Baieido has introduced a new incense in their Meditation or Woods line up called Tobiume. I got the 60 stick small box about a week ago and have been slowly working my way into it. It is somewhat reminiscent of Syukohkoku in that there seems to be a similar spice/herb/resin mix but it is paired with a different Aloeswood then the Syukohkoku, in this case from Indonesian sources. I found this to be a very grounding and meditative mix, strong and one that can seemingly change scents from stick to stick. Really it depends what other scents are in the room and, I believe, aromatic fatigue could play a huge role with this one. I have found both vanilla and chocolate(not huge, but there) notes as well as what I considered a very Chinese herb like mix. There are no oils in this blend, but there certainly very high quality ingredients, which is something that makes this company so good.

I find it very interesting and like so many of Baieido’s incenses, with a long learning curve. Which to me means a long term relationship! I think many people will find this more approachable then Syukohkoku. It comes across a little lighter but with all the levels going for it. It is priced very reasonably and hey, Christmas is coming and you could get yourself a present.

I also noticed at Baieido’s blog that there is mention of a Mint based incense that has been released in Japan. A little something to look forward to from what is to my way of thinking is one of the very best incense companies around.

-Ross

Time for another batch of samples, four relatively new imports and a couple old scents I’m managing to get around to now…

Two scents have arrived from Nihon Senko Seizo, the first a cedar incense called Momiji Koh that comes in a ten roll set with single rolls sold individually. This does what it says on the box, however unlike cheaper cedar incenses, Momiji Koh manages to exhibit some of the wood’s finer qualities, with notes of evergreen and especially conifers floating lightly on the top. Undoubtedly this is an inexpensive incense that could easily be filed with daily sandalwoods and there are some interesting subtleties that imply there may be a bit of sandalwood in the mix, but overall this tends to hit a sort of generic cedarwood in the middle. It’s definitely more pleasant than the cedarwood you might find in Tibetan incenses, on the other hand Indian masalas and some American red cedarwood is perhaps a bit more overtly aromatic.

Tsukiyama is also a very evergreen incense, this time going for a pine scent, however where Momiji-Koh is decidedly cedarwood, Tsukiyama seems decidedly more complex. There’s definitely the evergreen notes you’d expect for a pine incense but there seems to be something of a less traditional oil mix on top that modernizes the scent to some extent, making the finish fruity, bright and attractive. At times I’ve detected hints of patchouli, apple, spearmint and berry in the mix, all of which I assume are less notes and more attributes of a certain intricacy in the mix.

Saraike Kunbutsudo also now exports two modern incenses  to the United States via Kohshi. Mt. Fuji is an incense somewhat similar to Shorindo’s Wayko discussed last installment, with sandalwood and cinnamon listed as the two main ingredients, however Mt. Fuji is a more traditional mix even with the spice blended with some unidentifiable light floral qualities. As such the cinnamon doesn’t cut through so much and make the incense stands out and the result is actually quite mild and mellow which I can imagine are likely to be attractive qualities to some purchasers. It has a very restrained feel to it.

Shizuka-No-Sato comes in a huge 500+ stick box making it necessary to get a sample to see if it will have such lasting power for you. I found it to be not terribly different from the previously mentioned Tsukiyama incense, although as shown in the ingredients the jasmine/floral mix is certainly prominent. I found it to be just as mild and smooth as the Mt. Fuji overall, as if the characteristics of the company were an elegant restraint, but such a quality makes it difficult to discuss from a sample. It is quite pretty with no offputting qualities found in relatively inexpensive florals (per stick here of course) with a mix of slight woodiness, a light spice and berry along with the jasmine and likely rose mix.

I forgot to mention Keigado’s Kaori when last discussing the two Magnolias but I didn’t want to forget it as it’s a very nice affordable sandalwood with a slighty minty tone as well as hints of cedar, pine and patchouli in it – a very green incense overall. Like several of the Keigado traditionals there’s something of an oil strength to it and as such it also has a touch of something reminiscent of the line’s Full Moon, perhaps a slight touch of whatever it is that creates the amber in that incense. Overall though the  middle is somewhat airy, giving the whole incense a fleeting smell and as such it’s one of the lightest incenses in the Keigado catalog.

