Always nice to get real info on incense from the makers, it is something of a rare event    Thanks David

Sweet aloeswoods: Tennendo Renzan, Tennendo Kahin-Gold, Baieido Ensei Sweet Aloeswood, Kyukyodo Shiun, Baieido Kun Sho, Baieido Syukohkoku, Shunkohdo Zuika (maybe), Kunmeido Reiryo Koh Aloeswood, Nippon Kodo Jinko Juzan, Shoyeido Sei-fu, Baieido Kunsho Koh (maybe), Gyokushodo Jinko Hoen, Nippon Kodo Kohden Sweet Aloeswood, Nippon Kodo Zuiun, Seijudo Shiragiku
Spicy aloeswoods: Tennendo Kuukai, Tennendo Tensei, Tennendo Johin-Bronze, Baieido Ensei Spicy Aloeswood, Baieido Koh En, Baieido Tokusen Syukohkoku, Gyokushodo Jinko Yomei, Gyokushodo Samei Koh, Nippon Kodo Kohden Spicy Aloeswood, Shoyeido Shun-Yo
Green aloeswoods: Shunkohdo Yoshino No Haru, Kunmeido Heian Koh, Kunmeido Asuka, Shoyeido Ga Ho, Shoyeido Kyojiman, Shoyeido Misho, Shoyeido Horin Gen-roku, Tennendo Shorin (maybe)
Floral aloeswoods: Shunkohdo Haru No Kaori, Kyukyodo Asuza
Spikenard aloeswoods: Shoyeido Nan Kun, Shoyeido Horin Muro-machi, Tennendo Enkuu-Horizon (maybe)
Blends: Baieido Kai Un Koh, Baieido Tokusen Kobunboku, Baieido Kaden Kobunboku, Baieido Tobiume, Shunkohdo Ka Cho Fu Getsu, Tennendo Karafune Yuhin-Silver

Everything about the scent is the ultimate in multi leveled refinement, subtlety, and quality. Even the spices that play a pretty minor roll are obviously of the best quality and used to get the most out of the Kyara. There is a very slight note of clove and cassia and possibly one of the benzoin’s that makes for a stunning, slightly sweet  taste. Also somewhat along the lines of Kunsho’s Cambodian style, but really in a class all by itself.

I do not believe there is any “one best” incense, however,  for sure this is at the absolute top of the pyramid with only a few others and they might change around, to me this one is staying. OK, its time to splurge on another centimeter or two 

I sent Mike a stick so I am hoping he will chime in, if we really get lucky David Oller might have a few words  to offer(please) -Ross

Also, I’ve made the tentative move to Facebook in case anyone wants to connect there (Mike McLatchey). Be warned that I seemed to get an account almost by accident, am not used to checking it a lot and am still a little intimidated by it, but at the same time I’m impressed with its powers of being able to hook me up with old friends.

For installment 3 of the Pure-Incense series, one of two British outlets for the incense made by Haridas Madhavada, we’re going to move away from the current Connoisseur line into the Absolute range for the next several installments, a group of incenses that has already grown by five new scents since I started writing about them. This group roughly covers the champa and Vrindavan scents along with the very similar Magnolia stick and perhaps the commonality among these scents is they’re mostly very sweet florals and among the most accessible of the catalog’s aromas.

It’s worth noting something that really does affect all the incenses in the Pure Incense range, the base of charcoal, vanilla and sandalwood. Unlike many incenses this base is always aromatic enough to be part of every incense’s bouquet and this is no more true than it is in the Absolute line. In the Connoisseur range, the heavier amount of oils often plays this base scent down a little, but it’s very noticeable in the Absolutes, particularly so in a group of incenses like these where the sweetness of the base matches the scent. So it has to be said that vanilla plays a part of all these incenses, some more so than others. This is a tendency that can often be quite strong depending on one’s moods and it really does set apart the Madhavada family incenses from other scents, and perhaps ironically few of these are pure scents of any kind. On the other hand they’re still very very good.

