We now turn to the back “half” of Dimension 5’s Terra Collection. The previous two incenses were originally planned for review when I was expecting the Terra Collection to include four incenses, but Josh Matthews managed to get a new entry in under the wire, one which actually fits in pricewise between the two previously reviewed.
Terra Teleportica is simply unearthly. I am sort of reminded by how one would place microphones or speakers in a room for recording or listening to music and how the placement can so quickly alter perception or the sound of music. It is the “placement” of the ingredients in the Dimension 5 incenses which is often one of the most impressive things about them because while the mix of elements does describe a combination, I like how often and how easy it is to really get the separate elements of the ingredients in Josh’s incense. This has a really marvelous oud oil in the mix with agarwood, sandalwood, resins and other ingredients. Although spice is not listed I do get some feeling of that, probably through the oud, and you can definitely feel the resins at the bottom of the mix. I didn’t get it until the second or third stick, but the resins here also seem to help create something of an apricot or fruit note, although here they blend nicely into the spice. The sandalwood feels a bit more lightly placed than in some of the other Dimension 5 incenses but not to where it disappears and more towards where it connects everything together. But beyond all this is just a feeling that what is speaking the loudest is the complexity of the fantastic ingredients, the depth of the woods and the oils from the woods. When I first got into agarwood incenses and experienced some early ones I felt like I had a sort of vision of this ancient grandfather tree where the whorls and knots of the wood were so infinitely complex that you could follow them like a labyrinth. That’s the sort of experience you will find in an incense like Terra Teleportica, it is literally an aromatic feast that that will tickle one’s subconscious and memory functions. Incredibly well done, and a tribute to Josh’s own skills improving more and more as his creativity produces new treats.
If there is sandalwood in the Terra Profunda it would have to fall under “other” category and therefore shifts this a bit over from many of the Dimension 5 incenses where it is named. In fact when I lit this the first thing I thought was mm spices, and then went to look at the ingredients and found these as well as agarwood, oud and resins. Overall there seems to be a bit of a marriage between the resin content and the fruitiness of the oud oil and given that I could compare the actual oil, I noticed that it has been dialed back to be an equal player in this clever little blend. I might say there is actually a bit more woodiness from the actual agarwood, but it doesn’t overwhelm. I had some apple vibes from this, some level of cinnamon, star anise and pepper pizazz in there somewhere and an overall feeling of freshness that I appreciated a lot. It reminded me a little of when you open one of those dry packages of Quaker apple cinnamon oatmeal on a cold day. It allows the resin to perhaps sing a bit more than the other blends it is included in. I would guess there is some level of good frankincense or one of the more piquant gums to allow this. I think the skill here is allowing a higher quality of wood to sing in perhaps slightly less powerful quantities letting it sit nicely next to the other elements rather than dominate. But part of it is that this is a very fine oud in the base, one that has a great deal of complexity on its own and like many of the Dimension 5 incenses, it is maybe that fifth dimension that really gives you so much to appreciate.
The resins are also listed in Terra Esoterica but I don’t smell them quite so much, or rather they seem less of the more citrusy type resins. I’m sort of reminded at the way some Japanese frankincense sticks kind of go in an apricot direction and with the woods, the mix has some level of turpentine. This incense has an actually remarkably different profile to my nose from the rest of the collection, and everything else listed includes agarwood, oud and sandalwood. Some of the woodiness of this one actually brings some different subnotes that I’m not as used to, an almost earthier sort of scent, dry soil, clay, subnotes of peat and so forth. The incense even has something like an oakmoss note, so overall all of these elements kind of come together in an ancient, untouched deep jungle sort of way. The oud that goes into this one is a bit more dangerous than in the previous incenses in that it has some of the sort of animalistic or slightly fecal-like notes a lot of ouds can have, so it’s a bit of a tribute to Josh’s skill that that element does not show up in the incense, just the really fine aspects of the wood, of which there are a multitude. As all of the Latin names go in this collection, this one certainly deserves the appellation of esoteric as it really dives deep into some fairly cool and new territories. Of all the incenses this is one that really feels like it needs time to unfold to speak its treasures.
Overall the Terra Collection may be the finest of Josh’s work although I would guess only until the next collection. These are honestly some of the most complex, deluxe sticks of incenses you can buy and I really feel like I could burn another dozen sticks before really feeling like I’ve listened closely enough because not only are the incenses complex in their compounds but each ingredient is as well, and at times it can be bewildering just to catch everything spiraling out from the smoke. If you are interested in any of these fascinating incenses or any of the previously reviewed sticks (see the Reviews Index for previous entries or click on the Dimension 5 category), please contact Josh at dimension5incense@gmail.com.
