though after Kurt's death in 1970, the Huss factory closed. Kurt's son, Siegfried, carried on the business, though it is not clear for how long. In 1990, Siegfried's son Jurgen restarted the business, which continues to this day.

I'm not sure of the combustible ingredients. Certainly there is charcoal here, but there appears to be wood as well, as the cones do not crush easily, and the cones are packed loose in the box, as with Knox and Crottendorfer, because they are confident the fragrance will be locked in the wood paste and not quickly fade. Charcoal is an excellent combustible for incense, but as it is permeable it allows fragrance vapour to evaporate, while wood holds the fragrance for longer.

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