The Olfactory Rescue Service Top 25 (Mike and Ross)

December 17, 2009 at 9:02 am (Baieido, Daihatsu, Dzogchen Monastery, Gyokushodo, Highland, Incense, Incense Top 10 Lists, India, Japan, Kunmeido, Kyukyodo, Mermade Magickal Arts, Minorien, Mother's India Fragrances, Pure-Incense, Purelands, Seijudo, Shoyeido, Shroff Channabasappa, Shunkohdo, Tennendo, Tibet Autonomous Region, Tibetan Medicine Company of Traditional Tibet College (Tibetan Medical College), United States)

Today we introduce to you the Olfactory Rescue Service Top 25. However, unlike our usual top 10s and last year’s combined top 20, we thought we’d do something a little bit different and a little bit tricky. This year’s top 25 is something of a meta-list, in a way we want to capture the best of incense by looking at things from a larger perspective. So instead of having one incense per entry, we’re just going for broke: full companies, sublines, incenses, incense materials, incense supplementals – everything we could think of that would lead to a top tier incense experience. In fact we started at a top 20, expanded it to a 25 to make sure we got everything and ended up with a pretty good group.

Please keep in mind as always that our best of lists are something of a lark. For one thing I think both Ross and I probably find it somewhat difficult to truly tier these in order and so while maybe we like the stuff at the top a little more than at the bottom, maybe, there’s no particular rhyme or reasoning to the ordering and we consider everything on here to be superlative work, perhaps with a few individual idiosyncracies we won’t mention. As a whole though, I think this is a good look at what we consider the best incense related stuff on the US market today and we’ve pared it down only to include what is available here. As each entry often includes several incenses, we’ve left off links to reviews and sites, but just about everything on here has been reviewed previously and links to them can be found in our Reviews Index. So, after the cut, the ORS Top 25.

1. Baieido / Premium Aloeswood Sticks

The quintet of Pawlonia-boxed aloeswood sticks that range from Kokonoe to Koh Shi Boku span woods from four countries, contain no oils, natural or otherwise, and present a variety of aloeswoods in a stick form only a step or two removed from the pure wood. This range is one of incalculable depth and in the face of all five, we still remain students as each scent grows alongside our understanding and appreciation of the apex of all woods. These are incenses that are practically living and no matter what we write about them, we can only approximate, hint at and reflect on what are just some of the finest incense sticks on the planet. And no matter where you come in on the range you’re perhaps getting the best deal for your money in incense. [Mike]

2. Shoyeido Premium/Premium Daily Incense Ranges

I would venture to say that many people who use Japanese incense in this country got their start from Shoyeido, I know I did. I am also quite sure that when deciding to “go for the more expensive stuff” that many of the sticks in this line have come up for consideration and purchase. There are some really great incenses here starting with En-Mei and Sei-Fu (Daily Premiums) and roaring into the stratospheric heights of Myo-Ho and Sho-Kaku. There might be formula changes within some of these recently, however I just sampled a number of sticks of the Myo-Ho and it truly rocks! Shoyeido also makes samplers of most of their lines, thus allowing people to find out what is going on without breaking the bank. Let me highly recommend the Premium 15 Stick Sampler as it has all of these two lines. [Ross]

3. Mermade Magickal Arts/Incense Heater

Having an electric incense heater opens up a whole new world for incense users, one that can be virtually smokeless and much more towards the aromatherapy side of things. Plus it can give you the opportunity to easily make up your own blends and amaze your friends. It makes the whole process of using resins and raw woods really simple and much more accessible. The Mermade unit is the best deal in heaters going. It has a large temperature range, is pretty inexpensive and works well. Once you start to use one, you will wonder what took you so long! A little caution and restraint when first using helps. You will notice Mermade in another listing in this post; they have a great selection of materials to use on heaters. Also, check out Nu Essence Resins blends, they work very well on this heater. [Ross]

4. Baieido/Hakusui Aloeswood

Baiedo has a range of four different aloeswoods, but of these four the Vietnamese wood they call Hakusui is the most transcendent of experiences. If you notice the occasional comment on ORS that, perhaps, doesn’t seem to be terribly impressed with the wood products offered by other companies, it’s quite possible that Hakusui is to blame. Because this is a selected aloeswood that is so much more than your typical wood, it’s like a completely different tree, an explosion of spicy depth that continues to take my breath away since the first day I bought a gram chip of it about the size of a thumb. This isn’t to take away from all the wonderful aloeswoods out there, but I think Hakusui proves it’s not just about the resin quantity but about certain qualities. And for heater users, I’m not sure there is any better experience than breaking off a tiny chip of this for use on a mica plate, it’s almost psychedelic in intensity. [Mike]