Both Purelands and Pure-Incense have a similar Golden Champa. They’re both masala styles and thus completely different from the Sai Flora clones that show up with the same name. Between the two masalas, this one’s slightly the superior, with a rich, full, sweet blend full of vanilla, honey, spice and a floral oil that’s like a different take on a blooming jasmine or magnolia like aroma. The only thing this incense does share with the Sai Flora clones is the sort of sugary/confectionary-like sweetness at heart, but other than that everything else is different, there’s no power shock here, no soil-like earthiness or coppery overtones. But despite being a mellower stick, it’s still very rich and thus matches the idea of “golden” as being something a little more special. And as an Absolute range incense it’s already topped out on the perfume, so it would seem no connoisseur version is even necessary.

Pure-Incense’s Green Champa mixes up the champa quite a bit, removing the central richness the Golden version exhibits, giving a much drier note that lets the floral oils come to the fore. This is one of those incenses where aromatic fatigue would easily kill the top note, in a cleared out room this is actually a very special incense on top, with a wonderful flowery scent. While a green incenses often hints at evergreen, mint, patchouli, and/or vetivert there aren’t really huge hits here of any of these scents, rather the greenness is almost a result of its individuality rather than any added ingredients. And it leaves the Green Champa slightly diffficult to describe as you’d really have to check a stick out to get an idea of its unique personality.

From gold to green to distinctly red, the Magnolia in this range definitely has some similarities with the other sweet and friendly red scents such as the Vrindavan Champa or Pink Sayli, which makes it fit quite nicely in this group. Those who know the Primo version of this scent will already be roughly familiar with it, but even at the Absolute level this incense is far more deluxe, with a nice redolent magnolia on top. As I mentioned earlier this is one of those incenses where the vanilla is almost equal to the top note, which too makes this an incense close to champa regions as well as having some similarities to jasmine. The fruitiness of the scent also blends in quite nicely with the floral and vanilla elements, leaving this incense quite attractive. And again it’s hard to imagine the benefits of a Connoisseur version except that it might knock out the heavy vanilla a bit. However in this case you might not want that.

The Vrindavan descriptor refers to a town in north India where I believe the creators of all these incenses originates, a town with a rich religious heritage. Thus, unlike many Pure-Incense scents these seem to be variations on themes rather than direct aromatic representations and as such some of the more interesting incenses in this Absolute line. The Vrindavan Champa is a glorious, sweet and rich champa masala with a fruity floral blend not terribly far from the Pink Sayli (as implied above). The sandalwood peaks through quite nicely here and gives the background a nice bit of breadth and depth. I get lots of cherry and strawberry along with the heady champa oil and the type of pleasant tangyness that helps the whole from getting too sweet. Perhaps my appreciation for this is that I’ve already burned through about half of a 50g package of this already.

Vrindavan Flower is totally different and it’s been an incense discussed around here in the comments before. In this case we’re talking about a variation on a similar theme as that of the Purelands Flower, Desert Flower or other masalas that tend less to the rosy and sweet than to a sort of exotic dry and herbal blend. However in this case the incense goes even farther into a much more intense, oil rich blend that has a really heavy lime and citrus scent to it a long with the herbal florals. It has also been pointed out to me on a couple of occasions that it does also have some soapy notes to it, which perhaps leaves me to feel this is an exception to the rule, an incense I like very much even with those sorts of overtones. Indeed this probably won’t be for everyone and its participation on our Indian Hall of Fame is probably on the fence, but it still knocks me out every time, and I do think it’s unlike any other scent even those that roughly fall in the same family.

