HEM Good Health

 

Machine-made perfumed-charcoal. Volatile chemical aroma - a sharp, synthetic, perfumed fabric conditioner scent. Quite attractive. Leafy florals - mostly middle notes, softly supported by faint base notes. Top notes are mostly just sharp prickles. Difficult to pick out a specific scent - sort of winter wood florals. 

Black smoke when lit. A scorched smell initially - a bit like soot, touch of rubber. Not great. Then the scent comes through. Quite thin and old, somewhat warm, like an old wool jumper, some ancient dried sweat. Earth. Mushrooms. Not great. I'm getting more off-notes than the intended scent (at least I presume the ugly smells I'm getting are not intended!). I don't like this.  

Date: Feb 2025    Score:  16

***

HEM Corporation

Vijayshree "Golden Nag" Forest

 

I had the "Golden Nag" Forest cones last year, and didn't think much of them. But, on the whole, I like Vijayshree. They appear to be making perfumed-masala sticks and perfumed cones with an eye on the Western market. There's a sort of perfumed Nag Champa feel about much of their sticks. Decent, though too familiar to be that interesting; however, they make decent value-for-money everyday incense, with certain scents being very attractive.  

The scent on the stick of this Forest, is pleasant. It's perfumed, quite volatile - projecting into the room with an icy touch, and quite heady. I've had the sticks near to me on the desk for a while, and I can feel the impact in my nose, eyes, and mouth.  The scent is floral, with a light touch of sandalwood base notes, and some soapy middle notes bringing the florals and the sandalwood together. It's in the area of Nag Champa, and that is presumably why "Nag" is in the name. I find the soapy notes to be a little too intrusive. 

 The scent on the burn is soft and pleasant, and quite well balanced between the floral top notes and the woody base notes. It's less soapy on the burn, and there's a few citric notes to make it fresh and appealing. There's nothing particularly distinctive about the scent, but it is attractive and it gently informs the room. 

Date: March 2024    Score: 33

***

Vijayshree Fragrance

Reviewed on Rauchfahne

Original Crottendorfer Weihnachtlicher Weihrauch (Christmas Frankincense)

 

Because of the history of German incense (Knox incense dates back to 1865 - older than any incense company outside of Japan), I would like to enjoy them more than I do. German cones are made using traditional methods, older than that of the Indian masala method; and the fragrance is locked inside the cones, unlike perfume-dipped cones. But my experience so far is that when burned I am so distracted by the smell of the smouldering combustible material that I can't appreciate (or sometimes even detect)  the fragrance aroma.  

The Crottendorfer website says: "Fine, exquisite balsamic incense unfolds its peaceful and imaginative effect in this smoking experience. Rounded off with vanilla pods and a mysterious undertone - the typical Erzgebirge Christmas scent that many people still know from their childhood ... 'When the rascal man calls' "

I am hopeful for this Christmas Frankincense. The scent on the cone is delightful. Sweet, playful, and uplifting frankincense. Quite light - musky, yes, but also floral and fruity, with a distinct sense of coconut. 

After lighting, I moved the incense from my desk to the back of the table behind me, and the scent as it wafted past was really delightful. I caught all of the scents I'd noted on the cone, and none of the combustible material which I find normally intrudes. It burned gently and pleasantly behind me. I suspect that because the scent in this cone is composed mainly of base notes, that they manage to exert themselves over the smell of the combustible material so that I don't notice it so much. Scent appreciation or detection is personal - scent is the most personal and emotional of all the senses (though it can be influenced by guidance or suggestion); so my experiences with any incense are going to be my personal experiences, formed by my history, experience, mood, knowledge,  prejudice, etc. My focus on smouldering paper with wood based incense is personal, and it is possible that someone else will not pick up those scents at all. My positive response to musky sweet base notes is personal, and it may be that when I pick up those musky sweet notes here, masking the smouldering paper smell, that I will be alone in that response. Anyway, I like these Christmas Frankincense cones. They are kind of churchy, warm, comforting, and - yes- redolent with an association of Christmas. 