5. Shroff Channabasappa (Company)

Shroff is an amazing company who also appears to be in tune to what people are asking for. In the last six months or so the line has expanded and Essence of the Ages has brought in a Semi-Dry Masala line that really upped the ante in the world of Indian incense. The Pearl, Moonlight and Jungle Prince are all amazing; even more amazing is that they are so inexpensive. I also love the assorted ambers in the Dry Masala line up as well as many others. Check out the reviews here from Mike for an in-depth look. They have also just added Wet Masalas and a Natural line that promise to be true works of incense art. This is a huge catalog of great incenses and a real eye opener for those just venturing into the Indians. [Ross]

6. Shoyeido/Horin Coils

The Japanese have many different classifications of incense. One way of looking at it is as a personal/meditation style or as a room/”100 pace” style. The room style refers to incense that packs a lot of punch and has a long lasting scent. The Horin line pretty much falls into the room style. You will notice that we are referring to the coils rather then the short sticks in this write up, the reason being that we think the coils have a noticeably more woody and less perfumed quality to them, which we like. This entire line of five scents is a winner and has at least three of what I would consider some of best that incense has to offer: Hori-Kawa (River Path), a wonderful amber based scent; Muro-Machi (City of Culture), a sort of caramel and aloeswood scent that is truly glorious; and Ten-Pyo (Peaceful Sky) which brings in the nuances of kyara. You can get a sampler set of the sticks which will give you an idea of what is going on here but do realize that the coils really do have a woodier scent to them. [Ross]

7. Shunkohdo/Ranjatai, Kyara Seikan, Kyara Aioi no Matsu

It was tempting to just give the view of Shunkohdo the company as they do fine incense in just about all of their lines, but given the size of their catalog, we found it more appropriate to take a look at the crown of what they import to the United States which includes the venerable aloeswood incense Ranjatai, still one of the finest buys you can find in the US per stick, the seemingly kyara enhanced version of Ranjatai called Seikan and another unbelievably complex kyara stick called Aioi No Matsu. These are all tremendous incenses that reflect the balance of the incense making art by only using the right amount of spices and other materials to complement the woods themselves, all of which are at their finest available quality. Seikan in particular is an ORS classic, found often on our monthly top 10 lists, but to say so is almost to forget that Ranjatai is so very close and much more affordable. A roll of this may come pricy, but like the next installment, it’s one that will last you an incredibly long time, yet with a scent few incenses can match. [Mike]

8. Kyukyodo/Sho-Ran-Ko

I wrote about this in the November Top Ten. In fact it has been written about quite a lot here, I personally think this is a real deal for a high end incense in that you get about 150 ten inch sticks that smell wonderful with a subtle floral and spice combination that is very much Old Japan in nature. Rumor has it that this is what is burned in the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, how can you say no to a pedigree like that? [Ross]

9. Daihatsu/ Sandalwood Chips

To be fair, perhaps we should be crediting the fine work of mother nature for these sandalwood chips, however with many companies offering sandalwood for sale, it’s still difficult to think of a company other than Daihatsu offering this fine of a quality of old mountain heartwood. While it’s sold in square size chips, there’s something even more special about what’s being offered looking like it was cut right from a tree limb. You won’t believe your nose with these chips just smelling them directly from a box, but wait until a small piece hits a heater. I’ve converted people who say they can’t stand sandalwood with just a whiff of the box. The real deal and an essential buy for your heater, this is as close to an ultimate sandalwood experience as one might afford. [Mike]

10. Kunmeido/Reiryo-Koh, Reiryo-Koh Aloeswood, Onkun Koh, Shoryu-Koh, Heian-Koh, Asuka, Kyara Tenpyo

Kunmeido are the artisans of the tangy green note in Japanese incense and while it shows up in very small amounts in Shoryu-Koh, it practically explodes once it hits the thick stick Heian-Koh blend and then refines itself in one of the most astonishing of recent imports in their Kyara Tenpyo. In fact this trio of scents are literally among my very favorites of recent months and there’s not a single one that doesn’t compete favorably at their relative price ranges. And let’s not forget that Kunmeido are also responsible for some of the must haves of inexpensive traditional incense, indeed the only time you forget about how great they are is when you’re not burning them. [Mike]

11. Tennendo/Enkuu (Horizon)

Enkuu from Tennendo has made it onto our monthly Top Ten lists many times and for good reason. It has a somewhat unique scent profile that is very hard to put into words. It somehow spans the range from subtle to” in your face” with sharp spice/herbal notes combined with a very nice aloeswood background. This is not floral in any way, neither is it just a spice/herb/resin mix. It does not have kyara listed in the ingredients but somehow I tend to treat it the same way. This is one of my favorite incenses, one that I also tend to save for “occasions.” Excellent for meditation and reflection time. Not inexpensive, but worth it. A masterpiece. [Ross]

