How to Buy Incense...
Buying incense can be a very personal thing. Just as many scents as are available; there seems to be just as types of incense as well. It can be difficult to know how to buy, where to buy, and what kind of incense will best suit your needs. We do our best to make that task easy in this section.
So, let us explain some main brands/types of incense:
• GONESH INCENSE - In 1923, a Lithuanian immigrant named Radzukinas acquired a small company, The Hindu Incense Company. For business purposes, he changed his name to Radkins and changed the fortune of his small company by dedicating himself to the manufacture of quality charcoal incense cones and incense burners. In the mid-sixties, the second generation of the Radkins family entered the business and Genieco, Inc. was born. Soon, the product offering was expanded to include incense sticks. The new brand name was GONESH®, named after the Hindu Elephant Boy, the God of Luck. Not only is Gonesh known for its quality incense, it's known for its commitment to the community.
• INDIAN INCENSE - Nag Champa incense is made from fragrant champak flowers and other natural herbs from the Mysore region of South India. When burned, it creates a sweet enchanting fragrance which will linger long after the sticks have finished burning. The champak flower is renowned for its cooling effect on the mind. It is often used along with Sandalwood in religious rituals to purify and calm the mind before worship.This is the single-most popular incense brand in the world. So, we carry all Nag Chama Incense at near-wholesale prices, as well as an entire line of Indian Incense, freshly imported.
• JAPANESE INCENSE - Brought to Japan in the Sixth century by Buddhist monks who used the mystical aromas in their purification rites, the delicate scents of Koh (Japanese high quality incense) became a source of amusem*nt and entertainment with nobles in the Imperial Court during the Heian Era 200 years later. What the Japanese call Koh-Do, or incense appreciation, has long been the spiritual nourishment of Japanese culture. Modern practitioners of this elegant art now use incense to enhance the ambiance of their homes or offices, to entertain guests, to celebrate special occasions, to relax the body and calm the mind after a trying day and to soothe tired nerves before retiring. We carry both MorningStar Incense as well as the elegant Shoyeido Incense. Both are great choices if delicate is what you're looking for in an incense.
• TIBETAN INCENSE - Out Tibetan incense is hand prepared by several monastic orders in Tibet according to fundamental principles of ancient traditional systems of medicine that originated from some 2500 years ago. This incense is totally absent of camphor smells and is also non-toxic. Generally Tibetan incense is used for puja offering and purification but is is also used as air-freshener which keeps one's surrounding flavored with good scents. Of all the kinds of incense available, we love this kind the most.
• RESIN STICKS- There are two main manufacturers of this type of incense; FRED SOLL and NATURE NATURE. Fred, like a fine chef, has perfected the art of blending and preparing his incense. The incense making process is an intricate one that can take up to two weeks for each batch. The incenseis dipped, powdered, and then dried in the brilliant New Mexico sun. His incense is so rich because he uses powdered resins rather than oils which countless other incense manufacturers utilize. The manual labor is intensive, but to him, worth it. Each stick of Fred Soll incense burns at least an hour and a half, some scents even burn up to three hours. Fred refuses to compromise his standards, gathering only the highest quality pure resins, essential oils, and herbs.This is and always has been our favorite incense we've ever sold at the shop andfor this, we are proud to carry his line of incense sticks.
• RESIN INCENSE - This type of incense typically comes in powders, granules, and/or chunks. This is also one of the earliest forms of incense; it's what churches and temples around the world first used. All resin incense (except the aforementioned "Resin on a Stick" requires charcoal to burn properly. And, this is quite a simple task these days; we offer convenient, easy-to-light charcoals, that burn etremely cleanly, and burn for a long time. This allows you to decide how strong you want your incense to be, and how long you want it to burn for. Resin incense is also used in all kinds of rituals, outdoors, or in large spaces (like churches) where it takes a lot of effort to fill the room.
• SMUDGE STICKS - These are also called "smudge bundles" and this is another serious form of incense. Smudge sticks are typically used to help "clear energy" especially in relation to negative energy or spirits. Smudge bundles are typically made from Sage plants, and can sometimes be found blended with other raw plants such as Lavender or SweetGrass.
