I usually burn incense in the form of sticks that I buy from various places. I haven't had much luck with the little cones, because they just fizzle and stop burning halfway through.. which is a shame, because they make less of a mess than the sticks!
In any case, I've had "make some incense" on my to-do list for ages, so today I whipped out the mortar and pestle, brought out the charcoal...
...and now everything smells like smoke!
I'm using those quick-light disks that sparkle and spit when you light them, and I placed one in a bowl of sand to contain the heat. I waited before adding the incense(finely powdered cinnamon and rosemary, yum!) and I don't think I added too much. The powder isn't burning with a flame, but it does blacken very quickly, smoke a lot and smell awful. Luckily(or not?) it stops smelling after barely a minute.
My internet search seems to suggest that a certain amount of burnt smell is normal here, just as most stick incense will smell a lot like the base stick. But, I'm worried I'm doing something wrong. If this is normal, then I can't see myself enjoying it much in the future, but if it's not supposed to be this way... then I don't want to give up before I figure it out. My theory at the moment is that it's just too hot and is burning the incense before it can smolder. Should I be waiting before I add the powder, or could it be that I'm just using the wrong ingredients?
I appreciate any advice, even if it's "Get a bucket and douse it!"
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