Quick Specs
- Brand: Escential Essences
- Type: Scented stick incense
- Scent: Patchouli and rose
- Count: 16 sticks per package
- Stick length: 11 inches
- Burn time: Approximately 55 minutes per stick
- Made: Hand-dipped in the USA
- Cruelty-free: Yes
A Long Stick of Patchouli and Rose
Patchouli leads this scent. It is dark, earthy and woody, with a damp-leaf depth, and a sweet, open note of rose rides above it. Together they read as warm, plush and a little romantic, a scent with enough body to be noticed the moment you light the tip. Stick incense releases that scent slowly and in a steady line. These sticks are long, and one burns for most of an hour, so you light it once and settle in: a tarot spread laid out on the table, a chapter of a book, a page of journaling, an evening at the altar. Patchouli is a strong scent, and a single stick comfortably fills a medium room. The slim shape also looks right standing in a holder on a shelf, a thin line of smoke rising beside a candle. Light one in low light with a deep red or amber candle nearby and the room takes on a slow, unhurried mood. If patchouli is new to you, this pack is a good place to start, because sixteen sticks give you plenty of evenings to learn how much of it you like.
Both halves of this scent come from plants with long places in perfumery. Patchouli is Pogostemon cablin, a bushy herb in the mint family, native to island Southeast Asia. Perfumers steam-distill its dried leaves and twigs into an oil with a heavy, woody, earthy, balsamic scent, and it works as a base note, giving a fragrance depth and staying power. Rose is the counterweight: a sweet, rounded floral that balances the earth of the patchouli. That balance between earth and petals gives this blend its character, and it suits lamplight and daylight alike. One plant supplies the root of the scent and the other its lift, and a stick lets you meet both in the slow, steady way the format suits. The plant is also an important ingredient in East Asian incense, so patchouli has a long place in this format as well as in perfume. If most of your incense shelf holds light herbal or citrus scents, a patchouli and rose stick adds a deeper, fuller option for the evening.
Practical Ritual Applications
Light a stick at the start of anything you want to settle into. Set it beside the cards before a reading, at your desk before a long writing session, or on the altar while you meditate. Stand it near a candle and a small dish of dried herbs, and the three scents layer into a fuller atmosphere. Because patchouli is strong, start with one stick in a large room and add a second only if you want more. A holder with a wide ash catcher keeps the ash contained; my stick incense burners collection has several styles. Light one before friends arrive and the room already smells warm and rosy at the door. It also pairs with other quiet tasks: sorting a deck, wrapping a gift, writing letters by hand. Keep the stick out of drafts, which bend the smoke and scatter ash.
How to Burn Patchouli Rose Incense Sticks
Three steps take one stick from the pack to a steady, scented hour.
- Set the holder on a steady surface
Choose a spot with a little airflow and set a stick holder on a flat, heat-safe surface such as a ceramic dish or a stone tile. Keep curtains, paper and fabric well clear, and place the holder where nobody will brush against it. Keep it off varnished, painted and plastic surfaces. These sticks are long, so leave open space above the holder, well away from shelves overhead.
- Light the coated tip
Hold the coated tip to a flame until it catches, then blow out the flame so the tip glows and a thin line of smoke begins to rise. Stand the stick upright in the holder with the unlit end down. Give the scent a few minutes to spread through the room before you judge how much of it you want.
- Stay with it until it finishes
Keep the stick within sight while it burns, and never leave it unattended, asleep or out of the house. Use the time for what you lit it for: a spread, a chapter, a page of notes. When it has burned down and the ash is cold, empty the holder into a fireproof container and open a window for a few minutes to air the room.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I carry this blend in the 16-pack because it is a comfortable first order for a strong scent: sixteen sticks are enough evenings to decide whether patchouli and rose earns a place in your regular rotation. The same scent also comes as cones and as a roll-on oil, so you can burn it at the altar and wear it out of the house. Anyone who burns it daily can find the larger bundle in my 95-100 pack Escential Essences collection. I keep the Escential Essences line in stock because each scent comes in several formats, which makes it easy to carry one fragrance through a room and a bag.
Frequently Asked Questions
Press the glowing tip into sand or against a fireproof surface, or dip the lit end in water, until the ember is out. Blowing on it can spread sparks, so skip that. Put the stick out whenever you leave the room and before you go to sleep, and let the ash cool fully before emptying the holder. A holder that catches ash and keeps the stick upright makes this easier, because the ash lands where you want it.
Perfumers pair patchouli with rose, lavender and jasmine for a balance of earthy and floral, with bergamot or orange for a fresher lift, with cinnamon, clove and cardamom for warmth, and with vanilla for a warm amber character. Rose is the classic partner: a perfume that combines the two is described as classic and elegant. This blend combines the two.
Incense smoke is a potential irritant to a cat's respiratory tract and can bring on coughing and allergic reactions. Veterinary guidance is to keep the room well ventilated and to keep your cat out of the room while incense burns. Light a stick in a space the cat doesn't use, keep the holder out of reach, and let the air clear before the cat returns.
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