Bought 13 different aroma packets of Divine Spirit incense cones including a free small brass incense burner from JustAromatherapy for £10.76, which I thought was a good deal at the time as each packet contains 20 cones, but the quality of the cones is very poor, and these are sold direct from the UK distributor Emporiumuk.biz [closed 2021] at £1.80 for 6 packets, so they turn out not to have been a good deal.
The cones come in large and colourful boxes with an image of Krishna playing a flute - similar to the image found on the legendary Spiritual Sky incense. The same design is used for each scent - the only difference being the name of the scent on the box. Though they have different names, each one I have tried so far is pretty much the same - they have a mild and pleasant aroma on the cones, reminiscent of the aroma name (the Lavender has a fragrance slightly like lavender, Cinnamon has a scent like cinnamon, etc), each cone dyed a colour appropriate to the name (the Lavender has a purple colour like lavender, the Cinnamon is the pale brown-orange colour of cinnamon, etc), though when burned they essentially all mainly smell of basic wood and herb pulp, with little or no sense of the named fragrance, though some individual differences in aroma can be detected when burned together, and some are more pleasant or effective than others, and none are actually offensive. While the aromas are not offensive, they are a little harsh and hot, and are not positively attractive or pleasant. The experience is simply that of burning woody and herbal material - there is no joy, no mood enhancement, just a basic woody/herbal burning aroma. Because there is little difference between the scents, there is no point in reviewing each one individually, so I will review them as a group, simply pointing out what differences there are. I now have over 250 cones which are mainly only going to be used for covering up bad smells. These are not cones you would consider burning in any room other than the toilet or the kitchen (after - not before or during - cooking).
The cones are also available unboxed under the Aroma Zone brand. They are exactly the same, with the same stock codes. They are of the same quality and production method as Ancient Wisdom cones. All packets come with disc burner - and what I discovered while burning several of these cones simultaneously (in order to pick up the subtle differences - and I didn't have space on my regular cone burners for all the cones, so I used the little discs supplied) is that the discs do not protect the surface below from scorching, so do not place directly on valued or vulnerable surfaces like wooden desks or tables, or mouse mats!
These cones would be made by creating a basic cone of combustible woody material, and then dipping in a dye to colour and a fragrance oil to perfume. The exact aroma of the cone within a fragrance box will vary from cone to cone while burning, perhaps depending on the amount of fragrance oil that was absorbed and has since evaporated. Notes below are more impressions than an exact guide. Apart from Jasmine and Opium, the cones are slightly taller than average. Despite their size, the cones burn fairly rapidly (between 15 and 20 minutes), so there is nothing to be gained from the extra size - indeed, the size means the top cannot be placed on a cone incense burner until the cone has already burned down a bit. Sometimes the cones don't burn well and produce little smoke or will simply go out.
Cannabis: Green. Scent of benzoin and mint on the cone. Just the basic woody/herbal aroma when burned.
Cinnamon: Pale orange-brown. Hint of cinnamon, coconut and bees wax on the cone. Just the basic woody/herbal aroma when burned.
Dark Musk: Green. Hint of toilet-cleaner pine on the cone. Suggestion of mild camphor wood when burned.
Jasmine: Green. Small cones - only 15. Jammy fruit aroma on the cone - hint of tangerine and jelly mint. Most fragrant of the cones so far when burned, with a decent memory of the jammy fruit and tangerine, and a hint of a flowery aroma that could point toward jasmine. Best so far.
Lavender: Purple. Chemical notes on the cone - perhaps pine toilet cleaner, just slightly sweeter, with a suggestion of lavender scent. Fairly neutral aroma when burned.
Lily: Sand. Mint and furniture polish on the cone. Fairly mild aroma when burned - quite warm, with sandalwood at the base, and some flowery top notes.
Opium: Earthenware. Small cones - only 15. Cherry and benzion on the cone. Pleasant musky tones when burned. Sweet vanilla top notes. As with the Jasmine - which are also small - these are the better quality. These were either made by a different supplier to the larger ones, or using a different method, or different ingredients. Though smaller and fewer, they are preferable. Unknown if purchasing again the same cones would be delivered. Interesting that these two also have a different style of burning disc to the others.
Patchouli: Earthenware. Benzoin and faint patchouli oil on the cone. Scorching bees wax polish or table top varnish when burning.
Rose: Dusky pink. Synthetic rose scent on cone. Not much of the perfume when burning.
Sea Breeze: Green. Benzoin and pine scent on cone. mainly neutral perfume when burned, though with a hint of pine.
Strawberry: Dusky pink. Bees wax and honey aroma on the cone. Some bees wax when burned.
Vanilla: Dusty yellow brown like flower pollen. Furniture polish with vanilla top notes on the cone. Furniture polish underlaid with musk when burned.
White Musk: Pale browny sand. Medicinal and chemical and like industrial strength toiler cleaner smell on the cone - perhaps a suggestion of musk deep in background. Singed hair aroma when burned - not as unpleasant as it sounds - fairly neutral in fact, given that, as with the others, the predominant aroma is the woody/herbal combustible material.
[Added 2024]: These cones are made by Balarama of Thailand, who are quite possibly also the source for Kuumba incense.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment: