After well over 2 years of use, my Golden Lotus incense heater is still going strong! This is a short update of my review when I first started using this heater.
Very basic question: I just started using one of these burners and I'm not sure how to determine when a piece of wood, kneaded incense, etc is "done burning." The wood turns brown of course, but do I just go by scent to know that it's time to replace or refill the tin foil? Palo santo wood is one I'm using a lot now. I don't want to be wasteful, but it certainly has a sweet spot in terms of scent.
Excellent question! You are right on the mark when you talk about "sweet spot". Most heated incense will continue to emit scent after the desirable scent is done. Your basic instinct is correct - heat until the scent is gone or until it is no longer the scent you desire. One thing to remember is that almost anything you heat will benefit from occasional turning. Incense pellets, wood, or other aromatics usually have a bit of extra life if you turn them. Even a frankincense tear can give some additional scent by turning it once or twice. Color is a good indicator, but scent is the best method of deciding when to remove something from the heater. As for foil, I usually replace it every time. If you use the little metal cups, those have a longer life but I usually burn the same thing in the cup every time (one cup for dragon's blood, one for myrrh, etc.). Thanks for watching!
Hello! Thank you so much for your channel! I have learned so much about incense from you and I'm starting to make my own now. I was wondering, 6 years after you've published this video, is this same burner still running and working well? Or has it passed on?
Any tips on what to clean the lid with? Mine is covered in resins. I've tried Windex, as well as hot water and soap. Neither get it very clean and it remains sticky. Thanks!
I would love a run down on how you clean this! I find it very difficult to remove the sticky resins, and now it needs to be hot to separate the lid or base from heater because of all the sticky resin!
Wet tea leaves are a traditional material to clean reside from incense burner. Personally, I find high proof alcohol to be the best way. Just make sure you let it dry completely before use.
Interesting you should ask, lol. My next video is going to look at the updated version of this heater. The original version didn't get as hot as you would like when it came to wood chips. The updated version gets much hotter and should work fine for any type of wood chip.
I had an accidental spill and the heating element and bottom of the metal tray have a layer of burnt resin. Do you have any tips on how to best clean that? Thanks!
