Making Incense Pellets

My starting ingredients.

I came across a new form of incense I had not previously seen recently – incense pellets. They are essentially herbs and resins held together by liquid of a binding nature like honey or wine or both. I just knew I had to give this a go. If I could do it and they turned out well, I would use them in personal practice as well as make some for my business. Perhaps the most variety of this incense is called Kyphi, an Ancient Egyptian ceremonial/worship incense. Although the Egyptian variety is far more complex, having up to 16 ingredients, I decided to go with a simpler recipe I found here.

My teeny tiny cake tin lined.

My dry mix

I figured out what kind of incense pellets I wanted to make, prosperity was the choice of course; I need some funds to begin my business anew. I gathered together my ingredients – a simple recipe of chamomile, clove, basil, marjoram and vervain – and let the ingredients sit together in a ziplock bag for a few days to combine scents and integrate with each other. Once I felt the herbs were combined I moved forward to make it. I lined a small cake tin with greaseproof paper; this is where I will let them cure for two weeks.



Adding the honey.

The combined mix.

I combined it with honey, no wine, and mixed it all about. The balls were relatively easy to form once enough binding honey was in it, don’t kid yourself though, it is quite messy – fun though. I put them in their little tin ready for curing for the next 14 days, during which time I will have to turn them every one to two days.

My rolled incense pellets.

I’m very excited and will offer up an update when they are ready for testing, they smell absolutely divine, very much like spring which is fabulous. Ooohh my palms are itching to play and burn and use.

Patience.