Had good luck with Kunmeido’s wonderful Hosen incense, but the sandalwood, lilac and cedar mix of Unjo Koh isn’t nearly as immediate. By proximity, it did remind me a bit of the Kaori, but without the amber-like depth to it and a much woodier middle. Strangely I didn’t detect lilac much at all, but I can imagine it’s the sort of scent that could get buried among the ingredients and here the woodiness is probably responsible for that. It’s slightly sweet and evergreen and perhaps the cedar is the most dominant note. Certainly pleasant, but fairly dull especially for a Kunmeido scent.

Next up in the sampler notes series, a pentad of scents from American company Ancient Forest. I’ll be out and away for about a week at this point so bear with me if comments or questions addressed after today aren’t attended to until next week. Thanks!

If you’re part of the Incense Trading Circle and haven’t checked it in a while, I’m ready to send on the package but have had trouble getting a hold of the first two people on the list. I’ll be away from the list from 11/11 through 11/16  so will plan on a mail date of 11/20 or 11/21.  I will be posting the current queue as I have it in the comments section here, but would recommend any replies regarding the trading circle go on the circle page linked on the left rather than here, I’m just using the front page as an alert as we seem to be at a standstill.

This is coming up very soon but there are two opportunities to attend. I went to the last one in San Francisco and had a great time as well as getting to sample some really nice Aloewoods. There is one in SF and another on the  Oakland/Berkeley borderline.

The speaker, Kihachiro Nishiura, is a wonderful presenter who is really into the traditions of Japan and loves to teach others. He keeps it entertaining and easy to understand. Given how formal and complex a koh event could be this is a very good thing!

You will need to confirm your seat via the email address below.

Way of Incense 101~ Incense Appreciation~

Historically, fragrance first had an important impact upon Japanese culture as part of religious ceremonies. But inaddition to just the visual and fragrant impact ofincense,”listening” to incense with the entire body andmind added color to everyday life, providing a new expression of beauty and feeling. Over the centuries, theuse and importance of incense has evolved, becoming part of art, meditation, and self-awareness. Learn about the history of Incense and Fragrance in Japan and how to “listen” with your spirt, opening the door to a world of beauty.

Day and Time: Friday, November 13th, 7 to 8:30 pm

Location: New People building 1746 Post St.,

San Francisco

Participation: $20

Day and Time: Saturday, Nov. 14th,5pm to 6:30 pm

Location: Ko-Jin-An 6140 B  Chabot Road,

Oakland, CA 94618

Participation: $20

To Apply: contact Nozaki at(nishiurastyleusa@yahoo.co.jp.

Application Deadline: Wednesday, November 11th

Profile of Kihachiro Nishiura,

Born in 1970.  Earned a Masters(Bs Degree in Geophysics from Ohio University.  Owner of Nishiura Ryokusuid; antique dealership in Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo.  Descendant of Nishiura Enji, founder of the Nishiura-yaki school of ceramics, which was highly acclaimed both in Japan and abroad in the Meiji and Taisho periods (1868-1912; 1912-1926) for its outstanding technique and artistry. Steeped in traditional Japanese culture from his early childhood, Kihachiro expresses the world of Japanese culture and arts in his own unique style based upon the ancient philosophy of eki, central to which is the inevitability of change.  His  Nishiura Styleexhibitions of incense, floral arrangements, calligraphy, and other art forms have been enthusiastically received in Japan and the United States.

Please visit the NISHIURA STYLE home page at www.nishiura-style.com

Shroff Channabasappa Part 1
Shroff Channabasappa Part 2
Shroff Channabasappa Part 3
Shroff Channabasappa Part 4
Shroff Channabasappa Part 5

This installment in the ever-growing Shroff Channabasappa catalog brings us back to the now-called Dry Masala group that all the incenses in the first four write ups are part of. There were about eleven new scents added in the last restocking, so this covers the larger “half” of  them with the remainder to be written up next. There aren’t any particular similarities among the six in question here, rather we have three overt florals and three more traditional Indian blends. Many of these seems to revisit earlier territory with a completely different focus and like in most of my Shroff installments I almost found that my opinion of a scent would rise considerably under review. In this case both the Mogra and Natural Loban really opened up for me.

