Frankincense

Frankincense tears are beads of dried resin collected from the bark of Boswellia, a genus of small trees that take up to a decade to reach maturity and produce sap. Several species of Boswellia produce frankincense resin, the grade of which is affected by soil and climate conditions and when it is harvested. To extract the resin, the bark is slashed at 4 to 6 month intervals during the year. As the sap “bleeds,” it is permitted to flow freely so that it hardens into bead-like formations when exposed to the air.

Fragrance quality is determined by the resin’s terpene content, which tends to higher in the later taps of the harvest season and in trees found thriving in challenging environments. For instance, Dhofari frankincense, which is obtained from Boswellia sacra that grows in the rocky and dry terrain of east Africa, is considered to be the finest grade. However, Boswellia carteri, another species native to Yemen and Somalia, is the primary source of frankincense tears supplied to the Roman Catholic Church. In India, frankincense resin is tapped from Boswellia serrata.