Buying new incense with old spring, Do you really know how to cellar?
Are you truly familiar with the aging process of incense? When purchasing new incense, understanding the concept of aging, or “cellaring,” can greatly enhance your experience. Stick incense, whether single ingredient or blended, requires a binder to maintain its shape and ensure proper storage and burning.
The Role of Binders
For stick incense to hold its shape and be practical for use and storage, a binder must be added. Authentic stick incense typically uses natural wood powders like “elm wood powder” or “Indonesian agalloch wood powder” as binders. These wood powders are odorless on their own, but when burned, they produce a smokiness that can affect the fragrance of the incense.
The Aging Process
Aging, or cellaring, involves allowing the binder and incense powder to gradually integrate. Over time, this process reduces the smokiness, a result of the binder, through what is known as the “de-binding” phase. This allows the wood powder’s scent to mellow. Aged incense becomes sweeter, purer, smoother, and more fragrant.
During aging, the initial harshness of the incense diminishes as the volatile compounds stabilize. The aromatic molecules from different ingredients interact and blend, resulting in a more harmonious and refined scent. The longer the incense is aged, the more these characteristics develop, leading to a superior aromatic experience.
Understanding the art of aging incense can significantly enhance your appreciation and enjoyment of this ancient practice. The natural binders, such as wood powders, used in quality incense are essential for its formation and performance. Through proper aging, the initial smokiness is reduced, and the incense achieves a more refined and balanced aroma. Embracing the aging process allows you to experience incense that is sweet, pure, smooth, and exquisitely fragrant.
So, next time you buy new incense, consider its aging process to fully appreciate the depth and complexity of its scent. This knowledge will enrich your experience and help you select the finest quality incense for your rituals and relaxation.
