Green Tree Tibetan Flowers

 

Second of four Green Tree incense samples that Irene of Rauchfahne sent me. Green Tree are a Dutch distribution company based in Rotterdam who have some own brand masala incense made for them by an Indian private label incense company. The incense is generally good. And the packaging is usually attractive. They are available in the US, Australia, and wherever Wonder Incense distribute. 

  

Attractive packaging

I like Green Tree incense. Whoever they source from are a solid, professional, experienced team. There's nothing fancy or characterful about them, so they are not an incense house to get me excited; but they don't slip up either. They are dependable. And good value. 

There's a generic masala incense fragrance on the stick. Floral and wood. More inclined to the floral. It's sweet, powdery, and perfumed. It's nice. And there was a time when an incense like this would have pleased and interested me way more than it does now. But these days, I've smelled so many incenses like this, that it seems rather pedestrian and boring. And it doesn't help that I don't know who made it. 

It works nicely on the burn. Does everything you expect it to. Nice, clean, flowery, perfumed, moderately heady, but quite gentle and well behaved. There's the florals, there's the soft creamy sandalwood in support, there's the vanilla sweetness. A soft, feminine, pleasant Nag Champa type incense designed to appeal to the mainstream Western market.  I like it. As my Nan used to say: "There's nothing there to offend anyone". But I'm critical of the vibe I'm getting from this. Skill and experience has gone into this, but no passion or creativity. It is a very attractive incense. Take my reviewing cap off, and I'm happy to burn this in the house as bloody decent everyday masala incense. But put my reviewing cap back on, and I kinda feel that what I'm burning is Hear'Say rather than the Sex Pistols or Bob Dylan. 

Date: Jan 2025    Score: 32

***

Green Tree (own label)

Reviewed on Rauchfahne

Green Tree Divine Eye

 

This is the first of four Green Tree incense samples that Irene of Rauchfahne sent me. Green Tree are a Dutch distribution company based in Rotterdam who have some own brand masala incense made for them by an Indian private label incense company. The incense is generally good. And the packaging is usually attractive. 

   

Divine Eye packaging

The scent on the stick is divine. Sweet, sherbet, vanilla, perfumed, floral, joyful, uplifting and feminine. It's a beautiful young woman in a summer dress walking through a field of flowers on a crystal bright sunny day - she is eating a Sherbet Fountain, clouds of sherbet floating around her.  

The scent on the burn is woody, sherbet, floral, vanilla, pleasant, balanced, solid. This is a decent incense. Probably a little too floral and sherbet sweet for my taste; or perhaps just too pretty and well behaved. I'd like there to be something dark and/or dirty to be going on. But it's a solid, appealing, commercial incense - a bit like a girly Nag Champa. I find it attractive and likeable, and quite happy to burn it as an uplifting, sweet, Sunday morning incense, but it's not going to rock my world. Professionally made, solid incense - could be something by Satya, Goloka, or Fair Trade/Incense Collective.  I like this. I've liked all the Green Tree incense I've had. 

Date: Jan 2025    Score: 35 

***

Green Tree (own label)

Reviewed on Rauchfahne

Shoyeido Magnifiscents Emerald

 

Second review - scroll down for earlier

This is a sample sent to me by Irene of Rauchfahne. It's a little dry and smoky and sombre. Scent is kinda neutral and difficult to pin down. I had a look to see what I thought a couple of years ago - it seems I got more out of it then than I am now. I picked up curry, and I see that Irene got curry or fenugreek. I'm getting more warm, wet, cardboard than anything spicy. Some soft wood. Gee, it's hard work. I'm much happier just lighting an incense and letting it free, and pick up scents as they occur, rather trying to tease them out of something so tight-arsed as this. No, this one isn't working for me today. It's not awful - it's just boring. 

Ah, I got the fenugreek about ten minutes after the last stick had burned down! It just caught me like that, and then lingered for a while.... 

