Yixing purple-sand stoneware, unglazed
Backflow censer, zisha clay
$72
A backflow censer burns a hollow cone inside a sealed chamber, and the smoke leaves through a channel at the bottom instead of rising. It works because the smoke cools against the clay on its way down and ends up denser than the surrounding air, so it falls and pools like water. The body is left unglazed; zisha is dense enough to hold its shape with no glaze at all.
- Material
- Zisha (purple-sand) stoneware, unglazed
- Ships in
- Moulded pulp, double-boxed
- Care
- Use backflow cones only; a flat stick will not draw. Rinse with water, never soap, and dry fully before storing.
Ships from Hangzhou in 2–5 business days. Delivery is typically 7–15 business days to the US and 8–16 to the EU, UK, Australia and New Zealand, customs permitting. Import duties and taxes are charged by your country's customs, not by us, and are payable on delivery. The United States ended its $800 duty-free exemption on 29 August 2025, so US orders now attract duty at every value. The EU introduces a flat €3 duty per item on goods below €150 from 1 July 2026. Shipping details.
Where it comes from
Zisha, literally purple sand, is a stoneware clay from the Yixing area, fired unglazed. Because the surface stays open it takes on the oils and tannins of whatever is burned or poured into it, which is the whole reason tea vessels of the same clay are not washed with soap. The falling-smoke effect is not a trick of the pot: it depends on the smoke being cooled and loaded with particulate until it is heavier than air, which is also why cheap backflow cones sometimes refuse to fall.
Materials, honestly declared
Zisha stoneware
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Standard shipping, no restricted materials.
This is a decorative and cultural object. We make no claim that it affects health, fortune or protection. Nothing here is medical advice.
Common questions
Possibly — import duties and taxes are collected by your local customs on delivery. Anything shown at checkout is an estimate, not a final charge.
We dispatch in 2–5 business days; transit is typically 7–15 business days to the US, 8–16 to the EU, UK, AU and NZ.
Send a photo within 7 days. We replace or refund it, and you keep the piece.
No. It is a decorative and cultural object. We sell objects, not outcomes.
Read the guideHow to choose an incense holder →