What's on your burner today?

#61
I burned a stick of Nippon Kodo Kyara Kongo, not premium kyara but still a lovely scent with excellent sandalwood in the blend, and finished off with just a touch of hojary from scents of the earth.
 
#63
I have burned a little sample of Agarscent Bazaar Omani Bakhoor "Noor". To smell it from the bag it smells Fresh, almost like Irish Spring Soap :) but once the mixture (yellow powder with straw like pieces) hit the charcoal it's a different story, first comes the Ambergris smell followed by dry herbal smell. It is the smell of the foam cresting on waves of sweet and yet dry notes. This is a bakhoor to light up in the morning and open all the windows. It will set a certain mood, not totally happy and not melancholic or sad either but somewhere in between. The powder mix congeals together and harden once it's all burned and finished. Cunusi Bakhoor on the other hand looked like and had the same consistency as Ajwa Dates (Palm dates mushed together). On Charcoal it is very Perfum-y and spicy. Hits the back of the nose a little bit but leaves a very clean smell, like having been in a refreshing shower. But the spiciness adds a strange tone to it and to a certain degree takes over the clean smell. It reminds me a lot of Abu Bakr's Bakhoor Daad. It burns slow vs. Noor which burns pretty fast, so a little bit goes a long way.
Finally, based on other's view's discussed here and elsewhere, I got and I burned couple of sticks of the Double Super Hindi Incense stick from Agarscent Bazaar. I will have to respectfully disagree with you guys on this one. This can not be a substitute to burning a good Hindi Oud chip. There is probably a bit of Oud in here because I am told by Omar that it is made from Oud Paste with no dipping in oils) but OUD is NOT what is featured here. As in many other Hindi Oud sticks the paste contains other ingredients, floral and herbal. It is a nice albeit perfume-y wet scent that Hindi Incense Fans would enjoy. It burns clean with no off after notes. It has a muskiness with enough fecal/animalic notes all wrapped up in soft Amber. Nice, but not Oud-y by any mean. Sorry guys but I think I am throwing the towel in my search for a true Hindi Incense stick that truely features Oud (Barck and resin) and nothing else :(
 
#64
...Sorry guys but I think I am throwing the towel in my search for a true Hindi Incense stick that truely features Oud (Barck and resin) and nothing else :(
A year or two ago, I bought some "agarwood" incense sticks by Ramakrishnananda. Not even the remotest hint of agarwood in the aroma. Perfumey and synthetic smelling. I like many Indian stick incenses, but for proper aloeswood sticks (though not Indian in origin), I'll be content with the Japanese stuff.
 
#65
Burning some of Scented Mountain's "Highest Quality" agarwood incense sticks. They are really nice! A beautifully intoxicating smell. The stick burns very slowly, just a little bit is needed to permeate the room with the incredible fragrance of burning Oud wood. Highly recommended!

Interesting to hear your impressions of Agarscents' Hindi incense, Masstika. I am not nearly as experienced as you in the world of burning Oud wood and Oud incense, so I would have to say that you must be right!
 
#66
Burning some of Scented Mountain's "Highest Quality" agarwood incense sticks. They are really nice! A beautifully intoxicating smell. The stick burns very slowly, just a little bit is needed to permeate the room with the incredible fragrance of burning Oud wood. Highly recommended!
+1. I really like the SM sticks. At times when I crave a straight-up agarwood smell this is what I reach for (rather than a kyara blend).
 
#67
Their much cheaper 12" sticks are also quite nice. They burn a bit smokier and are obviously lower quality in comparison with the rich and deep aroma of their highest quality sticks. But quite a value!
 
#68
Yesterday and today I had a chance to burn Ensar Oud's 80 year and 100 year old Oud chips. I am assuming but I am not sure that it is Thai wood from the border region with Cambodia. I broke off small pieces and burned them which could have had an effect on the outcome of the smell, more on that later. I burned them on the electrical burner and on charcoal directly and over a mica plate. I used both Shoyeido's Ceremonial and square Charcoal and In general the smell was nicest on the electrical albeit not very complete in representing the whole scent profile, followed by the mica plate which provided further depth and lastly directly over the charcoal after it had formed a layer of white ash over the surface. The last method produce the most smoke but concealed the intricacy of the scent. Starting with the 100 year old small piece of chips P1050687.jpg here they are in a different light P1050681.jpg very dry and brittle to the touch. Over the mica place a beautiful dark notes of sweet and roasted chestnuts. There is no smoke discernible coming out but you can see little bubbling locally occurring here and there on the chip. The smell has a Cambodian scent profile but it is like a good old Thaqeel in the sense that it is ethereal; it is not to scent large rooms unless it's put directly on the Charcoal and then the smell is to me very woody, fragrant wood that is :) and that is where the size of the chip matters because if I would burn a larger piece uncut it will stand better to the charcoal. All in all a pleasant and very understated Oud scent that I will revisit.
The 80 year old Oud chips' on the other hand P1050684.jpg is sweet yet dry, hay like scent. The chips produce a good level of smoke making it appropriate for larger room scenting. The scent profile shares a lot with KOKONOE NO KUMO which is Indonesian aloeswood. It has the ability to transform the mood to a somber, sober state of mind. I felt as if I am staring down the plain Horizon of an high desert plateau in the cold winter day. Someone passing outside on the stairs where I live commented to their companion that it smelled "Old" :) I wouldn't recommend burning it on charcoal (or at least not a small piece) for it produces a lot of heavy wood burning smell. A little bit goes a long way.
 