The mix of woods and sandalwood oil featured in Terra Enchantica is one that really has some great woody and fruity notes. The wood notes sit very nicely next to the sandalwood oil (and there should be some sandalwood wood too), but I also very much like the mix of spices that is being use at the bottom as they feel really intelligently placed alongside these other notes. Enchantica is actually the bottom of the Terra line in price (although it looks like it’s tied with Terra Teleportica, which was a more recent addition to the collection and will be reviewed next installment) but it’s already quite spectacular. In speaking to Josh, it was also mentioned that the agarwood itself also tends to a bit of a sandalwood scent as well, so I think it’s a very good example of how agarwood can drift into other profiles as well. While you get a huge sandalwood presence through the middle, there are a lot of more playful notes that are really quite different from the usual Japanese stick and I think you have to credit the fine sandalwood oil for this sort of feel. The note that actually strikes me the most is this sense of apricot in the foreground. Overall this is a very nice example of how you can say this is sort of on the lighter side, but without really losing any complexity whatsoever and that is a refreshing change indeed.
The oud being used in Terra Conundra is a fine, balanced example of such an oil, rich, complex, and multi-faceted, bearing everything from the sort of wilder notes all the way to fruity top notes. However taking a quick sniff of the oud and going back to the stick not only confirms the identification but also shows there’s quite a bit of actual fine agarwood boosting this as well. It is a very different stick from the Terra Enchantica, journeying into some more traditional woody territories, while having a unique touch of spice. In fact I’d say historically, Terra Conundra has really improved from early batches into a very fine incense indeed. Instead of just the many notes from the oudh on its own, you now have a great deal of interplay with the woods and whatever other mix of ingredients that are helping to balance this out. There is so much going on in this stick it’s almost overwhelming, it’s even starting to approach some of the complexities of fine Japanese agarwood and kyara sticks. It’s also a very fragile stick so keep that it mind when handling. And absolutely do not leave your area when this is going, this is not the sort of incense you use to generally add scent to your environment, it is designed specifically to pay attention to. One can really only imagine a world when you could get 50 sticks in a tube of something this intense, one might not buy anything else.
The three incenses here, along with the previously reviewed 
With Voyager, you get a list of sandalwood, agarwood, frankincense, spices, resins and others, but as Josh describes, the incense is essentially “frankincense forward.” Voyager reminds me of a lot of the Japanese frankincense sticks, not only the Minorien and Tennendo sticks but the Shoyeido Incense Road as well, like the profile shares aspects of all of them. In this sense it would be sort of the frankincense on wood of the Minorien, a bit of the sort of banana tang you find in the Tennendo (although I notice this a little bit more in the original recipe, the piquancy is a bit mellower here) and a bit of the confectionary like sweetness you would fine in the Incense Road. As in many of the Dimension 5 incenses, Voyager has a very noticeable high quality sandalwood in the mix, one that peaks its way out in what I assume is Mysore glory. Obviously at a more luxury price it is the additional elements that complement the Frankincense that are the draw here over the other more affordable frankincenses made for the US market, although compared to a lot of other Dimension 5 incenses the agarwood is dialed back a bit. But overall I can’t really think of a sort of deluxe Japanese-style frankincense incense that has this more luxury take and so Voyager is actually quite unique. And the more you use it, the more you will see some other interesting things pop out from its profile.
With Ottoman Empire, you are more or less instantly reminded of fine Turkish rose oils. I’m not sure what the specific scent is but it strikes me as a fine absolute (it is actually a specific essential oil so I am adding this note on 12/3). Although it is listed second it may be the scent’s real primary note. With agarwood, sandalwood and other spices in the mix it’s probably not shocking that this is going to be reminiscent of ouds in a surface sense, however this feels a bit less wet or oil/perfume based and more of a dry wood kind of thing. The difference between the earlier version I received and the one being reviewed here is the balance has been adjusted for the better and it feels like the new one has a bit stronger of an agarwood presence, which means it is balancing quite nicely with the rose being used. I’ve said this before but often Dimension 5 incenses will elicit a wow out of me. Like if I have this routine where I light a stick, and then say check an email or something, the aroma will hit me and for a second I’ll forget what I lit and be wow that’s really good. Ottoman Empire is one of these. There’s some very fine aloeswood in this one, the kind of higher end wood that tends to have more of a personality, but that mix of it, the sandalwood and the rose essential oil melts really nicely with whatever spice part of the blend that gives it a nice tertiary deepness to it. A really gorgeous stick and one that after burning a few sticks of the original blend and a few of the new blend, I’ve gotten to know really well.
