As you start adding hot water to your tea leaves in a pot, could I surprise you by telling you that leaves are actually quite water proof?! It is normal for leaves to be water proof, almost all leaves are in some way or another, this is due to a waxy layer called the… [Read More…]
Interplay of the Senses
I often meet people whom are interested in Incense but always told me that they were unable to discern nor distinguish some scents. How can one enhance one’s sensory acuity? We use our senses to probe the apparent reality of the world we live in all the time. Living in the “sense” realm, the “human… [Read More…]
Does Kyara sink in water?
Does Kyara sink in water, or does it need to sink in water to be considered a top grade? The blind pursuit for “sinking” grade agarwoods had opened up a whole new dimension to material substitution. Previous post on zelkova like materials, calocedrus formosana (Xiao-Nan), or even woods like rosewood (truth bringing incense), gaharu buaya; these… [Read More…]
TV program on Agarwood
Here’s a nice TV program in hongkong on agarwood 😉 Paul Kan, owner of the Imperial Museum, and the collections exhibited in the Xiang He exhibition a couple of years ago, is aiming to educate the public in Hongkong on agarwood, kynam, and the importance of conservation. In the third episode, he did mention about… [Read More…]
Incense trails without a stencil
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…]
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