Angola Copal-Powder

I avoid buying powdered herbs or spices unless I have absolutely no choice. Mainly because I don't know how long they have sat losing their potency, but also because I know unscrupulous suppliers will often use low-grade material or siftings from the bottom of bags they otherwise could not sell. You can hide a lot in a powder... Often reputable retailers who buy powdered material from brokers have no idea how old the powder is and what went into it. You could say when it comes to big business, I have trust issues....

Grinding my own fresh herbs and resins guarantees high-quality material for my work and for my customers.
I use my freshest and best quality resins and only grind as much as I need. Powder never sits around long in the studio. When it is gone, I just grind some more so it is always fresh. I have added a little extra to the price of the whole resin since we grind it, dry the powder and grind it again to produce a consistent and non-clumping powder.

Angola Copal is a clear to golden coloured, translucent, semi-fossilized resin. It is extremely hard, fractures like flint or Obsidian, and has no scent until it is burned. It is collected sustainably from the ground where it fell eons ago.

Derived from Copaifera demeusii and C. mapane trees, it makes a beautiful incense with a sweet, dry woody/citrus scent wrapped in a haze of soft Vanilla. It dissolves completely on the charcoal and has no charred afternote as some types of Frankincense and Myrrh.

The hardness and clarity of Angola Copal make it an excellent material for making high-grade, durable lacquers and varnishes. It dissolves in pure alcohol and Turpentine.

Angola Cop[al Powder can be burned on its own or compounded with other aromatic materials in sticks, cones, pastilles or loose incense.

My partner in acquiring this and other Angolan aromatics is a Canadian Angolan who is dedicated to supporting impoverished rural Angolan communities. He travels to remote areas in the bush and pays the communities a fair price to sustainably collect their traditional aromatic and medicinal materials. He hopes to set up small cottage industries to add value to these natural resources and eventually establish a community based essential oil distillation plant to process aromatic materials and inject more revenue into the local economies.

Angola Copal powder is only available in small quantities in the shop, wholesale inquiries are welcome. Contact me here through Etsy, or at connect@apothecarysgarden.com for a quote on discounted rates for kilograms or tons,

Dan

Materials: oleoresin, Copal, Angola Copal, Copaifera.