Incense of the Day

Taesik Yun said:
Baieido's Kaden Kobunboku
the blending skill of Baieido is truly amazing. I wish there's Kaden Kobunboku made with much higher quality ingredients. that'd smell amazing.
Click to expand...

Just ordered this - not sure if I owned these before.
I'm currently burning Baieido Kai Un Koh Aloeswood Kaiunkoh (is that the full name? or is it just 'Kaiunkoh'?) which I really do like.

I need to try some more premium sticks - I've tried a few that @Oudamberlove very kindly sent me a while back, I picked up Shoyeido Kyo-nishiki (Autumn Leaves) earlier this year - I remember trying them when I started burning Japanese incense in 2019 and liking them - but upon the revisit, they're awful
I remember being a big fan of the Moss Garden ones too, again, very cheap but I dunno if I'll be able to tolerate them, now.

any recommendations on Baieido that won't break the bank?

I recall enjoying Tokusen (Excellent) Kobunboku too, so something perhaps a bit more "upmarket" than this maybe


I also remember seeking out some high quality Nag Champa incense and found some that used the real...argh, what's it called? halmaddi or something similar. The best champa sticks I've had came from JK (Rising Phoenix) which I bought from him in Vegas. Ah, here we go - https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/932413441/khushboo-agarbatti-a-distinctive-indian - still stocked. Highly recommend these, guys!
Any other quality Champa sticks that you lot are aware of?
 
@Sproaty it's just 'Kaiun Koh' 개운향, 開運香. meaning 'fortune(luck) bringing scent'.
I'm glad to hear that you ordered Kaden. it's my favorite from Kobunboku seriese. you gonna surprised by how simple it feels yet has so many facets. if you wanna step up a little bit, I'd recommend 'Byakudan Kokoh' which is wholesome rich sandalwood incense. sadly it's discontinued but you can still grab it from japanincense.com if I'm not wrong.

Sproaty said:
halmaddi
Click to expand...
yes, it's the halmaddi that you are looking for. not sure about the spelling though.

I haven't tried personally but heard 'Shroff' and 'Pure-incense' make a great Champa incense. maybe you could dig about them.
 
Sproaty said:
Just ordered this - not sure if I owned these before.
I'm currently burning Baieido Kai Un Koh Aloeswood Kaiunkoh (is that the full name? or is it just 'Kaiunkoh'?) which I really do like.

I need to try some more premium sticks - I've tried a few that @Oudamberlove very kindly sent me a while back, I picked up Shoyeido Kyo-nishiki (Autumn Leaves) earlier this year - I remember trying them when I started burning Japanese incense in 2019 and liking them - but upon the revisit, they're awful
I remember being a big fan of the Moss Garden ones too, again, very cheap but I dunno if I'll be able to tolerate them, now.

any recommendations on Baieido that won't break the bank?

I recall enjoying Tokusen (Excellent) Kobunboku too, so something perhaps a bit more "upmarket" than this maybe


I also remember seeking out some high quality Nag Champa incense and found some that used the real...argh, what's it called? halmaddi or something similar. The best champa sticks I've had came from JK (Rising Phoenix) which I bought from him in Vegas. Ah, here we go - https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/932413441/khushboo-agarbatti-a-distinctive-indian - still stocked. Highly recommend these, guys!
Any other quality Champa sticks that you lot are aware of?
Click to expand...

Shroff’s Kasturi is absolutely stunning. It’s a botanical musk on a bed of Champa with the traditional halmaddi base if I remember correctly. Mother’s Om Nag Champa is also fantastic and uses honey/halmaddi

I have to say though man the Agarwood connoisseur line from Pure-Incense is amazing. They use a wonderful Cambodian and Malaysian oil for some of them and the aroma it imparts smells like high quality middle eastern perfumery. Very masculine but there’s a killer Mysore base with halmaddi.
 