Ethyl Phenthyl could possibly be the most chemical name I’ve seen for what seems like such an organic sort of stick. The alcohol appears to be used in perfume, and I looked up some rose and honey descriptions of it, and for sure there is a really honey-ish note in this intriguing stick. But given the list of ambergris, agarwood, sandalwood, orris and others, it’s really that list of notes nearly in that order that is what is really featured here. The ambergris is exquisitely lovely on this, salty and rich, but I found that in some of the sticks, when it hits the sandalwood pockets, the incense is really arresting in how it profiles how great that note is and I would assume it’s because the orris (extract?) is melded so closely with it. Orris is something I’ve never quite checked out on its own yet, but when it pops up in incense it seems floral and yet deep at the same time, imparting a note that’s all too unique (it strikes me as a bit violet-like). So there is really a ton going on in this one, because I got through all of that without talking much about the agarwood, which also does really weave it’s way in here nicely. All of this is just further testament of Josh’s improving skill with melding a wide array of aromatics with deep complexity, and this is another that is a real joy to listen to. I’m starting to do that thing where I’m like no maybe THIS one is my favorite Dimension 5. 
One of the sad parts about resuscitating ORS earlier this year was that the man who was practically my original partner in running the site passed away not long after I announced the site’s return. ORS might not exist if it wasn’t for Ross Urrere. Historically, this site started when I started posting about incense on my own blog. Ross joined in quite a bit and then there was some discussion about actually breaking off the incense part of the blog and creating something independent. Ross agreed to start writing, christened the site fairly quickly and off we went for many years. Ross also was interested in making his own incense and over the years went from afficionado to a revered creator in his own right. Ross was very generous and kept me fairly well supplied with samples of his incenses like Ocean of Night, Comfort, Souked Aloeswood or Sandalwood with Ambergris, all of which were brilliant. I am sad that I have completely run out of Ocean of Night even though, I was probably the benefactor of 4 or 5 vintages of it, but I do remember it fairly well (there is some truth that the inspiration to start up the site again came from revisiting a lot of vintage incenses that I actually ran out by the time I pressed go). Ocean of Night was a remarkable incense, almost sui generis from an incense standpoint, with an oakmoss presence that really set it apart from many of the heatables on the market. And I know I wasn’t the only fan of it, in fact I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like his incense work, a work I might add that was informed by studying perfume as well. In fact it is his friends in Mandy Aftel’s circle who inherited Ross’ recipes and I can certainly say for myself I look forward to the day that these return to availability.
Somewhere in probably 2007 when I first started writing about incense, I made an order from a company who I won’t name – let’s say I didn’t order from them again – who sent me an unnamed sample or two, one of which my whole brain just leaped on. I never ended up being able to tell if it was a Korean premium or a Baieido incense, but it had a certain woody tang to it that was almost instantly addictive. I feel to some extent that Dimension 5’s Tibet With Love scratches that same itch. [11/17: Oh and here’s the brand new label!]
This little marvel of a stick impressed just on lighting it, I think I probably swore a few times in delight. Where Josh Matthews has created a lot of Japanese-influenced incense sticks, this is the first I’ve tried that is something of a tribute to Tibetan incense, but it turns out to be a whole lot more than that. I find it to be something like an aloeswood-infused hybrid of a mix of styles that reminds me of the Bosen-style Tibetan sticks, Korean incense (particularly this sort of tanginess) and a bit of the Japanese style as well. Josh describes this as “A musky cornucopia of Tibetan-style goodness, exploding off the stick. These sticks are much fatter than my Japanese style incense – but not as fat as many other Tibetan-style incenses.” This is true, the sticks still seem to be thinner than the Bosen style and maybe analagous to some of the Kourindo sticks in thickness (and they’re also a bit longer than the D5 standard at four inches). The ingredients list includes sandalwood, juniper, agarwood, herbs, spices, resins and others. It’s strange for me because where so many of Josh’s sticks are more agarwood heavy and deluxe, this one just scratches so many itches and hits an area where so few have gone before that I think it’s a perfect example of his creativity at work. There are a bazillion things going on it in the sense that you can sense that entire list of ingredients in so many ways, all of the woods are clear (although the agarwood is out in front a bit), the resins nice and fruity and the spices an utterly delight to the senses. I really, really love this one.
