Palo Santo

Palo santo from Peru, on its own and paired with a handmade dish. Bursera graveolens is burned for its scent: a warm, resinous smoke that rises slowly from a stick you light and then blow out.

How to burn it

Hold a flame to the tip until it catches, let it burn for a few seconds, then blow it out. The stick keeps smouldering and gives off smoke. Set it down on a heatproof dish so the ash falls somewhere it can be cleared. A stick is not used up in one go and can be relit many times over.

Where the wood comes from

Our supplier cuts only the heartwood of naturally fallen trees, works under the government rules that regulate the collection, processing and export of palo santo, and contributes to replanting so the tree stays available in the long run. Every stick in this collection comes from Peru and measures roughly 10 cm.

The dishes

The sets pair sticks with a dish we make ourselves from stoneware, fired at 1220 °C and glazed so ash and resin wipe off. A low rim matters more than depth here: it stops a burning stick from rolling and keeps the ash contained. The dishes work just as well for rings, earrings or a candle once the smoke is done.