Date: Jan 2025   Score: 20 

[Average of two scores: 24]

 

First review

Emerald contains sandalwood, cinnamon, clove. The colour of the stick is a clay green, and the scent is very spicy - rather more spicy than just cinnamon and clove, this smells like chip shop curry. There's also a touch of mint and something floral, hovering between rose and jasmine. It's a curiously pleasant scent. 

The curry aroma remains when the stick is lit up, though there are some intriguing tangerine fruit notes mingled in. Some mild herby nettles, perhaps some marijuana.  It's more of an interesting scent than a pleasing or aesthetic one - however, I tend to like interesting scents. The scent is kind of a warm grey, loose watery brown colour (if you think of scents in colours, as I often do), and is generally neutral - not comforting or uplifting, just sort of there.

Date: Jan 2023    Score:  27 

[Average of two scores: 24]

***

Japanese incense

Shoyeido

Reviewed on Rauchfahne

Shoyeido Magnifiscents Diamond

  

Second review - scroll down for earlier

This is a sample sent to me by Irene of Rauchfahne. The sticks are quite diddy, but burn two at once and they do make an impression. The scent is clean, perfumed, delicate (yet makes a firm impression), floral, and light creamy sandalwood. It is mildly spicy - nutmeg and cinnamon, with some vanilla notes. There's a ongoing scorching paper note, which I tend to find on wood-based sticks, but it's not intrusive and is not unpleasant. It adds an intriguing contrast to the light florals and the vanilla, which becomes a little too cloying as the stick burns. I like this. 

Date: Jan 2025   Score: 30 

First review

Diamond contains sandalwood, frankincense, cinnamon, ginger lily, and patchouli, and represents "Power". The stick is a greyish brown or tan colour, fairly neutral. The scent on the stick is delicate and perfumed - quite sweet (which always attracts me) with an awareness of vanilla and a warm spice more like cumin than cinnamon. I'm not really getting the scent of the named fragrance ingredients. 

Though very thin, on the burn it produces a little more of a dry smoky scent compared to fragrance than I was expecting - I assume this is due to fewer fragrant ingredients in proportion to the binders and burners. The scent on the stick is lovely. The scent on the burn is a little thin and ordinary, with little real awareness of the stated fragrant ingredients. Though small, it does gently inform the room - just warming it up in a subtle, understated manner with that vanilla and cumin/cinnamon.  I think subtle as well as warm and sweetly pleasant are the key words here. Prices are generally around $/£5 to $/£9 for 9g (30 sticks): Sunnyside $5; Amazon £8;  Violey €8.   

Date: Jan 2023    Score: 26 

***

Japanese incense

Reviewed on Rauchfahne

Shoyeido

Shoyeido

 

Shoyeido was established in Japan in 1705, and is one of the oldest incense companies in the world. They have several stores across Japan, and one in America - in Boulder, Colorado. Shoyeido has a good reputation among incense enthusiasts, especially American. 

Reviews

   

Shoyeido Magnifiscents Diamond (P)

Jan 2025 - Score: 30↑

  

Shoyeido Daily Incense
Kin-kaku (Golden Pavilion) (P)
Dec 2023 - Score: 27↓

  

Shoyeido Magnifiscents
Gems/Jewels Sampler (P)
Jan 2023 - Score: 26 

Shoyeido Daily Incense
Haku-un (White Cloud) (D)
Apr 2025 - Score: 26↓

   

Shoyeido Magnifiscents Emerald (P)
Jan 2025): 20↓ [Average: 24]

   

Shoyeido Daigen-Koh (Great Origin) (D)
Jan 2022 - Score: 22↑

Reviews: 6

Top score: 30
Bottom score: 22
Average: 

***

Japanese incense

The Best Incense Makers

Parimal Bakhour Dhoop Sticks

 

This looks just like two of my favourite dhoop sticks - Padmini and BIC Panchavati. Both the Padmini and the Panchavati are hugely popular, and much copied. I'm not sure which one is the oldest. They, and the copies, generally combine rose, jasmine, and lotus with sandalwood, and the packs contain a metal ring to hold the dhoop as it burns. Cool. There are sometimes variations in scent, and this one appears to have some "bakhour" (oudh or agarwood) perfume as a variation. 

