I first came upon Berk, a large German own brand incense wholesaler in 2015 when I reviewed their Blue Line Holy Smokes Agarwood, which I found very attractive. I gave them no more thought until Samsa of Rauchfahne suggested in January this year that I try their Holy Smokes Ambrosia (though not the rest of their range). I started a review of the Ambrosia a little while back, but got distracted - I will return to it. Anyway, when buying the Holy Smokes Ambrosia I also got a few more Berks to try, including this Swiss Stone Pine. Samsa has made her own Swiss Stone Pine, which is currently sitting at the top of my Top Drawer World Class incense list. And she has reviewed this version by Berk, which she doesn't regard too highly. I agree. This is not a good incense.
As with most re-sellers, Berk don't reveal who they buy the incense from; though they do say "Great amounts of our incense sticks are produced in an ashram in India. This ashram is situated far away from large cities in the country side.... Because of the earnings the ashram is able to finance a school." They are a successful organisation with many lines of incense, so may commission scents from this ashram rather than simply rebadge.
The packet is a standard small oblong cardboard box, which seems to be the most popular for Western markets, following the style of Satya packets. The design is simple, clean, moderately attractive, unadventurous - the sort of thing a 6th form graphic designer could whip up in minutes on a computer. The contents are 10g with between 10 and 12 sticks with an average burning time of 40-45 minutes. Each stick is 8 inches with 7 inches of hard dry paste inconsistently hand rolled onto a plain bamboo splint and given a light dusting of finishing powder. There is a pleasing coconut aroma on the stick, propelled by a cool menthol volatility. When lit there is a small flame and no obvious black smoke. When the burn gets going the smoke is thin and faint, and the initial aroma is a little dry and harsh, reminding me of incense from Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, who provide incense for Mother's, Cottage, Auroshikha Incense, and others.
I don't get much in the way of pine - it's there, but so is a general aroma of smoke and dust and dried coconut. This is a quiet sort of incense - preferring to keep itself in the background and not make an impression. And then when I do become aware of it, I'm not impressed. There's not a lot to say here. Dry, dull, boring, weak, off-target. Not my thing at all.
As with most re-sellers, Berk don't reveal who they buy the incense from; though they do say "Great amounts of our incense sticks are produced in an ashram in India. This ashram is situated far away from large cities in the country side.... Because of the earnings the ashram is able to finance a school." They are a successful organisation with many lines of incense, so may commission scents from this ashram rather than simply rebadge.
The packet is a standard small oblong cardboard box, which seems to be the most popular for Western markets, following the style of Satya packets. The design is simple, clean, moderately attractive, unadventurous - the sort of thing a 6th form graphic designer could whip up in minutes on a computer. The contents are 10g with between 10 and 12 sticks with an average burning time of 40-45 minutes. Each stick is 8 inches with 7 inches of hard dry paste inconsistently hand rolled onto a plain bamboo splint and given a light dusting of finishing powder. There is a pleasing coconut aroma on the stick, propelled by a cool menthol volatility. When lit there is a small flame and no obvious black smoke. When the burn gets going the smoke is thin and faint, and the initial aroma is a little dry and harsh, reminding me of incense from Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, who provide incense for Mother's, Cottage, Auroshikha Incense, and others.
I don't get much in the way of pine - it's there, but so is a general aroma of smoke and dust and dried coconut. This is a quiet sort of incense - preferring to keep itself in the background and not make an impression. And then when I do become aware of it, I'm not impressed. There's not a lot to say here. Dry, dull, boring, weak, off-target. Not my thing at all.
Date: Oct 2023 Score: 19
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