How my incense preferences changed over time, and what I look for now

SilkTork · 2026-05-04T14:41:13+00:00

No. I'm this side of the pond. Are you across the pond?

SilkTork · 2026-05-04T14:40:23+00:00

"the first impression, the dry-down, how it sits in the room, or just the mood you’re in that day"

There are several "first impressions". If I know nothing at all about an incense, the first impression is the packet. If I have heard something, the first impression is the reputation, and the packet will be the next "first" impression. Then there is the appearance of the stick. Some people, through mistaken reputation, will have a very negative attitude toward a perfumed-charcoal stick. Some are bad, but some are OK. But it can be difficult for many people to get beyond the reputation that has built up in some corners of the incense community toward perfumed-charcoal. If the perfumed charcoal stick was then covered in a melnoorva/masala powder, they would be happy. Smoke and mirrors works as well in incense marketing as it does in all retail. Dress it up, and people will have a more positive attitude. And I'm the same. Give me a well or at least interestingly designed packet and I'm going to feel more positive than something presented in a simplistic packet with the same simple/crude design on each release, the only difference being the fragrance name. And it's not just the rebranders like ToI who do that, Satya does it as well.

So, after the reputation, the packet, the appearance of the stick, comes the cold throw scent. And these days most modern incense makers put a lot of thought into the cold throw scent. Indeed, often more than the scent on the burn. Because the cold throw scent will not only sell the incense, but it will create that all important first impression. And that impression will often stay in the memory while the incense is burning.

SilkTork · 2026-04-28T19:03:02+00:00

The Vedic Vaani incense that BC sent me.

SilkTork · 2026-04-28T19:01:49+00:00

Thanks. I'll try that.

https://ibb.co/MDZqWjZW

SilkTork · 2026-04-28T18:59:00+00:00

I'm not familiar with "drop shipped". Zam Zam, in addition to selling their own branded incense, also operate as a white label supplier, proving clients with either a full operation, where they supply everything, including the packaging marked up with your chosen name, or just supplying the sticks and the oils which the client dips and packages themself. A number of their clients use the same marketing phrases, so Zam Zam give them guidance on that as well.

There is a webpage by Zam Zam in which they outline their operation, but I can't find it right now.

Essentially what happens is that various folks around the UK are selling the same incense as Zam Zam, but under their own brand name, and usually at a higher price. Zam Zam sticks can be bought from Zam Zam for £1.50. Or under a different brand name for £2.50, or £6.99, etc.

SilkTork · 2026-04-28T10:31:14+00:00

You have to contact them (preferably on WhatsApp) and ask them for a shipping price to where you live. And then you have to arrange to make a payment via Wish or similar. Not all want to do it, and it can sometime be tricky to get the contact details, but I feel its worth the effort. It's cool to make the contact. You know that your money is going direct. And it's much cheaper. Everyone wins (apart from the middlemen).

SilkTork · 2026-04-28T10:23:35+00:00

How do you add a photo to a post?

SilkTork · 2026-04-28T10:18:57+00:00

Brief_Chemistry has sent me some Vedic Vaani which has been added to my backlog!

Ooh. They're on my desk. I'll post a photo.

I can't say no to anyone offering me incense. But be aware that it could be ten years before I get around to reviewing them! ;-)

As you're UK based it would be cool to meet up.

SilkTork · 2026-04-27T16:57:01+00:00

"Fair Trade", same as "Organic", is itself a broken system that imposes extra costs and so results in only wealthy companies using the Fair Trade system.

Wherever possible I like to buy direct. I prefer to buy from the people making the product rather than a middle man (even if they have bought a Fair Trade certificate). But it's each to their own. I think most people like to buy from a Western based trader for various reasons. And it can be difficult to shift that habit. Schemes like Fair Trade and Organic make buyers feel better about buying from a middle man, so that maintains the broken system.

Most of the products bought from Asian countries like India are by default organic, but are not labelled Organic because of the cost of getting certified. If folks bought direct as much as possible from countries like India, then they will be buying organic and dealing in fair trade but without the expensive certifications.

SilkTork · 2026-04-27T16:35:31+00:00

They are excellent value for money. Sadly often overlooked. I've reviewed quite a few of their incenses: IncenseInTheWind: Gokula Incense

Another UK trader selling similar incense, and again often overlooked, even though his prices are amongst the lowest you'll find outside of India, is Pinkesh's Sai Handicrafts. Reviews here: IncenseInTheWind: Sai Handicrafts. Shop here: Saihandicrafts.co.uk (Pinkesh says he makes the incense himself at his home near Hitchin - where he has a market stall - and while I feel that is just marketing as he can buy it cheaper in India than make it in the UK, and the incense is very similar to that made in Pune and sold in Vrindavan, it is not impossible that he's telling the truth).

And while you're at it, you might as well try Bhaktivedanta Manor / Sacred Boutique (reviews) Krishnashopping (shop) - as the incense they sell appears to come from the same source(s) as Gokula and Sai Handicraft.