Vrindavan Leela (also known as Ponds) is an incense I’m fairly confused about. I received a nice sample of this which included a package of three red sticks and instantly fell in love with them, it was yet another group of red floral sticks similar to some of the others I mentioned above, but yet again a different direction. So I was surprised to find out when I ordered a 50g package that I received a completely different scent, one that was colored green and while nice, nothing I’d have been in a hurry to restock. This green stick is more similar to something like the Primo Original Musk blend with some floral topping, it’s much more a generic type of Madhavada stick then the red stick was where the milder ingredients end up letting the base come through a bit too much. Anyway I’m not sure what the change was, if perhaps a mix up was made in the sample (because there wasn’t a mix up with the 50g package given the label), but it’s perhaps the one among these six I can’t immediately recommend. Even after some time and use I haven’t felt this assert its personality.

More Pure-Incense sticks to come, I’m counting at least another 20 we haven’t covered yet…

This particular grouping would fall into what could be considered a more  “modern” style of scents. Most of them are either from the Low or Less Smoke styles. There are a lot more people who are attracted to this now days and it is nice to see more choices being made available to them.

Sandalwood(Saraike) A nice quality Sandalwood, sort of in the middle of the Sandalwood pack. A clean, fresh scent, with a slight touch of sweetness(this will appeal to many). Probably something that beginning incense users will really enjoy as opposed to some of the more classically styles Sandalwood like Baieido or Shunkodoh. I say this because I know a lot of people who consider those too strong. This is something you can light and let drift through the room and not really have to think about it. .It simply delivers a very pleasant aroma and would work well in a retail setting as well as at home. The more I smell this one,  the more attractive it becomes.

Fresh Sandalwood (Kogyokudo) Unlit this has a very strong perfume like scent to it. When burning, and it is a Less Smoke style, the perfume scent drops back somewhat and the Sandalwood element comes up towards the top. The overall impression is something of a light floral perfume mixed into Sandalwood oil with a slightly sharp edge to it. This does not have any of the dreaded (to me) syntactic scent to it, so the perfume aspect comes across cleanly(well there is a certain sexy quality at play here) Overall I would lean towards the one above, but that’s just my preferences.

Orange Osmanthus Fragrant Olive(Shochikudo) Osmanthus is a flowering shrub from China that produces a very strong and beautiful scent, The absolute of the distilled flower is stunningly beautiful as well as stunningly expensive( I got to sample some last weekend, great stuff)  The unlit stick smells pretty much like the oil, which has a fruity ripe apricot scent to it. When burning the scent is still there although the smoke(which is very minimal) does get in the way of it to a degree. I notice that after the stick has finished burning the Osmanthus scent still hangs in the air and adds a pleasant aroma to a room for some time. The Olive note is way in the back round of the overall scent and is a nice pairing for the Osmanthus.

Lavender (Taikado Koho) A Low Smoke style stick that has a really interesting scent. A sort of lavender with a hint of cinnamon/spice. I find this pretty intriguing. It was not what I was expecting at all. When I see lavender in the name I am pretty much expecting something along the lines of, say, Fred Solls or one of the Indians, this is totally different and got my attention. There is a degree of sweetness to it that is very nice. I tried this on some people and their reactions were very similar to mine. A good addition to a collection with a modern approach. Collage students would go for this as it would be a good intro into this style and the smoke level is low.

Scent of Forest (Shorindo) This is a low smoke incense that smells very fresh and clean but not particularly like any forest you would find in most of California(where I am). There is a very slight floral back round to this one and that, plus the overall clean quality of the scent, will make it attractive to many. It is a well made back round kind of aroma that is very modern in style and presentation.

I have noticed of late that many people who are interested in the low smoke type incenses are also not going for the “big wood” classic type scents(think Baieido Aloeswoods) or the mega floral or spice types( NK, Shoyeido and, of course, Indian styles). There is a  trend towards generally softer, somewhat perfumed and identifiable scents(Coffee, Green Tea, India Ink, Musk etc.) that work in more modern settings.