The first scent in question here, Akash Ganga, acts, perhaps, as a transition from the previous semi-wets to the drys as it’s the only incense in the dry category where I’ve seen a yellow box. It make me wonder if perhaps Akash Ganga fell somewhere between the semi-wets and drys as it certainly is a thick stick with a very similar coloring to the durbars. To my nose it’s almost like a variation on the Desert or Vrindavan Flower scents you tend to find in various other catalogs, except as is often the case with Shroff, this is an incense on an entirely new level. It holds some similarities with the Semi-Wet Pearl incense mentioned in the previous installment, although only fleetingly, as this is a much drier incense. On one hand you get a dry sandalwood floral, but woven through this base is sweet wine or raisin-like notes that really lift the bouquet. It adds up to a surprisingly complex incense with both dry masala and durbar-like characteristics as well as a wood, spice and floral mix that plays along the three. [As of 11/3, this aroma is completely sold out at Essence, speaking quite well of its popularity, I'd assume it should be back in stock in the near future - I sure hope so, as I'm running out quite fast now.]

Also transitional on a theoretical sense, is Shroff’s Champa Dry. This is an incense nothing like any champa incense you’ve tried before, it’s certainly not a durbar or wet masala by any stretch, it doesn’t seem to have much in the way of any overt halmaddi hints like we’re used to in champas and it’s also quite different than, say, the Primo or Triloka versions which seem to be mostly oil on base versions. But, of course, Shroff seem to have a singular vision where floral incenses are concerned and this one seems to follow the pattern of having a heavy perfume on top of a natural masala base that seems strong while keeping an earthy tone to the feel. It’s almost indulgently sweet, but not as rich or vanilla-like as the durbars are, while retaining an unusual musky tone beneath. It seems to actually have more in common with the Jasmine and Mogra incenses in this batch than it does with other incenses of its style. Quite unusual and intriguing.

As mentioned, the Jasmine is quite similar to the previous Champa and almost completely unlike the Jasmine 1940 scent. This one strikes me as a pure and earthy Jasmine scent, perhaps in a way almost too sweet and even sweltery in its mix of what seem like natural jasmine oils and even materials.  For a Shroff scent this is actually a very static incense with little in the way of complex layers but it certainly seems to get jasmine in a way few imported incenses do, without using the charcoal and oil method and giving the impression one is in a field of flowers rather than in an essential oil bar.

Of the three florals in this write up, I’d probably give the gold to the Mogra, which is quite simply an amazing incense, one that gets the wavery almost mirage like exotic and eastern vibe of the plant itself that while many oil and charcoal sticks actually do approximate fairly well, they never do with this sort of earthiness and clarity. For one thing, while it has similarities it’s not quite as sweet as the Champa Dry or Jamine, almost as if the sweetness ends with a very dry finish. It really is just perfectly pitched and distinct in its own way from any number of other florals, Shroff yet again just getting the finer tones of these scents down perfectly.

Natural is something of a bizarre incense, especially transitioning from two florals. This has a very gravelley, rough and ready sort of feel that reminds me of lower quality lobans, but it’s totally different in that it seems to have a very strong sandalwood oil as part of the bouquet that at least partially lifts this out from what could have been something of an unfriendly masala. It reminds me slightly of saffron sandalwood mixes or even Chandan sandalwood incenses due to the quality of the oil and the slight spicy overtones and one does get the impression this contains some benzoin, like lobans.

The Natural Loban, however, is as different from regular lobans as the Natural is, but in a completely different direction. Where many lobans are rough, inexpensive and earthy, this version is almost ethereal and airy, as different from the Singapore Loban as the Jasmine is from the Jasmine 1940. The Natural Loban is almost like a stylized, perfumed loban with the top note refined to a lemony finish. That would be enough to make an excellent incense but with clarity this stick pops with white wine notes, green and leafy subtleties and a menthol or evergreen-like freshness that is terribly impressive as if the stick was using the finest benzoin one could imagine, as different from regular frankincense as the Hougary chunks are from what you might find at an herbal store. I’ve actually been disinclined to many lobans from previous experience but this is one that should win anyone over, yet another gold star on what’s becoming a rather full Shroff recommended list.

Next up, and at the very least, some write ups on the rest of the latest Dry Masala imports: Paneer, Poona Amber, Rose Masala, Rosy Sandal and Sandal; the Masala Base florals and hopefully a lot more to come from this premier Indian incense company.

This is a slight summary of some of the more recent modern Japanese incense imports, including one traditional scent and another on the fence. All of these scents are available from Essence of the Ages or Japan Incense.

