Hi! You may know me as woodburner. Or hey, you may not. Anyway, this is a mostly open journal - subscribe/unsubscribe at will, no need to ask permission. :)

Taking part in a trading circle, thus currently in possession of gignormous box of incense. These are all just brief impressions from a few minutes of burning time.

Japanese:

Keigado: Sennichiko - Advertised as having a recipe that hasn't changed since the 1920's. Amber and low-grade sandalwood. Doesn't interest me much. Amber dominant scents usually don't, b/c they're always really strong on the benzoin, which is something I only like in moderation. Not a bad scent, though, and for amber fans this might be nice as an inexpensive daily scent.

Tennendo: Yoshino Hills - As I'd heard, this is v. similar to Shoyeido's Kyozakura, with the sharp green smell and the subtle cherry-sweet floral note, and that same distinctive spice that I think is ginger, but I'm not quite sure. I think I like this better than Shoyeido's cherry blossom scent though; seems a little warmer, a little less perfumey, a little earthier. Quite nice, a good, uplifting daily scent, very fresh.

eta: Huh, seems like I misremembered the one I'd heard smelled like Kyozakura (that was Scent of Kyoto). Burning it again and I still think this smells like a mellower, woodier Kyozakura though. There's also a masculine, musky element that seems to be present in most of the Tennendos.

Shoyeido: En Shin, Ai Shin - augh. They're both like a miasma of the melding perfumes of hundreds of little old ladies at sunday church, somehow interpreted through Shoyeido's distinctive style. They remind me of the horrible experience of being forced to sit on hard pews and endure that migraine-inducing smell every sunday morning as a child. Do not want. It's rare that a Shoyeido product disagrees with me this strongly.

Shoyeido: Do-shin - I was afraid to try this after the other two in the line, but this turned out okay. I don't get much from it either, though. Doesn't seem very perfumed, which is odd in a Shoyeido stick. I wonder if some of the scent has evaporated off. It just smells kind of vaguely ambery and woody.

Nihon Senko Seizo: Momiji - Don't like this one very much. Smells harsh like a campfire with a touch of spice. First japanese stick I've encountered that smelled like a campfire, I think. It is, however, distinctive, in its campfirey way, and Japanese cedar lovers may like this. I, however, am starting to come to the conclusion that I'm not a big fan of Japanese cedar.

Nippon Kodo: Kangetsu and Zuiun - Reviewing together b/c they smell very similar to me. Zuiun is perhaps more candy-sweet, Kangetsu a little more spicy. I think I prefer the Kangetsu - smells a bit less "synthetic". These are both decent scents in my estimation but not particularly notable either. The aesthetic they seem to be going for (heavily perfumed, candy sweet, cool aloeswood paired with a spicy bite) has been done better by other scents such as Shoyeido's Sei-fu - granted, these other scents are more expensive. I think a better aloeswood in the same price range would be Tennendo's Renzan, although that has a completely different feel and doesn't have as pronounced of an aloeswood scent, but well, I also don't think you're going to get an aloeswood scent this strong in an incense this cheap without a lot of synthetic perfume oil going on, either.



Tibetan/Nepalese:

I was surprised to find some Tibetan-style incense in the box I actually rather like. I've generally had trouble "getting" the scent of Tibetan incense, and it's typically smoky enough to ravage my sinuses, but there were some in this box that were more accessible to me and less smoky.


Stupa: Spikenard incense - This one surprised me. On the stick it smells purely of spikenard, and don't get me wrong, I like spikenard, but it's a bit funky and overpowering in excess. (Much like patchouli.) But upon lighting it, all sorts of resinous depth came out. Frankincense isn't on the ingredient list but I swear I'm smelling it, along with a strong note of what I think is juniper berry - something fresh and uplifting, at any rate. The myrrh-like guggul is also prominent. It's too harsh and smoky for me to burn much of at a time (like most Tibetan styles), but it's really nice and rustic.


Bhim Lama (with The Direct Help Foundation - link for info): Green Champa - On the stick this just smelled sour and funky to me. Once I lit it, I actually really liked it. It's not quite like anything I've ever smelled before. Floral and musky and sharply herbal - although these descriptives don't give a good sense of just how unusual a smell it is. Gives a yellow-green feel. Very different. Don't let the name fool you, either - this bears only the vaguest of resemblances to the more common Indian champas. Really, this bears only the vaguest of resemblances to... anything. Don't know if it's something I'd want to burn often (and it's rather smoky and and strong, too), but it's a nice change of pace.

I looked to see if the ORS had reviewed this one, and was surprised to find that Mike really hated it. Huh. Whereas I'm usually not a fan of the style, and quite liked it. So who knows, YMMV.


The Direct Help Foundation: Ebionite - One of the mildest Tibetan styles I've ever tried; almost completely inoffensive to my sinuses. Not very strongly scented, but not the most elusive scent I've ever encountered, either. (Actually, it seems a little inconsistent - sometimes there's this musky blast of myrrh, and sometimes I can barely smell anything.) I mostly get intense, good quality bittersweet myrrh with just a hint of aloeswood, an undertone of something musky and earthy (which may just be coming from the myrrh, really), and a hint of evergreen (probably juniper, I'd expect, since it's a very common basewood for the style). It's nice - makes me think of church-y incenses. I'd definitely recommend it to myrrh lovers.


The Direct Help Foundation (I think, but there was no company listed on the label): Sacred Spices - This smelled like smoke and wet dog. Its only saving grace is that it is not very smoky nor very strongly scented. I had Dave smell this, and he proclaimed, "It does smell like smoke and wet dog! I thought you were probably just off your rocker." So, consensus: wet dog.


The Direct Help Foundation: Double Lotus - Wow, I'm not used to such a strong floral being in a Tibetan style format. This is v. nice - watery, soothing floral underscored by a musky, spicy smell. I think I'd prefer something this floral and sweet in a lower-smoke format, though, or just as a perfume oil. The smoky smell seems to clash with the watery-ness of it.


I believe all these can be purchased at Essence of the Ages, except for Ai-Shin and Do-Shin. (I can't find Do-Shin on EotA but it can be bought from Shoyeido.com, and Ai-shin was a limited edition that doesn't exist anymore, I think?)

- W-would making it a friending meme for small fandoms and sticking it on small_fandoms be a good idea, you think? I think it might help revive interest in the comm, but maybe I am wrong and it would just annoy people.

- I keep wanting to make jokes about Shoyeido/Baieido slash but my usual readers would be like, "what?" and random folks looking for incense reviews would run terrified in the other direction.

It would be a very snarky love. Baieido would be all overbearing and Disapproving because Shoyeido is far too flamboyant and it's simply indecent! And Shoyeido would think Baieido is a stuffy prick who needs to loosen up, possibly with a good boning.

CUE ANGRY SEX. Fragrant angry sex.

(...Oh my god, if you just wandered in here unsuspecting I am so sorry. I would tell you that I'm not usually like this, but it would be a dirty lie.)

I wish I could draw. I would totally do the fanart.