Part 3 should be up in a couple of days.    -Ross

I can’t really order my top ten nor necessarily even contain this list to a top ten this month, I think categorically I’m thinking of things in groups and such, making this sort of a top 8 to 12 kind of thing. There were too many strong contenders this month so this will be formatted a bit differently…

I know when I’m using a lot of daily incense that when I pop in even one stick of something premium that one usually goes right to the top. Indeed I’ve had my Kyukyodo Sho-Ran-Koh box out again now that Japan Incense seems to have some in stock, but it made me realize that comparatively I still have more left with a half box of this incense than most full boxes. Seriously is there any better deal in incense? It’s almost the equivalent of paying up front for four $40 boxes except that you’re also getting one of the best incenses in the market. This is seriously one of the most elegant, mysterious and mercuric concoctions ever to hit a censer, better than many kyara scents twice its price. It’s just a must in every way.

Similarly favorites Tennendo Enkuu and Shoyeido Ga-Ho and Shoyeido Nan-Kun all made runs in the last month and they’re always my favorites while burning. Enkuu’s another one of those aloeswood incenses that’ll make you forget about kyara, it’s just the go-to for those of us who like our woods dry, lacquer-like and changeable. You think of Nan-Kun as an aloeswood, but more and more I think of it as a spikenard incense because for that scent I think it’s the most elegant incense you can by, it’s almost like a spray of humid, musky, sweet air with a rich aloeswood burn lifting it all up into the stratosphere. Ga-Ho’s still one of my personal favorites as it’s like some bizarre green and black exotic flower, again with an aloeswood charriness that etches the surroundings. Both of these are so powerful and glorious that I literally can’t get enough.

The two newest Gyokushodo imports Samei-Koh and Umeshoin are also in heavy rotation although I find it hard to suggest one needs both as they’re so close in many ways. Like the high end Kunmeido incenses everything from Jinko Yomei on up seem to be variations on a theme, with a definitely spice and wood oil mixture that tends to refine itself as the scale and expense increases. Yomei is almost the basic level, somewhat floral, while Samei-Koh seems hotter and spicier and Umeshoin halves the oil content to share with a mellower wood and a cooler greenness. Needless to say my only issue with these is they’re so mellow, I’m often tempted to burn two sticks at once.

I’m still totally bowled over by how great the two Shroff mixes Amir and Shamama Gold are. When I first bought these I went for the 100g batches and all four are subdivided into quarters and I’m through or almost through the first quarter on both batches. The essential oil mixes here are the product of a very clever alchemist, one who has combined a number of very different perfumes to create a scent with different faces. I’m reminded of a pliable surface that surrounds shapes that push outward in variation in constant movement, from a glimpse it all seems to be one object but it’s impossible to capture the whole of it in one description. Often with both of these incenses I’m just amazed all over again as some new facet comes billowing out. There are really no other scents like these and you honestly wish Shroff had a full catalog of charcoals like this as they’re so very good.

Continuing the theme of dry and less accessible woods, I’ve not mentioned it often but I get a lot of mileage out of Minorien Aloeswood, Minorien Kyara, and Minorien Kyara Ryugen. Despite their very natural like scents I think there’s a density here that implies wood oils are part of the formula, but all of these never get too sweet and indeed the straight Aloeswood just has a rough, hoary sort of scent that always stands out of any pack with the Ryugen the most elegant of the three and the regular Kyara having characteristics of both.

I still can’t get enough of the Kunmeido Kyara Ten-Pyo, which overlays confectionary like chocolate and a heavier wood content over the signature Kunmeido green oil, it’s like the best of a bunch of worlds. It occured to me that it has completely supplanted both Asuka and Heian Koh for the month (which probably helped to slow down dwindling stock). Tenpyo is one I put away and then bring out and put away and bring out again, which I haven’t stopped doing since my roll arrived.

I also wanted to fit in here the two Shoyeido Premium Dailies, En Mei and Sei Fu, both of which I burn very frequently, enough that they should be on this list even though I look up and see we’re already talking 13-14. And also in the distinguished runner up category, any of the Mothers Nag Champas all of which give me that piney mattipal dose that I can’t get enough of. And so I better stop while I’m ahead.

What’s you top 10 or 5 or 2 or 1 this month?

