Ava

A Guide to Incense Around the World, from Japan to France

"Anyone who has spent time inside a Catholic church has probably caught a whiff of liturgical incense puffing from a swinging censer. This slow-burning Trappist incense is hand-blended by the monks of Assumption Abbey and nuns of Nazareth Hermitage in Ava, Missouri. The Cistercians’ best seller is the subtly floral Melleray, made with frankincense imported from Ethiopia and India. Shoppers also rave about the spicier Abbatial, which blends three types of frankincense with myrrh, rose, and cedar." - Ashlea Halpern