I've recently got into toasting resins on a tea light burner and I'm keen to check out all the resinous scents out there. I was wondering if there are any surprisingly 'different' ones I should be looking at. I'm personally purely interested in scent rather than religious/spiritual use (which I of course respect.) I originally bought frankincense and myrrh because I'm a perfume fan, and I wanted to know what they smelled like so I could pick the notes out in fragrances. And yeah, things got a bit out of control. So far I've tried:

Somali myrrh

Various frankincenses (multiple sacras/carteriis from various countries, one papyrifera, one ogaden)

Last flush Benzoin

Labdanum (wanted to combine with benzoin to get the classic perfume 'amber' accord)

Aloe vera - haaaaated it

Copal Torote - smells exactly like Aloe Vera to the point I was wondering if I'd tainted it when I accidentally put a piece of aloe vera in the bag - still not sure honestly. Need to be brave and get it burned, but the thought of clearing that aloe vera smell again...

Palo Santo (resin)

I'm planing to try opopanax, but I was wondering if there's any obvious 'type' of resinous scent I might be missing. The only awkward requirement I have is that they can be lightly toasted on a tealight burner rather than charcoal, as I'm trying to avoid smoke as much as possible. I'm guessing that means that things like woods are out? I 'think' I hate oud in perfumery (always hard to know when it's in a complex blend) and I feel like that's the obvious 'big' one I'll be missing. My favourite note in perfumery is labdanum/cistus, although I didn't like it as much as a resin, and of the resins I've tried my favourite is probably just the classic myrrh/frankincense combo.

Any suggestions?

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions in regards to really authentic Catholic Church smelling incense. I have frankincense and myrrh resins I heat and I love the smell, but I’m also looking for some other recommendations. If it helps for reference, there are some perfumes I really love that capture the kind of smell I’m looking for; LAVS by Filippo Sorcinelli, Avignon by CdG, Cardinal by Heeley…

I keep seeing references to time using "the time it takes an incense stick to burn" as the basis. I looked it up on Google and it said incense can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour to burn. Is there some relatively standard amount of time, like half an hour or something?

Hi!

New here!

I bought some lavender incense from Amazon the other day to try and create a bed time routine. I'm on the fence, but I think largely due to the fact I always forget I don't like lavender 😂

So I'm looking for recommendations for calming/relaxing type scents for me to use for a wind down/chill after work routine to try and finally regulate my nervous system at 35 lol.

I usually really like vanilla, cashmere, cinnamon, and citrus type scents when I burn candles.

Want 100% natural so I'm not breathing in stuff but also because of my dog.

*EDIT for clarification:

I want "natural" as in herbs and not synthetic. I understand chemicals are chemicals. I just don't like synthetic smells usually.

I am burning with my sliding glass door open and the dog is able to go outside and get elsewhere. I'm a vet tech so I understand. It's why I've never been a big essential oil person. So looking for safest options for us both.

And I don't plan on burning and going to bed. Plan is to burn it while I'm working on puzzles or cross stitch and help wind down.

I’m looking for an incense that fits those quiet late nights when you’re alone, thinking about life, the past, the future, where you’re going, etc.

Something calming and contemplative, maybe a little melancholic or mysterious, but not necessarily something that just puts you to sleep. More of an incense that creates the right atmosphere for sitting in silence, listening to music, and getting lost in your thoughts for a while.

I plan to use these resins on an induction stove, placing the resin on aluminum foil, which will then be placed on a pan. Obviously, this would be a temporary setup. What do you guys think?

Is Mothers Indian Incense safe to buy on Amazon?

I love Japanese an incense but really miss Nag Champa!

Thanks in advance!

Lots of thunderstorm and lightning warnings today, quarter sized hail where I am! Just curious what incense you love on a day like this one and what it smells like :)

Hello r/Incense!

You can now add pictures in comments!
There are no restrictions on who can use this feature, so that the occasional one-time poster looking for an ID can use it as well.

However, this means, it's also open for potential abuse. Those comments don't show up in our moderation queue, but you can help keeping our community clean: If you see a picture in the comments that looks like an ad or any other rule violation, please hit that report button and let us know!

Wishing everyone a lovely day full of scents,

The Mod Team

Got hyperfocused on incense over the last few months! I’ve already posted about my Japanese and Indian incense experience, but here are my reviews for Tibetan, Bhutanese, and one Mongolian. They are organized how Incense Traditions categorizes them as most were purchased there (more on that to follow).

