Was a little occupied for the past month whilst my webmaster had helped transfer the website to a new host together with a slight redesign. Will resume writing. Recently a friend had persistently asked me if there was an alternative to burning incense powders as a trail without the use of a stencil. It… [Read More…]
Secrets of Tea Seasons and Ageing
春茶苦，夏茶涩，要好喝，秋白露. There is a frequent saying amongst generations of Chinese tea drinkers that : Spring tea is Bitter, Summer Tea is astringent, Autumn tea is the most delectable. 春茶苦，夏茶涩，要好喝，秋白露. This has been mis-translated by many, and together with the omission of the fact that this saying only applies to Tie Kuan Yin and not all… [Read More…]
Secrets on choosing Yixing Teapots
Be warned! Long article ahead.. 3000+ words perhaps.. This has been one of the most difficult articles to write (although the funny thing was that I managed to write it in a couple of hours since I had a clear mind after some good tea). I had once been thinking of writing a book by… [Read More…]
How long can fragrant woods be kept?
You probably would have seen the fragrant wood storage article from some time back, where I routinely prefer to store fragrant woods in glass containers with teflon lined caps that seal, the fragrant wood really well. The aim of this method is to prevent volatiles from escaping, and also to prevent contaminants from entering. Fragrant… [Read More…]
Know your Fragrant Wood Cuts
If you are a meat lover, particularly that of beef, you should know the cuts of your meats really well. Similarly if you are a fragrant wood lover involved in either Japanese/Chinese or other forms of incense practices/ceremonies, it is just as important to know the cut types, and how they are obtained. The… [Read More…]
Is Oud oil really more complex than the raw wood?
A very simple reason why oud oil can be sometimes perceived to be more complex than heating wood, nobody can control what goes into the pot or what are the scents of them. It is different from distilling sandalwood, or other coniferous woods where just a single chunk from the tree is sufficient to generate… [Read More…]
Pu Erh Tea Storage issues
In the late 80s and early 90s, the Taiwanese, with their huge capitals, decided to sweep all the old pu-erh tea cakes off the market before the craze started. Subsequently by releasing books, writing websites, magazines, demand was created, with the taiwanese beaming because they now have a huge supply. But what was pu-erh… [Read More…]
Age of Agarwood and the tree
Does the age of the agarwood tree matter??!! Actually….. the age of the infection/resination is the most important, not particularly the age of the tree. If you have had chopped down an agarwood tree that is a couple hundred years old.. you will find quite significant amounts of white wood. Poor old tree. And if… [Read More…]
Tennendo Frankincense – the best frankincense stick
Incense : Nyukoh (Frankincense) Brand : Tennendo Source : Purchased from Japan Amount Burnt so far prior to this review : 13 sticks Taste profile : Sweet : +++ Sour, Salty, Spicy: very slight tinge Scent characteristics : Texture – thick juicy creamy Binder notes – little Intensity – +++ Focus : Thick diffuse… [Read More…]
Scientific Literature on Kyara
well.. thought it could be time to get a little scientific 
when I was doing my phd… reading science papers was a norm, they contain reasonably credible, peer reviewed, and quality information on various subject matters in depth. When it comes to incense or fragrant woods, it would be strange if people choose to… [Read More…]
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