Stupa’s a pretty solid mid-range Nepali company, while their incenses are often fairly typical, they have a strength and potency akin to companies like the Dhoop Factory, that is they’re a step up on the lowest tiers. The first of the five Buddha incenses sticks, colored olive-green/brown, is an unusual tangy nepali blend and it’s one I’d have thought asta sughandi might have been part of as it has that almost marshmallow/herbal like scent. I’d also guess the spikenard plays a bit of a part in this one as well, along with the usual sandalwood mix. Of the five sticks here this is probably the most original and unfamiliar blend.

The tan stick is very resinous and even though I don’t see it in the list, I’d suspect part of this made partially from frankincense or some other resin, blended thoroughly with wood. It’s fairly typical in style with this wood, resin and slight spice mix, but it’s one I find particularly friendly. The red stick (the brighter of the two reds in this box) is definitively red sandalwood and thus fairly dull, even if it does tend to get the scent right, with its slight mellow sweetness. Spikenard might also play a part in this one, but overall this is the least scintillating incense in the box.

The light green incense, streaked with a bit of red, is dominantly juniper, nice and intense with both wood and resinous aspects to it. Unlike a lot of cheap Nepali juniper incenses this one doesn’t overdo the heavy campfire woods and ends up being nicely balanced. The final incense, brick red to brown in color, is like a combo of the two greenish incenses in a way, with the tanginess of the first herbal scent and the slight evergreen from the juniper stick. I’d guess this is the scent with the heaviest mugwort content as it has a slightly tobacco-like herbal flair to it, with perhaps some rhododendron in the mix. Lilke the first incense it’s a bit unusual.

Not a bad sampler at all really, kind of midrange Nepali with a nice range of scents, perhaps with the commonality of the woods at base. It should also be mentioned that I don’t believe any of these scents are duplicated outside this box, but I’m also not sure any of them are noteworthy enough to warrant such a case.

Tun Bo appears to come from the Tibetan Autonomous Region and its incenses have some slight similarities to those from Medicine King, however these are much milder scents and in many ways probably have more in common with Nepali incenses in that despite what seem to be large ingredient lists often come off as just mildly woody with some spices. And these ingredient lists include all sorts of things like saffron, musk, crocus, angelica, styrax and many more, yet for some reason I wasn’t really able to parse a lot of individual scents with only a stick or so. So I want to preface this group of samples by saying that it’s quite possible I didn’t have enough of a supply of four of these to really eke out more than mild impressions.

Dream is the closest in style to the Medicine King Special Medicinal Incense, but it doesn’t have that scent’s richness and depth. It shares the sort of wood and corn chip aroma some of these Tibetans exude, but despite a freshness of ingredients, the overall scent struck me as being fairly plain. Heart doesn’t deviate much (although it has a red rather than brown color), but it does seem to me that the saffron is quite noticeable and there’s a touch of spice that seems to give this a bit of richness. However like I mentioned, I’ve lived with this one longer and know it better than the others. Sentient Beings is less rich than the previous two incenses, much woodier with a noticeable tinge of rhododendron in the mix (giving it similar tendencies to the Maya Devi Rhododendron Anthopogon). It’s mixed with a slight sweetness but overall it has the typical simplicity of your duller Nepali woody sticks. In fact some Indian sticks are more aromatic while unlit. Traditional shares a similar generic like formula with the Sentient Beings, albeit without the rhododendron or corn chip base scent. There is some herbal tendencies here but for the most part I found it difficult to get an idea of. Triple Gem is probably the woodiest of the bunch and even moves in the campfire like direction many Nepalis evince.

I did make an effort to have my nose cleared before sampling these (on two different occasions) especially when it occured to me that in burning them in this order, it seemed like I was getting some fatigue, but the pattern repeated itself on a second rotation. Except for Heart I still end up feeling these get an incomplete grade, mostly due to my experience with other incenses from the TAR that open up quite a bit with famililarity.