From the Land of Frankincense. UNESCO listed, 2000.
The top grade of Dhofar resin, cut by hand from the tree, dried three weeks in the sun, sorted by colour, and posted from Salalah.
Most sticks are a bamboo core, a paste of charcoal and wood powder, and a dip in fragrance oil at the end of the line. The scent sits on the surface. A tear has one ingredient, and the scent is the ingredient.
| Dawkah tears | Incense sticks | Scented candles | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The tree's own sap | |||
| One ingredient | |||
| Burns on a coal | |||
| Steeps in water | |||
| Sorted by colour, by hand |
Every tear is sorted by hand after it dries, by colour and by size. Pale green, milky white, amber. What is in the bag is the colour on the label, and nothing ground to powder.
The harvester makes a shallow cut in the bark. The tree bleeds a milky sap to close the wound. The sun dries that sap into a tear over two to three weeks, and only then is it picked.
One tear on a hot charcoal disc fills a room. Half a teaspoon of tears in a cup of hot water overnight, strained, is a drink. A small piece chewed is a gum.
Hold it in tongs and light it for about twenty seconds, until it sparks and keeps going on its own. Set it in a burner on a bed of sand.
A few minutes. When the rim of the disc turns grey, the coal is ready.
Place one tear on the coal. The resin melts and the smoke carries the oil. That is the whole method.
Hojar is one of four zones in Dhofar where Boswellia sacra grows. Resin from each zone is its own grade: Hojari, Najdi, Shazri and Sha'bi. Hojari is the top.
A charcoal disc is the simplest way. An electric burner with a temperature control also works, and makes less smoke.
Green, white and amber all come from Boswellia sacra. The tears are sorted by colour and size after drying, and each colour is sold as its own line.
Half a teaspoon of tears in a cup of hot water overnight, then strain. People also chew a small piece as a gum. Do not swallow the gum.
Fifty grams of Hojari tears, sorted by colour, posted from Salalah.