Like many of the new imports we’re seeing there are quite a few new companies making their entry into the US Market, including an incense from Shochikudo called Kirari or Ocean Breeze. This one has a rather huge list of ingredients given as: rose, lavender, jasmine, ylang ylang, iris, lemon, bergamot, blue cypress, sandalwood, vanilla beans and oak moss. It’s almost like a starter list of essential oils and with a sampler I’d be hard pressed to say that any of these particular ingredients stand out more than any other except for, perhaps, the vanilla bean (I get an impression of some amber as well). This is an incense generally in the vein of Nippon Kodo’s Aqua, a floral mix with a distinct seaside sort of aroma, not quite briny, but a more upbeat and pleasant approximation, like a mix of garden and beach. It’s going to be only for those who really go for a sample as with a box of 200 sticks, it’s one you’ll want to be sure you really like at first. I found it quite pleasant, but my experience with Aqua was the same and I found it quite cloying over time so I’d be hesitant even though I think this is a better incense.

Shorindo has been extremely active on the exportation of front after entering the US market with their Chabana Green Tea mix, in fact since I received the following samples, they’ve added two more incenses in the Chabana line. The first of the four samples here is the most traditional incense in this whole group, a sandalwood and cinnamon scent called Wayko. I love cinnamon so I found this instantly a winner, it’s not a particularly complicated incense, but it differs slightly from the traditional sense in that it seems polished and possibly made partially out of oils or perfumes. But give cinnamon essential oil is quite cheap, it all comes off quite authentic and just a bit stronger than the average Japanese traditional blend that doesn’t use oils like, say, Baieido Koh. It’s somewhat reminiscent of incenses like Shoyeido Horin’s Hori-kawa or  even Kunjudo Karin or its Gyokushodo analog Kojurin in scent, maybe in the middle of this group in terms of a traditional to modern axis.

Shorindo has also brought over three perfume incenses in a line called Kobiana. These are definitely far to the modern style and seem to exist to carry over previously created perfumes, although they seem a little different in that they’re not quite smokeless. I doubt my impressions are going to be particularly useful, so as an addendum I’d like to refer you over to Sprays of Blossoms, Curls of Smoke for a much more informed review before I take a clumsy stab at these.

All three of these sticks, despite the color names, seem to be a dark blue color. The Kobiana Yellow Cute is created to be reminiscent of Etro’s Magot perfume and the notes given are, on the top, bergamot, lemon, jasmine and iris; lavender and cloves in the middle; and patchouli, cedar, vanilla and musk at the base. Like with the Kirari, I have trouble picking these apart although at least I can distinguish this scent from the other two in this series as being distinctly floral and very reminiscent of the types of perfumes you run into being worn in the US. As is the case, I tend to get as much of the alcohol or synthetic scent as I do the florals and completely miss any of the elements supposedly in the base with, perhaps, the iris, lavender and jasmine the most obvious scents to me.

I have a lot of trouble telling the Kobiana Red Elegant and Kobiana Blue Sweet apart, but both strike me as fruit and florals, and like the Kirari above, both are somewhat reminiscent of Nippon Kodo’s Aqua in that they both have an almost watery like scent. The Red is reminiscent of Chanel Chance perfume, the Blue Etro’s Anice. The Red lists pink pepper, lemon and pineapple on top; hyacinth, jasmine and iris at the heart (likely where I’m getting the Aqua similarity from); and amber, patchouli, vetiver and white musk in the base. Strangely enough from this mix I get watermelon, cyclamen and the listed jasmine, but it’s such a light scent that with a sample it’s really hard to break it down. Similarly scented, the Blue lists Brazilian rosewood, anise and bergamot; the middle notes iris, jasmine, anise and garden dill; and the base notes amber, musk and vanilla. I’m not sure if the note similarities between these two incenses account for why I can barely tell them apart, but for some reason I wasn’t getting much anise or rosewood and still felt it was mostly watery, fruity and floral. In the end I had to separate the two and test them at different times just to confirm for myself I hadn’t accidentally gotten the same sample twice and to maybe convince myself I don’t quite have the nose for moderns like these.

