What's on your burner today?

[masstika]

@Oudramatic, I am not sure why some times I see them and others not but here is the pictures again. First Ensar's Brunei Exquisite and a close up then that amazing Kyaratul Brunei and the thing that looked like a seed inside the wood and finally a slightly fuzzy pic of the old OudLine King Super .

Thanks Ensar for sharing that information. It will help in future identifications.

 

[KAKAO]

Thank you for posting this Ensar.
That was seriously disgusting.
I can't believe people spend this much energy trying to trick people.
If they spent half the energy on trying to help people, the world would already be a better place.

 

[masstika]

The dark layer is the incense-grade, the light layer is the oil grade side of the resin formation, which you can see they've tried to chisel out so that you don't get a burning wood smell when heating the chips.

Ensar, I have seen previously a video in which a Saudi Oud Salesman was explaining that for every Oud chip there is a "seat" or a proper side to put it on the charcoal. Is that in any way related to what you have mentioned about about the Oil grade side vs. the resin side? Which side should one put on the charcoal?

 

[Oudramatic]

Thanks for sharing the pics Masstika...Some real beauties there...That Oudline King Super is it Malaysian? Do you mind telling how much you got it for?

Ahh yes, Ensar, glue might be it. Although I experienced the small piece recently in a very small piece, not something you'd wanna glue together.

@Oudramatic, I am not sure why some times I see them and others not but here is the pictures again. First Ensar's Brunei Exquisite View attachment 193 and a close up View attachment 194 then that amazing Kyaratul Brunei View attachment 195 and the thing that looked like a seed inside the wood View attachment 196 and finally a slightly fuzzy pic of the old OudLine King Super View attachment 197 .

Thanks Ensar for sharing that information. It will help in future identifications.

 

[KAKAO]

Burning some of this Superior Grade Hougary.
Gonna burn some of this Green Omani later tonight.

 

[Connor]

I love that Green Frankincense! Have you tried Mermade's black Mughsayl Frankincense? I received a sample of it with my last order, and had to get two ounces the next day. I believe she gets it from Enfleurage. I'm burning some right now, and still can't get over that orange note in the smoke.

 

[KAKAO]

Yes the Green is outstanding!
Though I'm also very partial to the white Hougary, like an ancient piece of lemon candy in the woods ( or something haha ).

Yes, I've tried and loved the Mughsayl, and have a good stock of it.
The scent is darker, wetter, pinelike with notes of orange and even orange blossom, which really surprised me.
I consider Katlyn (at Mermade) the Queen of Frankincense in the west.

I would recommend everyone who burns frankincense to use the electric heater she sells to heat it.
Oud chips however, I like best straight unto a glowing coal.
Mmmm...

 

[Shafi'i]

Ive ordered some various grades of Frankincense and just anxiously waiting for it to arrive. I hope it arrives before Ramadhan Insha-Allah.

Any tips on how many pieces to add onto the electric heater at a time, and at what temperature setting? Also how long should I leave the pieces on the heater before removing them?

 

[KAKAO]

How many pieces you would use depends on the size of the resin and the size of the room you are fumigating.
I have a small appartment and I use two largish tears to completely scent my living room.
I would slightly crush it up, and use a medium heat for about an hour.
If the resin turns dark brown/black you are using too much heat.
If the resin turns yellow/amber colored after half an hour, I've found the best temperature.
I use my heater on setting 50 out of 100.

Burning a stick Ranjatai from Shunkohdo right now and it's incredible.
It's expensive, but it contains the finest quality Vietnamese aloeswood and musk.
I don't see how anyone can't like it.
Deep, dark and mysterious, smooth but with an "edge"
It's like a Kyara stick, without Kyara, if that makes sense.

Also, you get 160 sticks for the price!

 

[masstika]

It is interesting KAKAO your experience with Frankincense burning because I have totally the opposite experience. I have started a while back using the electrical burner but I found but that it depends on the Frankincense type that one is using. For example the Yemeni yellow Frankincense that I got from Aluuwah melted at very low temperatures and gave off a very pleasant smell where on the other hand the Howjary no matter how high i turn the dial of the heat there always remains a part at the end that has no smell. I found it best to actually put a mid size or a large size piece on the Baeiedo Bamboo Charcoal directly and have it smoke up / fumigate the room. That is how it is done in Oman and Yemen. I know that the smoke sometimes bothers people so what I do is I leave the burner in the room alone for 20 minutes or so and then I take out the burner and open the window and enjoy the after smell which remains in the room even with the windows open. I found there is notes that you simply can't get with the electrical heater. And after it has burned there remains nothing, just ashes. I found that the same applies less successfully with the Mughasyl (Black Frankincense) which might be better suited to the electrical medium to low heat.
A question to Frankincense lovers, does the color of Frankincense change over time. My ghost white Howjary has turned over time to dark Paige/ golden color and my Dark Green Frankincense has became even darker?? And is there any benefits to be gained from aged Frankincense say 5 to 6 years old? or does it's value diminish with time?

