Olfactory Rescue Service

New Incenses

clairsight — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:03:26 +0000

Beth at EOA has both the new Dhunis’s and Happy Hari lines listed now, both of which are pretty high on the “goodness” charts for Indian incenses. These are hand rolled and seem much more real (read natural) than anything else on the market (Mothers might be in this group also), at least to my nose. Of course, short of some very expensive testing there is no sure fire way to tell, and even GC/MS testing is open to interpiation. Go with what smells/feels right to you.

Over at Equinox Aromatics, Andrew has brought in Star Child from England. They look to be very faithful to some of the esoteric teachings as well as also being all natural. Real Halmaddi is also available at his site and not to be missed, it is very entertaining to experiment with if you are making your own blends.

Kohshi has some new scents in, one of which is Sanjusangendo Incense. It comes out of a temple in Kyoto. Nice woody/amber scent with a hint of cinnamon. They also have Kyukyodo and Yamada Matsu available. It is generally best to call the store and check what’s in stock.

Enjoy -Ross

An update…

Mike — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:01:10 +0000

Just wanted to drop a note about the state of ORS. First of all, I’m without a home computer at the moment. I’m hoping to get a new one next month some time, but until I do it’s going to make reviewing incenses fairly difficult. I just got in a package of four new Dhunis (they apparently travelled to Australia first). I tried Frangipani, Lakshmi and Sandalwood and all are at the quality level and incense style you’d expect from Dhuni. I’m also slowly working on a new batch from Happy Hari which considerably opens up their range, most of these I like as well and the ones I’m not quite as fond of are entirely a taste issue as they all seem high quality. Anyway more when conditions allow…

Kousaido: Bamboo, Lotus, Engimono (Ocean)

clairsight — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:22:29 +0000

Kousaido seems to be a fairly new incense company in Japan ( in other words less than 50 years). They also seem to be directing their line towards the newer styles of scents coming out of Japan. They very skillfully use a variety of materials to create some very fresh takes on many classic ideas for incense.

I do not think any of the three that I reviewed here are based on classic sandalwood or aloeswood formulas, rather than that they are designed to present a scent that is built to showcase an idea or concept, a sort of scent picture of the name of each incense.

Lighting a stick of the Bamboo and closing your eyes finds one sitting within a bamboo grove, it’s soft with a slight green note, a little sweetness (just a touch) and very real. There are none of the harsh or chemical smells that so often underlay this type of scent. It is really nicely done.

The Lotus truly gets the idea across of what you would think of as a lotus scent. Somewhat sweet with floral notes, not like jasmine or the other “white flower” scents. There is a slight edge to it that really brings the “lotus” note home, without the almost latex aspect of lotus.

Ocean smells like a very clean beach, probably cleaner than most you can find. Ocean scents or aquatic scents were all the rage at one point in the perfume world, most of them ended up smelling like a chemical bath in a chroming factory. This incense is completely devoid of those notes and is really a great mood changer in a room. Clean surf at a secluded beach, just the ticket to lighten up the atmosphere in a city environment.

The other great aspect about these is that the price is very good and one gets quite a lot of sticks. To the best of my knowledge Kohshi /Japan Incense in San Francisco are the only people selling these in the US and they have pretty large selection to choose from. -Ross

Shunkohdo leaf cut Sandalwood:

clairsight — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 07:49:13 +0000

Kohshi, at their retail San Francisco store, has gotten in leaf cut Sandalwood from Shunkohdo. These are about one millimeter thick “slabs” that are roughly 3” x 3” in size, all cut from the same piece of wood. It is a beautiful presentation and has a nice medium reddish color. The scent is pure Sandalwood with a very slight hint of cinnamon after it’s been heated up for awhile. I would recommend an electric incense heater or non direct heating to the side of a coal.

I also noticed when I was there last weekend that they had a pretty good assortment of Kyukyodo (lot of the really good high end line, not to be missed).

You might also check out the selection from Kousaido. I have three that I am writing up for review, they use what would seem to be a mixture woods and oils to produce some great scents at very good prices, just the thing for Christmas.