Like Shochikudo, Tahodo has currently exported only one incense to the US, although similar to Shorindo Wayko, this is something of a modern/traditional blend. In this case Sekizan Koh is clearly something of a perfumed sandalwood stick and not authentic in terms of a pure sandalwood, but it makes up for it with a nice blend of clove, nutmeg and slight floral and citrus hints. It tends to the slightly sweet and in another life could have easily been added to, say, one of Daihatsu’s modern lines. Like most perfumed incenses I’m not sure how long I’ll last in terms of appreciation, but my initial samples were extremely pleasant and I liked it right away, especially due to the attractive nutmeg subnote.

More in the next installment including pairs from Nihon Senko Seizo, Saraike Kunbutsado and Scents of Japan.

[For previous Top 10 lists, please click on the Incense Review Index tab above or the Top Ten Lists category on the left down the page a bit.]

1. Kunmeido / Asuka – These top 10 lists get harder to do on some months, particularly when I spent a lot of that time in incense note taking or writing mode. At those times I don’t often have favorites or think in terms of best of the month, so for this month this is sort of a ragged list of the scents that really had resonance with me and drew my attention more than most. With Kunmeido Asuka, it was like discovering another level of depth in the incense. This is a very greenish aloeswood stick with a much heavier aloeswood oil in the mix than the comparable Heian Koh, it wasn’t one I noticed until I brought it out recently. I love pungent green incenses that remind me of ancient jungles and prehistoric vistas and this one really does invoke that kind of imagination with me. And this time it started edging into my top 20 all time list.
2. Dzogchen Monastery / Lotus Ground Incense – This one is resonating with me a lot like Holy Land did with me in the first few months after purchase and this is as red and spicy as the Asuka is green and singing with chlorophyll. This is truly a Tibetan incense on another plane, very different from just about any other comparable incense, with a lot more oil content than you’d normally expect. Definitely a regular for me.
3. Shoyeido / Premium / Sho-ka-ku – I always kind of chuckle when this terribly expensive stick makes the list because in nearly every case I’ve probably burned a stick of it during the month at most, and this month I think it was about half a stick left over from a gathering. Sometimes this incense is just too rich, but there are times when it seems like the oils aren’t as heavy where the base wood comes through and when it does, it’s very difficult to find a better incense as this just comes through ancient, black resinous and full of sweet kyara and licorice-like spice. But undoubtedly it’ll go back in the box for another few months before I get the courage to deplete the stock even further. And to Steve who I haven’t seen here in all too long, cheers!
4. Yamadamatsu / Hyofu – Like I mentioned in my recent review this one went from the back of the group to the front when reviewing it recently. I think there’s a layer of this that’s almost too reminiscent of aloeswoods not quite up to speed, but once you sit with it a while it almost feels like a facade and then almost like what it’s hiding comes through in a rush. Kinda got a thing for it now and waiting for the Koh-Shi fellows to get their new stock in.
5. Pure-Incense / Connoisseur / Rose – Just the ultimate in rose incense, a whopping stamp of floral beauty for just about any occasion, I’m just amazed at how something could be so heavy yet so beautiful. What an oil they must use for  this.
6. Shoyeido / Premium / Misho – This was a fairly early Japanese discovery for me, so I hadn’t out in a while, much to my surprise I’d forgotten what a brilliant aloeswood incense is, about half way down the premium line. It too is nicely green with the wood less the oud-ish oiliness of the higher ends and more a dry sort of feel, which acted as a nice contrast. This is really not a bad place to start to hit the premiums when you’re done with the sampler packs. And this one’s got a bit of the spikenard in it which is as much a strong feature of the best in the Shoyeido premium line as the wood is.
7. Pure-Incense / Connoisseur / Agarwood – This stick just has crazy complexity to it and is really unlike any of the Japanese woods and not particularly comparable to any of the Indian masalas other than the absolute version which is slightly duller in comparison. In burning this one tends to be drawn to the crystalline and camphor like note somewhere in the middle that just almost acts as a kaleidoscope where all the various notes blend playfully with each other for all sorts of new hints. A classic in a classic line.
8. Anand Agarbathi / Special Fluxo – A new discovery for me thanks to the trading circle, this is an incense I’ll talk about more in depth when I do a survey of various thick flora incenses in the Sai Flora vein. But it’s big, powerful and terribly beautiful with less of the earthy tones and a more sublime floral mix on top.
9. Shroff Channabasappa – Akash Ganga – No top 10 list is a top 10 list without the latest Shroff rediscovery, for me it’s this borderline dry to semi-dry take on the desert flower formula. This one will be covered in the next Shroff installment but needless to say this is much more complex than I had originally thought and given that it’s temporarily sold out at Essence probably goes to show it has been taken to quite well.
10. N. Ranga Rao & Sons / Woods - Thanks to Janet for bringing this up in the Mystic Temple thread and comparing this to their Sacred Woods (at least I think it was that one) blend, as it really is almost identical. This is one big, aromatic durbar with a really pleasant and distinctive oil blend to it that I loved immediately undoubtedly due to the familiarity. The question is whether I cover it in the champas or floras at this point…

