Curious about Temu, and about local Chinese incense, I randomly ordered a bunch of Chinese incense from supposedly small, local incense makers. Each piece of incense that arrived was individually packed inside the main bag, and each had their own customs sheet showing the name and address of the incense maker. I noted that the majority had the same packaging and logo, albeit different manufacturer names and address. The other thing, in addition to the logo and packaging, that they have in common is that the addresses are in Fujian province in the south-east of China, so I have loosely named them "Fujian Incense". I notice that they are also available from Shein and AliExpress. Indeed, all three platforms appear to sell similar products in a similar manner, and at very low prices. There are questions and concerns about all three platforms - it is unclear if the concerns are valid or politically motivated. I am new to all three platforms, but the products I have received have been decent quality at bargain prices. And the "Fujian Incense" I have burned has been very satisfactory, and is among the most enjoyable and best quality incense I have had from China.
Reviews
 |
| Temu (Fujian Incense) Hainan Agarwood March 2025 - Score: 40 |
 |
| Chen Hua Ya Bai (Thuja) Mar 2025 - Score: 35 |
 |
| Al Cao Xlang (Wormwood) (P) Mar 2025 - Score: 34 |
 |
| Lao Shan Tan Xiang (Old Mountain Sandalwood) Mar 2025 - Score: 27 |
 |
| Old Mountain Sandalwood Mar 2025 - Score: 25 |
Reviews: 5
Top score: 40
Low score: 25
Top score: 40
Low score: 25
Average: 32
Conclusion: A decent company making delicate and attractive Asian incense. The small sticks are a little inconvenient and mild for most uses, but for days when I want something mild or delicate, I could see myself turning to this Chinese company. And they have turned my head regarding Chinese (and Asian incense), so I will be paying more attention in future.
Conclusion: A decent company making delicate and attractive Asian incense. The small sticks are a little inconvenient and mild for most uses, but for days when I want something mild or delicate, I could see myself turning to this Chinese company. And they have turned my head regarding Chinese (and Asian incense), so I will be paying more attention in future.
***
It's a funny coincidence that you started reviewing incense from Temu now because I have a review of a Sandalwood incense bought from AliExpress coming up this week Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteI recognize the Logo from AliExpress and there have been a small handful of posts on r/Incense about them. Most were from people who bought those from brick-and-mortar stores and were looking for a new source, not reviews. But you seem not to be the only one enjoying them.
Whoops, actually it's scheduled for Saturday.
DeleteI had pretty much dismissed Chinese incense, and wasn't going to bother getting any more. But an email from David at Ancient Wisdom in which he was complaining about Temu's business model, piqued my curiosity. I thought I'd look into Temu, and - because the prices are so low - I decided to grab a handful of incense. I really wasn't expecting much. I've had my eyes opened.
ReplyDeleteNow, I don't know if that's because of the incense, or because something in me just clicked, and I was able to truly relax into this style of incense for the first time.
I look forward to your review.
I have popped a few samples of this and other Chinese incense in your box. I've been holding off posting it because there's a few incenses I want to put in there which I haven't got to yet. In particular the very long Egyptian incense. I need a warmer day for the Egyptian incense, so I can have all the doors and windows open!
But the longer I delay, the more samples I'm popping into your box!
For me, it was seeing more and more incense like this appear on Amazon etc. and I was wondering if these are actually resold or drop-shipped stuff from Ali, so I made an account. Occasionally scrolling Ali for incense and incense accessories is pretty eye-opening.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I'm rather critical about AliExpress etc. but there are certain things I feel like you're fooling yourself if you don't buy them there because every other place to buy it likely sources from there anyway.
If you are looking for whatever cheap electronics and usually buy from Amazon, copy the product description and look it up on Ali.
Also stuff like craft supplies, stickers...
Yeah. There was someone a little while ago - last year or the year before - who had just started up an online incense burner shop. They got in touch looking for a promotional deal (offering payment to promote their burners). I said I don't do that, but I tend to mention and link to places where I get my stuff, be it stuff I bought or samples sent me. So they sent me a few free samples. The first few times I used the burners in photos, I mentioned where they came from. But doing a Google image search, I also found the same burners for sale on Shein, but at much lower prices. So I mentioned that as well, just to be fair and honest with everyone - example here.
DeleteYeah, I remember. That's also where you got the upside-down holder from, right?
DeleteI think they also got in touch with Mike.
That's right. I really liked the idea, but sticks smell better when they are burned upright, or better still at a 20% angle.
DeleteThey also got me the Carhartt burner, which I love the look of, but that is also designed to burn sticks upside down. What a shame!
I looks like they are no longer in business.