Top Ten Incense Cones

Incense is fragrant material, be it wood, spice, resin, flower petals, etc, that is burned for the scent. It can be burned in its pure form, such as the resins frankincense, amber, and myrrh - which are not combustible, so will usually be burned on charcoal; or herbs such as sage, which are combustible, so are burned directly as smudge sticks. The majority of incense, though, is prepared and mixed by an incense maker who will put fragrant materials together with combustible materials and binding agents in a convenient form such as an incense stick. Another such form is the incense cone - which was introduced to the world by the Japanese at the World's Columbian Exposition (or Chicago World's Fair) in 1893. An incense cone, like the stick, is a blend of combustible material (sawdust or charcoal dust), a binding agent, and the fragrant material. The cones might be made as blanks - such as unscented sawdust, which will then be dipped into a scented solvent as done with perfume-dipped sticks, or they will be made with the fragrant material and blended into a form of paste. Either way, the cone material will be shaped by hand into a cone shape, or manually pressed into a mould, or made by machine.  The cone is a convenient shape, but the incense material can be made into other shapes, such as stars.

There are slight differences in the use of cones and sticks. Sticks tend to last longer, and give off a modest amount of smoke, while cones burn faster, with a more obvious display of smoke. The amount of fragrance depends on the intensity and quality of fragrance used, so a stick may be more scented than a cone, or vice versa. However, while I have encountered modest scents in both stick and cone, I have experienced the most heady aromas on masala sticks.

A German cone burner

An advantage of cones is they are neater to burn, and easier to dispose of the ash afterwards. They take up less space, both in storage, and in the space needed for burning. You can slip a cone onto any book shelf, for example. A disadvantage is that they need to be placed on a heat resistant surface, as they do get very hot. However, there are attractive containers for burning cones, such as the German "smokers". Often there is some metal or clay burner supplied in the box with  the cones. The thick clay burners are very good, but the thin metal burners offer little protection, so be careful where you place them, if you decide to use them. And don't pick them up straight after the cone has burned, because some of them tend to hold the heat for a while.

Top Ten Cones

* = Reviews over 5 years old, so may not be reliable

     

Parimal Yatra Natural Incense Cones (D) 
Oct 2024 - Score: 45↑↑↓

Goloka Chandan Dhoop Cones (D)
July 2016 - Score: 45↓* 

  

Vijayshree Golden Nag Champa Masala Cones (D)
April 2018 - Score: 41↑*

  

Satya Nag Champa Fresh Rose (D)
Dec 2020 - Score: 40↑↑

 

Vijayshree Golden Nag Darshan cones (D)
Jan 2024 - Score: 40

Goloka Patchouli Dhoop Cones (D)
Aug 2020 - Score: 40

GR International Jasmine Cones (P)
April 2018 - Score: 40↑* 

Satya (Mumbai) Super Sandal Dhoop Cones (D)
 April 2018 - Score: 38↓ 

GR International Sandalo (P)
Jan 2024 - Score: 38↓↓↑↑↓

     

Satya (Original) Nag Champa Dhoop Cones (D)
Dec 2021 - Score: 37↑ 

Bubbling Under (needs to be updated)

Green Tree Palo Santo (PM)
April 2021 - Score: 36

Unicorn's Grace
Score: 36

Stamford Midnight Collection 07
Score: 36

GR International 

Opium Incense Cones (P)

Score: 36

Satya Super Hit
Oct 2023 - Score: 34↑↓↑↑↓

SAC (Sandesh) Patchouli 
Perfume-dipped. Score: 34

Stamford Werewolf's Bite (P)
 May 2024 - Score: 30↓

SAC Sandalo Cones
Score: 30

GR Greenapple
Score: 28

Ganesha
Score: 28

Match Incense
Score: 28

Stamford Dragon's Fire (P)
May 2024 - Score: 21↓

***

 Incense Reviews