Ramakrishnanda Part 1
Ramakrishnanda Part 2
Ramakrishnanda Part 3

Since Ramakrishnanda released their first 15 incense blends a few years ago as well as three different sampler packs, they’ve not stopped there, trickling out a few other new blends that as of yet do not have an associated sampler pack. This review covers the five newest blends as of the current date which include one new premium Agarwood stick that costs about a dollar more than the usual 10 stick packages. The rest of the newer incenses follow in the durbar or flora styles used by the company and continue their experimentation with different ingredient combinations. As always the results are always unusual and intriguing, if not always successful.

Bhagavan is a durbar that combines patchouli and vetivert, given the listed concoction, however this is actually a stick that doesn’t particularly evoke either ingredient so much. In many ways this is an alternative to the types of flora incenses found under the name Golden Champa such as Sai Flora itself, Sai Deep, Sai Leela and several others, although in this case the stick isn’t quite as hefty. Any noticeable patchouli qualities seem to be lost in the mix or at least the oilier aspects of the scent are submerged, what’s left is more reminiscent of the brighter, foresty type of scent one might associate with Shrinivas’ Patchouli Forest blend. The Vetivert is less submerged but still floats more as a background note, and it’s difficult not to wish both aspects were cranked up a bit more. As both scents evoke sort of an earthy type of scent, I was surprised to find the earthiness mostly existed as part of the drier finish. However if one just forgets about trying to match up what their smelling with the ingredients on the package, you’ll still find this a very pleasant incense, particularly if you’re fond of any of the flora types mentioned earlier.

Krishna is a champa type incense that’s something of  a variation on Ramakrishnanda’s own Narasingha Dev. The ingredients given are vetivert, cedarwood and halmadi, but the strongest element seems to be the sweet gum like center, the aspect it has most in common with Narasingha Dev which opens the question whether that incense also has halmadi (which could be implicit in the champa part of its ingredients). It certainly has the strong vanilla aroma halmadi tends to bring with it, but again whatever vetivert is being used here doesn’t seem to overwhelm the incense as if it’s just being used as a note. The cedarwood, as well, isn’t as strong as it tends to be in Indian masalas but likely strengthens the forest like gum scents of the incense’s center. The entirety is a bit of a mix up, not as successful as Narasingha Dev, as if there’s just a bit too much going on and too many contrary scents cancelling each other out.

Lalita is a very pleasant sandalwood and musk incense with an incredibly attractive sandalwood oil at the center of the stick. As this is one of the newer Ramakrishnanda blends, it begs the question if some of the older packages are perhaps losing a bit of steam in terms of oil quality, as the scent here is very powerful and terribly attractive. It’s true one can detect a very nice topping of musk as a faint note with the incense, but it’s only a side note on what is a great sandalwood champa incense with an oil that’s pitched about perfect. Not a complex incense, but a very nice one, if there’s any other side notes it would be a touch of vanilla and maybe a bit of spice that reminds me of Indian masalas with chandan in the title.

Radha’s ingredients are given as patchouli, cardamom and rose and had I not seen cardamom in the list I might have compared the interesting spice note in this incense to anise. The rose I’m not sure I detected at all, and given the track record with patchouli in this line, I’d say the company is using less of the obvious patchouli oil and perhaps more of the herb, because it never strikes you as overt. I’m left with the impression of a champa with quite a bit of sandalwood and benzoin in it with the vanilla touches not blending terribly well with the cardamom. There even appear to be some bitter or sour notes in the mix which are uncommon to Ramakrishnanda incenses which are usually always at least pleasant. One might chalk this up to an experiment that didn’t work so well, or perhaps by the time a packet was in my hand, the oils had faded considerably.

