Incense of the Day

[Nathan]

You should ask if their stock of The Rapture is older or newer. Price might be a bit of a pointer.

On price, if it's too much I'm actually pretty happy with cheapo skins. I'm not one to put wood on charcoal; I like to use my electric heater. I find that you really need high-end agarwood if you're going to burn it, but my jar of skins from Crassna Khmer are perfectly pleasant on a heater. Sure, there's not the sort of sticky, rich, depth you're going to get from a sliver of white kinam, but for something to put on casually or mix with other aromatics I think they're perfectly acceptable.

 

[PerfumeAl]

Seijudo - Gokuhin Kyara Enju - a rare treat. After a day of stunning oils, great woods - felt like a fitting end to the day. Pure Zen.

 

[RexNobody]

Dr Incense Processed Sinking Philippines

This is always Oud heaven. One of my favorite agarwood sticks. Sweet and bitter and resinous. Explosive scent! Half a stick fills my entire home.

 

[Shampoo_Dream]

I like their second teir the most, Purple Clouds I think it's called? It's in the orange box. It's sweet, dense, and agarwoodish as hell. I used to like The Rapture the most. That was agar bliss, but they changed the formula, and lowered the price, so I'd skip it unless you can get your hands on the vintage stuff. But it was incredible. Just as aromatic and woody and ethereal as the incense, Tenpyo. Also, no longer for both. The quality has gone but the affordablity has gone up. I don't know if Kikoh, which he's a great writ4er4 and all, but his site is very expensive, I don't know if they have any of the Shoyeido granulated incenses. I know that japanincense.com used too. You should ask if their stock of The Rapture is older or newer. Price might be a bit of a pointer. The old stuff was $149, Ive seen the new stuff for $89. There's just no comparison. I also used to buy the older stock of Tenpyo incense sticks and coil incense; those were also priced around $150. Now I see the coils for much less than that on amazon. Same thing happened to the top tier The Raputre, like I said. It's just not as glorious, is all. It's still good, but I'm now spoiled.

I picked up “The Rapture” a few months ago from the Shoyeido USA store and it is still the old blend for ~$150. Absolutely enchanting. Might stock up on an extra package if they’re not making it the same way anymore. Seems to be a trend lately 🙁

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

Seijudo - Gokuhin Jinko Nichigetsu. Super premium blend of two agarwoods. Totally nose numbing stuff. Incredible. Bitter and sweet.

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

I prefer the sandalwood options in that range; I'm really not a fan of that sour-acrid note you get from burning low-mid grade adarwood. Most of Shoyeido's premiums have this note in spades too. I do find that humidity helps a lot though; the fragrance is much improved IMO when having a hot bath.

Unfortunately most of the agarwood incense I like is priced for people in a different tax bracket. You really do need some dank stuff for it to perform well in a combustible. That said, I do enjoy Shoyeido's Friend of Pine, Baieido's Tokusen Kobunboku, Kunmeido's Shin Tokusen Reiryokoh, and just about everything in Yamadamatsu's premium line.

Have a look at what Wa no Kaori have to offer. They seem to price things a lot more realistically. https://wa-no-kaori-incense.com/

 

[Joe]

You know, I really enjoyed his book, but I actually don't find his incense reviews very useful. They're very abstract, and sometimes I just want to know what the thing smells like, you know?

Yeah, I can see that. Do you read, the Olfactory Rescue Reviews? They’re more in depth, and focus a lot more on ther smell AND the relevance, while the writer at Kikoh focuses more on history and plaacement in modern incense culture. I like both to read. I wanna know what I’m smelling as well as its relevance.

 

[Joe]

I picked up “The Rapture” a few months ago from the Shoyeido USA store and it is still the old blend for ~$150. Absolutely enchanting. Might stock up on an extra package if they’re not making it the same way anymore. Seems to be a trend lately 🙁

Is that the store in Colorado or Nyc?m. If they still fancy the same old formula, I’d stock up on it too!

 

[Nathan]

Yeah, I can see that. Do you read, the Olfactory Rescue Reviews?

Yes, he contributes there now too as it happens. I also read Incense in the Wind, Ratnagandh, and Rauchfahne.

 

[Shampoo_Dream]

Is that the store in Colorado or Nyc?m. If they still fancy the same old formula, I’d stock up on it too!

Colorado. Yeah I think I will, it’s really outstanding.

 

[Joe]

Colorado. Yeah I think I will, it’s really outstanding.

I don’t think it’ll ever come back so get as much as you can. I just found a couple of boxes of the old formula, they’re all open but nearly full. Not sure why I would open all of the, This messy apartment I guess!

 

[Joe]

One of my favorite non-woody (agar or sandal) incense from my favorite tea company. It’s a vanilla, rosey mixture with smooth red fruits. Sweet but not candy-cane sweet. Not sugary. Mellow too but has excellent silage for a stick. Lingers for a while after it’s burned out.

 

[Joe]

Great Kiara blend. Unless you’re a multimillionaire, you’re only going to be able to afford a blend. But this stuff is well worth it!

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

Eight Milleniums incense powder - Kangiiten on the heater tonight. Soft and musky.

 

[Joe]

And now this one, one of their better Harrods, and not priced as high as the most recent ones I’ve posted. Great quality, at 400 sticks, and everyday stick. (I think the new boxes are 300 sticks, but do your research as I can be wrong)!

 

[Cloud]

Yes KZ sticks are great! I am holding on dearly to whatever stocks i have as they are usually sold out very fast! 😉
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This may be the wrong place to ask but...can you tell me where I can obtain those containers? I know it's all ephemeral, but I'm still trying to make it last 🙃

 

[Cloud]

Kyara Zen's _"Dreams of African Sandalwood"_ has graced my morning. So grateful for KZ, I never would have discovered these treasures stumbling around on my own!

 

[Joe]

Yes, he contributes there now too as it happens. I also read Incense in the Wind, Ratnagandh, and Rauchfahne.

Thanks for the intro to the other sites. I read a review on the last site mention, Rauchfahne, about White Clouds, certainly my favorites of the dailies, and it’s spot on. I like research the reviews while “listening” to the incense.

 

[Nathan]

I read a review on the last site mention, Rauchfahne, about White Clouds, certainly my favorites of the dailies, and it’s spot on.

Yea, Irene really knows her stuff! She's also an incense maker herself; she doesn't sell it, but I've had a chance to try some of her work and it's excellent.

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

Yea, Irene really knows her stuff! She's also an incense maker herself; she doesn't sell it, but I've had a chance to try some of her work and it's excellent.

Awesome, I hadn't come across any of those before other than Rescue service.