Date: Feb 2025    Score: 32

***

Original Crottendorfer cones

Frankincense

Original Crottendorfer Winter-Orange

 

Mild scent on the cone. It appears to me that Crottendorfer, same as Knox, use a traditional incense method of mixing the fragrance with the paste before it is shaped and left to dry. Knox have been using this method since 1865, apparently based on a popularity in Germany at the time for burning such incense, so the method may be older. Certainly German incense cones appear to pre-date both the masala and the perfumed stick methods in India, which date from around 1900 in Mysore (the perfumed stick may have come later). And also earlier than the claim made by an author who says that cones were  introduced to the world by the Japanese at the World's Columbian Exposition (or Chicago World's Fair) in 1893.

Essentially, a cone is a form of dhoop, though shaped differently. Combustible material (charcoal, wood powder) is mixed with binders (honey or joss powder or, in the case of Crottendorfer, potato starch) and fragrant ingredients, and perhaps fixatives and sacrificials, to make a paste which is then moulded, or extruded, or rolled into the finished form. The fragrance is locked inside. German cones have an unlimited shelf life, provided they are kept dry, because of this traditional incense method. German cones are in effect an older, more traditional, and better quality incense method than the majority of Indian incense sticks and cones, which tend to be perfumed, and often use the chemical DEP rather than natural and traditional ingredients. 

There is a mild cool scent on the cone - it's kind of like a fresh breeze in winter, flavoured with orange. It's likeable. Not heavenly or fantastic, but certainly, fresh, clean, delicate, and likeable.  

I struggle with the scent on the burn. Indeed, I struggle with all aspects of the burn. There's barely any smoke. There's a light scent which is somewhat masked by off-notes of burning combustibles. And the burn is soon over. I've built myself up to be positive about this piddly little cone. That it is natural. That it is traditional. That it is cultural. That it has a long history. But the truth is I simply do not get on with it. It smoulders ineffectively and miserably in front of me. And I stare at it in dismay. It looks like shit. There's no joy or pleasure or happiness looking at that filthy little ember smouldering away pathetically.

   

This is the German incense cultural heritage: a smouldering piece of dried up potato starch slowly oozing a smell of burnt potato and garden waste. I want this to be great. Or, at least, interesting. Something I could get behind and support to create a resurgence of interest in German incense. There is some potential in the scent (well, minor potential, but there's hope), but the scent - for me - is not allowed to be noticed during the burn because of the ugly aroma of the combustibles and the binder. 

Sad. But I'll put it aside and try again in a month or two. 

Date: Feb 2025    Score: 12

***

Original Crottendorfer cones

Satya (BNG) Sandalwood Cones

 

I'm not a fan of cones when it comes to the scent side of things. They burn quickly, they burn a little hot, a little flat, and - for me (and I think others who are really into their incense) - they are just not as good as sticks. However, they do have certain advantages. They are neat, tidy, convenient, and they give a quick, short hit of smoke and scent that is useful for rapidly masking unwanted smells, such as in the kitchen or toilet. We use them in the toilet. When we buy cones, we are buying them for the toilet. Having said that, there are some cones which I have really, really enjoyed - such as Parimal Yatra Cones, but I have liked the Parimal Yatra Sticks slightly more. These cones are made by Balkrishna Setty of Satya, who continues to produce Satya incense in Bangalore, using the masala/flora method taught to him by his father, K.N. Satyam Setty.  We don't associate the masala method with cones. Though it is a similar method to making traditional dhoops. We generally associate cones these days with perfumed incense. Indeed, much incense manufacture in India these days is perfumed in one way or another. A quick crude way of thinking of the difference is that with a masala incense the fragrant ingredients are folded into the paste as it is being made. This protects the fragrance from fading. The German cone makers Knox and Crottendorfer appear to be using this method, and they claim that the scent in their cones will last indefinitely if kept dry. While with perfumed incense, the fragrance is added to the outside - either by dipping  the stick or cone in a perfumed solution, or by spraying or pouring the solution over the incense. Much "masala" incense these days is actually perfumed. I tend to call it "perfumed masala". It looks like a masala stick, and may even use some masala methods in the production, but the bulk of the scent is applied to the finished stick. As a rough guide, if there is a strong scent on the stick or cone, the chances are very high that a perfume solution has been applied externally. With some masala sticks which are coated in a fine wood powder (traditionally called melnoorva, though increasingly these days called masala powder), the wood powder might be fragranced before application. And that fragrance is just intended to make the sticks smell nice before being burned. In pretty much the way candle makers have a "cool throw" - a scent on the candle that browsing customers notice, and so will be compelled to buy, and a "warm throw" - the scent when the candle is burned, which is deeply satisfying, and so encourages customers to repeat order.  Anyway, all that is to say that I think this is a perfumed cone. 