Which brings me to the last and newest of the Ramakrishnanda line, the powerfully scented agarwood incense Rasa Lila. Again one wonders at the level of oil dissipation (particularly when all of these incenses seem to be packaged very well) as in this case the oil levels are eye-stingingly powerful, although with an increased, premium price (as well as a gold sticker on the front setting it apart) perhaps we’re getting a bit more for the money. It’s a  rather thick durbar style whose primary scent is less the wood than the heavy citrus/orange/lemon that gives the aroma an almost furniture polish-like aroma in all the best senses. The agarwood/oud oil then floats as a background note behind this giving it all a nice three dimensional presence, taking the place that sandalwood tends to hold in most of the line’s incenses. It would be too much if it wasn’t for its resounding natural qualities which help to give this a very fresh and cleansing solar quality to it. It’s not at all like, say the Agarwood incenses found in the Mystic Temple line or the Absolute or Connoisseur versions in the Pure-Incense line, it really does have a unique and interesting quality all of its own. I’d probably chalk this one up as one of Ramakrishnanda’s more successful experiments.

Ramakrishnanda then has a total of 20 different blends to date and no doubt we’ll see more in the future. They also have a series of resin blends that I have not yet decided to spring for that may be of some interest to heater or charcoal burner lovers. Overall they’re a quality company with a lot of interesting scents, perhaps not at the apex of the art, but growing closer in that direction (I’d certainly like to see more in the way of premium scents). Perhaps the major downside is that they only seem to commonly retail 10 stick packages which means if you like any particular aroma you’re almost due for a restock as soon as you open a package. And I don’t doubt you’ll find at least one or two new favorites among the 20 scents they carry.

These are three new sticks that Japan Incense has brought in from Daihatsu.

Father’s Love is a smokeless stick, which I generally stay away from as the smokeless sticks seem to lack punch and, to me,  a lot of the characteristics( woods) that I look for in incense. This one is a different customer, it has a Aloeswood base topped with a sort of cherry/plum top note that is very interesting. It really surprised me, both in the amount of scent as well as the overall complexity within it. There is a resemblance to Kyukyodo’s Shiun in the scent qualities. This would be a great stick for someone who has problems with smoke but would like to experience incense.

Eight Scenes Green is a regular type of incense stick, colored a very dark purple/blue (so I am assuming that the colors of the sticks have no bearing on the names). The scent is a combination of  florals that edge into almost fruit based notes with a very light wood note of Sandalwood under it all. It sort of reminds me of some of the Shunkodoh’s (like Haru no Kaori) without the Aloeswood.

Eight Scenes Orange (which is colored green) is quite interesting, it’s write up says Sandalwood and secret spices. There is a distinct vanilla note at the top with a slight powdery feel to it, underneath that is a spicy note that tends to weave in and out of perception and then finally the Sandalwood. Vanilla is tough to pull off in incenses it scent reminds me of some Indian sticks, but much less intense.

All three of these come in very large amounts, you might want to check with Japan Incense, as the samples they kindly sent to me are in smaller tubes. These are everyday style incenses that are reasonably prices and well made.

Until recently Yamada Matsu was the most unrepresented major Japanese incense company in the US, in fact outside of Japan Incense you still can’t find their incense at all and would have to make a telephone call to the company to be able to purchase these three incenses and any other Yamada Matsu products current available. And to say they have so much more is a virtual understatement, Yamada Matsu is a company that has some of the most astonishing, complex and arresting aloeswoods on the planet, the three in question here are only the very tip of the iceberg as far as those are concerned. Perhaps only Kyukyodo is close in terms of having so many unrepresented incenses not available here and the reasons for both the presence and absence of these are all part of intricate negotiations invisible to most of us. Again, I highly recommend linking over to Japan Incense, grabbing their telephone number, calling them up and purchasing these blends, the support of incense buyers is invaluable towards the possibility of these and other incenses becoming more widely available.

The thing is, in many ways Yamada Matsu incenses, especially the high end traditionals, are the closest in style you’ll find to Baieido, all three of these incenses seem entirely created from natural products with little and likely no perfume, synthetic or natural, oils. They are so vastly complex, dense and have such a long learning curve that I believe my reviews will do little justice to the art involved in creating them. Every time I burn a new stick I learn just a little bit more about each one and enjoy them that much more, the sort of learning process one would find in the Kobunboku, Syukohkoku and high end aloeswood lines from Baieido. It’s for sure a little victory for Japan Incense to have managed to offer for sale what they have and this is a beautiful little trio all of which are priced in the mid-$50s and lower with a very large stick count for each one. To say the least if you’re a woods lover these are essential. I would also state that there isn’t a real grading to the three of these incenses as all three have different prices and stick counts, however I’ve ordered them so that each successive stick moves into woodier territory.