12. Hougary Frankincense (distributed via Mermade)

Hougary is the A grade Omani Frankincense, and lets face it, history might have been different had this not been what the wise men had as part of their legendary gift. As one finds out over time any particular incense ingredient has a long ramp of quality that rises from the dull and generic to the sparkling and gemlike and the hougary Mermade Magickal Arts has managed to import is still the finest and most defined to my nose, it’s almost like cutting into some mythic citrus fruit. So far you may have a bunch of blends, sandalwood and aloeswood on your heater list, but you won’t want to forget this either. I’d wager it would be difficult to find the person who doesn’t find this incredible. And hey, this is the right time of year! [Mike]

13. Baieido/Kobunboku Meditation line

Baieido has been around for a long time and they tend towards a pretty traditional approach in many of their lines. The Kobunbokus all seem to feature quality sandalwood along with cassia, clove and other spices and sometimes aloeswood. This is a big line up of incenses even including a smokeless one. Many people use one or more of these sticks as a daily household incense or in their meditations. They are totally natural with no oils of any kind added. They are not very expensive yet are some of the best incenses on the market and can be stunning in their complexity and at the same time very user friendly. I love the Bikou Kobunboku for its upbeat scent, the Byakudan Kobunboku is easily one of the all time best deals in sandalwood, and the Kaden Kobunboku has the addition of aloeswood for some extra punch. This line is a great place to start in Japanese incense. Not to be missed. [Ross]

14. Minorien (Company)

Minorien is an incense company whose line is very well thought of in Japan and has been brought here to the US by Scents of Japan. Their line up features a sort of “wet” note that runs through all of their sticks with the exception of their Frankincense. It is a unique and captivating addition to incense and seems to bring out a completely different approach to each of their blends. That they stick to pretty straight up wood blends without any floral or perfume embellishments might be why I see their sticks listed in a lot of temple products catalogs in Japan. Their high end Kyara Ryugen stick is gorgeous, a stunning display of kyara mixed in with wet tones, like you were lighting a stick next to the tree it came from in the Cambodian jungles. Except no bugs 🙂 Oh yes, try the Frankincense, it’s wonderful and the Sandalwood is unlike any other. [Ross]

15. Pure-Incense Connoisseur Line

Pure-Incense is a recent arrival to this country and they offer two levels, the Connoisseur being the highest of the two grades. And these are very high grade sticks, obviously using excellent raw ingredients to produce the scents that they do. The Agarwood is a wonderful scent as is the Sandalwood (they obviously went all out with the sandalwood oil in this one). The Hari-Leela is very potent and a very voluptuous, exotic floral note. These are stunning combinations of woods and oils. Not to be missed. [Ross]

16. Mermade Magickal Arts (company)

Given that most premium incense hails from the far east, we’re terribly proud of our geographical neighbors Mermade Magickal Arts, a company who may have been the finest American incense outlet in as long as I can remember, featuring “small press” bouquet items that use not only the finest available ingredients per scent, but by batch as well. They’re also one of the most inventive companies to ever grace the art, spinning out a number of unique products from incense vaporizers to triangle shaped “cones” that surprise and elate us with every turn. There’s a reason why their products show up continually on our top lists both at month and year end, it’s because we honestly feel they’re that good. And anyone who has made an order from them knows this is an outfit with a passion for the art that transcends commercialism in every way. In fact it hardly matters where you start in their catalog, there’s a treasure on every shelf. [Mike]

17. Tibetan Medical College – Holy Land

Stores are rife with the nth variation on generic Nepali recipes, so it has been an astonishing two years to start to see the gates of the Tibetan Autonomous Region open (thanks to the tireless work of Essence of the Ages) and provide us with the real and sometimes controversial deal, what are often the finest of the widely spread Tibetan incense style. Perhaps the very best of these exports is Tibetan Medical College’s Holy Land, one of the most electric incenses ever created, a true hybrid of the feral and divine. I kid you not that after the first time I bought this, I nearly burned through a box in a month or two and I’m still blown away every time I light a new stick. Other monasteries may have incenses with fleeting similarities to this one, but none are anywhere close to how good this one is.  Certainly one of my all time favorite incenses. [Mike]

18. Bosen (company)

Bosen comes to us out of Taiwan and is available on Amazon. They produce both hardcore high quality aloeswood-based Japanese styles as well as Tibetan style sticks that use very high quality ingredients. The Japanese sticks are built around different grades of aloeswoods and even the beginning levels are fine examples of aloeswood with out all the additives. Just woods, seemingly no spices or herbs in the mix. It’s a great way to see what the woods actually smell like and can give one a great appreciation of incense.