#69
Thanks for sharing your impressions, Masstika. I just burned a little bit of Minorien's Fu-In Kyara for the first time. Absolutely fantastic! And I just lit a stick of their Fu-In Aloeswood too. Quite beautiful. These are definitely superior to Scented Mountain's highest quality, in my opinion. At least, they seem to be made better. The scent profile of the Kyara is very deep and rich, sweet and full-bodied. The Aloeswood is lighter, but has that characteristic burning sweetness too, and is by no means a simple fragrance. Both are rather complex. Before the words come to describe it, one simply breathes again and is lost in that familiar and yet ever-new world of agarwood fragrance.
 
#70
I've yet to try Minorien's Fu-In Kyara sticks, but the Aloeswood ones are pretty-much my favorite 'daily' burn (even though I don't actually burn one per day).
Do you note musty-sweetness in its profile, which is, to me, similar to a prominent note in the dry-down of some Malaysian ouds? I love that combo of notes.
 
#71
Are you guys talking about FU-IN® Kyara Ryugen mini sticks? They are beautiful and I have to say very close to Green Kyara smell albeit a bit spicier and more wet. Minorian is famous for their "wet" scent. I am burning a little bit now. :)
 
#72
masstika; I've been refering to Minorien's Fu-In Aloeswood (not Kyara, and not Kyara Ryugen) sticks which measure 5.5" and come in a package that looks like this:



I think the half-size sticks are only available in the Kyara Ryugen sticks, though I could be mistaken.

I've yet to splurge on the Kyara Ryugen, but they're most-definitely on my wish list.
 
#74
I think the half-size sticks are only available in the Kyara Ryugen sticks, though I could be mistaken.

I've yet to splurge on the Kyara Ryugen, but they're most-definitely on my wish list.
+1. Kyara Ryugen sticks are available in both regular (5.5") and half size. I usually save the Ryugen sticks for special occasions but find that the Minorein aloeswood sticks are also pretty high quality. Have you guys tried kyara blends from other Japanese incense manufacturers? I have had my eyes on Seijudo's Kyara Enju for sometime now but haven't been able to convince my wallet as yet.
 
#75
epidoc, maybe you can start with the mini package. It's more affordable. I have tried Kyara Aioi no Matsu by Shunkohdo which is another excellent take on Kyara, wet and with the right amount of spices, cinnamon and Cardamon. I have also tried Fu-in Granulated Incense - Kyara Blend (to my nose it has a lot of vertiver in it) and once in a while a burn a little bit of all 15 of Shoyeido Premium line from the sampler which is all Kyara mixed in with the same melange of spices each to a varying degree. Shoyeido does an excellent job with them. But if you want an excellent and economical everyday go to then I highly recommend Denop Aloeswod Blend from KyuKyodo. It's a thin green sticks that really packs a lot of fine scent for the Buck so to speak:)
 
#76
I enjoy Shoyeido's Hoetsu granulated blend. Its ingredients are listed as "premium quality Kyara and other spices". Some of the more gourmand spice notes, as well as what smells like sandalwood notes are in there, as well.
Here's a photo I took of (the packaging of) mine:

 
#77
But if you want an excellent and economical everyday go to then I highly recommend Denop Aloeswod Blend from KyuKyodo. It's a thin green sticks that really packs a lot of fine scent for the Buck so to speak:)
I enjoy Shoyeido's Hoetsu granulated blend. Its ingredients are listed as "premium quality Kyara and other spices". Some of the more gourmand spice notes, as well as what smells like sandalwood notes are in there, as well.
Thanks for the recommendations.
 
#78
I have been burning some BAKHOOR AL RAHMA by Swiss Arabian. It is very powerful and perhaps a little too thick and cloying but the notes of rose and amber are very clean. I would like a similar scent with a bit more subtlety, this one fumigates with a hammer.
 
#79
Fumigator if you like Roses you should look into Kyukyodod Mizuho (Rose). It is the cleanest and the closest smell of roses that I have tried from all The Japanese Houses. this is not to scent rooms but for personal enjoyment. I am afraid that most Bakhoor sold by the large Arabian Houses all contain Synthetics. I believe a month ago Mike from Olfactory Rescue Services were selling them at a great deal. Younight, don't you love the Packaging of the Japanese products. beautiful Form and substances...Great :)
 

Taha

Well-Known Member
#80
Sounds lovely, YouNight!
I'm curious - can you make out the Kyara granules in the mix?

Tomorrow I'm going to have AbuBakr (of Aluwwah.com) over at my place, and I plan to burn quite a few different woods. Wood from the good ol' days, dating back to the 90's or even earlier.
This guy (who I consider as having one of the best noses in North America, when it comes to agarwood wood) was kind enough to send me various Burmese, Vietnamese and other woods from his private collection.