The most common type, on sticks, is made from a simple and artisanal recipe. The first step is to obtain the ingredients, many of which can only be found in specialized stores (with the exception of the stick, sold at any stationery store). The aroma is guaranteed by three basic components: resins, herbs or wood, each with dozens of combination options. If the products are not pulverized, they must be ground using, for example, a manual coffee grinder – the electric one is not recommended as it can heat the mixture and release the aromatic substances ahead of time. The resulting powder is already an incense, which can be heated or charred in special burners. To complete the process, just add gum arabic and ground charcoal and mold the mixture onto the rods. The use of incense and its manufacturing process are ancient traditions.
It is believed that aromatic trees were already imported from Arabia and Somalia to Egypt around the third millennium BC, for funerary rites and worship of the Sun god, Amon-Rá. There are records of the use of incense in virtually every known religion, usually as a way to ward off negative influences. Among Buddhists, incense was once used to measure time.