Incense in The Wind: Sifcon 100 Incense Sticks With Holder Cinnamon Cedarwood

Fourth review - scroll down for earlier

This is the same pack I bought in 2017, over six years ago, so is not fresh; however, it does still have a delightful woody aroma flavoured with spice. The aroma, though, is quite mild, so I am burning two at once to help put body to the fragrance. Oh, I do like this fragrance - it works for me: it's woody and Christmassy. It has, though, lost something over the years. Perfumed incense doesn't keep as long or as well as masala incense, so it's not a surprise that it isn't having the same impact on me as it did when fresh six years ago. This will now be moved out into the outhouse to keep the cats warm, and I'll have a hunt to see if anyone else does a cinnamon and cedarwood style incense.

Date: Nov 2023 Score: 28 (Average of the four reviews: 35)

Third review

Sometimes what I fancy is some woody, serious incense. Something a bit dark and sombre, outdoorsy, a little masculine. Cedarwood is the sort of thing. I've burned a few One Aromatics Cedarwood recently, and find I quite like them when a sombre, woodsy sort of scent is called for. I was burning one recently, and recalled a couple of other cedarwood incense I had, and dug them out. One is Sifcon Cinnamon Cedarwood, which is remarkably similar, though in our household we felt the Sifcon to be the more woodsy. However, the girls preferred the One Aromatics as it was more smoky and friendly. We also compared the Nippon Morning Star Cedarwood, something I hadn't been that kind to when I first reviewed it, and found it to be a remarkably pleasant scent, if not exactly cedarwood or even that woodsy - there is wood present, but there's also oranges and tea, and seaweed and jasmine. I am more inclined to the Morning Star than on previous visits, but not necessarily as a cedarwood scent. All in all I'm moving One Aromatics Cedarwood up out of the top end of the Everyday Incense group to just nudge into our Decent Stuff group. And, to be fair, moving this Sifcon Cinnamon Cedarwood slightly down. I still like it, but comparing it with other cedarwoods, I think I've been a little overgenerous in the past.

Date: June 2018 Score: 33

Second review

I've been burning this a fair bit over Christmas. To be fair it's more wood than cinnamon, but whatever it is, it's a divine woody scent. Sexy and warm and calming. It creates a soothing and sensual atmosphere. And it's very divine. It is heavenly. And such great value. Score pushed up.

Date: Jan 2018 Score: 40

First review

The full name is 100 Incense Sticks With Holder Cinnamon Cedarwood.

I've been burning some interesting but challenging incense recently, so it's good to review something fairly straightforward. I have been pleased to see incense becoming more and more accepted as an alternative room freshener to sprays and assorted plug-in and other gadgets. While not all the everyday incense that is available is strictly pure and natural, being sometimes partly composed of synthetic odours and scents, it is still a lot closer to nature, and to the ways we have enhanced our homes with fragrant aromas for thousands of years, than the chemicals sold to be plugged into the electric sockets in our houses. And sometimes, even cheap everyday incense IS purely natural. While the main supermarkets have yet to introduce incense to their shelves, some of the budget stores (such as Poundland with their Coley & Gill range) and various corner shops and hardware stores, are now selling cheap everyday incense on a regular basis. Sifcon International are one of the companies who are driving this, with a range of appealing incenses. This current range I spotted in my local budget hardware shop in Woolston is typical of what Poundland offer - a lot of sticks and an attractive wooden burner for a rock bottom price - in this case £1.49.

New selection of incense at my local store Beamans

The sticks are hand rolled with a sandalwood based masala and then dipped in an attractive perfume giving deep and rich woody tones - a blend of sandalwood and cedarwood, and then given extra warmth with a hint of cinnamon. It's actually really, really good. This is probably one of the best value incense I have come across. The scent is not just better than the stuff at the top end of my everyday incense, it is firmly into the decent (though sometimes challenging) incense I have listed at the bottom of my heavenly category. And you get a 100 sticks, and a nice looking wooden burner, for a penny less than £1.50. That's crazy! OK, this isn't a complex scent - it's not doing anything remarkable, and it's not creating an authentic mood, but it is damned attractive, and it's doing exactly what I want it to, when I want it to. I don't have to work at it, or worry about it. I can just light a few sticks, spread them around the house, and I have a warm, woody slightly spicy scent throughout my home, making me feel good, and keeping away flying insects. Job done. Nice one.

Date: July 2017 Score: 37

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