I just bought a box of Morning Star green tea. It is very nice. I like how there is no wood core in it. It smells much cleaner and far less smoke is produced since it is just incense and no wood. Does anyone else have any experience with this brand? Any other scents I should try in the Morning Star line or by Nippon Kodo?
Morning Star Incense by Nippon Kodo
- Thread starter Matt555
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Welcome to Japanese style incenses. Morning Star is the entry level line from Nippon Kodo. I have only tried the sandalwood, which is a decent rendition of the basic "green" sandalwood that every Japanese brand does an analog of. There's better out there, to be honest, but if you like Morning Star, I'd check out the Musk. It looks interesting. Japanese companies usually do clean, buttery musks different from the Indian ones.
Nippon Kodo is the most popular brand for Japanese incense here in the US I believe, but personally I think Baieido is a much better brand, although its offerings are more traditional. But they have a terrific smokeless coffee incense.
Nippon Kodo also has a little more upscale version that's available in the US. I think that they sell it as "Mainichi Koh." The store at a musuem near me sells it, so I tried it. I've had their kyara, wisteria and sandalwood and I thought it was good value. At that price, the kyara was surprisingly nice.
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- #4
I will look into these mentioned. Can you guys tell me what aloewood is? Also, does "smokeless" just mean less smoke?
Aloeswood, also known as agarwood, is the resin (or resin impregnated wood) found in Aquilaria trees that have been infected with mold via an insect bite. The resin is produced by the tree's immune system's reaction to the infection. It smells like nothing else and is something of an acquired taste. The smell is highly variable based on the specific species of Aquilaria from which it was harvested, where the tree grew and how long it had been infected prior to harvest. Kyrara is a type of aloeswood.
In the Middle East, oud oil is extracted from agarwood and worn as personal fragrance.
The Japanese do aloeswood and kyara incenses better than anyone. Shoyeido, Kyukyodo, and Seijudo are some of my favorite brands. You can read about incense to your heart's desire at Olfactory Rescue Service.
In the Middle East, oud oil is extracted from agarwood and worn as personal fragrance.
The Japanese do aloeswood and kyara incenses better than anyone. Shoyeido, Kyukyodo, and Seijudo are some of my favorite brands. You can read about incense to your heart's desire at Olfactory Rescue Service.
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Thanks
Aloeswood is oud. In incense form it is often buttery, with chocolate notes. And smokeless incense is almost entirely smokeless. Less smoke to the point of there being almost none.
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- #8
This "smokeless" stuff sounds interesting. I would like to try it. Some of the Japanese incense I have been looking at is incredibly expensive. Is it worth it? I ask, because with personal fragrances (EDT, EDC, etc.) price has not necessarily been a determining factor in regards to how much I enjoy it. Some of my favorite fragrances are not that expensive. I still have not found a CREED frag that I think is worth the price. Is incense the same? I would guess some of the real expensive stuff might be worth it, while others may not (all depending on personal taste)? I just ordered 4 more boxes of the Morningstar line in different scents since I like the green tea one so much, but I am going to branch out and order some other brands and selections as well.
Japanese incenses can be expensive. Are they worth it? The one's I have smelled are absolutely stunning.
Yes. Compared to a cologne, I would say so. There are some companies that offer value for the buck like Baieido, Gyokushodo, and Awaji Baikundo. That's the thing with Japanese incense...there are many companies doing similar scents with a mild difference here or there, so if you find something you think smells awesome but is $100 a box (or roll), you're certain to find something like it for around $40, or even $20. Of course, a lot of these scents require a learning curve but once it gets "into" you, the AD comes thick and fast.
Personally the highest I have ever spent is around $50 on a single roll, and that was for a wonderful offering from Shunkodo, but the box had 170 sticks so it's not that bad for something made with zero synthetics. Ratanjai, their $100 roll of wonderful chocolate spice oud, is entirely worth it in my opinion and I plan on springing for it one day. But for now I primarily enjoy the Kobunboku line from Baieido ($10-$20) and Jinko Kojurin from Gyokushodo ($25 for 150 sticks) One of the best values in all incensedom if you ask me. Exceptionally pleasant, too.
I like incense, but as an average Joe, I would be hesitant to get too deeply into the expensive stuff unless I really knew what was what. Kevan is right--you can usually get a reasonably priced version of something that will make you happy. I've bought some expensive incense before, but only when I could check it out in person.
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- #12
That is kinda' where I am. I like this $3 box of Morningstar very much (50 sticks). While I do not doubt that a more expensive line may smell better, I am a bit hesitant to start dropping the big bucks. It seems like it could become habit forming. I think for the time being, I am going to limit myself to packages that are $10 and under. There are still dozens and dozens of options in this price range. The one exception is a box that Nippon Kodo sells for around $20 which is supposed to smell off star anise. I am a huge fan of anise and licorice, so I might make an exception on that box.
Even if you limit yourself to $20 and under there are plenty of options across multiple brands. Even at $10 there are a few great ones that are as good as the expensive stuff.
