Charcoal Discs are used to burn resin and botanical incenses. Here is a guide to how to use them.

Burning Incense On Charcoal

• Put a couple of inches of sand or ash into a heat proof incense bowl or censer. You’ll need this to insulate the burner from the heat of the charcoal which can burn at up to 1500 degrees F.

• Next, make a cone shape in the sand. Mini sand castles come to mind :-) Then put the charcoal tablet on the top. This is needed to allow air to circulate around the charcoal.

• Hold the disc with flame proof tongs - not with your fingers - and light the edge. Self-igniting charcoal contains potassium nitrate so you’ll see tiny sparks and it will ignite quickly.

• Charcoal discs usually have a dent in one side, so put it in your burner with the dent facing upwards. Use this dent like a bowl to hold your incense ingredients.

• Wait until the charcoal is glowing red and is covered with grey-white ash. This could take about 5 minutes or so. If you like you can fan or blow on the charcoal to help get the whole disc going.

• When the coal is ready, sprinkle a pinch or two of incense such as resin, dried herbs, botanicals etc.directly on top of the hot charcoal. The incense will begin to smolder. Don’t place too much incense on the charcoal or you may smother it, and it won‘t burn properly.

• When the smoke begins to thin out, add a little more incense as required. The charcoal should stay hot enough to burn incense for about 45 minutes to an hour.