Enjoy -Ross

Lamb’s Breath Incense by Aluwwah

Marian — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 07:40:09 +0000

When I think of lambs I think of sweet, gentle, soft, unhurried animals with fleecy white coats, kind, dark eyes and moist, glistening noses. They are small yet sturdy, soft and tractable, fluffy yet compact and very content and sociable. Aluwwah’s Lamb’s Breath incense has many of the same traits. It’s sweet and warm and makes me want to bury my nose in it’s deep, floeuve-y fuzziness. It exudes a moist thickness that feels very embracing and cuddly, and a strong ambery goldeness makes it smell as though it glows. The thing that gets me most, though, is that it’s an unusual blend- I’ve never smelled anything quite like it. It’s sweet without being cloying, resinous without being sticky and spicy without being sharp. It’s a balanced blend of florals, woods, earth and spices- one in which each note retains it’s unique identity yet the blend is far more than a sum of its ingredients.
Smelling this comfy blend makes me feel very relaxed so I’m going to guess it contains a high grade of sandalwood; vanilla may account for a portion of its sweetness; a downy, powdery fluffiness could be musk, and a sweet, dry spiciness, (patchouli?), makes the herbal aspect seem alive and vital. I smell an almost mineral, metallic zinginess that’s so shimmery it’s fizzy. A rich moistness and licorice-y succulence make me think of toffee-colored tobacco leaves that are juicy and squeezable, and an elusive floral delicacy brings to mind a newly-formed blossom opening its first, pristine petals . The earthy scent of henna completes the composition and a cedar-like dryness prevents it from ever becoming overpowering or heavy.
Aluwaah’s Lamb’s Breath would be a lovely compliment to a bowl filled with pomanders, or an arrangement of pine boughs and bayberries. Grab a glass of mulled wine, flock around the hearth and light up some Lamb’s Breath to usher in the New Year! May each of you have a Happy and Dream-fulfilling 2012, replete with much joy, love, beauty, hope and, of course, many intoxicating moments adrift in your favorite incenses and perfumes!

Happy Holidays

Mike — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:26:11 +0000

Just wanted to wish all our readers happy holidays and the best for 2012!

I’m still having home computer issues and thus may be very intermittent for the next month or two (am not sure yet whether I can get it fixed or have to buy a new machine at this point). I do hope after I get back to spread the word on some new Dhuni and Happy Hari incenses.

Perfume and Incense Open Houses

clairsight — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 07:18:55 +0000

This weekend Mandy Aftel is having her annual Open House and it looks to be a really good one with lots of new and wonderful thing to smell. Visit her website for more information. http://www.aftelier.com/holidays-2011/

Yuko Fukami ( April 2011 Top Ten ) and a number of other great artists are having a combined showing at Keiko’s Studio, 227 Arlington Ave, Kensington CA 510-524-7986 for more information.

Ocean of Night incense for sale

clairsight — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 22:12:48 +0000

I have the Ocean of Night( loose) mix in stock, it is $45.00 for 15 grams, shipping within the USA runs about $10.00.

I also have some Agarwood and ambergris blend (loose), made of two Vietnamese agarwoods, touch of Sandalwood, spices and ambergris chunks/dust(yellow) and then saturated with an aged tincture of grey/tan ambergris. There might be a bit of musk in there also. This sells for $30.00 for 5 grams.

If interested let me know off the blog at “clairsight at yahoo dot com. Make sure you put the word “incense “ in the subject line.

You can see a review of Ocean here:

http://perfumepharmer.com/organic-perfume-skincare-remedies/index.php/2011/08/ross-urrere-sublime-scent-hand-made-incense-review-by-rebel-perfumer-justine-crane/comment-page-1/

-Ross

Top Ten November 2011

clairsight — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:41:50 +0000

1. Akikaze from Kyukyodo: This is part of what I think of as the “The Heavy Hitters in Wood Boxes” from Kyukyodo. You can get an idea about them at this page in our blog. With luck I will get a review of them out in a week or two. This one is a reasonable price (for what one is getting) with a really beautiful perfume note on top of the woods and a light musk back note. You can check with Kohshi/Japan Incense for availability. I think Kyukyodo does this type of style (perfumed floral’s mixed with quality wood) really well and it very hard to beat here.

