Pure Agarwood / Oud Powder - From wild Philippino wood

This is powder left from high quality agarwood beads carving.

Because bead making requires the densest and most resinous wood, the powder left behind is rich in oud essential oil and makes great incense.

The aroma is distinctively oudy, woody and spicy with a nice round vanillic sweetness (the latter especially epxresses when heating - versus burning : see below)

Recommendations of use

Our main recommendation : to get the most out of this powder, use it on an electric heater to vaporize the pure oils without smoke, providing the more nuance, variety of notes and smoothness.

Never place loose powder directly onto the metal or ceramic heating element. It will scorch immediately. Always use a thin sheet of mica or a small aluminum cup. Flatten a pinch of the powder into a thin and even layer (do not pile it into a tall mound, or the center will remain unheated while the bottom burns).

Start Low (80°C - 120°C): This releases the volatile top notes (bright florals, sweet fruits, and soft spices). Keep until it feel flat.

Cruise Mid-Range (130°C - 170°C)  This is the sweet spot, releasing the deep, core woody aroma. The longer part of the experience,. I often go through it in incrementsm for the longer part of the experience

Finish on a High (180°C - 220°C). Boosting to the (almost) max is an option at the very end to bake out the heaviest base volatiles. Anything above 220°C will likely scorch the wood and lose the gentleness of the heating experience. So it is a balance to find, unless you feel like ending on a campfire note (as good part of the volatiles are already vaporized, burning will come out more "plain woody").

Other (burning) ways:

Incense seals ort stamps for a beautiful timeless ritual : making a pressed incense trail using specialized incense stamping tools.

DIY Blending : the powder can be blended with other aromatics and with natural binders  to press cones or mold incense. You can use the classic Joss Powder (Makko) derived from the bark of the Litsea glutinosa tree. It becomes sticky when mixed with water and burns odorless. For a premium batch, use roughly 75% to 80% wild agarwood powder and 20% to 25% Makko. The Process: Mix the dry powders thoroughly first, then slowly drip in warm water until it forms a clay-like dough. Roll them into thin sticks or press them into small cones, then let them dry completely in a dark, well-ventilated room for a few days.

Just added on hot embers / in a censer. Powerful, efficient, can quickly incense a big space. The notes come stronger, so the olfactive experience is different.

For an easy burn with wood of similar quality, you can also try our binderless solid (oud) incense, made with comparable raw material.

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The wood was ethically sourced in the wild in the Phillipines, in the Luzon mountain area. The tree is for sure Aquilaria, but as there are (probably much) more than 20 species of agarwood producing trees living in the Philippines, the exact identification beyond "Aquilaria" is uncertain (as is often the case with wildwood form the Philippines).