 

[KAKAO]

I agree with you, masstika, it is more potent on a charcoal.
I don't however like the all the smoke, and I find the burning sugar smell from Hougary is strong on a charcoal, and not present on the heater.
Maydi however; I think is great on a charcoal as it burns cleaner.
I guess it comes down to preference.
I'm used to burning Japanese sticks which are subtle and not smokey.
Therefor I like the subtleties that comes from heating stuff on the electric heater.

I have also noted that resins (not just frankincense) turns a bit darker after aging (about 1 year)
The same things happens with some essential oils (sandalwood for example).
I have heard of aged frankincense having a darker more woody scent than fresh, but I've never tried aging frankincense for over a year yet.
My guess is that you should age it in an airtight container to keep the oils from evaporating.

 

[AbuAyoob]

I prefer charcoal (bamboo), but there are some resins that when exposed to high temperature smell awful like Ethiopian frankincense. The Ethiopian resin when exposed to the high temperature of charcoal carry a scent akin to burning plastic, but when I use my electric burner the resin is a bit more enjoyable. I would say the black Mughsayl, the various grades of howjary, the Adeni and somali mayidi are all great on charcoal, on the contrary I find the Indian, Malaysian and Ethiopian resin are best suited for a temperature controlled electric burner.

Massika, I have tried various ways of storing my frankincense and the best way to preserve the color and scent over the years is what kakao mentioned in regards to airtight storage. I use airtight jars from the dollar store used for storing rice sugar etc. and they work just fine.

Also the climate here in the west is a bit different from the areas that the resins are harvested from, meaning majority of the frankincense we enjoy come from dry arid lands such as Oman, Yemen and Somalia for example, and it works for me to keep them away from the humidity we experience along the eastern seaboard of the US and Canada.

Long story short the humidity and moisture in the air may have something to do with the darkening of your resins as the powdery coat gives way.

 

[KAKAO]

Has any of you tried this Raw Green Kyara?
http://scents-of-earth.com/kyara1.html
If any of you have, how did you like it?
I thought I would just go for it now, it's not going to get cheaper.
Also wondering if Scents of Earth is a trustworthy site.

 

[masstika]

I am almost embarrassed but I did purchase it last year and I still have it. I think I posted some pictures here or on BN a while back. Here is the pictures on this link http://s1135.photobucket.com/albums/m622/masstika1/Green%20Kyara/ MrP on Basenotes had a good description of it " It is glutinous, dense with resin, reddish/rust tinted but so dark as to be black in areas. There is a visible wood grain but it is so filled with the kyara resin that it is less distinct than other woods. Where the end is cut, it is glossy. The aroma is hard to describe - completely clean - utterly - a fluid combination of honeyed, balsamic, and floral notes. If you have smelled any kyara, you will know what this aroma is like, it is just expressed utterly in this particular grade of kyrara (from what I have read there are other lower grades of kyara / kinam apparently with different titles like black, iron, purple, etc.. and in which this aroma is less developed or perfected". When I purchased it they had a 10% discount and maybe you can ask for that. Also if you decide to purchase make sure to mention that you would like the gram in 1 piece, otherwise you might get little shavings and small pieces. I would highly recommend them as I know other members who have bought from them as well.

 

[KAKAO]

Thanks!
That description makes it sound heavenly!
How many burns would one get out of a piece?
I thought I would use half on Christmas Eve and half on New Year's Eve.

 

[masstika]

Ohh. No. This is not the type to burn that much. I have used my piece only twice! and the piece is still the same. Each time I have shaved it with an Exacto knife what I would call a "Mosquito leg" piece. You really don't need to use more to smell it. As a matter of fact you don't need to light it up at all to smell it. You can smell it by just bringing it closer to your nose. it is more than a small. it is a mood that it puts you in. very difficult to put into words but once you've smelled it once you'll never forget that smell and you'll never confuse it with anything else.

 

[KAKAO]

Thank you for teaching me masstika.
It means a lot to me
I'm still young and new to world of aloeswood and not to mention Kyara.
I've only tried Enju from Seijudo and Kyara from Minorien which, at least the Minorien, is at the low-end of the Kyara spectrum.

 

[masstika]

If you liked Enju from Seijudo you should also look into the following also from Seijudo:
1. Kyara Seiran - Heavenly Orchard
2. Kyara Horen - Lotus Treasure
3. Nichigetsu (Aloeswood) - Daily Moon .
4. Shogetsu (ALoeswood) - Pine Moon.
5. Kohshu (Aloeswood) - Fleet of Scents.
6. Shiragiku (Aloeswood) - White Chrysanthemum.
The last 3 are actually aloeswood and I find White Chrysanthemum to be a great deal for the prize.

 

[KAKAO]

Yes I did love Enju, I've only burned 1 stick that I got as a gift from a friend.
It was really breathtaking, intoxicating to some degree and very, very nice and complex.
I've heard great things about their whole line, and also that they are very well thought of in Japan.
I'm gonna place an order for Enju, Seiran and Shiragiku next week.
Have you tried all their line?

 

[masstika]

Yes, in samples and I twice bought the Shiragiku.