2. Kyara Seiran from Seijudo: This is number two in Seijudo’s high end line up, based mostly on price point, not scent. I think it is a little less strong and more likable then the Kyara Enju while still being heavily laced with a very strong set of wood notes and spices with musk undertones. If you are in the market for a Kyara blend this is a great one. I find myself liking it more in the cooler months; it is also very relaxing and quite nice in the evening. It is right up there at the pinnacle of this style and not to be missed; it also comes in a number of different sizes and price points.

3. Byakudan Kokoh from Baieido: This is one of the very best of the “straight up” Sandalwoods, in other words, no perfumes and minimal spices or herbs. It is pretty dry in scent but very true to Sandalwood’s nature. Great for reflection or the post work chilling. Baieido really does the woods oh so well, it is hard to go wrong with them and this is a real winner in a old Japan incense style.

4. Enkuu from Tennendo: You can check in the blog for the notes on this one, it has always been a favorite here at ORS and with good reason. It is very much on the dry side of the scent spectrum, it is also has a very clean (not pine or camphor) set of notes to it combined with a very unique and clear wood base of Aloeswood.

5. Cracked Earth from Aluwwah: Aluwwah is a Canadian Oud oil and wood seller as well as an incense maker. He has a number of styles of real, hand made Bakhoors at his site. They use real ingredients and quality woods and oils. This one has a nice resinous note mixed with some woods and ambers. It is somewhat lighter in scent then the Bakhoors that I have tried before, which I like as it tends to allow me to check out the different aspects of the mix. There was also a mix called Deer’s Breath that was a huge floral/musk/oud master piece. It’s out of stock but I hear tell that a successor called Lamb’s Breath is in the works.

6.Deep Earth 2011 from Mermade Incense: For the incense heater or coals, but for sure made to be slowly heated up. Stunning deep resin notes wrapped around woods and herbs, I think the name pretty much says it all. Perfect for Fall into Winter.

7. Evergreen Forest Incense from Mermade Incense: This is, again, for an incense heater, you could also try Sacred Grove if you wanted something along the lines of a cone. Either produce a wonderful “in the forest” scent that freshens up the atmosphere and generates a wonderfully clean and very green scent. Very much a Winter forest scent and just a wonderful treat for the senses.

8. Jihi – Amacha kou from Awaji-Baikundo: Very strong and beautiful amber note with borneal camphor added as well as Hydrangea Tea. I think this is one of the most beautiful amber’s on the market, no matter what country you are from. It is a very clean and warm offering that really livens up a space and would also be great to scent ones clothing with. Very long lasting scent.

9. Meena Supreme from Happy Hari: Easily one of the very best of the Indian incenses and in general this company looks to be a real winner all around. I have not gotten to try the newer releases yet but you can see Mike’s notes within the blog. This has all the deep floral’s along with the woods and spices. There is also enough separation between the notes to make it really interesting. It is pretty strong; you might not want to start here if you are going to be going through a number of different sticks at one setting.

10. Genmyo from Yamada Matsu: These are in the kneaded style or incense balls. These happen to have Kyara and Aloeswoods plus a spice and oil (I think) blended together for a more modern take on this style. There a sort of amber and caramel mix that rides across the woods. There are three different blends from YM that Kohshi has at their retail outlet in San Francisco. The Aloeswood blend has this same set of notes but the amber/caramel notes are stronger and the woods more backed off. It sort of depends on the day as to which I like more.

Admin update

Mike — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:11:21 +0000

Just a quick note to mention my home computer is down at the moment and I’m not quite sure when it will be live again (long story). So e-mails may be a few days or longer in responding too (and if you haven’t received one, send me again, I’m checking a couple times a week).

Second, I’ve had something of a long year and without going into any detail, it has managed to take a lot of my attention off of Olfactory Rescue Service. I’ve actually got quite a few notes written down for reviews but things aren’t adding up for me to get them finalized. I’m hoping this will clear up some after the holidays.