What is the best incense for Chadao Tea Ceremony? : Premium grades of natural Incense Sticks for Tea
Sourcing premium quality incense sticks, which suit the delicacy of Chadao Tea Ceremony is also an art. A classic substance used as incense, that has a long history with tea, is aloeswood (a substance found in certain circumstances within the Aquilaria genus of trees, native to South East Asia). Aloeswood comes from a precious secretion from the tree. The tree sends a healing substance to areas of itself where infection or damage has occurred: insect bites, wind/ lightning damage to its trunk. In antiquity this was collected by those wandering in wild forests. However not all trees contain this substance, which has sadly meant in this day and age, unnecessary deforestation has occured, by those growing numbers attempting to find aloeswood. It is virtually impossible to find aloeswood in the wild now
Cultivation of Precious Medicines
Not wanting to exploit an already endangered species, Ume have carefully sourced a beautiful quality cultivated aloeswood, meaning trees are replanted on a well managed plantation - and no wild trees are logged. This builds a local industry and shares knowledge of how we can learn how to sustainably harvest such medicines, as a-pose to loosing them entirely
This fragrant, magical, medicinal make up of terpines, are well known to transport, soothe and temper emotional states. Revered as one of the most beautiful, elegant incense fragrances or medicinal substances known to man, it is evident why aloeswood is so sought after by those who can afford this heavenly luxury
Also known as oud or agarwood, aloeswood is often called a true friend of tea, since the profound scent harmonises beautifully with many types of camellia sinensis, ceremonial tea. Complimenting the delicate taste of certain fine teas, as well as the elegance of atmosphere
Awaken
Ume have created a pure aloeswood high grade incense for tea ceremony called Awaken. A cultivated precious resinous oud wood, from well managed forests in Vietnam. We don't use un-aromatic filers to bulk out the incense, so the sticks are purposefully thin, having just the right amount of profound lasting scent for your space. Crucially there are no perfumes or chemicals either. This pure, non-toxic aloeswood has a beautiful refined scent. The elegant dancing cloud, adds depth, art and ancient mystery to rituals in the tea space
Tea & Incense, Friends Since Ancient Times
The drinking of what we call ‘tea’ or as Chinese call it - chá, was discovered as early as 5000 years ago. Legend has it that Chinese Emperor Shennong, also founder of Chinese medicine, was resting under the shade of a camellia sinensis tree when a few leaves fatefully dropped off the branches into his pot of boiling water. The unrecognised brew then gave the Emperor incredible energy and a sense of peace, which sparked a life long journey - and lifetime upon lifetime of continuous exploration of the leaf by a movement of enthusiasts who would become known as chajin - literally meaning tea folk or tea people
This type of encounter with nature is how a huge body of collected knowledge has been collated by our ancestors, who were observant enough to notice these often subtle but profound shifts in our states of being. Indeed cha was classified as a medicine back then, as was incense
Aromatic Healers
Writers of ancient texts (materia medica) - now often dubbed 'folk medicine’ began to document therapeutic properties of natural substances in astonishing details. In the Orient - but actually all over the World - this included the gathering of substances from aromatic plants to burn as incense. The deep healing experienced from smouldering these pure traditional incense substances, would be called upon as a healing ally to transmute various disturbance in, what is known as the 'shen' or emotional / spiritual body, in traditional Chinese medicine. Transferring the plants innate medicinal power to our bodily systems by way of the airways, the plant compounds could harmonise any imbalance. Thus also supporting the bodies inbuilt capacity to heal itself; tending to the body with loving care, giving it time and creating a healing space - which is all we really need to do to help ourselves