Taesik Yun said:
@Sproaty it's just 'Kaiun Koh' 개운향, 開運香. meaning 'fortune(luck) bringing scent'.
I'm glad to hear that you ordered Kaden. it's my favorite from Kobunboku seriese. you gonna surprised by how simple it feels yet has so many facets. if you wanna step up a little bit, I'd recommend 'Byakudan Kokoh' which is wholesome rich sandalwood incense. sadly it's discontinued but you can still grab it from japanincense.com if I'm not wrong.


yes, it's the halmaddi that you are looking for. not sure about the spelling though.

I haven't tried personally but heard 'Shroff' and 'Pure-incense' make a great Champa incense. maybe you could dig about them.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I tried a bunch from pure-incense a while back (early 2019) and they were decent. but rather smokey and a tad synthetic, from memory
Thanks for the Baieido recommendations 🙂

I found this - the original Satya Naga? does this look like the OG ones, anyone? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184321856128

Castingshadows said:
Shroff’s Kasturi is absolutely stunning. It’s a botanical musk on a bed of Champa with the traditional halmaddi base if I remember correctly. Mother’s Om Nag Champa is also fantastic and uses honey/halmaddi

I have to say though man the Agarwood connoisseur line from Pure-Incense is amazing. They use a wonderful Cambodian and Malaysian oil for some of them and the aroma it imparts smells like high quality middle eastern perfumery. Very masculine but there’s a killer Mysore base with halmaddi.
Click to expand...

Interesting - thanks! May have to re-check pure incense then - I did buy their "premium" ones. I think I did try their ouds but this was over 2yrs ago. Think I ordered shroff from essence of the ages but I remember having some problems and had to cancel my order

Thanks both 🙂
 
Sproaty said:
I found this - the original Satya Naga? does this look like the OG ones, anyone? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184321856128





Thanks both 🙂
Click to expand...

I wouldn’t buy those because they display two different addresses under the label.

When the schism happened in the family the OG Sattya nag champa would have the BNG LLP next to the name whereas the different line has the Mumbai address without the BNG which is HUGE

The photos clearly show two different labelings so I’d be cautious.

"Inside info .... Few realize there are now two completely separate manufacturers of Satya Sai Baba Herbal Incense.

Following a dispute, the ShrinivasSugandhalaya brothers split the company in two in 2014. An Indian court awarded both sides the right to use existing names and branding. Production methods and ingredients however may vary. While some of the new products released since the split are unique to each factory, iconic fragrances like NG and Superhit may not be exactly what they used to be. For example, Bangalore still hand rolls, Mumbai now uses machines. Sources of raw materials may have also changed.

The only way to distinguish between the manufacturers (without opening the box) is to look closely at the manufacturer address on each incense packet, if it's manufactured in Bengaluru it's the good stuff. This confusing situation poses a problem for dealers as well as consumers. Quality has become seemingly inconsistent and wholesalers supply SATYA products with similar names, in varying packaging and totally different content.

Shrinivas Sugandhalaya Bangalore, being the original factory who produced all the incense sticks for the partnership is continuing work as it has always been, using the same old methods and same natural ingredients they used since the beginning. Shrinivas Sugandhalaya Mumbai in turn is moving into new technology using machines."
 
So, just to understand - nag champa in the blue/red box that we see everywhere - that is a natural product? I've smelled more of it than seems necessary over the years and i never really got a natural vibe from it. it may be i just didnt pay attention and dismissed it as the "new age shop smell" and would have enjoyed it had i given it a chance. It's been a while so I look forward to the next time I get a chance to catch a whiff of that and think about it in light of all the other things I've smelled over the 12 years or so since i last smelled it. Im trying to bring the scent to mind...
 
Mr.P said:
So, just to understand - nag champa in the blue/red box that we see everywhere - that is a natural product? I've smelled more of it than seems necessary over the years and i never really got a natural vibe from it. it may be i just didnt pay attention and dismissed it as the "new age shop smell" and would have enjoyed it had i given it a chance. It's been a while so I look forward to the next time I get a chance to catch a whiff of that and think about it in light of all the other things I've smelled over the 12 years or so since i last smelled it. Im trying to bring the scent to mind...
Click to expand...