It’s a rare pleasure for me to introduce a new talent to ORS, in this case the talents of incense creator Josh Matthews. Josh is a long-time reader of ORS who got in contact with me shortly after reopening and began sharing his incense creations with me. I have a philosophy with ORS that I don’t really want to review too many incenses where readers will open up a page read excitedly about some new incense I am enthusing over only to find out that the incenses are unavailable or discontinued. But this sort of belies the fact that there are a number of boutique incense creators who make really fine incenses that never find their way to these pages, in fact some of them open up availability on them for what is essentially hours. And I think you might find that Josh’s Dimension 5 (whose door is now opening) may very well end up as this type of seller, once people get wind of his creations. First of all let me share some information about how he works…
I believe Old World Japan might not only be the first I tried of his incenses several months ago but it is the first of four that Josh is offering for sale. Listed are agarwood, sandalwood, spices, herbs, resins and others and it is really a panoply for your senses. You easily get both woods, both very fine and high quality, layered in with a number of other notes. It feels like maybe there’s some star anise, clove and maybe something a bit more peppery in the mix that gives one level of it something of a kick. It’s interesting to see that this one is inspired by Baieido incense as it often reminds me of some of their loose wood and spice blends. As I mentioned earlier the whole thing smells incredibly fresh and vibrant and there’s a lot of movement, from sweet to tangy and back to spice again. One might notice aristrocratic in the description of some Japanese incenses and I think that vibe is really captured well on this one. It speaks of age, maturity and balance. If you think of this as the most inexpensive of the four, it’s even more impressive as it’s already well into premium territory. And where the next three are largely wood-based first, it feels like the spices in this one are just as important a part of the bouquet – say a blend vs a wood blend, if I might split hairs.
Agarwood, sandalwood, spices and resins mark the list for Mirage, which is described as “shimmering and sweet – lavish woods and warm vibrant spices.” It actually seems to balance a bit of a dry blend before you notice the sweet middle kick in. The agarwood/sandalwood mix is really no less noble than the Old World Japan, but obviously the spice mix is much different. Once again one instantly notices the multiple notes at work here, none of these incenses really have a static mode and Mirage has plenty of activity in the wood contour area that can take your attention off the sweetness before it kicks back in again. In particular once you have a couple stick’s of Josh’s work it’s hard not to notice the central place the really fine sandalwood tends to play in most of his incenses. And it’s the fine stuff with more than enough of the old mountain resin note to tell you no expense is spared. It all adds up to a tremendously complex incense, almost like a listening session at a calculus level. As I continued to use it I started to notice some really subtle spice work, almost on the fringes of the aroma.
Cloud Ten actually lists sandalwood first, along with oud, resins and others. Josh describes this as a “Sky nectar sandalwood experience with medicinal and kinam-esque qualities.” Kinam is essentially sort of a Vietnamese name for high grade agarwood either approaching or equivalent to kyara, so we must assume some craft to approach this note is involved in this level of the incense. Now keep in mind where I have gone on record complaining a bit about low end sandalwood Japanese incenses, you really can’t make the same complaint about any of these woods in the Dimension 5 stable. All of the sandalwood here has gigantic presence very similar to what it’s like to heat high quality wood chips. And that’s just really the base here as embedded in the middle of all of this is what smells like a touch of frankincense and a really svelte oud note that provided a nice little rich tanginess as well as that resinous fruitness for the woods to bounce back and forth off of. And of course it needs saying again just how wonderfully fresh and vibrant everything feels and that repeated usage shows all sorts of intriguing subnotes that pop up. I’m particularly glad Josh launched a blend that is sandalwood fronted as he’s very creative with merging these notes with other elements.
Perhaps the crown jewel of the four is the truly astonishing Mezmer-25. Josh describes this as a “swirling, uber-decadent agarwood bomb” and it almost feels like I couldn’t describe this any better. The ingredients include agarwood, oud, sandalwood, resins and others and overall it’s just an insanely powerful hit of some of the most impressive high-end incense ingredients you are likely to find out there. It is quite simply agarwood nirvana. I know from talking to Josh that he works hard to help balance a lot of the natural wood tendencies and this is something of a masterclass at such an attempt, where fine wood, oud, what seems like a touch of musk, and other ingredients all go to pulling out the best aspects of each other. It’s the kind of scent to reach its tendrils into the consciousness parts of the brain and start pulling at your synapses. It actually took me to my third stick to really start noticing the cool sandalwood notes in this one too. A remarkable stick.
Olfactory Rescue Service 
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