How To Burn Incense

Use this step-by-step guide to light incense quickly and safely in a standing censer.

Items Needed:

• Censer

• Tongs

• Spoon

• Candle

• Incense

• Charcoal Disc

Safety:

It is important to light the charcoal outside over pavement in the event hot charcoal breaks or is dropped. This also keeps the initial smoke away from the area you're incensing. After the incense is lit do not touch censer until it has cooled down. Even the lid will be hot.

Instructions:

1. Prepare your workspace by lighting the candle and removing the lid from the censer.

2. Using the tongs, hold a charcoal disc over the candle until it is red hot on both sides. Turn the disc and gently blow on it as needed.

3. Once charcoal is hot, place it in the censer with the cup side up.

4. Spoon one scoop of incense onto the charcoal and replace lid on censer.

FAQs

Can I use grill charcoal instead of incense charcoal? We recommend using incense charcoal because it is less likely to break when being lit and burns cleaner than grill charcoal. The cup in the center also keeps the incense in place for optimum burning.

Can I reuse a charcoal disc for later burning? No, charcoal discs become too weak to relight after being burned and are a safety hazard.

I want the incense that smells like Church. Which one should I purchase? Different churches use different scents and brands for their services. We recommend the hand-blended Abbatial Trappist incense as it is made with the traditional ingredients and used in their Liturgies.