Incense of the Day

[PerfumeAl]

Yamadamatsu - Hojo (White) - Very interesting almost "clean" smelling stick. Makes me wonder if there is some synthetic musk in there as I was almost reminded of laundry detergent at times... Very light and airy. Interesting for sure - not sure if it would ever be something I go to more often.

 

[iori]

Started with Shokaku and ended with Enju

Such a Delight ;3

 

[SophMarie]

Don't those sticks only come 8 to a tube, so in that regard you guys are sorta getting close to half the box ?

The 3" sticks come three to a box. Last night I ordered the 4.5" sticks, which come eight to a box. Somewhere there's probably a rich person's set at 8" a stick and 30 to a box. But my store doesn't even stock that 😁

 

[Simla House]

Fumigated the house with simple Omani green Hojari tears on coal!
Bright lemony purification clouds!

 

[skiros]

Fumigated the house with simple Omani green Hojari tears on coal!
Bright lemony purification clouds!

Been doing the same on a pre-heater for last 3 days. Love it, piney, lemony, resinous..

 

[Alamande]

Oudique SQ Bakhoor

Had a mildly crappy start to the year (fell off my bike on the way home from work lol), so I was determined to heat something nice when I got home. This is great for fumigation, having a strong aroma even on the subitism.

 

[Mr.P]

Oudique SQ Bakhoor

Had a mildly crappy start to the year (fell off my bike on the way home from work lol), so I was determined to heat something nice when I got home. This is great for fumigation, having a strong aroma even on the subitism. View attachment 52040

nice! I had a little bump in the road as well… I decided to try driving all the way up to the state forest to do some snowshoeing, and discovered the hard way that there was actually sheet ice underneath the dusting of snow on the old road (it was packed powder last week), and my four-wheel-drive was just grippy enough to get me into a ditch lol - I've been driving all over in the snow and I got a little bit too cocky yesterday, had to get a tow, it was about 18° and I was in a pretty remote area...

 

[Mr.P]

One way to enjoy and verify the quality of a good sandalwood oil is to spread a drop or so over the length of a stick of incense, and allow it to smolder. With good oil, the aroma expands massively, and you can get these intense rich space filling buzzy sandalwood clouds that are just amazing. it's actually interesting how much you get out of the drop or two compared to if you put it on skin.

If there's any kind of crude adulteration like with a fixed oil you can immediately tell - some adulterated oils will smell a little bit like burning vegetable oil for example.

I'm burning a drop of some Indonesian sandalwood on a stick of byakudan kobunboku, and the scent is so remarkable that I felt like pausing and recommending others give it a try. Patchouly is another one that will smell fantastic when burned like this if it's good quality and pure. Very exotic aroma this way.

 

[PerfumeAl]

Yamadamatsu - Hojo (Red) - Certainly an authentic Agarwood/ Aloeswood experience. In fact so much so that it reminds me of burning wood on the sub. Redundant for me as I indeed burn wood on a sub... but great for those looking for an accurate representation in incense stick form.

 

[Oudamberlove]

Shoyeido Ga-ho

…..The softness
…..The bitterness
…..The beauty🥰

 

[PerfumeAl]

Yamadamatsu - Kumoi - Really enjoying the dark chocolate, woody vibes in this stick. Paired with some Sri Lankan wood on the burner - a real treat.

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

Shoyeido Ga-ho

…..The softness
…..The bitterness
…..The beauty🥰

Well after this comment, I had to light a stick myself. Beautiful.

 

[mobyus]

Atmosphere Incense , Yamadamatsu - Fresh Breeze · Seifu Karaku

Sandalwood and cinnamon notes

 

[Simla House]

Yi Xin Craft Incense - Dragon's Breath In Winter (December 2025)

Mysore Sandalwood, Himalayan Cedar, Juniper, Styrax, Benzoin, Myrrh, Sacra Frankincense, Shiso, Pink Pepper.

Ken's signature is all over this stick from the moment you light it.
Great blend. Warming and comforting.

I was drawn to the inclusion of Shiso and Pink Pepper in the listed ingredients, and they do give this stick a unique personality. I have another Mongolian incense in my stash that contains Shiso, I'm going to have to dig that up and give it another listen. This incense was designed to aid the body during the cold and dry months of winter according to the philosophies of Traditional Chinese Medicine. For those interested in TCM incense and have studied the last 2 batches of Kyara Zen's TCM blends and found their intense herbal nature not to their liking, Ken's sticks are far easier to digest and use far more palatable ingredients. Although the ingredients used here may not be necessarily all traditional TCM ones, the idea here is that they possess the same healing or balancing properties.

 

[SophMarie]

Baieido Tokusen Ho Ryu - The Phoenix and the Dragon

This is the first quality incense I ever tried. A friend gifted me a box about 20 years ago and I was captured. It's a very smooth Thai aloeswood that supposedly also contains sandalwood, camphor and other spices. I can't pick out individual notes. It's deep, earthy and "harmonious", with a slightly sweet note. I love it as much today as when I first tried it. Very calming and meditative.

Baieido now sells it in a sampler set with Indonesian, Cambodian and Vietnamese aloeswood sticks and Vietnamese Kyara. Can't wait to try the others.

 

[Mr.P]

Baieido Tokusen Ho Ryu - The Phoenix and the Dragon

This is the first quality incense I ever tried. A friend gifted me a box about 20 ago and I was captured. It's a very smooth Thai aloeswood that supposedly also contains sandalwood, camphor and other spices. I can't pick individual notes out. It's deep, earthy and "harmonious", with a slightly sweet note. I love it as much today as when I first tried it. Very calming and meditative.

Baieido now sells it in a sampler set with Indonesian, Cambodian and Vietnamese aloeswood sticks and Vietnamese Kyara. Can't wait to try the others.

I have smelled a Baieido Ho Ryu but it was not the tokusen. I also found it to be a very calming and meditative stick with individual notes not really sticking out, like you describe. Baieido seems to balance and integrate the aloeswood as opposed to overloading it. I usually perceive it as part of an accord as opposed to a stand out note. I actually think that's kind of classy, they're relying on their art form as opposed to flashy ingredients.

 

[Simla House]

Baieido Tokusen Ho Ryu - The Phoenix and the Dragon

This is the first quality incense I ever tried. A friend gifted me a box about 20 ago and I was captured. It's a very smooth Thai aloeswood that supposedly also contains sandalwood, camphor and other spices. I can't pick individual notes out. It's deep, earthy and "harmonious", with a slightly sweet note. I love it as much today as when I first tried it. Very calming and meditative.

Baieido now sells it in a sampler set with Indonesian, Cambodian and Vietnamese aloeswood sticks and Vietnamese Kyara. Can't wait to try the others.

This is a beauty, I have this one as well.
Baeiedo makes some fantastic midrange sticks, especially if you like to listen in stillness and have patience.

 

[PerfumeAl]

Yamadamatsu Suifu Gokuhin - really lovely fruity, woody blend. I prefer it a little to the regular Suifu - but this really is an amazing scent for the price. No brainer for a full box for me.

 

[mobyus]

Got a new batch to try from Atmosphere Incense.

- Kyukyodo White dove Shirohato

- Yamadamatsu Sun Bloom Kayo

- Minorien Sandalwood Byakudan Fu-In (complimentary)

 

[skiros]

Kyukyodo - Gyokurankou Have been lighting this regularly for the past few days and it is growing on me well. Lightly spiced, deep mysore sandalwood, also get hints of musk. Low smoke, and a thin sandalwood stick. Tempted to light multiple sticks together.