The original Nag champa was all natural but it did contain Halmaddi in the base along with essential oils and absolutes. When Halmaddi became next to impossible to source they switch to a different base but consisting of gums and resins. I’ll try and find the video but there’s an excellent mini doc on YouTube that shows the women who hand roll these and the factory itself where it’s made including the raw materials. It’s pretty cool!

When the schism happened the new company owned by the same family switched to synthetic materials/lower quality materials so the only way to know the difference is by the BNG LLP on the front of the box.
 
Castingshadows said:
The original Nag champa was all natural but it did contain Halmaddi in the base along with essential oils and absolutes. When Halmaddi became next to impossible to source they switch to a different base but consisting of gums and resins. I’ll try and find the video but there’s an excellent mini doc on YouTube that shows the women who hand roll these and the factory itself where it’s made including the raw materials. It’s pretty cool!

When the schism happened the new company owned by the same family switched to synthetic materials/lower quality materials so the only way to know the difference is by the BNG LLP on the front of the box.
Click to expand...

weird, I just put on Tool's "Schism" and then read the 2nd paragraph 😂
Thanks for the info. So, neither factory are using halmaddi?

It's confusing though - it looks like some boxes refer to Mumbai and below that says Bengaluru. So that's ok - but if it's Mumbai only = bad?
 
Sampling a couple Minorien sticks

I’m pretty certain they contain synthetic perfume,
tasteful and not overpowering,
but for close listening I prefer natural ingredients.

Daijyo koh
Semisweet perfume with likeness of plum blossoms, plus agarwood.

Kanzeon
Sandalwood and agarwood,
perfumed to a lesser degree than the other,
and the florality is an accent.
 
Sproaty said:
weird, I just put on Tool's "Schism" and then read the 2nd paragraph 😂
Thanks for the info. So, neither factory are using halmaddi?

It's confusing though - it looks like some boxes refer to Mumbai and below that says Bengaluru. So that's ok - but if it's Mumbai only = bad?
Click to expand...
Basically what you want to see is BNG LLP

They trick you by listing the addresses on the bottom as both might say Bengaluru but only the boxes that show BNG LLP are the original formulas.

Unfortunately they no longer use Halmaddi as it’s difficult to source BUT if you come across a vintage box with BNG LLP and can confirm it’s from the 90’s or early 00’s you’d get the Halmaddi base. I remember reading on Olfactory Rescue Service (the equivalent to the Ouddict forum but for all things incense related) that sometime in the early 2000’s is when the shortage happened and the formula changed.
 
Castingshadows said:
Basically what you want to see is BNG LLP

They trick you by listing the addresses on the bottom as both might say Bengaluru but only the boxes that show BNG LLP are the original formulas.

Unfortunately they no longer use Halmaddi as it’s difficult to source BUT if you come across a vintage box with BNG LLP and can confirm it’s from the 90’s or early 00’s you’d get the Halmaddi base. I remember reading on Olfactory Rescue Service (the equivalent to the Ouddict forum but for all things incense related) that sometime in the early 2000’s is when the shortage happened and the formula changed.
Click to expand...
thanks! Yeah, I spent a bit of time on that site in early 2019 and bought a lot of incense. I've bought a ton over the past few days too - I remember the Happy Hari Nag Champa being great, and I ordered a few from Fred Soll's - but unfortunately got stung by import tax, and they're currently not taking international orders
 
Sproaty said:
thanks! Yeah, I spent a bit of time on that site in early 2019 and bought a lot of incense. I've bought a ton over the past few days too - I remember the Happy Hari Nag Champa being great, and I ordered a few from Fred Soll's - but unfortunately got stung by import tax, and they're currently not taking international orders
Click to expand...
Man I keep hearing about these import taxes and what the hell is up with that? You guys have to pay extra on top of the price?
 
Seikado - Ryoun

Got this as part of a Seikado sample pack.

Earthy, warm and musky with maybe a touch of florals. Gives off somewhat of a cologne aroma. Reminds me a bit of Sheikh Al Faransi attar for some reason. Overall pretty decent but probably wont be purchasing a larger bundle.
 
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