Every brand is going to have a "meditation sandalwood," a "meditation aloeswood", a plum blossom, a cherry blossom, a hinoki cypress, a sandalwood-based "spring flowers" fragrance, several different "wood and spice" with cassia, cinnamon, and clove fragrances. All of these smell similar to one another across brands. Some are more expensive than others but only an experienced nose will be able to tell the difference. I've been at this almost 3 years now and sometimes I can't tell why something costs $40 or more as opposed to the cheapies.
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Just got my other boxes in the mail today. The Cinnamon is excellent... absolutely excellent. I am burning an Amber one right now. These are really a great deal. You cannot really beat 50 sticks for $3. It is even cheaper than the crap you buy in a head shop that smells terrible. I bought some Amber incense (just some cheap Indian brand with a wood core) last week from a smoke shop and it smelled so dirty and repulsive I put it out within 5 minutes of lighting it and threw out the box. This one smells much nicer (it is very light though....maybe too light).
So now I am looking into ordering some other offerings from other houses. Can anyone suggest a frankinscense? (I love that scent) It does not have to be plain frankinscence. It can have other notes in it as well. But a frakinscense base would be nice. If anyone can make suggestions for packages/rolls under $10, that would help too as there are just so many to choose from it is a bit overwhelming making a decision.
Another question....are incense fragrances like coconut or strawberry made from pretty much all synthetic ingredients or can they be made from natural ingredients? Is it safe to assume that most Japanese incense are composed from mostly natural stuff (and I use the term natural loosely). Thanks for the help guys. This stuff is new to me. I used to just burn the cheap blue box Nag Champa junk back in the day......NEVER AGAIN!
So now I am looking into ordering some other offerings from other houses. Can anyone suggest a frankinscense? (I love that scent) It does not have to be plain frankinscence. It can have other notes in it as well. But a frakinscense base would be nice. If anyone can make suggestions for packages/rolls under $10, that would help too as there are just so many to choose from it is a bit overwhelming making a decision.
Another question....are incense fragrances like coconut or strawberry made from pretty much all synthetic ingredients or can they be made from natural ingredients? Is it safe to assume that most Japanese incense are composed from mostly natural stuff (and I use the term natural loosely). Thanks for the help guys. This stuff is new to me. I used to just burn the cheap blue box Nag Champa junk back in the day......NEVER AGAIN!
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Hmmm, well there's a lot to address in this post. But first I'll say that I'm aware of two Frankincense sticks from Japanese brands. One is by Tennendo, and they import the frankincense they use directly from Oman. I have sampled it and it seems pretty authentic, though I'm not a fan of Frankincense to tell you the truth. The other one is by Minorien. I've never sampled it but I have their sandalwood and it is amazing. It is the reason I point at Serge Lutens Santal de Mysore cologne and laugh. You get the EXACT same scent in Minorien Fu In Sandalwood (even down to the spices) for $185 less.
A single roll of Tennendo Frankincense goes for $10.50 (for 40 sticks). But it's quality stuff. Most of the other frankincense sticks you'll find are made by Indian companies. Which brings me to a word about Indian incenses.
Please do not let your experiences with head shop offerings color your perception of Indian incense (or incense in general, as most people do). Since they mostly sell the Srinivas Sughandhlaya catalog (which includes Sai Baba Nag Champa), most of what's available is crap. That line USED to be quality, until about 2005 when they introduced wholesale changes to the line to save money I guess. Now everything sucks. Ditto for the vast majority of the black charcoal sticks or the crap you can get at the convenience store which is dipped in fragrance oil. This stuff is not indicative of what Indian incense can be.
There are plenty of brands that still make Indian style incense the RIGHT way, with herbs, powders, flowers, and thick, gooey resins. Not as many as there used to be, but they are out there. Mother's India makes over a dozen of the finest nag champas you will ever smell, each made on a base of halmaddi and honey. They produce more smoke than a Japanese stick because of the bamboo core in tandem with the resins used, so they burn longer. Nag Champa Gold! and Meena Supreme by Happy Hari are wonderous. Meena Supreme alone is a GREAT example of a traditional, all natural Indian stick, with foody, flowery notes. Nandi Divine Flora, anything by R. Ranga Rao, Gokula Flora by Darshan Incense, most of the offerings from Balaji....all of these are prime examples that Indian incense does not have to smell cheap and harsh. It's just a contrast in styles with Japanese and Tibetan. Indian is loud, floral, and rich. Japanese and Tibetan are more subtle, quieter.
Not all Japanese incenses are natural. The coconut and strawberry you referenced are probably fragrance oil based. A lot of the Shoyeido and Nippon Kodo catalogue are like this. That doesn't necessarily mean it's bad...I just prefer the more traditional smells of Baieido and the like.
Oh, and if you want an amber, try Karin by Kunjudo. It's under $10. It's amazing.
I love all this talk about incense!
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- #18
Good info! Thanks.
While it is true that you don't need to spend a lot on Japanese incense, your exploration of them is incomplete until you've at least sampled some of the high end stuff, especially kyaras. Whether or not the premiums are worth the price it is for you to decide. Fortunately, many vendors sell samples. In many cases, you'll find that sufficient.
This is the same argument I heard for exploring high end oud oils, which was true in that case.
