Incense On the Brain

The obsession is real.

Many years ago, I had the good fortune to find a video on YouTube that demonstrated, from beginning to end, how Greek Orthodox church incense was made. It has since then been removed as there was a big dispute as to whether the church actually gave the videographer permission to use the video in anything other than their own use. I remember reading the comments and seeing a church representative accusing the videographer of deceit as the video showed the process in such great detail that anyone could, and did, take that information to create their own 'church' incense. I have used the techniques to make a handful of incense, not necessarily churchy, but definitely, the process was used to create an intense resinous green tea incense, which, by the way, didn't do very well in the shop, for reasons I still don't understand as the scent is/was out of this world beautiful with lovely green tea and jasmine notes. Conceptually, it was a bit odd, but that's what I'm good at. The weird stuff.

Today I found another video of church incense being made with just still photos and a voice-over explaining how they use frankincense and I think galbanum resins to create the base, and then use a watering can to sprinkle a mixture of essential oils, mostly base notes, over the resins/gums and then stirring them about for a while before setting them on screens to dry for 24 hours before packaging them up. These are big bags, too, a pound or so each, and cost around $50 USD, and they have names like St. Michael, Priory, Abbey, Basilica, Cathedral, Vatican, and Gums of Arabia. It's really interesting, but my first thought is, holy f*ck! Look at all that resin! Someone needs to pull the reins and slow down this outrageous consumption! But I know there are much, much, MUCH worse eco-offenders than a single abbey in England trying to keep its head above water. Anyway, that's a place I'm not ready to go to now. I'll save it for another time.

I currently have an incense, The Ram, about a minute from packaging and listing in the shop, and another that is formulated and awaiting its enzyme and resin wash to form the incense and ferment it a while. I learned about using enzymes in incense from Matthew Lawrence Green, who has more knowledge about incense in his head than I could hold in my entire body . . . and yours. Enzymes have been used to alter and increase the scent of raw materials in perfumery for a while, and because of Matthew, I'm using those same theories in incense. I'm still in the experimental stage using enzymes (but let's be honest, everything I do, even if I've done it a hundred times already, is an experiment to me), so I'm not fully versed in their effects on the raw materials -- yet. This enzyme practice is really going to help with my new non-procrastination schedule of three incenses a month as at least one of those monthly incenses will be given time to age a while with the specific intention being those enzymes and bacteria working on the materials to increase their potency. I know, I do go on about the three-a-month schedule, but you have to understand this is a big deal for me as I almost never have a plan, just ideas, loads of 'em, so many I can't keep them all in my head or on paper or even realize in incense or perfume. There's a lot going on up there, and my enemies keeping me from getting anything done are, well, my actual enemies (ha!), and time.