The scent on the cone is more like a pine toilet cleaner than sandalwood. It's not encouraging.  There is an attractive twin column of smoke. And that is another one of the things I like about cones - the way the smoke is so concentrated that it produces an attractive amount of smoke, and that as it burns it shifts from a single column to a twin column - the columns sometimes mirroring each other, and sometimes swirling and twirling independently. While I'm not impressed with the burn scent, it is way better than the scent on the cone (which is usually what I find  - don't judge a book by its cover, don't judge an incense by its cool scent). It's a little ashy and like smouldering paper and garden waste, but there is some warm sandalwood in there. Not much, but it's there. 

I've had three other Satya sandalwood incenses - Natural Sandal, perfumed-masala sticks from Bangalore, which didn't impress;  Sandalwood,  perfumed-masala sticks from Mumbai, which also didn't impress, but on repeat burning I liked it a bit more; and Super Sandal, from Mumbai, which I've bought and burned several times, and enjoyed if they are made from 2017 onwards - earlier cones (with the old style logo) are not good.  So, I would say in the battle of the brothers as to who makes the better sandalwood incense cones, I'll give it to Nagraj and his Mumbai cones. This Bangalore cone is not appreciated in the house. Too smoky and too much like smouldering paper. 

Date: Sept 2020  Score: 18

***

Satya (Shrinivas Sugandhalaya)

Sandalwood

Original Crottendorfer cones

 

Crottendorfer are a German incense-cone manufacturer based in Crottendorf since 1936.  They make cones and German-smokers in the same style as Knox, though they are not as long established nor as successful. They use charcoal and sandalwood for the cones, and potato starch as a binder. Interesting. That may have something to do with the origin of Crottendorfer as a small scale kitchen production. 

Reviews

   

Crottendorfer Christmas Frankincense

Feb 2025 - Score: 32

   

Crottendorfer Wintertraum (Winter Dream)

Feb 2025 - Score: 22

Original Crottendorfer Winter-Orange
Feb 2025 - Score: 12

Reviews: 3
Top score: 32

Bottom score: 12

Average: 

***

The Best Incense Makers

Incense Around the World

Original Crottendorfer Wintertraum (Winter Dream)

 

Crottendorfer are a German incense-cone manufacturer based in Crottendorf since 1936.  They make cones and German-smokers in the same style as Knox, though they are not as long established nor as successful. They use charcoal and sandalwood for the cones, and potato starch as a binder. Interesting. That may have something to do with the origin of Crottendorfer as a small scale kitchen production. 

The Wintertraum cones are coloured blue. There is a faint seaweed smell on the cone. Curiously there is no inner bag to keep the cones fresh. Knox claim on their boxes that the scent will remain fresh indefinitely provided the cones are kept dry. Crottendorfer must use a similar production method. They certainty look similar. And they don't project much aroma when cool. There is a refined sweet gentle note - the seaweed is there, but also a gentle sweetness, almost honey, some very faint pine, and something flowery. But everything is small, and almost illusionary. 

