Baieido Kobunboku Regular - Plum Blossom

  

After reviewing the Shoyeido Magnifiscents Gems/Jewels Sampler recently, I thought it would be interesting to revisit some Japanese incense I'd already reviewed.  I've not yet really warmed to Japanese incense finding it a little dry and sombre, and also somewhat expensive compared to other incenses. I don't dislike it, I generally find it decent quality and worthy, but as yet it hasn't really transported me as some other incenses can and do. 

This is the only Baieido I have burned, and each time I come to it I like it, so Baieido may be a way into Japanese incense, and it may be worth exploring other incense by Baieido.  Having said that, I am not excited or carried away by the sticks. They burn very mild, even three at once struggles to make a real impact, and there is as much a sense of warm indistinct burning as there is of any scent. I have done several burns over the past few days in an attempt to get to grips with the scent, but it largely escapes me. My thoughts drift away, and the scent is gone. There are times when I get a sense of fruit, dark fruit like plum, but I wonder how much that is suggestive because of the name. I don't get much in the way of blossom though. A bit of vanilla now and again. And other vague scents that I can't pin down, though I note in previous reviews that I came up with a range of suggestions. 

All in all I'm left more curious than satisfied. I will explore other Japanese incense, though I'm not yet there. Do I really need to spend £50+ to get a huge box of incense that I may not like?  I'm moving the score down to the point where it ends up for me - a pleasant everyday scent that is too mild and vague for me to want to buy again. 

Date: Feb 2023   Score: 29

I first reviewed these Baleido sticks in 2015. The dry paste method of making the sticks works well, tending to give a softer, more natural, and milder scent than either the masala or perfumed-dipped methods favoured by India. The principle is the same as that used in making paste cones (not perfume-dipped cones), and in making dry dhoops such as Panchavati. Japanese incense is highly favoured among some incense enthusiasts in America - particularly Baleido, which has a dedicated American website.  I think there may be several reasons why Japanese incense is respected: perhaps because the scents are more delicate than the bulk of Indian incense, perhaps because the packaging is so attractive, perhaps because of the Japanese Incense Ceremony, the Way of Incense, which is similar to the tea ceremony.  Whatever, there is a refined and gentle nature to Japanese incense which also appeals to me.  I have a few Japanese sticks I haven't yet rated, and a few more on the way, so I'll be doing more reviews of Japanese incense in the coming weeks. I am marking this one down for now. The scent on the sticks is still plummy, sweet and attractive, but on burning there is, for me, just a little too much basic woody scent. Straight after burning a couple of these Kobunboku Regular I burned a Panchavati, and I loved the Panchavati so much more.

Date:  March 2017   Score: 35

Japense incense tends, on the whole, to be more delicate and refined than incense made in India, And the packaging is also always divine - very delicate and pretty. The downside is that they can be expensive to buy, especially as they tend to be sold in large amounts, and there is a reluctance to spend £20 on an unknown scent. As this is only £3.50, including postage from Baieido Amazon, I was pleased to buy it. Baiedido are an ancient Japanese incense maker, dating back to 1657.

This is absolutely gorgeous. The scent drifts out of the little box with little delights like plum, bubblegum, sandalwood, raspberry soap, pine resin, candyfloss, spearmint - wow, there is such a depth and range of scents, some tantalisingly just out of recognition. When burned, the smoke and scent is soft and subtle - the aroma gently informs the room rather than dominates. That is quite nice, though as it informs the room barely more when burned than it does when simply left on the table out of the box, I find that something of a flaw for me. The burning scent does not appear to have a significant range - this is better in a small room than a medium size or large, unless you wish to burn more than one stick at a time. The sticks are thin and short. They are - as with all Japanese incense I have encountered - an extruded dhoop, that is a binding paste and a masala of fragrant ingredients are mashed together, and then pressed through small holes in the manner of a PlayDough machine, to extrude a thin rod which is cut into short lengths and laid out to dry.

This is a top quality incense, and if the scent were a little stronger when burned, and had a more significant reach, and if it were perhaps a little more defined, I would like it a little more.  I do enjoy the way the scent teases, and prefer that teasing to a brute, overpowering scent, but in general I do like a defined and stable scent which I can recognise and return to.

Date: Dec  2015   Score: 39

Baieido factory 

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