The scent on the stick is cool and mild and fairly neutral. Some sandalwood soap, faint male cologne, touch of musk, a bit of wet clay. Scent on the burn is a tad smoky. There an aroma of wood smoke - a little bit of spice, some boiled egg, perhaps some crude, dark sandalwood. It's fairly dry and simple. Mildly attractive, but nothing that's really grabbing me. I have really liked a number of Parimal incenses, but this is not one of them. Ho hum.  

Date: Jan 2025   Score: 25

***

Parimal Mandir

Berk Blue Line Sandalwood Musk

 

A one stick sample of Berk's Blue Line Sandalwood Musk sent to me by Irene of Rauchfahne. Berk say their Blue Line is a "special line", though it's not clear what is meant by "special".  There is a sub-title of "Secret Vision", though this appears to have been dropped on current packs.

Current pack image

I like sandalwood and I like musk. For me, they work great as base scents against which other scents can play. Not sure of the idea of blending them together without a contrasting scent. It might be a bit base heavy and cloying and boring. Or it could be heavy metal heaven.  

Scent on the stick is quite dry and sombre. Little light sprinkles in there. Sort of sweet and soapy.  Sort of vanilla and jasmine. Yeah, nice. As usual, I am finding top notes on the cool stick. I am expecting the heavier, woody, musky notes to come through when the scents are warmed in the burn. 

Scent on the burn is a little spiky and peppery, a little dry, and there's not a great deal of sandalwood or musk. It's kind of savoury and herby, and there's some scorching nylon and/or wool scents - like when the iron is too hot. Some coriander seed. Some cumin. Some nutmeg. It's interesting. But it's not exactly aesthetic. I'm OK with it. It puts me in mind of the incenses that come out of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry -  Auroshika, One Aromatics, Meadows, The Mother's, and Cottage. 

Date: Jan 2025   Score: 24

***

Berk

Reviewed on Rauchfahne

Pushkar incense (sold as "Keep Smiling" / "Mystic Soul") Vrindavan

 

If an Indian incense has Vrinda (or Tulsi) in the name, it will refer to basil. However, though it means "basil forest", Vrindavan does not refer to an abundance of basil, it refers to the holy city of Vrindavan in North India where Krishna spent most of his childhood. As such, an incense maker is free to use their imagination as to how to evoke the image of that connection. A popular name is Vrindavan Flowers to suggest the flowers that Krishna would have walked among and smelled. There is a floral element to these sticks, but they are more about sweet spice - cinnamon and nutmeg, with a touch of orange or neroli, hints of coconut, and some light woods as a base, though the scent on the stick (as is common) is more about the top notes. It's a little sharp and eager, with an icy volatility that is off-putting, but overall quite attractive and interesting, and suggestive of a good burning experience. 

There's black smoke on lighting the stick. Though not conclusive, this is suggestive of heavy use of agarbathi oil /DEP, and that ties in with my prior experience of Pushkar incense as well as low cost incense in the "Flora" style. When I lit up the first stick I left it on my desk after taking the photo. I tend not to do that these days, preferring to burn incense at a little distance from me, but I forgot. Phew! It's very heady, and I needed to move it away quite quickly! 

As is common, the warm scent on the burn is deeper and heavier than that on the stick. The burn scent is more about woods and musks. The florals, orange, and spices could be there, and I might be persuaded of that, but mostly what I am getting are warm base notes. Nothing deep or earthy or sexy or rich. Just a fairly simple and basic warm base. Some herbs eventually come in. But there's not enough going on with this Vrindavan to attract or hold my interest. But there is a general muggy oppressiveness about the smoke, and a little smarting in the eyes and nose. All in all, an OK incense; a little crude and basic, but in a large space, it makes a useful warm room freshener. 