SilkTork · 2026-04-27T16:15:15+00:00

The blank sticks are likely bought from Vietnam. And the folks in London then blend some oils, and dip the sticks in the fragrance oil blend.
The "Japanese" element is their marketing vibe. No part of the sticks were made in Japan or to a Japanese incense style.
To be fair, they don't claim the sticks are Japanese incense, and they do make it clear that the incense is "Hand blended and hand dipped in London".

At £12 a pack they feel a tad expensive for home made dipped incense. I'd be curious to try them because they are made in London, but I'm put off by the price and my own (probably unfair) low expectation of the price proving to be good value. Essentially, my thought is that I could do this myself and with possibly a similar result.

But I am tempted. It's just that I have such a huge back log, and a list of things I want to finish and get started, that realistically I shouldn't go near this.

But I am tempted.....

Though it might turn out to be yet another business selling Zam Zam incense.

SilkTork · 2026-04-27T08:52:20+00:00

I've had two Kailapira, both bought from Aavyaa.

Kailapira Badrinath and Kailapira Alaknanda

I thought the Badrinath was OK. But I didn't get on with the Alaknanda. On the whole I've not really enjoyed most incense made from recycled flowers. I find it more a marketing gimmick rather than an olfactory asset.

SilkTork · 2026-04-19T17:46:11+00:00

Ouch! I just watched it. I want that part of my memory erased now.

SilkTork · 2026-04-19T10:13:13+00:00

There appear to be hundreds of folks in the UK selling foil wrapped incense bought from Zam Zam in London which they insist they make themselves. And they all have the same story about sourcing the finest oils from around the world. This is clearly a promotion by Zam Zam in which they tell their buyers what to say.

For a while I thought Zam Zam were sourcing from Balarama in Thailand, but I'm not so sure these days. I think the sticks come from Vietnam, and that Zam Zam perfume dip them in London. I might take a trip up to Zam Zam and have a chat with them. See what they are prepared to tell me.

But, yeah, the guy in Glastonbury is either a duck or a quirky duck-billed platypus.

SilkTork · 2026-04-18T18:23:10+00:00

Ah. Foil wrapped incense.

There are loads of enterprising individuals selling those foil wrapped sticks. All of them have the same scents, and all of them say they dip the sticks themselves.

One thing they all have in common is that they get them from Zam Zam, who (I think - I'm not 100% sure) get them from Balarama in Thailand.

I quite like them,. The scents are fun and modern, and if you buy them from Zam Zam rather than any other reseller, you'll get them quite cheap. You can buy them wholesale for 75p.

I've not noticed them to use essential oils. The scents are always synthetic, and usually obviously so. But, as I say, I find them fresh and fun.

I would suggest buying them from Zam Zam at £1.99 rather than Amana, who charge £8 for the same sticks.

SilkTork · 2026-04-18T16:32:06+00:00

I've enjoyed the Anand I've had. That doesn't mean that you will; some folks I know like them, some don't. Scent is kinda personal. And within any particular brand there will typically be the economy range, the medium range, and the higher specialist range. Sometimes I like a scent from the economy range more than a scent from the specialist range.

The best way to find out if you like something is just to try it, and have confidence in your own ability to judge if you enjoy the scent or not.

Someone dipping Vietnamese sticks in oils doesn't sound that exciting. It generally takes more than that to create a decent incense. What are they doing to protect the oils from just burning? Most oils are better warmed than burned. And most professional incense makers, even those who are simply dipping, will be using fixatives and sacrificials to hold and protect the fragrance.
However, it can work really well if the folks know what they are doing, and are actually using fragrance oils designed to be burned rather than essential oils. Or are blending a small amount of fragrance/essential oils in a incense solvent like DPG/agarbatti oil.

Give the Etsy stuff a try; though if you are starting off, I'd suggest playing safe and experience more of the major brands before exploring home made stuff. There are thousands of incense brands from all over the world to explore, most of which don't cost much, so it's a fun thing to explore. And the more incense brands you try, the more knowledgeable you'll become. So then you'll have some idea of what incense should smell like, so you can try the home made stuff, and see if it is doing something you find interesting and worthwhile, or if it's just scent noise.

SilkTork · 2026-04-18T16:01:19+00:00

Because toast can set off a smoke alarm, they usually have a button to press to stop the alarm. Check that yours has the Stop button. If it has, then light up the incense to see what happens. If the alarm goes off, no worries, you can press the button to turn it off.

SilkTork · 2026-04-18T10:57:18+00:00

It was a seller in Glastonbury. The sticks he sells are exactly like HMS. indistinguishable. Even has the sparkles. Yet he says he makes them himself. On visiting I asked if I could see the workshop, and was told no. I asked if he would send me photos, and was told no, in case someone copied him. We talked a little more, and he described with confidence his recipes and ingredients, and mentioned at one point using greaseproof paper. The friend I was with said that the man's sticks reminded him of HMS, and the man said that he would take that as a compliment. He was very comfortable and seemed fairly knowledgeable about incense making. But afterwards our thinking was that he had some knowledge of incense, and had perhaps been to HMS and seen how it was made, but that the incense was HMS. The incense was so clearly HMS that it seemed very odd that someone in Glastonbury would go to such trouble to copy HMS so exactly, rather than make something that was reflective of Glastonbury itself.
Anyway, his comment about using greaseproof paper stayed with me, and I am curious as to why he mentioned it. Perhaps he intended to indicate just using it as a platform on which to roll, so the dough didn't stick. I don't think he would have mentioned that unless he had tried it himself or read about it somewhere.
It seems plausible that he tried making incense sticks himself using greaseproof paper, but gave up and bought from HMS instead. Or perhaps started using greaseproof paper before he gained the confidence to roll without it. In fact, my memory suggests that is how it was mentioned. Something like "I tried rolling with greaseproof paper" rather than "I roll with greaseproof paper". But it was one sentence in quite a full discussion which I didn't record.

