A set of incense sticks in a brown kraft paper tube with a white end cap, with several loose incense sticks fanned out in front, on a solid beige background.
A wooden incense stick displayed in a white rectangular box, with the matching lid placed above it on a warm beige background. The incense stick is brown wood, and the box lid features a label that reads 'UNADDED SMOKE' and 'UNMADUROID BARKWOOD'.
A single incense stick burns in a long, rectangular white ceramic holder against a warm beige background, with a thin wisp of smoke curling upward.
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WARM HERBAL WOODS

$42.00 USD
$42.00 USD
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BITTERSWEET HERBS · DRY WOODS · ORANGE-PEEL SWEETNESS

A Chinese herbal blended incense in which bitter-sweet botanicals, dry woods and a thin citrus-like sweetness gradually warm the space.

Before burning, the blend has a sweet herbal aroma with a slight tartness. Once lit, it becomes drier and warmer — like sun-dried branches and herbs — while a small orange-peel-like sweetness rises through the woody body.

The result still smells clearly herbal, but not like a heavy medicinal room. The bitterness, woods and sweetness each remain present without one taking over.

Many of these materials are also known in traditional Chinese materia medica, but here they are composed for scent — dry, bitter, woody, aromatic and gently sweet.

Traditional aromatic materials include Jiangxiang Wood · Sandalwood · Jianyu · Danshen · Cangzhu · Lianqiao · Baizhi · Xixin · Danggui · Mudanpi · Peilan

Net weight: 10 g
Stick count: Approx. 24 (typically 22–26)
Stick length: 21 cm
Diameter: 2.1 mm
Burn time: Approx. 55 minutes per stick
Approx. total burn time: 20–24 hours

Each tube is hand-filled by net weight. As the sticks are handmade, their thickness and density vary slightly, so the exact count and total burn time may differ from tube to tube.

Made in Qingyuan, Guangdong, China

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How a Traditional Chinese Herbal Incense Creates Warmth

WARM HERBAL WOODS grows from Bi Xie Bi Wen Dan (辟邪避瘟丹), a late-Qing herbal formula recorded for burning as incense.

At its heart are Jiangxiang wood and sandalwood, joined by aromatic herbs such as Cangzhu, Bai Zhi, Xi Xin, Dang Gui and Pei Lan. In traditional Chinese materia medica, many of these materials are understood as warm, aromatic and moving.

But the formula is not simply made of “hot” herbs.

Bitter and cooler materials such as Dan Shen, Lian Qiao and Mu Dan Pi sit within the blend as well. They keep the warmth from becoming dry or aggressive.

What emerges is a balanced kind of warmth:

dry herbs · warm woods · bittersweet aromatics · a trace of citrus-like sweetness

In Chinese ideas of Yin and Yang, Yang is associated with warmth, movement and vitality.

Incense was therefore understood not only by what it smelled like, but also by the direction of its character — whether it felt cool or warm, settling or opening, heavy or gently moving.

WARM HERBAL WOODS leans toward the Yang side:

warm · aromatic · dry · gently opening

The language of warmth here describes the aromatic character of the formula: dry herbs, woods and spice creating an impression that feels especially suited to cool weather and quiet indoor rituals.

This is also where the Chinese idea of Yang (养) — nourishment — enters the cultural history surrounding incense. At YINN, it remains part of the formula’s cultural context and its language of aromatic balance.

This incense does not hide its medicinal-herbal character. The bitterness, roots, woods and aromatic herbs are all still there.

What YINN does is bring them into balance, so the result can be both distinctly herbal and genuinely pleasurable to live with.

Warm in character. Herbal in scent. A fragrance chosen not only for the nose, but for the person living with it.

Read more about Chinese incense and traditional materia medica, or compare its dry herbal woods with the softer sandalwood of MELLOW SANDALWOOD.

More than scent: Wei & Qi

Wei (味) is what the nose perceives. Qi (气) is the character of an aromatic material as it moves through the air and meets the person living with it.

In Chinese incense culture, aromatic materials have long been understood not only by scent, but also by qualities such as warm or cool, rising or settling, opening or gathering. These ideas come from the same tradition of materia medica that looks at how plants interact with the body and a person’s state.

This is also close to the Chinese idea of yang (养) — to support and nourish over time. The aim is not a dramatic immediate effect, but to choose aromas whose qualities feel in harmony with the person, so they can be lived with comfortably and beneficially over the long term.

In He Xiang, materials are therefore blended for both Wei and Qi. A scent may smell woody and bittersweet, yet feel warm and gently opening; another may smell floral, yet feel quiet and settling.

YINN chooses and recommends incense by both what you smell and how you want to feel.

Natural materials. Handmade form

YINN incense is made from natural aromatic materials and shaped by hand.

  • Natural woods, herbs, resins and flowers
  • Fine, slender incense sticks
  • A relatively light incense body, allowing the aromatic materials to express themselves as they burn
  • Handmade — slight curves and small variations are natural
  • Natural colour varies with each formula
  • Many materials can still be smelled before the incense is lit
  • Made for scent and burn quality, not visual uniformity

How One Stick Is Made

Traditional He Xiang is made through a sequence of distinct stages. Drying is not the end — the incense still needs time to settle before it is ready.

  1. Sorting & Cleaning

    Woods, herbs, resins and flowers are selected, cleaned and prepared before they enter the formula.

  2. Pao Zhi (炮制)

    Different materials are treated differently. Depending on the material, this may include soaking, steaming, boiling, roasting or drying to prepare it for blending.

  3. Grinding & Sieving

    Each prepared material is ground separately and sieved to the fineness required by the formula.

  4. Blending & Kneading

    The powders are weighed according to the maker’s formula, blended with water and natural plant binder, then repeatedly kneaded and allowed to rest.

  5. Shaping & Shade-Drying

    The rested incense dough is formed into fine sticks and slowly dried in a shaded, ventilated environment.

  6. Resting & Cellar Ageing

    Drying is not the final step. The finished incense is rested and cellar-aged — traditionally described as qu xing (去性) and jiao cang (窖藏) — until the newly made incense has settled further.

How to Use the Box

The packaging box converts into an incense holder, so no separate holder is required. It stores and protects the sticks before use, supports the incense while it burns, and helps contain fallen ash. Place it on a stable, heat-resistant surface, keep the room ventilated, and never leave burning incense unattended. Keep away from children, pets and flammable materials.

Set the holder

Open the box and place the fixing piece into its position inside the box.

Insert and light

Insert one stick into the metal holder. Light the tip, then gently blow out the flame and allow the glowing ember to burn.

Let it finish naturally

The ash falls directly into the box. When the burning incense reaches the metal head, it extinguishes naturally. Allow the ash and holder to cool completely before emptying the box.

Learn why we designed the incense box to become the holder →