Quick Specs
- Type: Quick-light incense charcoal tablets
- Size: 40 mm tablets
- Count: 80 tablets per box
- Packaging: Foil-sealed rolls of 10 in a red carton
- Burns: Resin, dried herbs, and powdered incense
A Box of 80 Tablets Sealed in Foil Rolls of Ten
Resin, dried herbs, and powdered incense hold their scent until something warms them. A charcoal tablet is that warmth. Incense of this kind is called indirect-burning because it needs a separate heat source, and heat has traditionally come from charcoal or glowing embers. In the West the best known materials of this type are the resins frankincense and myrrh. Swift Lite tablets are made for the job and light quickly, with sparks that run across the surface from a single lit edge. The 40 mm size, a little over 1 1/2 inches across, is the large one in the Swift Lite range, and the tablets come packed in rolls of 10, each roll sealed in an airtight pack to keep combustion efficient. A red carton printed with the Swift Lite name and a black flame emblem holds the rolls, and the foil roll of tablets in red and silver carries a yellow flame beside the name. With 80 tablets in the box, you can light one per session of resin, per evening of herbs, or per sitting at a censer.
Indirect-burning incense comes in several forms, and all of them need a heat source such as charcoal. Whole pieces are burned directly in raw form on top of the coal. Incense broken into smaller pieces burns quickly and gives a brief but intense odor, while coarse pieces and whole chunks are consumed very gradually, so the size of your pinch sets the pace of the session. Pastes of powdered incense, bound with something like honey or soft resin and rolled into balls or pastilles, are a third form. The usual setup is old. A censer is a vessel for burning incense, and the traditional way to use one is to light one corner of a charcoal briquette, let the glowing sparks travel across it, and then add the incense. Frankincense means pure incense, though in common usage it names the resin of the boswellia tree. A box of 80 means the routine can become a habit: sand in the bowl, tongs at hand, one tablet lit, and the scent rising slowly from a single pinch.
Practical Ritual Applications
Keep the box beside your censer, a bag of sand, and a pair of tongs, so everything for a resin session sits in one place. Light a tablet before you sit down, so the ash is ready when you want to place your first pinch. Frankincense, myrrh, and other resins suit the tablets, and so do crushed dried herbs and powdered incense from my granular and resin incense collection. A box this size suits a household that burns resin every week, a circle of friends who burn together, or a gift for someone who has just bought a first censer. Plan the session around one tablet: light it, add one pinch, and let the session end when the pinch does.
How to Light a Swift Lite Tablet and Burn Resin on It
A charcoal tablet needs a sand-filled burner, fresh air, and tongs, and the order of the steps keeps your fingers clear of the heat.
- Fill the burner and open a window
Fill a heat-resistant burner or censer with sand or ash to absorb some of the heat, and set it on a ceramic tile or another heat-proof surface. Open a window, since fire services advise burning in a well-ventilated area, and keep a working carbon monoxide detector in the room. Keep children, pets, curtains, and paper well away, and have your tongs ready.
- Light the edge with tongs in hand
Take one tablet from its roll and hold it with tongs while you light the edge with a match or lighter. Watch for the first spark, which then runs across the surface. Set the lit tablet on the sand, and wait until a thin grey layer of ash forms. A lit tablet burns skin on contact, so leave it where it sits once it is placed.
- Add your resin and let the tablet finish
Place a small piece of resin or a small pinch of crushed herbs on the ash, and add more only after the first piece is spent. Stay in the room while it burns. When you finish, leave the tablet to burn out and cool in the burner, then tip the cool ash into a metal or other fireproof container.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I stock these tablets because burning resin and herbs starts with a dependable heat source, and a box of 80 keeps the supply steady. The 40 mm size is the large one, so choose a burner with a bowl wider than the tablet. A censer, sand, and tongs complete the setup, and the tablets suit anyone who is learning to burn resin for the first time, since each one lights at the edge and the sparks do the rest. For the supporting pieces, my charcoal and sand collection has what you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Sticks and cones are direct-burning incense, which is lit directly by a flame and then smolders with a glowing ember without any further heat. Charcoal belongs to indirect-burning incense, such as resin, which contains no combustible material and so requires a separate heat source. The tablets in this box serve that second group: resins, dried herbs, and powdered incense.
Tablets come in rolls of 10, sealed in airtight packs so they keep burning efficiently. Once a roll is open, re-seal it and store it in a cool, dry place. Storing opened rolls this way is recommended for longer burn times and proper lighting, and the foil on a fresh roll serves the same purpose.
Resins, dried herbs, and powdered incense, the materials that need a separate heat source, are the ones that go on a charcoal tablet. Crush dry herbs and resin before placing them on the hot tablet, and use only a small amount, since resins are concentrated.
The tablet is meant to burn out and cool in the burner. If you need to put it out before it has fully cooled, use tongs to place it in a container of cold water. Hold a lit tablet only with tongs, because it burns skin on contact, and put the cooled ash in a metal or fireproof container, since ash in a waste paper bin may start a fire.
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