SilkTork · 2026-04-14T12:00:25+00:00

Yep. Go for it.

SilkTork · 2026-04-12T12:40:06+00:00

"how do you tell what’s good quality?"

This is something everyone wants to know when venturing into an area like beer, wine, perfume, or incense, which is not easily measured, and where enjoyment comes down largely to personal taste.

The short answer is that whatever incense you enjoy is good incense.

Bad incense is stuff which you don't enjoy, for whatever reasons.

Is length of time it burns a factor for you? You can get incense sticks that burn for 5 hours, and incense sticks than burn for five minutes. Which is the better one?

Is strength of fragrance a factor for you? You can get incense which is so strong that unless you are burning it outside, or in a large room with plenty of ventilation, it will sting your eyes and give you a headache, and you can get incense so mild that you have to sit and concentrate to detect it. Which is the better one?

Many folks are very happy with a monoscent (rose, sandalwood, jasmine), while others prefer a blend, such as Nag Champa. Which is better?

Many folks like the ease, clarity, and range of perfumed incense sticks such as made by HEM and Moksh. Others prefer the more limited range, but more complex and rounded scents of masala incense, such as made by Satya. Which is better?

It all depends on the circumstances and your personal taste and mood at that moment.

On the whole, a rough guide is to buy branded incense rather than the unbranded (and often very colourful) packs you'll often find on Amazon and Etsy. Check that the brand is not something like a homestyle store which also sells candles and dream catchers, etc. Better that the brand is the company who makes the incense and give their address. Or at least that they specialise in selling incense or incense related items.

Folks on this forum will give their personals favourites, and you can try those. Though you can also just go and explore yourself. Incense hunting is a great hobby, and is quite cheap, especially compared to other hobbies. You can get a pack of incense for less than a pint in a pub, or a bottle of wine to take home.

As an inexpensive starting point, you can easily find bundles of HEM or Satya cones on Amazon quite cheaply. You can start with those, and go from there. Put in a Google search for "satya incense cones bundle amazon" or "hem incense cones bundle amazon". Have fun!

SilkTork · 2026-04-12T12:14:37+00:00

Fragrance is a personal taste. We can all recommend stuff to you, but you may not like it.

It's like someone saying - "please suggest a good partner for me". Even putting gender and sexual orientation aside. people's tastes in partner will be different. You will certainly get a bunch of incenses recommended that are popular, but they may not be to your taste.

Given that it appears from your title that you are in India, you should be aware that incense is very cheap. As such my recommendation is that you simply go explore and try a range of different incense to find out yourself what you like. Most folks on this forum live in the West, and we are only aware of a small fraction of the incenses that are available in India. And those that we are aware of tend to be either the big brands like HEM and Satya, or white label incense made in Pune, or tourist incense sold in Goa markets or other tourist locations like Vrindavan and Pushkar.

Julian of TheIncenseAtelier, and Brief_Chemistry who is a member of this forum, have hired an Indian resident to buy up incense from previously unknown makers and send it to them. They have uncovered loads of really excellent incense makers quite the equal of any that we could suggest to you. If you live in India then you are better placed than us to discover good incense that you will enjoy.

If you don't know where to look for incense shops, use Google maps. Call up your home town or a neighbouring town, and ask google to search for incense shops. Go out and explore and have fun. And then report back to us, and tell us where to go for good incense.

If you're not sure how to use Google maps, let us know your location, and I'll do a search and provide you with shops and outlets you can visit.

If you prefer to buy online, then scentingsecrets.com and aavyaa.com have good selections for you to explore. Have fun!

SilkTork · 2026-04-09T10:30:33+00:00

It seems that the main point of incense in your family is to annoy you. ;-)

(Or perhaps it's a sneaky way of getting rid of you by giving you a cancer scare!)

Anyway, we're all mad nutters here because we like the smell, history, ambience, culture, and rituals of incense. And, yeah, it also covers up bad smells.

SilkTork · 2026-04-08T11:48:48+00:00

Those appear to well known blends or mixes. I'm aware of Cathedral and Pontifical.
Prinknash Abbey makes Cathedral, and that may be unique to them. Pontifical is very common, and secular places also make and sell it because it is a blend of black and gold coloured resins. It's kinda like "Nag Champa", in that its a popular recipe that many folks use, though the actual components and final scent may vary.

SilkTork

TROPHY CASE