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.
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
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I had these in my incense cone advert calendar.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it's one of the less offensive but also not good varieties.
https://blog.rauchfahne.de/en/2024/12/25/the-real-incense-cone-advent-calendar/
Oh cool. Well, it's in the bag now, so you have a chance of smelling it again!
DeleteI'm reviewing Winter Orange right now. And I'm looking into the history and method of German cones. They predate Japanese and Indian cones. Indeed, pre-date Indian masala and perfumed sticks. And they are, essentially, better made and with more natural ingredients than most Indian incense. Because, as we know, Indian incense uses DEP, and prefers applying the scent externally rather than, as is traditional (as worked out by monks hundreds of years ago), locking the fragrance into the paste.
I think all of us might be disregarding German cones unfairly and inappropriately.
I think they have flaws. They use wood powder rather than charcoal (though Crottendorfer say they use charcoal as well as wood powder), And the cones are very small. And the scents are not strong. But that's just cultural. Japanese incense uses wood powder, and their scents are not strong. I'm a mad Indian incense freak - I love curry, and I love noise and bright colours, and I love the enthusiasm of Indians, and I love heady incense. So subtle scents such as Japanese and German are not really my thing. But I'm not sure we should be dismissing German cones so easily. I think perhaps there is something here for those who like Japanese style incense.
I might use them to see if I like the scents any better in warm weather.
DeleteI had no idea their history predates Japanese incense.
Japanese cones, but not Japanese incense. As far as I can tell, The earliest cones were made by Knox, though dhoop incense had been around for several hundred years before that.
DeleteThe potato starch factoid is really interesting. I wonder how that's done?
ReplyDeleteIt's used as a binder and thickener in cooking. I use corn starch (generally sold as "corn flour") as a quick and easy thickener. I tend to use it when a sauce is too loose or wet.
DeleteStarch is one of those magic ingredients which allow people to walk on water (as long as they don't stop!)
DeleteWalking on water with corn flour
The truth is that raw, natural ingredients contain only tiny amounts of the active compounds responsible for their scent, while the majority is plant material, which contributes to the smoky, burnt notes.
ReplyDelete