SHOYEIDO Charcoal 24 Pcs., 1 EA

This is charcoal originally made for traditional Japanese kōdō use, like Soradaki, gently heating aromatic wood. This product’s heat output is moderate, so I mostly use it for warming incense ash to release the scent from wood or incense (rather than burning it directly). It’s been a long-time bestseller from Shoyeido, and the quality is reliable. The “B” size is large and burns for about an hour. The burn is stable, and leaves behind the ash that is very similar in color and texture to miyako ash, so I can just mix it in with existing ash which makes cleanup a lot easier. For my use, “A” is more preferred but I purchase B size when A is not Prime applicable and just cut B piece in half by a nipper. Judging from the low ratings, it seems like many people may have purchased it for the wrong purpose. Japanese incense charcoal is designed to heat gently and preserve delicate aromas, while bakhoor charcoal discs burn much hotter and produce strong, smoky fragrance. Since Japanese charcoal doesn’t contain ignition chemicals (to avoid affecting the scent), it takes longer to light and burns more gradually instead of flaring up all at once like quick-light discs. So if you are looking for a charcoal for direct burning of wood resins, this product may not be the best.

I love that these have a clean burn. I was using quick lite, but the smell was awful. These are used for incense in my home a couple of times a week. They don't break easily, which is great, but I also can't use just a portion. I've found that I can relight them, and I'm so thankful. They have a nice burn time, plenty to fill my home with the scent of the moment. The 5 stars is mostly because of the clean burn and that I can get several burns out of one brick. I will say since they are not quick lites, it does take a minute to get them going. Some people have said they put them on a burner, I don't. I hold a lighter to the brick and use tongs. It works. And it lights before a cheap lighter gets hot, so win! I still have over half of a box left...impressive for me just because of how frequently I burn incense. I'll be buying these again when I get closer to running out. I've tried several, and these are by far my favorite.

This is the best charcoal I've tried, by leaps and bounds. I've used the round kind with and without the fuel added, and even the ones without the fuel can have a very noticeable smell when lighting or the incense runs out before the coal does (the ones *with* fuel are unbearable for my uses lol). These barely have any smell at all. I placed it on my stove burner and it lit with no problem at all and heated my incense beautifully. I will not ever let myself run out of these. If you use bakhoor incense you need this. (My husband also used it for loose herbs and frankincense, and liked it alot for his uses as well)

These little square, when lit, smell SO good. I cannot stress that enough. It's a very light scent, I don't want to say floral like others have because it isn't quite that...however I have smelled it before and can't quite place what it is. Nevertheless, let's get on with the review of this product! These little square pieces of incense charcoal are not difficult to light. I cannot stress that enough. It's very possible the people who are complaining about this problem got a batch that was left in a lot of humidity. I haven't had any issues if it not staying lit. So...there is that as well. HOWEVER...what I haven't seen anyone post about is how hot these burn. These burn VERY, VERY, VERY hot. Literally it turns resins into lava that produce smoke for about 30-60 secs, then it's done. I also tried applying salt over the top of the charcoal so it burns more evenly, the aforementioned issue still happens. It also pretty much instantly ashes any dry herbal mixture as well. Overall, it's a great product for the price.

very nice and exactly what I needed

Burns clean

I love that this stuff contains no saltpeter, and the clean burning allows the true fragrance of my resins and herbs to shine. It's a little difficult to light, but not too bad once you get the hang of holding one edge over a flame until it begins to glow. I hold it with my metal tongs over the flame of a candle. It usually only takes about a minute to glow strongly enough on that one edge to place it in my cauldron. I've used it on sand and rice ash. I highly suggest shaping a little mesa in the middle of your heat-proof container with your sand, ash, or stones, then placing the tab on that. It burns clean and thoroughly. I just wish it burned longer. I can't imagine how quickly the smaller bamboo charcoals (in the red box) burn out. I feel like, for the extra effort required to get it lit, it should allow me to burn more than just a couple rounds of my resin before its all done. Also, being completely flat, there's nothing to keep the resin or herbs in place on the small surface. I really prefer to burn larger amounts for a longer period of time. It's good for when I only have fifteen minutes or so for meditation or reflection. I still use the larger charcoal tabs for when I'm doing a regular meditation or when I want to burn more resin for longer periods of time. I will probably buy this again if nobody comes up with a better, bigger design for bamboo tabs. I love the concept, but the application is a little disappointing.

My favorite charcoal for incense. It lights easily, either with a butane stick or my gas stove (I use an old forceps or a large pair of tweezers to manipulate it.) It heats evenly and burns cleanly with no chemical odor. I prefer to add a piece of mica to separate my resinous incense from the charcoal as otherwise the resins have a tendency to burn and smoke, but this occurs with any charcoal I have tried. I also appreciate the small size as compared to most other brands, it can burn for the better part of an hour, but if a bit is still glowing when I'm finished with devotions I'm never concerned that it is a fire hazard.