在全球疫症嚴峻的當下，不論是應疫情留家工作，抑或封城被禁足而不能外出，人們在家的時間拉長了，獨處的時間亦如是。在心靈感到孤立無援時，必須找方法抖擻精神，而從近日電商的業務數據看來，香製品似乎就默默成為了，許多人不約而同地想到的紓壓方案。
上頭照片中的筒裝線香，是由台灣「浪活香旅人」與我們友好的香港店家LAB Collector，所聯名合作推出的商品。歷史上台灣盛產香製品，然而在近三十年卻式微不少，「浪活香旅人」團隊的主理人普烏，其家族上兩代人都從事香製品原料的進出口商，業務自然受到不少打擊；然而比起單純盈利，香製業的文化傳承更加重要，作為第三代的普烏因此創立「浪活香旅人」，並且不依從家族專營原料的傳統，改以製香為志業，希望能為復興台灣製香產業盡一分力。
Whether it is working from home or having a full on lockdown, living with a pandemic is the new normal and we all have been spending much more time – or even alone time – at home. It is at times like these when we crave for some sort of relief or comfort for the soul, and according to e-commerce data, fragrance is one of the top choices for the job.
Taiwanese brand Nose Hope Studio (a.k.a. Free Soul Within) has launched a series of incense – pictured above – in collaboration with our friendly neighbourhood store, LAB Collector. Taiwan is traditionally known for incense making; however, it is a declining industry. This has also hit Pu Niao’s incense import and production family business. As the founder of Nose Hope Studio, he turns his focus to passing down the craft of incense making more than chasing profits. Although it is a slight deviation from his family business, he believes it is more important to reinvigorate the Taiwanese incense industry.
與香港店家LAB Collector合作，「浪活香旅人」為香港顧客帶來了多款線香，均以鼠尾草為基底，有撫慰安定的作用；而在此基底上，再加入聖木和壇香等原料，使安定的氣味再添上飽滿的層次感。要數當中最獨特的，一定要看看這款「巴拉圭綠壇線香」，綠檀香向來被喻作「生命之樹」、「和平之木」，燒起來帶來一股抹茶拿鐵般的茶香感，也是日本的禪寺愛用的建築材料。
之所以特別介紹這款線香，是因為市場上來自巴拉圭綠檀香已經極度稀罕，只剩阿根廷及哥倫比亞會生產，但香氣的飽和度不如前者，辛辣感太強不夠潤澤，與後兩者有明顯差別。而「浪活香旅人」之所以能帶來這款「巴拉圭綠壇線香」，全因普烏利用家人過去在從事原料進出口時，所囤下的老料去製作線香；而就像頻危動物一樣，燒掉一線就少一線，是一種可能快要絕跡於世界的香氣。
In collaboration with Hong Kong based store LAB Collector, Nose Hope Studio brings us a wide range of home incense. For each scent, the base note is all made of mood-calming sage, then mixed with palo santo, sandalwood and a variety of aromas to add depth to tranquillity. The most special of all has to be the Paraguay Verawood Incense. Verawood is sometimes referred to as a sacred tree, a common wood used in building Japanese temples. It brings along a sense of peace with its aromas, like the rich tea scent of a matcha latte.
This incense is noteworthy because verawood from Paraguay is extremely rare nowadays. Argentina and Columbia are the only places producing, however the aroma and saturation simply don’t measure up, the latter is too peppery which does not round off smoothly. The only reason Nose Hope Studio is able to create the Paraguay Verawood Incense is because Pu Niao is using what’s left of previous imports. This scent may very well be disappearing from the world soon, much like an endangered species, one less from the world with every strand of incense being lit up.
Available at LAB Collector
4/F, 22 Ashley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
