Dhompatsang Enterprises Peace Incense

Hmm, this is the point at which Indian dhoop becomes Tibetan incense.  I know nothing about Dhompatsang Enterprises, and I can't remember where I got this packet. The company are based in Dharamshala, which is in the north of India, in the state of Himachal Pradesh, which borders Tibet, and is close to the Dalai Lama's home temple, and is the site of the Tibetan government in exile.  There is little to differentiate this from other Tibetan/Himalayan/Nepalese incense. There is a clearly a tradition in this part of the world for making incense in this way. The dhoop style of incense making was developed in India for spiritual and healing reasons long before the joss stick method, and passed to Tibet and China and Japan where it is still the main production method.

I'm not much of a fan of Tibetan incense. I find it a little dry and crude. Quite earthy and spicy, yes, but I like musky, woody, sensual, sweet, floral, etc. I like something a little more fun and exciting, and, basically, a little more pleasant. Tibetan incense can be a little challenging in its direct and strong scents, and that's the case here. The ingredients would be all natural, but they would tend to be herbal based rather than wood or resin, and few, in my experience, make much use or any at all of essential oils, which can lift soften and lift an incense into an evocative fragrance.  So it is sombre and a little boring. The best parts approximate cedarwood and possibly a bit of sandalwood. But, on the whole, there is too much base organic material - it's a bit like smelling someone burning green garden waste. Not the nice wood that creates an evocative scent, but the grass clippings and weeds mixed with some dried leaves.


Date: Sept 2019    Score: 21

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Himalayan incense
Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan

Spiritual/Ritual Incense