u/Additional-Lychee308

Tried Tennendo’s Tensei for the first time today and was surprised by how much the honeydew/melon note reminded me of their frankincense. I also thought the smell at the beginning of the burn was similar to Shunkohdo’s Matsuba Pine. Eventually, the combination seemed like a foil - powdery honeydew over a soft, fresh cut, mahogany. I got a stick each of Matsuba and Tennendo frankincense and lit them at the same time in another room. The frankincense is much stronger than the pine, but the two together are interesting, and the contrast with the Tensei has strengthened my impression, which is that Tensei kind of smells like someone made a trifle with a single aloeswood chip and some fresh pine and mahogany shavings, and topped it with a heap of turkish delight.

Have any of you noticed something similar about Tensei or tried such an experiment with other popular Japanese blends?

I just received my first order from Bhagwan Incense and it’s exceeded my expectations by miles. Their packaging is lovely. As you can see, they were extremely generous with samples. The strength of the perfume is colossal. I didn’t think about it until I got walloped by opening the package, but this stuff can’t be stored anywhere near Japanese incense. It’s mighty! I’ve burned 2 sticks. The champa supreme is nuanced, and I will reserve an opinion until I am able to compare it to the lady champa and the red. Unlit, the lady champa florals dominate and are super fresh. The unlit red champa has a medicinal note that smells red- like the bitter pollen of saffron and marigold. Last night I burned the sandalwood. I’m old enough to remember the luxurious sandalwood oils from the before times; sandalwood was the first fragrance that made me swoon. Good sandalwood oils still have that effect on me. The sandalwood I remember from my youth, what set it apart, was a richness that was etherial and clean, delicate but fierce, like an orchid in bloom. People use the word “creamy” when describing sandalwood, but that lotion-type smell you get from gyokushodo kojurin does not come close to the animalic richness that gives top quality sandalwood its magic. At least, for me.
Anyway…. The mysore sticks are tibetan thick. Most of the packs I ordered contain 10, but the mysore only held 5. They’re sold by weight. I think they are a steal. When lit, there was a hint of that bbq smell you can get from sandalwood sticks, but that was very brief. The oil rules the burn, and it is upfront oud aromachemical headfreeze. Just underneath that, and maybe because you’re dazzled by the atomic oud blast is a fantastically true sandalwood. I burned the sandalwood downstairs and across the house from my bedroom and the next morning as I woke up it slapped me. In a good way.. The lingering fragrance was more crystalline and sandalwood true than the original burn. I find most sandalwood incense trails a cigarette ash smell after it’s burned, but the Bhagwan sticks did not have that buzzkill at the end. I fully intend to restock. It has such strong mental effect, like the day after going skiing or maybe after being in a mosh pit. Cathartic.

Tensei Experiment

Bhagwan haul