Incense Burners

Incense Burners for Different Uses

Incense burners play several roles in properly using and enjoying incense.

They add safety as a fireproof vessel that contains the burning incense and its ashes.

They add aesthetics with their infinite materials, designs, textures, and colors.

They add function for different types or forms of incense.

Many incense burners are made for specific uses or forms of incense such as:

• incense sticks
• incense cones
• loose resin or powdered incense with charcoal
• loose resin or powdered incense with trails
• elegantly designed “listening cups” for the Japanese Kodo ceremony
• unique artistic pottery or metal work

Some people use their imagination to create homemade incense burners out of different materials.

There are many types of incense burners out on the market to choose from.

Select one based on how you most enjoy heating natural incense materials.

Do you prefer sticks, cones, coils, loose mixtures, resins, powders, pure woods, etc.?

Pick a burner that fits the style of incense and the aesthetics that you desire.

What works well for one person might not be best for another, so trying a few different styles may give you a better idea of what works best for your needs and desires.

What follows is a basic list of some common types of incense burners, their names, and basic use:

Incense Fountains

Incense fountains come in many shapes and sizes, from small decorative ones to large fountains with attached ash catchers that sit over a larger bowl to catch ashes.

Most incense fountains or waterfalls are made to be used with incense cones.

Incense Bowls

Metal or ceramic bowls are general purpose incense burners that range from small bowls with shallow groves to place sticks into while burning to large bowls that can hold ash, trails, charcoals, sticks, coils, or cone incense.

Many incense bowls also come with lids that offer added safety when children, pets, or other circumstances make smoke or embers a hazard.

It’s usually best if bowl-shaped incense burners have three or more legs to raise the eventual heat of the bowl off of any surface.

See our favorite picks for incense bowls down below or click here.

Incense Boats, Leafs, Boxes

These are long and narrow burners designed for incense sticks.

They usually have a hole or slot for a stick on one end or in the middle, and the rest of the burner catches the ashes as the stick burns.

See our favorite incense burners for sticks and cones down below or click here.

Incense Stoves

This is by far our absolute favorite and preferred way to enjoy natural aromatics.

Incense stoves are used to gently heat single woods like agarwood or sandalwood or for loose resin or powdered incense mixtures.

They’re usually candle or electric-based, and they put a distance between the heat source and the wood or incense in an effort to heat it and release its aromas but not cause it to smoke.

To avoid causing the wood or incense to smoke, the distance is usually adjustable on candle-based stoves, whereas the temperature is usually adjustable with an electric stove.

Some essential oil diffusers can do the work of an incense stove if the distance, materials, and heat align properly.

See our favorite stoves and electric burners down below or click here.

Kodo Listening Cups

These special cups have been designed for Japanese Kodo Ceremonies where multiple people participate in passing a special incense cup around, inhaling its aroma, and guessing the similarities or differences in aromatic woods (agarwood).

The ceramic cup and the way it’s prepared gently heats the woods to release their aromas but without causing smoke.

Homemade Incense Burners

many people prefer to create their own incense burner for specific purposes or forms of incense.

What materials work best depends on the form of incense you are using, some burn hotter than others.

It’s always best to use a fireproof material such as stone, ceramic, or metal.

Other than that, have fun and enjoy the process!

Our Favorite Picks:

Incense Burners for Sticks & Cones

Incense Bowls For All Incense Forms