I've burned a few cones now (they burn quickly - not much more than five minutes), and there is - for me - mostly a smouldering paper smell, which I tend to get from wood based incenses. Wood based incenses that have some fragrant oils. For me, the fragrant oils don't make as much of an impression as the smouldering wood. Now, I'm aware that these and the Knox cones are very popular in Germany. I'm also aware that Chinese and Japanese incenses, which are also wood based, are also very popular, and the Japanese incenses are highly regarded. Also, Nathan Upchurch reviewed an incense made by Knox for Rammstein, and wasn't appalled by it. Perhaps I'm missing something. Perhaps I'm noticing the smouldering wood too much, and missing what else is happening. Because I am somewhat overwhelmed by that smouldering wood, I can't pick up on the  "Winter Dream" scent. The Crottendorfer website says "Wrapped in blankets, enjoy the winter light in front of the snow-covered window. Add to that the Winter Dream incense scent, which will gently surround you with its creamy, sweet and soft notes." Which is quite lovely, but doesn't give much indication of what the scent is. other than the vague "creamy, sweet and soft notes". (Though, to be fair, that's often the sort of description I give of an incense scent!). And then,  quite late in the evening after we've eaten and chatted and relaxed, I light a fourth cone before bed while I finish up some emails. At the tip of cone I get a sort of icing sugar on a spiced cake scent. Quite attractive. It's there briefly and sweetly, before, as the heat gets to the thicker part of the cone, the smouldering wood smell starts to assert itself. There are moments when the two accords are fighting for supremacy - one moment there's the icing sugar, the next it's the smouldering wood. But I do see the possibility and the potential. And I can see how I have simply latched on to the wood smell and allowed that to dominate my thinking and my response. There is a nice scent here. I don't think it's a great scent, I don't think this is a good incense. It produces little smoke (and for me, incense needs smoke, otherwise I might as well sprinkle essential oils around the room), it produces little scent, it's over very quickly, and it has a smouldering paper/wood smell which intrudes. But there is a not unpleasant scent in this cone which cannot be dismissed. (Well, it can be dismissed, but I'm just trying very hard to see why millions of Germans would want to buy these cones rather than something decent from India). So, on the whole not great, but not entirely dismal. 

Date: Feb 2025   Score: 22 

***

Original Crottendorfer cones

Reviewed on Rauchfahne

(Natural Incense Company) Fiore D’Oriente Yoga Prana

 

A two stick sample sent to me by Irene of German incense blog Rauchfahne. The Natural Incense Company was founded in 2011 in a village just outside Mandya, in Old Mysore, Southern India. They produce traditional masala incense for private label companies. These sticks were made for the Italian organic products importer, Fiore D'Oriente in their Yoga range. 

    

Prana is a term used in yoga

I'd been interested in exploring the Natural Incense Company / Fiore D'Oriente since burning Fiore D'Oriente Angels Gabriel in 2015; but I was put off by the price, and there are plenty of other incenses to explore at more acceptable prices. So when I noticed that Irene had sent me these, I was very pleased. I did some research on the Natural Incense Company and watched a couple of videos of their staff making incense, plus read their description of how they make incense in the traditional masala way of mixing fragrant ingredients in a charcoal paste, allowing the paste to sit and mature for two weeks, before rolling out by hand, and covering the paste in a melnoorva wood powder. Sounds in line with my understanding of how proper masala incense is made. However, my experience in burning the sticks has not been positive. I have saved some of the sticks to try again in case it's just the atmosphere today, or perhaps my mood. But I have found the scents on the burn to be fairly dry and prickly, as well as somewhat simple and limited. I have read Irene's reviews, and we seem to share the view that these sticks are dry and prickly ("tart" is her word), though on the whole she's favourable about the brand. But, after my recent experiences, I'm a little hesitant to get into this Prana, especially as the Natural Incense Company use halmaddi, which tends to irritate me. I thought I'd got used to it, but NIC use a lot of halmaddi, rather like The Mother's, so my eyes, nose, lips, and throat got very irritated after a session burning NIC. I've taken a couple of days off. I'm going to be careful, and burn the stick in the outhouse, then go out a few times for short periods just to pick up the fragrance. 

The scent on the stick is sandalwood and some darker or redder woods. Some mild florals. Just sitting on my desk it manages to gently inform the room. I also get a mild allergic reaction just from the stick. I don't know if this genuine reaction to the halmaddi (or some other ingredient in the stick - always remember that just because something is natural doesn't mean it's safe - go eat some natural death cap mushrooms and see how you feel!) or it is suggestive because my body knows there is halmaddi in there, and is already reacting as a warning. 

Yeah, it kinda works having it burn in the outhouse. I pop out there and get a woody, fruity, floral scent. Some sense of violets. Nice. Not wonderful, but yeah, an OK masala incense type of scent. 

Date: Feb 2025   Score: 28

***

Natural Incense Company

Reviewed on Rauchfahne

(Natural Incense Company) Fiore D’Orente Marco Polo’s Treasures Kampuram

 

A two stick sample sent to me by Irene of German incense blog Rauchfahne. The Natural Incense Company was founded in 2011 in a village just outside Mandya, in Old Mysore, Southern India. They produce traditional masala incense for private label companies. These sticks were made for the Italian organic products importer, Fiore d'Oriente in their Marco Polo's Treasures range. 

