Sifcon 20 Fragranced Incense Sticks With Wooden Holder Sandalwood

Second review - scroll down for earlier

I generally like these cheap "Sticks With Holder" packs - they tend to be god value for money, and the incense is nothing fancy, but is generally quite acceptable as a casual everyday burn. I tend to prefer the modern blends, such as Fig & Plum and Vanilla Frost; I'm less fond of the traditional single scents, such as this plain Sandalwood. 

The sticks are 10 inches, with a thin charcoal paste (rock hard) hand-rolled onto crude hand cut bamboo splints, most quite thick. The paste has been covered in a brown finishing powder of tree bark. There is a volatile menthol scent on the paste - quite sweet and minty. On the burn there is a vague woody aroma which could be as much the chunky bamboo splint as any synthetic perfume put in the paste. It's mild and inoffensive, but hardly inspiring.  The burn lasts approx 40 minutes.  It's an acceptable casual everyday perfumed incense. It gives a room some gentle woody warmth.  

The wooden ash catcher is a chunky one, with an attractive burn and polish. Decent quality, without being fancy. 

Date: Nov 2023   Score: 23  (Average score of the two reviews: 26)

First review

I have today just finished reviewing the Sifcon 100 Incense Sticks With Holder packs that I have (all of them excellent value everyday incense), and I'm in my local hardware shop to pick up some craft material for my daughter when I see they have new incense in stock - they have Satya incense, and a new selection from Sifcon. These are only £1 (the 100 stick packs were £1.49), but you only get 20 sticks. Well, I say "only", but that is still a good deal, as you also get a decent quality wooden holder. I assume these are replacing the 100 sticks packs, so if you do see any of the 100 sticks packs around, grab 'em quick, as I expect they'll soon be all gone.

Difficult to accurately describe these. The sticks are of an inconsistent thickness, and appear to be coated with charcoal paste and then sawdust, or perhaps it is both mixed together, or perhaps there is a thin paste of charcoal and then dry fragranced ingredients are rolled onto the paste as with masala incense. It is difficult to tell exactly. But, however the base is done, it appears the whole is finished with a fragrant oil or perfume, which carries the main scent. There are clear volatile scents on the stick.  I shall class this as a perfumed incense.

It's a pleasant and attractive scent, and there is a sense of sandalwood about it, but not clearly defined, and not natural sandalwood. The sticks don't always burn well. The second stick carried far less of the  incense scent, and rather too much of the core material, so the result was at times mainly of burning or scorching wood. These are OK for an everyday incense, and at the price I may well try another one of the scents, but my recommendation here is going to be a little lukewarm compared to my enthusiasm for the 100 sticks packs.


Date: April 2019  Score:  29

***

100 Incense Sticks With Holder

Sifcon International

Sandalwood