Incense of the Day

[Maunamoku]

Even though Tibetan incense season is over me ( I usually use them during fall and winter as I feel they perform much better in colder temperatures ), there are a couple I'll continue to visit during the hot season.

Have you tried Blue Sky? The aroma seems more appropriate for high heat.

 

[-Renton-]

Time to enjoy another inch of Baieido Kyara Kokoh, mannnn, the bitterness stands out❤️

I am planning on getting a couple of these sticks. How would you compare them to Enju?

 

[Mr.P]

The one time I smelled kyara koko was back in 2001. I haven't smelled anything else like it, translucent path was the closest thing but the pure kyara note was stronger, more focused and dominant in the kokoh

I smelled the next level below that and it reminds me more of the traditional baieido a agarwood sticks in which the dominant note is woodiness or herb mix, and the kyara comes in and out (though it can be clearly identified).

Most of their fine oud sticks in general have some woodiness, spice / medicinal masala, sweet benzoin, in various combos, and the specific qualities of the aloeswood are secondary or i should say skillfully merged with the masala. As far as i can recall, the kyara kokoh the only Baieido stick i have smelled that is just straight up agarwood/kinam scent.

 

[Simla House]

Have you tried Blue Sky? The aroma seems more appropriate for high heat.

I have not.
I looked it up and a lot of people seem to be selling it. What do you like about it?

Have you tried Golden Essence from Dhe-Tsang Monastery? This might be my favourite Tibetan in warmer temperatures.

 

[Oudamberlove]

I am planning on getting a couple of these sticks. How would you compare them to Enju?

My batch of Kyara Kokoh is bold with mainly combusted agarwood and kyara notes and a touch of their aromatic blend.
Enju is light with mainly gently heated kyara notes, and barely perceptible added aromatics.

 

[Maunamoku]

I have not.
I looked it up and a lot of people seem to be selling it. What do you like about it?

Have you tried Golden Essence from Dhe-Tsang Monastery? This might be my favourite Tibetan in warmer temperatures.

I only tried it briefly, but have not studied it, I will certainly check it out! I think the note in Blue Sky is tamarind, I’ve seen it in some other monasteries that relocated to southern India.

 

[Maunamoku]

Today, I am burning Cantica Incense. It is a floral bakhoor-type mixture made by Catholic monks from The Holy Rood Guild.

The aroma is expansive, and clearly fills a large space with dense notes of rose, citrus, and resin. When moving the mabkhara, the aroma unfolds to reveal its subtle nuances.

Very beautiful and enchanting. Expansive enough for outdoor fumigation.

Wishing Richard’s family blessings and peace.

 

[Himanshu Sharma]

Finally tried Kyara Houzan

Have you tried Kyara Houzan

I loved it. It’s like agarwood cloud with kyara lining.
I loved how they kyara have been incorporated in the blend with other hard hitting aromatics. It’s just a hint but so beautifully done.
Loved the herbal bitterness.

I think I might get a box 😀

 

[Oudamberlove]

Revisited Tennendo Enkuu old batch

The spice/herb/medicine is not quite as strong as I remember it, now I’m getting more Aloeswood note.

 

[Ahmaoud]

Unusually cool weather so thought it a perfect day to attempt some Tibetan incense, started off with Mindroling Soothing, very woody, but light enough to burn the whole stick, in portions that is.

Followed by an inch of Holy Land 2, it didn't disappoint when people said it might be challenging, a very clear barnyard undertone, yet sweet and herbal spicy at different parts of the stick. These sticks are huge, so I was content with a 1 inch piece.

Rounding off the evening with an inch of Five Fragrance, this one's really hard to decipher. Even premium pure agarwood sticks take a couple of burns to click so I'll attempt these when the weather is cool again. I will say, even unburned the sticks smell incredible!

Apart from the Tibetan sticks, burned a tiny bit of Sinking Tarakan from Dr. Incense, and a bit of Fusen Red Soil from Prof. Incense. The Sinking Tarakan is oddly warming in feel, perhaps due to the Pao Zhi processing, didn't burn enough to form a memory, while the Fusen is light and cooling. Familiar sticks I burn often, yet it never ceases to amaze me, how drastically climate and humidity effects their scent profile!

 

[Oudamberlove]

I lit some Tarakan also,
from KZ old stock.

I’ve got to give props to KZ on this one regarding the binder recipe. The burn rate is tuned just right to bring out mostly the agarwood smell and not much else.