Beautiful box

The stick is based around Cinnamomum camphora, also known as Camphora_officinarum, and commonly as the camphor tree, from which we get the fragrant substance camphor, which has many uses, including as a perfume or incense ingredient. 

Ooh, quite minty and camphory on the stick. It's a bit like Vicks VapoRub. It's interesting and likeable, but not hugely. I suppose it depends on how much you get pleasure from smelling Vicks. I like it, but in small doses, and it's not really something I want by itself in an incense. Blend it with something else, yeah; but on its own - mmm, probably not. 

The burn is not attractive. It's quite dry and prickly. There are burning notes which once I have picked them up I can't shift them. It's like a combination of burnt frankincense, burnt toast, scorching paper, and singed hair. I think something has gone wrong here, this is too ugly to be what was  intended.  I lit the second stick, put it in the outhouse where the air is fresh, and went back out after ten minutes to be faced with the same burning wood smell. Not quite as ugly as the first stick, but that's only because I didn't subject myself to it for as long. I don't get on with this Kampuram at all. 

Date: Feb 2025   Score: 15

***

Natural Incense Company

Reviewed on Rauchfahne

(Natural Incense Company) Mani Bhadra Yogi & Yogini Lotus 1000 Flowers

 

A two stick sample of Natural Incense Company's Lotus incense sent to me by Irene of German incense blog Rauchfahne. The Natural Incense Company was founded in 2011 in a village just outside Mandya, in Old Mysore, Southern India. They produce traditional masala incense for private label companies - their best known customer is the Italian organic products importer, Fiore d'Oriente. The customer for these Lotus scented sticks is the Dutch importer Mani Bhadra - Phoenix Importer who sell the incense under the Yogi & Yogini brand name. 

I don't generally consider floral scents to be my thing, but the lotus scent is something that does seem to appeal. Curiously, the lotus scent in perfumes and incense doesn't generally come from the lotus plant but from other plants, such as hyacinth, which have similar scents, or simply from chemical formulations. The organic compound 1,4-Dimethoxybenzene (sweet floral scent) is the primary constituent in the lotus plant that produces the characteristic lotus scent, and that would be used in most lotus perfumes and incenses. The Natural Incense Company pride themselves on using natural scents, so my assumption is that they are using a blend of other natural floral scents, such as the hyacinth. 

The scent on the stick is a little muddled - white chocolate, licorice, damp clothes, rubber, some frankincense, some benzoin, candy sugar, some florals, and a vague fresh green garden. I wouldn't say that the range of scents holds together well. It is more interesting than attractive, though it is not ugly or offensive. 

The scent on the burn is quite vanilla focused, underpinned by smoky woods and a suggestion of burnt frankincense and sweet licorice. The vanilla sweetness morphs into honey, and at times I pick up both vanilla and honey, while at other times it's just one or the other. This is a pleasant and likeable incense; it's not as floral as I expected, and I'm not getting much in the way of what I normally associate with lotus, but I still like the incense. 

After burning the stick, I went into the next room, which had a delicate, bright, lotus scent. It seems this incense works best at a distance. 

Date: Feb 2025   Score: 30

***

Natural Incense Company

Reviewed on Rauchfahne

Natural Incense Company

 

The Natural Incense Company was founded in 2011 in a village just outside Mandya, in Old Mysore, Southern India. They produce traditional masala incense for private label companies - their best known customer is the Italian organic products importer, Fiore d'Oriente. Another known customer is the Dutch importer Mani Bhadra - Phoenix Importer who sell the incense under the Yogi & Yogini brand name.

The relationship between NIC and F d'O is unclear.  I've just read this  "In 1988, Fiore d’Oriente was founded in partnership with a group of families in India to produce the best incense and provide customers with a pure and all-natural product. By now, this incense even has an Ecocert certification."  That makes it sound as though F d'O and NIC are in partnership, rather than F d'O just being a customer. 

