Quality Incense?
- Thread starter wolfrb
- Start date
I'd like to know too.
I had the best sandalwood and ran out
I got it from a friend, but now have no source.
all I can get is the cheap dollar store stuff that doesn't smell like anything.
I had the best sandalwood and ran out
I got it from a friend, but now have no source.
all I can get is the cheap dollar store stuff that doesn't smell like anything.
I'd like to know too.
I had the best sandalwood and ran out
I got it from a friend, but now have no source.
all I can get is the cheap dollar store stuff that doesn't smell like anything.
Gents, you've come to the right place.
You say you're looking for incense? Look no further.If anything, this place has TOO big of a selection. So if you're looking for quality incense, I'd start with the following brands:
Baiedo
Daihatsu
Shoyeido
Minorien
Nippon Kodo
I can personally vouch for Baiedo's Byukaden Kokoh sandalwood incense. The stuff is absolutely beautiful. But fair warning: Like anything else, you get what you pay for.
Happy browsing!
Bakhour is worth mentioning too. I love the stuff.
My family buys incense from a local Indian restaurant & market. They love it. They seem to think it is a big quality improvement over other incense they have bought. You may see if there is a local Indian or Asian market. I don't know the brand names for the stuff my wife and kids buy.
paradiseperfumes.com has a nice selection of high quality bakhoor....you can also drop by any quality middle eastern market for good bakhoor,it is quite different than indian or japanese incense....the best bakhoors are sold in,and made in dubai....if you wanr rock incense such as frankincense and myrrh,try an ethiopian market and ask for " itan "...
Gents, you've come to the right place.
If anything, this place has TOO big of a selection. So if you're looking for quality incense, I'd start with the following brands:
Baiedo
Daihatsu
Shoyeido
Minorien
Nippon Kodo
I can personally vouch for Baiedo's Byukaden Kokoh sandalwood incense. The stuff is absolutely beautiful. But fair warning: Like anything else, you get what you pay for.
Happy browsing!
I'm a fan of Japanese incense. Indian and Tibetian just doesn't work for me.
This is what I'm burning now, which is nice, affordable aloeswood.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mainichi-koh-Kyara-deluxe-Aloeswood-Nippon-Kodo-Incense-/350373597217?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5193e4d021
A premium Nag Champa is the Shanthimalai brand. Wonderful stuff.
You might check out a blog I write for.
http://olfactoryrescueservice.wordpress.com/
We review Japanese, Indian, Tibetan and, well a whole lot of other styles of incense. I personally am into the Japanese incense. As someone mentioned above you do get what you pay for.There are, however, some great buys under $20. Another shop you might look into is "www.japanincense.com". They also have a "real" store in San Francisco. Nice people and a great selection, some of which is not shown on their web site.
-Ross
There are lots of great incense out there, I would personally go to a stre and sniff out one you like best. For me I'm quite fond of Tashi rope incense.
http://www.creationnepal.com/details.php?image_id=4670
http://www.creationnepal.com/details.php?image_id=4670
This is the only incense resource you'll ever need. http://olfactoryrescueservice.wordpress.com/
The lack of halmaddi in many of the Indian incense varieties has really decimated many once-great Incense houses (and most of these are the ones that are most common). A few are going strong though. "Pure Incense" makes very high-quality Indian stuff but their sandalwood isn't a "pure" scent. It's like sandalwood and coconut candy. They have a good Amber too. Balaji has only a few varities and their sticks are on the smoky side, but they smell better than most Indian sticks these days. The better ones contain halmaddi and other resins. Stay away from most of the charcoal sticks because as they age, the perfume loses its potency and all you get is smoke. That said, the maker of Mysore Sandal Soap makes charcoal incense sticks that are cheap and have a pure aroma.
"Mother's Fragrance" makes 19 Nag Champa varieties that are each individual works of art. Creamy, floral, powdery, spicy....the pinnacle of Indian incense IMO....and for $2.15 you get 12 sticks that burn anywhere from 90 minutes to 2 hours. My favorites are Agni, Hansa, Lavanya, Om, Sattwa and Jyoti, with Bhakti not far behind.
Definitely check out Japanese houses. Baieido's Kobunboku line is affordable and amazing. The Kobunboku scent is soft and powdery, like a friendly cologne. Baieido also makes a great coffee incense that smells, when lit, just like roasting coffee.
A nice, cheap Mysore-like sandalwood in a low-smoke scent is Baikundo's sandalwood (available at Essence of the Ages). Minorien makes a sandalwood called "Fu-In" that is basically Mysore wood with nuttiness and spices. It's EXACTLY like Serge Lutens' Santal de Mysore.
Don't overlook other brands such as Kikujudo and Gyokushodo. Kikujudo's "Sweet Nile" is an WONDROUS blend of Mysore sandal, amber, and cinnamon. Sweet, clean, and pleasing. No smoky off-notes at all. It's available at Incense Warehouse. I've only tried one scent by Gyokushodo but I'm in love with it and burning 3 sticks a day. "Kojurin" is their sweet aloeswood blend that is alluringly buttery and spicy, warm and sweet. Absolutely amazing and cheap by aloeswood standards, at $25 for 95 sticks that burn for a half-hour each.
I'm still getting my head around Tibetan incense. It is dirtier, muddier, with real musk and "campfire" notes mixed in. I've tried 3 varities and I can't admit to liking any of them yet. But I'm trying.
The lack of halmaddi in many of the Indian incense varieties has really decimated many once-great Incense houses (and most of these are the ones that are most common). A few are going strong though. "Pure Incense" makes very high-quality Indian stuff but their sandalwood isn't a "pure" scent. It's like sandalwood and coconut candy. They have a good Amber too. Balaji has only a few varities and their sticks are on the smoky side, but they smell better than most Indian sticks these days. The better ones contain halmaddi and other resins. Stay away from most of the charcoal sticks because as they age, the perfume loses its potency and all you get is smoke. That said, the maker of Mysore Sandal Soap makes charcoal incense sticks that are cheap and have a pure aroma.