TLDR Recommendations 👇🏻

Best variety to start with:
Lopen Tandin Dorji: Tara Puja Green
Kuengacholing: Gelephu
Mindroling Monastery: Grade 1

——

All incense were purchased from Incense Traditions except for Himalayan Herbal which was from Incense Guru and Tibetan Monastery which was purchased from EverestTrader on Etsy. I highly recommend Incense Traditions!

https://incense-traditions.ca/

Quick Shop Review:
- Amazing customer service (thank you Hart!)
- Huge selection of hard to find incense
- Two free sizable samples with every order
- Shipping was surprisingly quick to Southern California
- Tariffs to the US are usually over estimated and I’ve received an immediate partial refund every time I’ve ordered

——

Incense Rating System:
10 one of the best I’ve ever smelled
9 amazing
8 very impressive
7 good and will occasionally buy
6 good but not for me (or there are better)
5 okay for what it is
4 they missed the mark
3 disappointed
2 what is going on here, put it out
1 is the house on fire or is that incense

Note: as these incense are all handmade batches may vary

*RECOMMEND

——

***BHUTANESE TRADITIONAL***

Drizang Kuenchap

*Lhawang Driden 9/10
- purple stick
- rich red cedar, deep earthy sweetness, soft florals, uniquely feels almost a little wet/humid

Kathok Yosel Samteing Monastery

Cloud of Merit Wind Wisdom 6/10
- purple stick
- rich red cedar, sharp woody sweetness, hints of resinous spice and cinnamon
- leaves more of a smokey after scent than Lhawang Driden, is a tiny bit spicier, and doesn’t have the same damp richness

Nado

*A Composition for Riwo Sangchoe (Morning Incense) 9/10
- very light brown stick
- sweet dry woods, warm milk, rich butter, hints of honey and earthy spice

A Composition for Riwo Sangchoe and Surzey (Evening Incense) 5/10
- purple stick
- rich deep woods, soft florals, tiny hint of sweetness, has an odd sour top note

Special 2015 Incense 5/5
- very dark purple stick
- soft airy and warm woods, develops a warm iron on cotton type musty warmth that can lean a bit chemical/unhealthy smelling (not as dominating as Gang-zi Mani Nunnery though)

Lopen Tandin Dorji

*Tara Puja Green 9/10
- light brown stick
- fresh white cedar, resinous juniper, clear alpine air, hints of woody spice
- like breathing fresh air on a mountain top in early spring as the snow starts to melt, clear but comforting

*Bhutanese “A Quality” Incense 10/10
- bright purple stick
- red amber like woody depth balanced with berry like sweetness, very soft beautiful florals that surround the scent but don’t smell burnt or fake, tiny hint of red cedar like spice
- classic purple stick but the added soft florals make it feel luxurious and emotionally healing

Pure Herbal No 2 “B Quality” 7/10
- purple stick
sweet florals that don’t smell fake or cloying, soft warm woods
- A quality does florals better, and C quality is more complex

*Guru Puja “C Quality” 8/10
- medium purple stick
- soft red cedar, gentle florals, frankincense, tiniest hints of spice
- gentle version of a classic purple stick plus a little floral and citrus (A quality has a lot more floral but no citrus)

Sung Sung Quality 5/10
- purple stick
- green watery florals that smell a tiny bit powdery and fake, mild hint of soft juniper

Kuengacholing

*Gelephu 9/10
- purple stick
- soft resinous woods, juniper, hints of herbal cooking spices
- like a soft classic purple stick with the relaxing twist of added herbal notes

Siddharth Incenses

Druk Healing Incense 1/10
- reddish brown stick
- burnt newspaper and hair, tiny hint of burnt flowers

Riwo Sangchoe, The Incense God 6/10
- red stick
- red cedar, zesty and airy spice that’s softened by a resinous juniper like sweetness

——

***TIBETAN THERAPEUTIC & RELAXATION***

Mandala Trading

Himalayan Herbal Incense 6/10
- greenish brown stick
soft woods, hints of cooking spices and tomatoes, fresh celery, warm but also cool, comforting
- like walking down the street early evening smelling hints of people cooking dinner in their warm homes
- unfortunately I never got another bundle that smelled like my original review (8/10), it appears to have changed to a more evergreen scent

Tibetan Monastery 6/10
- brown stick
- soft warm woods, small hints of leather and dark resins, hint of spice
- the diet version of a classic purple stick mixed with a little Indian incense

Tibetan Medical College

Holy Land (standard/“regular”) 2/10
- light brown stick
- light woods, hints of resin, dominating body odor or perspiration

Holy Land (grade 2) 4/10
- dark brown stick
- warm woods over a fire, hints of the body odor or perspiration found in regular Holy Land

Shang Valley of Shigatse

*Gangtruk grade A 7/10
- light brown stick
white cedar, airy woody spice, tiniest hint of milk and butter
- very balanced, a little like Tara Puja Green but less airy green notes on the top and more warm soft campfire smell

