Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Taiwan: Aloeswood Incense

Aloeswood Incense

Incense and tea have been fast friends for centuries.  Incense provided its aroma during the spiritual practices of ancient Asia, and those practices often included tea.  Carried forward in time, incense plays an important role in today's Japanese Tea Ceremony (as well as being an art form of its own called Kodo) and in some Gong Fu brewing.

The trick is to find an incense that compliments the experience and does not overpower, cloy or cling to utensils.  When I was in Taiwan over the last few weeks, I became a fan of aloeswood incense (also called agarwood).  This wood develops a resin in response to a mold infestation.  The resulting aroma is subtle and complex.  Aloeswood is a limited (and protected) resource, and so it's pricey.  I was very  happy to bring home this box as a gift for the DH.
Do you know this incense? 
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5 comments:

  1. Miss Tea Delight11:56 AM

    Love it but only have 2 g of this wood chip kept aside for special occasions!

    Smell a little bit of this lifts my spirits!

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  2. Karen12:44 PM

    I'm not familiar with that particular type of incense. It sounds lovely. I enjoy burning incense, too. Love your photo!

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  3. Angela McRae2:26 PM

    I had not heard of this incense, but based on your description I would be very interested in giving this one a whiff!

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  4. La Tea Dah10:03 PM

    What a special gift you brought home. I hadn't thought about the art of pairing tea with incense, but it makes sense and sounds like an interesting concept to perfect.

    I SO remember the incense craze of my youth! ;)

    LaDonna
    Gracious Hospitality

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  5. Marilyn Miller8:41 AM

    No I have not heard of this incense. It does sound like it would be a delightful addition to tea. What a perfect gift for your DH.

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