I got to missing the gourmet incense that I would order hand-dipped upon request and even thought back to the days when I used to make and sell the stuff, too. Didn’t make much money at it but I sure had a lot of fun. Then my favorite supplier went out of business when the owner went to prison for molesting his daughter. I later found another supplier but eventually, times were tough and I gave it up for a while. Besides, the incense could sometimes make me congested and leave a messy residue on things when I would get carried away with it, having so much fun with all the different fragrances.

Good incense must be dipped and burned within a few months or less for maximum freshness. If anybody knows this, it’s me. A lot of the store-bought crap I’ve had lately has been sitting on the shelves for a lot more than just a few months and is mostly dried out and smoky. Therefore, I’ve been relying on oil diffusers, wax warmers, air fresheners, and perfumes to satisfy my obsession with good smells.

My last supplier’s still around and I browsed their site with its thousands of fragrances. Not thinking I would ever order again, I dumped the favorites list that I had accumulated way back when. I kind of regret it too, though I do remember some of them. They have everything from sweets, fruits, and flowers to designer perfumes and novelty fragrances.

It was cool how the old familiar terminology and stuff like that came back to me when I was browsing around. I checked out a do-it-yourself kit which comes with 1000 punks (blank bamboo sticks), cutter, and other things. I never cut my incense, though, always preferring it full strength for maximum richness. Cutter is basically scentless oil that you use to dilute the scented oils. With the kit I’ll eventually order, you get to choose five different fragrances. I’m going to go with Pink Sugar, one of my favorite perfumes, Lady Chocolate, Warm Vanilla Sugar, Caramel Velvet Cream, and Vermont Maple Syrup.

If you have the money for supplies, then making incense is pretty easy. You just need containers and drying space. You soak them for about a day in the oils and then you let them dry for a couple of days before you bag them. I would gather the sticks and tie rubber bands around the ends that don’t burn and leave them standing on a wad of paper towels. Tied like that they form a bit of a teepee, so they can balance themselves easily enough. One thing about making homemade incense is that your place will never stink of anything bad. Not pets. Not trash. Not anything. All you’ll smell is goodness.

After I have fun experimenting with Moondancer’s incense which will be just for me and just for fun, I will order supplies from SaveOnScents for my own enjoyment as well as to share with family, friends and neighbors. Probably Kathleen and my dentist, too. I might eventually sell it.

When buying retail it’s hard to get a good variety without spending a fortune, but for 50 bucks, including shipping, I’m going to be trying a whopping 408 fragrances from Moondancer. They sell them by the stick at nine cents apiece, so I got one stick per fragrance. It’s a treat I look forward to!