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Thursday 3 March 2016

Kyphi /Kapet incense

Kyphi or Kapet is an ancient Egyptian incense made with a variety of resins, herbs, wine, honey and fruit. It was burned in the temples and homes for rituals, healing and to usher in the night. The earliest recipe dates back to Circa 1500 BC but there have been many other recipes found over the centuries. Some of the ingredients listed are not used today as we do not know what they were.
I have researched into the recipes and come up with as authentic a recipe as I can. The incense takes several weeks to prepare and then several more weeks to dry. Once dried it is burnt on charcoal disks and produces a beautiful full-bodied, rich, multi-layered bouquet with a warm, relaxing, sweet, spicy and sensual aroma to cleanse and perfume the air. Excellent for use in a ritual or as an offering to a deity.
For my Kyphi I have hand ground all the herbs and resins in a pestle and mortar and have used home made wine.
Today was the last day of preparing the Kyphi and I spent the afternoon rolling it into pellets and moulding small bricks. They now need to dry for a few weeks and will then be listed in my Etsy shop.