The Tibetan sticks are pretty unique blends, many of which use much more aloeswood then any other sticks of this type. These do not come across as standard Tibetan, I think the ingredients are, in general, more refined and the scents reflect this. [Ross]

19. Dzogchen Monastery/Lotus Ground Incense

Definitely one of my top 10 new finds in incense for 2009, this is a Tibetan stick like no other. While most Tibetan sticks use natural ingredients for incense, this Monastery stick has a particularly high level of oil or extracts in it and a unique one at that that I found instantly addictive. And unlike Holy Land I can’t think of any other incenses even remotely similar to this one, it’s one of a kind. One I pull out on a regular basis and have since I first received a box. [Mike]

20. Mother’s India Fragrances (five champas)

Out with the halmaddi, in with the mattipal, this is perhaps the first range to successfully adjust to the former shortage without damaging a recipe or reputation in the process and as such may be the finest Nag Champa range on the market today. In particular the Ganesh and Shanti incenses are two of the great Indian incenses available with a mixture of oils, resins and woods that its impossible to get tired of. Affordable and classic, they make you wonder why most similarly priced Indian incense competitors don’t just disappear. Their only fault is there’s only five when such an innovation cries out for more variations. [Mike]

21. Seijudo – Kyara Enju, Kyara Seiran, Shiragiku

This is the tip of the Seijudo iceberg, three scents heralding the entry of a line of incenses that ought to fit quite nicely next to the Shoyeido premium range, featuring incenses that combine the best of potent woods and unbelievably fine aloeswood oils. In fact they have the same effect that one’s initial experience with Shoyeido’s incenses have, a strength of scent that’s perhaps impossible to parse with just a stick. This is a series I’m looking forward to getting to know better and once again kudos to the Japan Incense team who just continue to astound us with their new imports. [Mike]

22. Gyokushodo/ Jinko Hoen, Jinko Yomei, Jinko Yozei

Gyokushodo has been imported into this country for a while but has always been somewhat in the background (until recently their scents weren’t identified by company). This last year Scents of Japan brought in a new (to us) stick, called Jinko Yozei. It has a really nice and noticeable Vietnamese (sweetish) aloeswood scent to it with a hit of something from the spice/floral notes lightly moving across the top. It’s quite captivating and at a good price for an quality aloeswood stick. For a more perfumed top note combined with excellent aloeswood try the Jinko Yomei. [Ross]

23. Purelands/Bhakti Yoga line

Purelands is another new import to the US. They produce rich, deep and potent scents. The Saffron and Rose stick is a knock out with a deep and very rich Rose scent and a spicy quality that makes it pretty unique. I love the Sandalwood stick and the quality oils used in great abundance and the Rasa Leela is also pretty fun with so many complex levels going on all at once. A long and happy learning curve on this one. Please see Mike’s tasting notes for all the details. It’s so nice to see Indian incense going up in quality now; god knows they have such a rich and long heritage of scented culture that has so much depth. [Ross]

24. Baieido Syukohkoku (line)

The Syukohkoku line from Baieido has much more aloeswood in its incenses than the Kobunboku Meditation series, this changes the scent profile quite a bit. The three incenses (and it might be four at this point with the addition of Tobiume) in this group are all pretty different from each other. Kai Un Koh is what I think of as “Assault Grade” incense. It will cut through anything and is quite potent, yet beautiful and almost voluptuous in its merging of woods and spice notes. A big favorite here at ORS. Syukohkoku has a very strong aloeswood note with some sandalwood and a large dose of traditional Chinese herbs to produce another authoritative scent, however, the perception of this one can change depending on what is burned before it. There are some very sublime qualities at play here. Then comes Tokusen Syukohkoku. To get this incense it needs to be the first thing sampled. It is all about the subtle interplays between the materials, of which there is a very high grade aloeswood (the Hakusui mentioned above). This one has a very long learning curve and I can admit to loving the stuff. To me these are works of art. [Ross]

25. Highland Incense (stick and powder)

Another Tibetan Autonomous Region offering, two incenses that are perhaps the most animalistic, musky scents ever imported to the US. But despite such a spunk, the base incenses are complimentarily complex, particularly so with the powder whose variations change depending on whether one uses charcoal or a heater. Once again one is left to guessing over what exactly goes in these scents as the larger hints are that these are perhaps culturally transgressive in what they include. Nonetheless, the differences between a scent like Highland and the $5 Nepali bundles you tend to find under the Tibetan heading are vast. [Mike]

In compiling this article it was decided each of us would write about incenses we hadn’t previously reviewed, although this is not the case throughout as in a couple cases we have to verge individually. However to get a more full appraisal of the scents discussed in this article, it is recommended that one click on our Reviews Index where we go much more in depth on the incenses here. Did you think we missed anything? Do you agree or disagree with our picks? Let us know in the comments below!