Been meaning to blog these for a while and hadn't gotten around to it!

Nu Essence is a US-based incense maker (and according to their product packaging, they also make things like bath-salts and perfume, but I can't find those anywhere on the internet). They seem to have something of a Thelemic schtick, from what I can tell (though I know little about Thelemic mysticism). Their loose incense comes in these little tins for $6.50 a piece - a little goes a long way, so it's a pretty good buy.

Note: I've only tried these on my incense heater, so I have no idea what they're like on charcoal.

Abra Melin: "Frankincense, benzoin, lignum aloes [aloeswood], and rose."

This is one of the few really rose-heavy scents I've found that I like (and since it's not a perfume, thankfully I don't have to worry about it turning horrible on my skin). The rose is definitely the strongest note here (and boy is it strong), with the frankincense lending it a brilliant airy quality. The benzoin and aloeswood are in the background, just serving to give it depth and a bit of earthiness. Very nice, rose-lovers shouldn't miss this.


Earth: "Vetivert, patchouli, labdanum, amber, sandalwood, and storax."

The first time I tried this, I thought it way too heavy on the vetivert. The second time I loved it. It definitely smells strongly of dirt - rich, black, loamy dirt. Strong patchouli and vetivert tend to do that (especially vetivert). I think this is one where I just need to be in the mood for an earthy scent. The labdanum is pretty strong, too, lending it a rich musky tone that I just adore (I've recently fallen completely, irrevocably in love with labdanum). I'm not sure if the amber listed in the ingredients is actual fossilized Baltic amber or one of those Indian-style resin-mixes; I'd be interested to know.

Incidentally, Earth and Abra Melin smell incredible mixed together. I'm not kidding. If you buy one, buy the other too.


Kyphi: "Raisins, wine, juniper, arabic gum, calamus, henna, honey, cinnamon, peppermint, galangal root, orris, myrrh, bay, citronella, orange, cardamom, and frankincense."

Wikipedia's article on Kyphi. I just don't know what to make of this one. It's a very weird smell, and sometimes when I heat it, it's a good weird, and sometimes actually kind of unpleasant. I just can't seem to form a solid opinion on it.

It's got a very sharp, almost metallic scent at the front, probably mostly coming from the raisins and the wine. (As a side note, there was a large-ish un-shredded rasin stuck to the side of the lid on my tin, which kind of glued the thing together and made it almost impossible to open. Antics ensued. I don't think I ever would have gotten it open without Dave's help.) Beneath this is a deep, sweet creaminess with a hint of spice. It's difficult to pick out individual notes beyond the raisin/wine scent because it's so complex and just plain strange.

I think my nose just isn't accustomed to Kyphi scents yet, or at least not the ones with fruit in them. If you're into really unusual scents though, this is one to try.


Mercury: "Tragacanth, cassia, clove, benzoin, gum mastic, lavender, and lemon."

This smells incredibly similar to Twilight Alchemy Lab's Hand of Hermes, though Hand of Hermes is missing that rich vanilla sweetness of the benzoin. To my nose the cassia (cinnamon) dominates, with a sharp lemon/lavender freshness. It's a very fresh and herbal scent, at the same time slightly reminiscent of a Christmas candle. Quite nice, stimulating yet soothing; but it doesn't really excite me.


Moon: "Karaya gum, frankincense, wormwood, sandalwood, camphor, jasmine, and artemisia."

First off, I don't know why they list both "wormwood" and "artemisia". Aren't those the same thing?

Anyway, I really like this one lots. I was surprised by it - I find that usually what I expect from a "moon" scent is a cold and wintery moon, but this is a very green, hazy, summery moon. Very sultry and wet, gives me an impression of eerie green light, like moonlight coming through leaves.

The jasmine is very strong - jasmine lovers will love this, jasmine haters will, well, probably hate it. The frankincense and camphor both serve to give it an airy, misty quality, and the wormwood is kind of sitting there in the background just being strange. (I wasn't sure how I felt about that strange note at first, but I grew to love it.)

This one is my favorite of the ones I've tried from this company when they're burned singly, although it doesn't quite match my love of the Earth/Abra Melin combo.


Ra Hoor: "Dragons blood, storax, myrrh, opopanax, olibanum, rue, and tobacco."

This one has a very pleasing bitter-sweetness, and for all that Ra Hoor is supposed to be "androgynous" this is a very masculine scent. It makes me think of men's cologne (although it doesn't really smell all that cologne-like, it just has some of the familiar qualities).

The dragon's blood and olibanum combine to create such a fruity scent that I'm not convinced there isn't orange oil in here. No one note really dominates, although to me the tobaccco, dragon's blood, and olibanum stand out a bit from the rest. It has a contrasting bright/dark quality in addition to the bitter/sweetness, and this gives it a lot of depth. It scorches a bit more easily and quickly than the other ones though - I think it's because of the dragon's blood, because I have a hell of a time with dragon's blood doing that to me.

I recommend this one, especially if you like masculine scents.