Reviews

Fiore D'Oriente Angels Gabriel (M)
Mar 2017 - Score: 38↓ 

Mani Bhadra Yogi & Yogini 

Namaste Nag Champa (M)

Feb 2025 - Score: 34

Mani Bhadra Yogi & Yogini
Lotus 1000 Flowers (M)

Feb 2025 - Score: 30

   

Fiore D’Oriente Yoga Prana (M)
Feb 2025 - Score: 18

   

Fiore D’Orente Kampuram (M)
Feb 2025 - Score: 15

Reviews: 5

Top score: 38

Bottom score: 15

Average: 27

Conclusion: I'd been curious about F d'O since trying Angels Gabriel in 2015, but was put off exploring further by the price. I've now learned that the incense is made by NIC, and that NIC does focus on traditional methods and ingredients. However, for me, the resulting incense is too dry and unexciting, and contains too much halmaddi resin. I am one of those individuals who is sensitive to the terpenes in the resin. I'll not be hunting any more D d'O (or NIC, unless they don't use as much halmaddi for other clients), and am even hesitant about the idea of trying any free samples. 

***

The Best Incense Makers

Own brand / Private label

(Natural Incense Company) Mani Bhadra Yogi & Yogini Namaste Nag Champa

 

A two stick sample of Natural Incense Company's Nag Champa sent to me by Irene of German incense blog Rauchfahne. The Natural Incense Company was founded in 2011 in a village just outside Mandya, in Old Mysore, Southern India. They produce traditional masala incense for private label companies - their best known customer is the Italian organic products importer, Fiore d'Oriente. The customer for these Nag Champa scented sticks is the Dutch importer Mani Bhadra - Phoenix Importer who sell the incense under the Yogi & Yogini brand name. 

Nag Champa is almost certainly the most famous and successful incense scent. Pretty much every incense maker in India and across the world (with some exceptions, such as Tibet and Japan) will have a Nag Champa in their range. The scent comprises a blend of magnolia champaca and sandalwood, and was possibly created by Satyam Setty, the founder of Satya incense, in the 1960s. It was encountering Satya's Nag Champa back in 2013 in my local incense shop when my regular pack of cheap and cheerful perfumed-charcoal sticks was out of stock, that prompted me to explore the world of incense, and so start this blog. 

The scent on the stick is perfumed, floral, sweet, mildly volatile, though quite gentle. It's an attractive fragrance, though perhaps a little too sweet, and too floral for my personal taste. The scent on the burn is more balanced, as now the slower base notes come in, the sandalwood which balances the sweet florals. Yes, it's a fairly standard Nag Champa. Warm, sexy, attractive. Perhaps a bit dry for my taste, and with some prickles which I tend to associate with halmaddi. This is a likeable, attractive, sultry, and relaxing Nag Champa, but there's nothing special here. It's a standard, tick the box recipe - just the sort of thing you'd expect a decent private label incense company to make for a wholesaler who simply asks for a "Nag Champa".  So, yes, it's nice. But there's nothing here anyone who has experienced a few Nag Champas will find any different or special. 

Date: Feb 2025   Score: 34

***

Natural Incense Company

Reviewed on Rauchfahne

Nag Champa

HEM Good Fortune Incense Cones

  

I reviewed HEM Good Fortune in stick form back in 2019 and really liked it. We bought a mixed pack of HEM cones from Amazon recently because we like to burn cheap and cheerful incense cones in the toilet as a room freshener. We find cones to give a short, intense burst of fragrance, to be neat and tidy to use, and easy to store and use (we empty the cones into a large bowl, and just grab a cone when we need one), so they are ideal as toilet fresheners. Though for more general house fresheners, and just for the pleasure of burning incense I tend to prefer sticks. I'd be interested in doing a cone v stick burn on the same scents to see just what the difference is. I think I like the smoke from a cone more than from a stick, because the scent tends to divide into two columns, which looks really neat.  

I like the scent from this cone. It seems to centre round a musky patchouli. Gently sweet, quite dark, with some green notes, and a few playful but thin florals. Very likeable. I wonder if burning this will bring me more money? Perhaps I'll win the Lottery tonight! 

I've just looked at my review for the sticks, and it's odd. It's like I'm burning a different incense completely! "It's a rather modern floral scent - it hovers around jasmine, but is cleaner, more sophisticated, and more modern that that." But this cone is very focused on musky patchouli. The only florals are faint. It's warm, sexy, and quite traditional. Not clean, floral, and sophisticated! Curious! 

Date: Feb 2025    Score:  33

***

HEM Corporation

Wealth Incense