Dong Gu

Fragrant Incense 6/10
- medium brown very thin stick (every so slightly thicker than Japanese size)
- soft dry resinous woods, cooking herbs, soft campfire, hint of fresh mountain air, barest trace of spice

Dhoop Factory

Ganden 1/10
- lighter brown stick
- cigarette smoke, tiny hint of campfire wood and herbs

——

***TIBETAN MONASTERY***

Mindroling Monastery

*Mindroling (grade 1) 7/10
- light brown stick
- resinous dry wood over a fire, salty musk, barest hints of milk and honey sweetness

Gadong Monastery

TLM/Tsendok Ling Monastery 3/10
- dark brown stick
- burned woods, hint of leather, a bit chemical like they cut the wood with newspaper (might be from oils but either way this is a nope from me)

Samye Monastery

Samye 3/10
- reddish brown stick
- red cedar and musky sweaty body odor

Wara Monastery

Wara 2/10
- very dark brown stick
- musky body odor, wet bog wood

Kathok

Holy Mountain 2/10
- dark reddish brown stick
animalistic, salty, sweaty, sharp almost chemical top note, deep woods in the background

Gang-zi Mani Nunnery

Nunnery Incense 4/10
- deep reddish brown stick
- at first smells like sweet deep woods, fresh tomato, herbs, and hints of earthy cooking spices, but quickly turns to a warm iron on cotton almost chemical like smell that dominates over everything else

Cirenjiang Nunnery

*Temple Incense 7/10
- reddish dark brown stick
- warm earthy woods, notes of fresh tomato and cooking herbs, tiny hint of crisp mountain air

Gangri Thökar Nunnery

Snow Mountain Gathers 4/10
- light brown stick
- campfire like woods, animalistic musk, tiny hint of savory herbs

Dhe Tsang Monastery

Sacred Mountains 4/10
- medium brown stick, on the thinner side (about twice the size of a Japanese stick)
- sample smelled like savory cooking herbs, tomato, soft woodsmoke, soft desert night air —> however the bundle I later ordered smelled completely different…like perspiration and burnt newspaper

——

***BHUTANESE JAJU***

Drizang Kuenchap

*Lhawang Driden Jaju (yellow) 10/10
- light brown stick
- white cedar and cypress with hints of juniper, sharp woody zest/spice from the cedar, very clean and invigorating, resets the energy
- like Tara Puja Green but more zesty, invigorating, and clear alpine (vs balanced & relaxing alpine)

Chimi Incense

Shielding 5/10
- light brown stick
- dry woods, warm milk, curry like spices

——

***MONGOLIAN***

Inner Mongolia Incense

*Hong Rong Kou 6/10
- medium brown very thin stick (Japanese size)
- soft resinous woods, dry leather, deep savory richness, tangy herbal notes and hints of cooking spices
- almost like a Tibetan herbal incense mixed with Japanese aloeswood, can lean a bit campfire like

——

Is Eugene doing alright? Does anyone know? I've sent him an email through customer service contact on his website, no reply. Then I tried asking a question on one of his incense on Etsy, direct to his Etsy messages. I want to order for my daughter's birthday, but if Eugene has stopped selling or something happened to him...well, I'm worried about him.

I can just give my daughter EverestTrader incense, she likes that. Her favorite is Dravidian Temple and Balsamic Amber though, and Bhagwan is the only place with those.

Disclaimer

Recently I started to be interested in Japanese incense. I had hard time finding some reviews that are more detailed than "smells good/bad", so I decided to create amateur reviews to make it easier for others. I also want to learn how to describe smells so advices are welcome.

Review

Nippon Kodo Zuiun has fascinating scent evolution.

• Unlit: Very soft, warm, and balsamic. It is dominated by a deep, resinous sweetness
• While burning: The fragrance changes dramatically. There is a very distinct, waxy accord that brings to mind the warm paraffin and glowing wick of a traditional cemetery candle. The smoke is light, misty, and airy. Smoke level is between regular and low smoke ones.
• After burning: Once the smoke settles, a delicate and elegant scent of a luxury leather sofa lingers slightly in the room for a long time. It creates study/library atmosphere.

Maybe it reminds me of cemetery candle but it is very nice scent that isn't sad. I think I will call Zuiun a "happy cemetery candle" 😄

Does anyone know how long it usually takes for them to restock? I’ve been waiting for Vinasons Green Rose to be restocked for what feels like over a month now.

I have a cart full of incense ready to go and that’s all I’m waiting for. Is Green Rose even worth it or should I skip it?

Every once in awhile. I run into some with dreads that smell like patchouli but i don’t know what product there using. I love the smell and have ordered some patchouli smells but nothing compares to the smell I smell. I have just ordered Alkemia - Hippy spirit in hopes that thats the one. Does anyone has any other suggestions?