All the Pushkar incense marked as "Mystic Soul" came from Mysticsoul108.co.uk. The packets were £3 for 50g, so very cheap. I also got the cute and colourful hand-painted ash-catcher from the same shop for around £3. Great value for money. The site is currently down for me, but I've put the live link up as it may come back. Here's a WayBack link to Mystic Soul's info on the Pushkar incense sticks: Mystic Soul Incense ("Mystic Soul Incense is sourced from a small family run business from the city of Pushkar in India. The ingredients used in the incense are 100% natural and sourced from all across India but mostly from the state of Gujarat and from around the city of Mysore. The bamboo used to make the incense sticks comes from the state of Kerala. ... Mystic Soul Incense is made by hand in a traditional/authentic way. The ingredients are first boiled to make a paste, then hand rolled onto bamboo sticks, once dried they are sprayed with essential oil before finally being covered in wooden fragrance powder.") That sounds about right, though I suspect there is very little essential oil being used in comparison to fragrance oils (synthetic) and agarbathi oil (DEP). 

Date: Jan 2025   Score: 25

***

Pushkar incense

Cottage Industries Heritage No. 15 Rose

 

I'm not a fan of Cottage incenses - I find them dry, faint, old fashioned, and boring. Miserly might be another word. They lack passion and generosity and fun. And they are not interesting. I'm not a fan of rose as an incense scent - I find it cloying, suffocating, boring, old fashioned, and with negative associations. So a rose scented incense by Cottage is possibly not going to be one I'm going to enjoy....

Scent on the stick is perfumed, modest, pleasant, sweet, fruity, with touches of vanilla, and a hint of pink blushing rose. The scent on the burn is dry, small, smoky, with an awareness of sweet florals and a sharp woody base. It's not really comfortable or attractive, but is moderately acceptable. 

Date:  Jan 2022    Score: 22  

***

Cottage Industries

Best rose incense

Cottage Industries Heritage No. 13 Musk

 

A stick of Cottage Industries Musk from the Cottage Sample Pack sold by the excellent Padma Store.  I like the history and vibe of Cottage Industries, though I have fairly consistently found their incense to be faint and dry and somewhat simple or dull.  This is their Musk, and I tend to like musk both as a body perfume and as an incense ingredient, so I am hopeful I will like this. However, I felt hopeful regarding their Loban as loban (benzoin) is another scent I like, and it seemed to me that was something they couldn't mess up. But they did. Or, rather, it was an experience I didn't enjoy as the benzoin scent was so subtle that the smouldering of the bamboo splint was stronger. Something that I have only noticed on very cheap perfumed-charcoal sticks. Ho hum. 

The appearance is of a perfumed-charcoal stick. This makes sense as the Heritage range is the original range produced by Mirra Alfassa, The Mother, for the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, and the aim was to make simple, low budget everyday incense. And perfumed-charcoal incense is the most popular and cheapest incense in India. To be fair we shouldn't be expecting this incense to be divine. It is intended to be simple and cheap and everyday.  I think the interest is in the story of the ashram rather than in the aesthetics of the fragrance. 

The scent on the stick is mild. Perfumed. Gently sweet. Hints of fudge. Faint floral. Some cool volatility. It is clear that not much fragrance has been used. The scent on the burn is a little sharp, faint, dry, mineral. It's not for me. And I'm not getting musk.

I keep trying, but I don't think Cottage is my sort of incense house, especially the Heritage range. 

Date:  Jan 2022    Score: 20  

***

Cottage Industries

Musk

Cottage Industries Heritage No. 20 Loban

 

I like the history and the simplicity of  Cottage. Cottage Industries is part of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, India.  The history of the Cottage Industries brand is that it was founded in 1949 by Mirra Alfassa, The Mother, to provide the ashram with incense. So the aim was for this to be a modest low cost product for their own use. Surplus was sold to visitors, and by 1973 was being exported. It is sold under the Cottage Industries brand name, though originally and for a while it was under the name of the ashram, Sri Aurobindo. But while I like the history and vibe of Cottage, on the whole I find the scents to be rather simple, dry, sombre, and faint. I moderately like them, though they don't excite me or give me much pleasure. I don't find there's a lot going on, so for me they can be a little boring. Their modern blends are a little more interesting, though I'm not sure they have yet found their incense voice in the modern world. 