"Mother's Fragrance" makes 19 Nag Champa varieties that are each individual works of art. Creamy, floral, powdery, spicy....the pinnacle of Indian incense IMO....and for $2.15 you get 12 sticks that burn anywhere from 90 minutes to 2 hours. My favorites are Agni, Hansa, Lavanya, Om, Sattwa and Jyoti, with Bhakti not far behind.
Definitely check out Japanese houses. Baieido's Kobunboku line is affordable and amazing. The Kobunboku scent is soft and powdery, like a friendly cologne. Baieido also makes a great coffee incense that smells, when lit, just like roasting coffee.
A nice, cheap Mysore-like sandalwood in a low-smoke scent is Baikundo's sandalwood (available at Essence of the Ages). Minorien makes a sandalwood called "Fu-In" that is basically Mysore wood with nuttiness and spices. It's EXACTLY like Serge Lutens' Santal de Mysore.
Don't overlook other brands such as Kikujudo and Gyokushodo. Kikujudo's "Sweet Nile" is an WONDROUS blend of Mysore sandal, amber, and cinnamon. Sweet, clean, and pleasing. No smoky off-notes at all. It's available at Incense Warehouse. I've only tried one scent by Gyokushodo but I'm in love with it and burning 3 sticks a day. "Kojurin" is their sweet aloeswood blend that is alluringly buttery and spicy, warm and sweet. Absolutely amazing and cheap by aloeswood standards, at $25 for 95 sticks that burn for a half-hour each.
I'm still getting my head around Tibetan incense. It is dirtier, muddier, with real musk and "campfire" notes mixed in. I've tried 3 varities and I can't admit to liking any of them yet. But I'm trying.
Oh yes, it's gorgeous. perfect spice accord to balance the buttery wood. It's a shame you get so few sticks for the price. Now if only Gyokushodo made a similar incense to Kojurin in a byakudan sandalwood, I'd be all over it! I've had my eye on Tokiwa but it seems to be unavailable at Essence as well as JapanIncense.com.
Hiya,
Just wanted to thank the OP for starting this thread which led to the excellent ideas from other members. Thanks to those guys for the insight and various links. Man, I had no idea this Japanese stuff was even out there. Heh, I can possibly see what my new AD might be.
I'm always looking to find relatively inexpensive gifts for various occasions, and many great sounding items fit the bill. Who knows, I may even get some for me.......heh.
This incense thing looks to be a pretty darn interesting journey,
Martin
Just wanted to thank the OP for starting this thread which led to the excellent ideas from other members. Thanks to those guys for the insight and various links. Man, I had no idea this Japanese stuff was even out there. Heh, I can possibly see what my new AD might be.
I'm always looking to find relatively inexpensive gifts for various occasions, and many great sounding items fit the bill. Who knows, I may even get some for me.......heh.
This incense thing looks to be a pretty darn interesting journey,
Martin
Ross, you rock!!! I love your website, and have read through the review many times in the past.
I've been mourning the loss of the blue box Morning Star Aloeswood for a while. Great scent, and about 200 sticks for $8.00. My temple has Japanese origins, so I'm assume that's why I love Japanese so much. I live close to a Tibetan temple, but have been told (I'm not sure if this is correct) that the Tibetan incense is made for it's spiritual properties, not scent.
BTW, I'm afraid....very very afraid, of smelling high quality aloeswood incense. lol
Great posts guys. I don't want to recopy everything, but there's some great info in Kevan's post and Evan (as usual) seems to have pinpointed a great source for incense.
I am far from a connoisseur of fine incense, but I've had a casual interest for a long time. Shoyeido and Baiedo have some great samplers that will allow you to experiment with a number of different fragrances. For reasonable price and good quality, its hard to beat Nippon Kodo.
This thread inspires me to reawaken my interest. Thanks everybody!
I am far from a connoisseur of fine incense, but I've had a casual interest for a long time. Shoyeido and Baiedo have some great samplers that will allow you to experiment with a number of different fragrances. For reasonable price and good quality, its hard to beat Nippon Kodo.
This thread inspires me to reawaken my interest. Thanks everybody!
I don't know if Ross is affiliated with http://www.essenceoftheages.com/, but I've ordered from them and been pleased. I really like Japanese incense (no stick, less smoke.)
However, be warned: incense and its devotees have their own world with many parallels to our own: Most people have no idea what's out there and only know what they see in the store, the "good stuff" can be really expensive, and it can be kind of addictive.
However, be warned: incense and its devotees have their own world with many parallels to our own: Most people have no idea what's out there and only know what they see in the store, the "good stuff" can be really expensive, and it can be kind of addictive.
I think you are, to a large degree, right about the Tibetan's. I personally have a hard time with most of them but my other ORS blogers love them.
Essence of the Ages has a lot of great samplers, so does Japan Incense(although you might have to call them) which is a reasonable way to get a taste of a companies line and not break the bank.
Yes, trying high end Aloeswood is a life changing event. It becomes an interesting balancing act between your bank account and desire nature. My account has lost many times.
The blog is not affiliated with and makers or stores, which is good as it lets us really review instead of sales pitch.
Looking forward to being here, I just shaved off my beard and have decided to understand and enjoy shaving this time.
-Ross
Nag Champa is great 
ORS is an independent blog but Essence of the Ages does its best to carry most of what they review, which for me is very useful. I like to read a review and if I want to try some obscure brand that no one else seems to carry, Essence will usually have it. And Beth is usually very generous with free samples.
