The Scenter Tree Resin Myrrh

I bought this resin from The Scenter about a year or so ago. I absolutely loved it when I first had it, and burned it quite often, often in raptures. Then it got put away in my drawer and there it stayed as I explored other incense. Well, I got it out again recently, and tried it in my two burners, as well as on some charcoal, and I wasn't impressed. It was hot and smoky, with reduced myrrh fragrance. I just read this advice today on Mermade Magickal Arts on how to burn frankincense in a burner by using foil to slow down the burn so you got more of the fragrance, and less of the smoke. Well, it's true that you get less smoke (I have none at all), and there is a myrrh aroma, but it is very, very slight, and also a little bit damp and mouldy. I like the idea, but perhaps my burners are not quite hot enough to really energise the resin, or maybe the resin really is too old now, and I should give up and wait till some fresh arrives. What intrigues me is that I am still getting a very evocative and yummy aroma from the resin in the bag, but it turns into something a little crude and less pleasant when burned.


Date: July 2017   Score: 25

Myrrh scent test

We compared two myrrh scented masala incenses, the leading masala manufacturer Satya and the legendary cult importer Paul Eagle of the Happy Hari brand, one thin Japanese dhoop by the most popular brand Morning Star, with some resin, which I suspect is not the best quality. 

Unfortunately Paul Eagle's King of Myrrh is not one of his best imports. It has been a while since I last burned any, and I thought that it had dried out because there was so little scent, but in my 2017 review, which I did the year after Paul had given it to me to review, I note that I had the same feeling back then. Perhaps it was a poor batch, or had been poorly stored, and Paul hadn't noticed when he gave it to me. It has an initial fruit aroma, I felt it to be quite orangey. Then some mild sandalwood, and eventually some myrrh-like scents do emerge. This was not placed first or last by the three of us.

The Morning Star Myrrh was liked and disliked - and over the test was sometimes placed first and sometimes placed last. As with Paul's King of Myrrh it was regarded to have few actual myrrh scents, being mostly fruit and woods. Well, myrrh does has fruity and woody components to its scent, which myrrh has, however, generally the fruits are lemony, and the woods a little, well, more musky and sensual. And the combination of the components produce that "churchy" aroma, which we found somewhat lacking in the Morning Star Myrrh.  However, at times it came back in favour as the scents were compared. It can be difficult to be consistent with appreciation of something as elusive and emotionally engaging as scent. 

The Scenter's Tree Resin Myrrh also had a mixed reaction as it burned, but was more consistently the one that was less appreciated yet was the truest to myrrh, having lemony balsamic notes and some of those "churchy" aromas - but it could also be a bit acrid and smoky.  

The one most consistently liked by all three of us, and acknowledged to be the one most appreciated was Satya's Myrrh. Sweet, dreamy, lemony, balsamic, woody, and very evocative of church incense. An assured winner. 

Date: Sept 2021  Score: 25

Myrrh