Refining Honey and Blending Incense
Refined honey is the "peacemaker" of incense blending: it removes water while retaining moisture, being both sticky and harmonizing; blending incense then follows the sovereign-minister-assistant-envoy principle, kneading it into a pliable paste.
Refining Honey
Ancient incense blending mostly used honey as a binder and harmonizer. Raw honey contains water and molds easily, and its overly sweet taste overpowers the fragrance, so it must be "refined": simmered over low heat with constant stirring until "a drop forms a bead" (dropped into cold water, it does not disperse). Refined honey loses its harshness while retaining its moisture, with moderate stickiness.
Blending Incense
Mix the incense powder with refined honey in proportion, often aided by a little pear juice, wine, or baiji juice to enhance stickiness and aroma, kneading repeatedly and evenly into "incense paste." The key lies inThe Way of Blending Incense's "sovereign-minister-assistant-envoy": the sovereign incense sets the main note (such as agarwood), the minister incense supports its aroma (such as sandalwood), and the assistant and envoy harmonize and guide the meridian.
Resting the Paste
The blended paste cannot be used immediately; it must be wrapped in a damp cloth and "rested" for several hours or even days, allowing the honey and powder to merge and all dryness to dissipate, so that it burns evenly later. Only rested incense paste can be shaped.