Loban in North India refers to benzoin, a tree resin used in incense both as a scent fixative, and as a fragrance ingredient. Generally, in Indian incense, the Sumatra benzoin would be used. It has been popular in India for various purposes, including drying and fragrancing women's hair. Currently, sambrani cups, such as Guru Vandana, are very popular. Sambrani is the South India term for benzoin. I like benzoin/loban - like a number of other tree resins it has sufficient complexities to be enjoyed as a single scent. I am feeling positive that I will enjoy this Cottage Loban. After all, there's little to go wrong. Is there? 

The scent on the stick is a little minty with some awareness of milky vanilla - like a vanilla flavoured warm milk drink. There some dry, natural sponge, white chocolate, perfume - floral, possibly jasmine; it's smooth and gently sweet. It's possibly the calmest, smoothest benzoin I've experienced. It's very nice, well behaved, and clean. 

The scent on the burn is very quiet with modest awareness of benzoin. There is a gentle  awareness of burning, though as this is a charcoal paste, that faint awareness is likely to be only coming from the bamboo stick. And that is not common.  The consensus in the house is that this is faint and smoky. Well, it did go wrong....

Date: Jan 2025    Score: 20 

***

Benzoin / Loban / Sambrani

Cottage Industries

HEM Amber-Sandal

 

I think the trick with HEM perfumed-charcoal incense is not to smell the stick. They generally all have a strong, chemical, pine-disinfectant scent, and don't always give a pointer or expectation of what the fragrance will be like when the stick is lit up. And they may make your eyes bleed. 

This is a mediocre synthetic sandalwood incense. There may be amber in it as well, but I couldn't care less. It's an indifferent fragrance. Not offensive, just a bit meh. 

Date: April 2020   Score:  23

***

HEM Corporation

HEM French Vanilla

 

Everyday perfumed-charcoal room-freshener incense from HEM. Warm, sweet, musky. Smells of vanilla. It's quite nice. No problems. Job done.

Best to avoid the smell on the stick, just light it up and forget about it, and the room will be gently infused with an acceptable vanillin aroma. 

Date: April 2020   Score:  30

***

HEM Corporation

Vanilla

HEM Rain Forest

 

Straightforward machine-extruded perfumed-charcoal room freshener incense. There's no pretence about this. This is an everyday incense using synthetic scents. HEM develop their own scents in-house. They are common, everyday, popular scents. They tend to project, disperse, and sustain well. Some of the scents I like. Some I don't like. Ho hum - it is what it is. For what they do, they do it well, and are one of the leading perfumed-charcoal incense companies in the world (though have been challenged domestically in recent years by newer companies such as Moksh, Zed Black, and Mangaldeep).  I'm not a fan, but they are cheap and cheerful, and some of the scents I have really enjoyed, such as Frankincense Myrrh. They are now producing a perfumed-masala range, which is very decent (though some suspect that HEM are not making the masala incense themselves). 

Anyway, the scent on the stick is very chemical. HEM typically have made little effort over the years to make the cool scent on the stick attractive. I think they concentrate on the warm scent during the burn. Perhaps that saves them money. Or perhaps they just don't care. Anyway, this has the smell of a toilet cleaner. There are a few other incenses which use the "Rain Forest" name, and they tend to be floral, pine, woodsy. It's a fairly common room-freshener scent. It's not a scent that has attracted me in the past, and this one doesn't today. It's a fairly modest scent on the burn - easily missed. Vague distant pine, and a sense of medicinal green. Ho hum. Not my thing. But largely inoffensive. Good for the toilet or the outhouse.  

Date: April 2020   Score:  22

***

HEM Corporation