[Updated 8/26/2021] I’ve updated this 14 year old review as the scent profiles of these two incenses has changed. Originally these two Nepali incenses were some of the best incenses you could buy from general incense sellers. One of the things I find really interesting about this shift is that the ingredient list and percentages written on the inner wrappers of these two incenses is virtually the same. But when I bought recent stock of both of them I was surprised to find that they don’t have the depth that they used to and unfortunately they’ve also come up quite a bit in price. So for both of these, I am going to start with the old 2007 reviews and comment afterwards. [Updated 2/10/24: Changed the Tibetan Monastery incense to the Everest Trader link, as there is a direct connection and should ensure maximum freshness.]
The green box, Himalayan Herbal Incense consists of Ambergris (Sal Dhoop) 20%, Other Medicinal Herbs 25%, Natural Glue (Lac) 20%, Sandalwood 15%, Artemesia 10%, Red Sandalwood 5%, and Spices (Cloves, Nutmeg, Kusum Flower) 5%. It’s a close cousin to the Yog Sadhana I’ve discussed before and the cloves and nutmeg definitely seem stronger than the percentage, but unlike that stick it is not as thick or as smokey. The color of the stick is like the box, however there are threads of red through it that are likely at least the Red Sandalwood. It’s got a mellow spiciness while still having a bit of complexity that both help to make it a rather friendly Nepalese-Tibetan incense. [8/26/2021] One thing in particular I remember about this incense, and it may have been an observation I made in a top 10 somewhere, is that this was a shockingly good incense when it came to checking out its profile moving in and out of a room. I had experiences with this where it felt like it was almost like a Christmas spice sort of thing with some slight minty and evergreen characteristics that I remember being pleasantly surprised with. The newer version just doesn’t strike me as having any of this depth anymore. There’s a feeling I’ve had with some Nepali incenses that feel like they’re largely cheaper because of a primarily wood base and just like a touch of aromatics almost as if you’re being sold something that’s virtually costless and unfortunately the most recent blend feels like it’s moved a step in that direction. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still nice and it still has some features that remind me of the original incense but I had to take it out of the Tibetan all of fame as this really should be half the price that it is.
The best of the two is the red box, Tibetan Monastery Incense. This consists of Juniper Berry (Sang) 25%, Natural Glue (Lac) 20%, Other Medicinal Herbs 15%, Cedarwood (Devdar) 15%, Agarwood 10%, Liquorice (Jethi Madhu) 5%, Harrow + Batrow 5%, Spices (Jaypatri, Cinnamon, Cardamom) 5%, and Rauwlfia Serpentina (Sarpaghanda) 5%. It’s the most complex of the two and while the Juniper berry content can be offputting to some western noses, the overall tang of it is both peppery and spicy, with a top note that is just brilliant and kind of tangy. It has that type of composition that sets off a number of aromas, with a very subtle agarwood backing. Start with this one first. [8/26/21] This particular scent is probably a bit closer to what I originally wrote about, although I seem to remember that it used to feel like a bit spicier than I remember like the cinnamon level isn’t quite as high as I remember it. The juniper and cedarwood are in particular the large part of the overall aroma and amazingly you can still sense something in the way of agarwood as a slight note. But again just like with the Himalayan Herbal, it just feels like there’s some depth missing now, like it doesn’t quite have the resolution it used to.