So, Saiun is the softest and mellowest of the three, an aloeswood blend that seems to have a complex combination of woods, spices and light floral aspects. One of the reasons I call these sticks blends is because along with the obvious aloeswood content, the first two appear to me to have extraordinarily fine sandalwood content in the mix, the type of Old Mountain wood that elevates any incense it’s a part of and in the Saiun that fresh, crystal clear scent is a definitely part of the palate. The aloeswood is not buried by any means, it kind of kicks a little in the back, as an almost secondary level that creates an amazing interplay within the incense, a smooth sheen on top and a wilder streak on the bottom. The spices and slight fruity or floral natural that seems to be mixed in (I actually get a bit of apricot on this one) ties both levels together quite nicely, but it all adds up to an incense so intricate it will take many more sticks than I have already tried to really get a handle on this, and with 110 sticks or more it gives you plenty of room to do so. And that’s really the best thing you can say about a good aloeswood.

Shikun is fairly similar to Saiun, a bit spicier and the aloeswood cuts through quite a bit more on the bottom, with that hoary antique-like scent that hints at quality wood and is a large part of the attraction to these incenses for my tastes. Like Saiun, this also seems to have two levels, with the same sort of Old Mountain sandalwood contour on top, polished to its most effective aroma. It’s overall a very compressed and woody scent, it’s major difference from the Saiun being that it doesn’t have any particularly floral hints to it, if anything there’s perhaps that slightly sweet cherry-like scent that incenses like Kyukyodo Shiun or Tennendo Renzan exhibit, but this is an even more impressive scent. The compression of woods reminds me of how I felt about incenses like Kaden or Tokusen Kobunboku before I had spent a lot of time with them, as if time will unfold the mysteries of the scent. The aloeswood content here is just fantastic, certainly the hook that will catch most appreciators and I personally can’t wait to learn more about it. Of the three rolls here, this has the lowest stick count at 85 or more, but that’s still about twice the average roll.

When I first tried Hyofu (100+ sticks) I found it probably the most inferior of the three incenses but over about 7 or 8 sticks, it’s hard not to see it as the superior of the three, once it really starts opening up. The initial aroma will remind many of the lower end of mid-range Vietnamese aloeswoods right away, but over time I started to find that to be an almost superficial evaluation, below this level there’s a much deeper aloeswood scent at work and this is unquestionably the woodiest of the three incenses. In fact while I detect Old Mountain sandalwood in the Saiun and Shikun bouquets, there’s very little if any in the Hyofu which makes this less of a blend and more of a true aloeswood stick. The effect reminded me of Shunkohdo’s Kyara Seikan where it seemed like the additional spices were only there to contour and perfect the aloeswood scent. I almost hated to review this incense now because it was just popping on my last stick, with hints of previously hidden spice, and touches of lacquer and caramel in the mix. Utterly delightful in every way.

Woods fans, particularly those of you who prize Baieido’s vast natural traditionals, the high end Shunkohdos, and sticks like Tennendo Enkuu are probably going to get the most out of these. For sure, if you’re not familiar with the Baieido catalog it may be the most cost-effective way to start “learning” about this type of incense (the Yamada Matsus are very close in price to the expensive side, it’s just that you’re generally paying for more incense up front). There’s a tendency among many Japanese incenses for the subtleties to just go right by Western noses (or at least my own) as if you’re aiming at a target and drifting off, only to retarget again. Personally I’m starting to recognize scents like this under terms like insular and compressed, almost like a flower that has not quite bloomed yet, full of potential and mystery. They’re among the most rewarding incenses out there because one celebrates as one uncovers another facet of the scent and adds that to one’s mnemonic repertoire. And what’s scary is these may not even be the best Yamada Matsu has to offer and it’s my hope this is just the foot in the door for further treasures. Unquestionably recommended, these are worth the phone call to Japan Incense with the added bonus of getting to talk to Kotaro and/or Jay on the other end.