Georg Huber (Jeomra) runs an online incense shop,
Raeucherwelt.de ("Incense World"), specialising in pure frankincense, and since 2022 has been making incense in Germany with an incense machine he ordered from India. I'm excited at what he is doing, and while the results, for me, are a little inconsistent - at their best, such as with
Natur Pur Weihrauch Rose, they are awesome.
This Nag Champa comes from Jeomra's Natur & Duft ("Nature & Fragrance") range, indicating, unlike the Natur Pur range, that the scent accord comes from a blend of natural and synthetic fragrances. Which seems to fit in with what we know about
Satya Nag Champa - I've been having a discussion
about this issue on Reddit. A
mass spectrum analysis of Satya Nag Champa indicates that it is mostly natural, but uses one synthetic aroma - 4-tert-butylcyclohexyl acetate, which is sold under trade names such as Vertenex and Lorysia; so it seems appropriate that Huber is also using a blend of natural and synthetic.
The cold throw scent on the stick is sweet and floral with a tendency to veer toward rose and jasmine, with some cold mineral elements close to talc and chalk, and a hint of
White Musk, with a tickle of vanilla. It's clean and charming, though lacking in the warmth and beauty of the
Nag Champas I mostly like, especially Satya's, which I find adorable on the stick.
The hot throw scent on the burn is more smoky and harsh than I was expecting. This is a stick that I need to place quite a distance away. Given more space and air it becomes more polite and gentle. The wood scent, however, remains too dry for my taste. Tastes differ - I know many folks enjoy the dry quality of
Pondicherry and
Tibetan incense, while I am not fond of them. There is a certain natural feel about the wood notes, though it's the natural feel of dried plants burning - it's just a little too rugged and lacking in sweetness for my taste. There are some top floral notes which I find more cheerful and acceptable than the base wood notes, with sparkles of vanilla which lighten the load, but they are somewhat dwarfed by the severity of the woods.
I've not really engaged with this stick. It's a curiously sombre take on the usually quite sweet and dreamy Nag Champa scent accord. This is less commercial, less accessible, and more serious. There will be people who like it - especially those who enjoy Tibetan and Pondicherry incense, but it's not for me, and I can't see it having a wide commercial appeal. It doesn't feel as though it has been put together to appeal to the masses. And it doesn't feel as though it has been put together to appeal to those who like Nag Champa. It's an individual construct around the idea of Nag Champa, though perhaps deconstruct might be a more appropriate description. If it was more to my taste I would spend more time to unravel the scents, but it has not reached out to me, and indeed at times pushed me away.
The description on the website says: "For Surya Champa, we use the fragrance base typical of all traditional Indian Champa recipes, consisting of Halmaddi resin, honey and sandalwood, and add a blend of the finest, pure essential oils as well as safe fragrance oils to create a heavy, intense and captivating floral scent...Surya Nag Champa is a typical temple fragrance and spreads a meditative yet cheerful atmosphere in your living spaces."
Ingredients: "Balloon Dust, sandalwood from Indonesia, beechwood charcoal from Germany, Halmaddi from India, Joss powder from Vietnam, Loban powder from India, forest honey from Germany, sandalwood essential oil, patchouli essential oil, vanillin, nature-identical oils, perfume".
There is a comma in the translation between "Balloon Dust" and "sandalwood from Indonesia", though I don't think there should be - I think it should read "Balloon dust sandalwood from Indonesia". Balloon dust sandalwood is very fine powder gathered in bags when cutting sandalwood with machine saws. There is also sandalwood oil in the mix, which suggests that the wood dust is not fragrant enough by itself - I assume the sandalwood dust is mainly used as the combustible. It does have an element of Chinese incense about the scent, and they tend to use powdered sandalwood as the main combustible source. I think the bulk of the scent I'm getting is from the wood dust. I think the other fragrance ingredients are less noticeable to me because my olfactory attention has been caught and held by the wood powder aroma.
While this has not been exactly to my taste, I find what Huber is doing fascinating, along the same lines as what Benyamin Shoham is doing with
Seraphim Incense in Israel, and particularly what
Pure Yemen are doing in Yemen - creating modern incense sticks using pure ingredients in countries which do not yet have a tradition or culture of incense sticks. This is exciting, bold, ground-breaking incense making, and they deserve respect and support. Available from
Raeucherwelt.de at €12.90 for 10 sticks.
