Govinda - White Copal Tree Sap Gum Incense 1 lb

First, please know that as with incense generally, confusion reigns because of the way words have different meanings in different locales. If you order "copal" online from a source in South America or Central America, you will most likely get turpentine or somethings similar. The reason this will happen is partly that in this part of the world, the word "copal" is synonymous with "incense". In my case, I had run across "copal" in a specialty retail outlet several years ago, and I sort of fell instantly in love with the scent. I ordered some stuff that looked the same, but it wasn't at all the same. It was essentially turpentine. Eventually I did enough reading to figure out why this happened, and I had ordered a sampler assortment, where some real copal from India was included. It was a small quantity, and quickly ran out. After comparing prices on line for several purchasing options, I decided based on the exceptional value of the Govinda "White Copal", and based of course on the product origin identified on the package is "Indonesia", that it only made sense to purchase the one-pound bag. I didn't have any great confidence that it would be what I hoped it would be, however for $15 for a pound, I needed to find out. Earlier today it arrived in the local Amazon locker, less than three days since I placed the order, thanks to the incomprehensibly efficient order fulfillment you get with Prime. How they do this, I'll never know. It certainly isn't anything like mail ordering from Sears & Roebuck was like back in the '60s. Anyway, as soon as I got to the car I opened the package, not able to wait to see if it had the right scent. For whatever reason, it didn't have the right scent, so I closed it back up and was expecting to send it back to Amazon tomorrow. But of course I needed to try it to be certain - no way would I assume from sniffing it while it was in the sack that that it wasn't the real deal. The size of the chunks was something else that concerned me. The chunks are huge, some nearly as big as a large marble. But I discovered that using a small pair of pliers, the chunks crumble with less effort than it takes to crack a pecan. When it crumbled, I was surprised at the clarity and sparkle of the small crystal-like pieces. Almost like clear quartz. I lit some charcoal, then put a couple of small pieces on the hot charcoal. The scent was immediate, and no longer did I have a shred of doubt that it is the real thing, and that I was holding a supply that will likely last for several years, and that I had paid only $15 for it. The real thing also goes by the name "Gum Dammar", sometimes spelled with one "m", and not always with the word "gum". Sometimes just "dammar" or "damar". It is better to look for it by this name. You can look up "dammar" on Wikipedia. It grows in East Asia, and in India. To make certain you're getting the right thing, you need to make certain that the product you buy is sourced from India or Indonesia, and ideally it should say "dammar" or "damar". But if you're looking for the real deal, my wholehearted recommendation is that you simply order the Govinda product in whatever quantity you think you need. It is the real thing, and it is of excellent, first-rate quality, and I seriously doubt that you'll find better pricing. If you do find better pricing, it won't be much better, and you'll most likely be ordering from some untrusted source, whereas if you order the Govinda from Amazon, from a seller using Amazon's fulfillment, you'll have Amazon's well-established reputation, and if you have Prime, you'll get it in just a couple or three days. Yeah, I know this sounds like an advertisement of sort, but I am so utterly happy with this product and with this purchase that I can't help it. I've tried other other kinds of loose incense, i.e., resin, including frankincense, myrrh, and benzoin, and popular blends, but none of it compares to true dammar. If at some point in the future I decide to buy some different incense, the brand I'll start with is Govinda, and it goes without saying that I'll order it from an Amazon seller. Happy, happy purchase.

Not all resins are of equal quality. This copal burns and smells well and the price is amazing. Yes, there is better resin out there but you will pay 2-3 times more. I have purchased this product several times already.

This scent is amazing, with notes reminiscent of lemon and ginger that create an incredible aroma.

An honest and healing offering from the Earth, the tree's, and Govinda. Thank you for the offering , the healing, the love, the light, and the truth.....beautiful aroma!!!!

These aromatic Copal resin nuggets emit a very nice exotic scent when heated in an incense burner or probably some type of candle warmer although I have not tried that yet. I don't know if the small dish warmers will, get hot enough. Many of these nuggets are a bit too large in my opinion, but they can easily be broken up and crushed if desired. Be advised that these resin chunks can be a bit sticky on your hands after handling so it might be advisable to wear glove of some sort. They can also be reduced to a finer powder with a little patience. We have had Copal resin before that SEEMED to be a bit more aromatic but this is still a decent product.

This resin is amazing. We place it in a wax melting pot just to liquify it, this will absolutely not fill a room with scent though, you would have to use a real incense burner for that, but as our intent was just to inhale the vapor to help with asthma. Both myself and my spouse have several Rx inhalers we must use every day, and while I am not going to say it would replace those medicines, it is an extremely nice addition to the mix. I live in an area where it frequently gets over 90% humidity outside and that causes me to wheeze a lot during those times. Heard about copal resin on a survival show and decided to try it, wow. Just heating to the point of melting and inhaling deeply over the melted resin takes the edge off of the wheezing, and brings up stubborn mucus, great expectorant and it also seems to relieve chest tightness for both of us. I think we are heating it to around 150-175F, inhaling directly over the dish we melt it in. You do have to get really close it if you are doing this melting only method. To me it smells a tiny bit like cedar. Not sure how it would be used as incense in terms of scent, we did not want to create smoke and irritate our lungs. Glad we found it.

Ok... if you use resin incense, you have probably tried several copals and many of them smell... well not like you hoped. This stuff is the real deal! It is the first stuff I let burn in my home and did not feel the need to run outside with it. You get a lot for the price, there was one huge hunk, several big pieces and mostly nickel sized pieces with some small granulars. Very happy with the quality, aroma and mix of sizes.

Thai is clearly a 10 or less percent tree sap mixed with some white chalky substance. No tree sap can get diluded in water, this one does. Probably it's there to increase its burning quality or for volume. Since it's unknown I'm not risking to burn it or use in anything else. It could be lead could be chalk I have no idea. The scent is very faint too. The only reason I keep it is for photo shoots. It requires a proper check by authority to define it's use safety.

Very disappointing. There is absolutely no smell coming out of this copal when I open the packet. I will see when i burn it but my expectations are now very low!

This is so nice and good and I love the scent! I would like to buy again but there is an increase in pricing so I will wait for awhile.

I am in love with this it smells awesome. We use this for ceremonial purposes and I can't wait to share this with my community.

Definitivamente no la mejor calidad. Por el mismo precio, pueden encontrar Copal Mexicana muy, muy superior

Another Great resin incense White Copal love it. Must have!! *****