 

[Ahmaoud]

I lit some Tarakan also,
from KZ old stock.

I’ve got to give props to KZ on this one regarding the binder recipe. The burn rate is tuned just right to bring out mostly the agarwood smell and not much else.

This wouldn't happen to be the old version of KZ's Nanban ?

 

[Oudamberlove]

This wouldn't happen to be the old version of KZ's Nanban ?

No, not Nanban. KZ sent me a sample of Nanban, it was okay.

The Tarakan I have I got at 2088tea.com, it was called Tarakan Classic.

 

[Oudamberlove]

Revisiting my Wu Shuang Ge incenses.

Baina
The Tarakan agarwood stands out more than the Brunei. Some binder note but quite agarwoody as well.

Hainan
Again, some binder note, but a rich dose of Hainan agarwood which lingers in the air afterward.

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

Cultivated Kynam and Vietnam red soil by Nine Regions. I usually find these a bit strong to burn inside my unit but this evening I'm out camping with my partner and lit one at camp once we had set up.They're a short pressed stick that are surprisingly strong. I think if I dropped one it wouldn't break. Very bitter all the way through with an almost piecing sweetness running along side. The red soil component gives a lovely dry woodiness to it. Great stick and cheap too. I'm under no impression that this is an artisanal stick but honestly it's worth getting some.

 

[Ahmaoud]

KyaraZen - Dreams of Hai-Nan (or Dreams of Hainan) - Reminded me of the breeze on a dewy spring morning, green, and slightly damp, yet more uplifting than cold, refreshing not camphorous, brushed delicately with the floral scent of new blossoms. Reminded me of Aceh ouds, like AHO's North Sumatra, and RBO's Padang-Kerinci Seblat, but also Sulaym's Malay Supreme (obviously not from the same region).

I'm kinda blown away by this stick, even lighting it up, the immediate scent was pleasant, that's such a difficult thing to achieve! I wasn't prepared for a stick to achieve this level of clarity, or be this enjoyable, and especially at 5 USD/gram, truly floored by this offering!

 

[zahir]

KyaraZen - Dreams of Hai-Nan (or Dreams of Hainan) - Reminded me of the breeze on a dewy spring morning, green, and slightly damp, yet more uplifting than cold, refreshing not camphorous, brushed delicately with the floral scent of new blossoms. Reminded me of Aceh ouds, like AHO's North Sumatra, and RBO's Padang-Kerinci Seblat, but also Sulaym's Malay Supreme (obviously not from the same region).

I'm kinda blown away by this stick, even lighting it up, the immediate scent was pleasant, that's such a difficult thing to achieve! I wasn't prepared for a stick to achieve this level of clarity, or be this enjoyable, and especially at 5 USD/gram, truly floored by this offering!

I was quite surprised that his incense bundle did not get sold out! Unless he [for once] made more incense than the demand for it!

 

[Ahmaoud]

I was quite surprised that his incense bundle did not get sold out! Unless he [for once] made more incense than the demand for it!

Might have been the case, because this time around he was working with his newly established, secret incense factory (his words on Instagram, not mine). I think the bundle should have been broken down into two sets, I like @GLTASN only ordered the 5 most expensive offerings, the Tang dynasty, and the Four Discarded incense didn't peak my interest, and for the money I'd be saving on the bundle, I could've picked up another box of Hainan, Nanban, or Annam, which is I assume most people did.

The two I skipped were no doubt technically more difficult to make than the others, but I never felt like if I didn't get them now, I would be able to find them later on. Did you end up getting the bundle or any individual packs, zahir?

 

[GLTASN]

Might have been the case, because this time around he was working with his newly established, secret incense factory (his words on Instagram, not mine). I think the bundle should have been broken down into two sets, I like @GLTASN only ordered the 5 most expensive offerings, the Tang dynasty, and the Four Discarded incense didn't peak my interest, and for the money I'd be saving on the bundle, I could've picked up another box of Hainan, Nanban, or Annam, which is I assume most people did.

The two I skipped were no doubt technically more difficult to make than the others, but I never felt like if I didn't get them now, I would be able to find them later on. Did you end up getting the bundle or any individual packs, zahir?

Thank you! I thought the extra funds were spent wisely on the censor bundle with 2 rolls of agar clouds but, I'm always going to wonder what those last 2 smell like. Perhaps if they are still available when my incense fund recovers 😉

 

[iori]

Kyara Enju
Ethereal !