(06-22-2021, 06:32 AM)ExtraProtein Wrote:Wow! I've never even heard of the "Refinement" sticks. Looks like I'll be doing a little research this afternoon when things quiet down. Thanks! And I also love Vietnamese incense. It's not always easy to find, but when I get some, I indulge heartily. Vietnamese oud seems to be especially nice when the weather here gets hot and heavy.(06-15-2021, 05:49 AM)Bouki Wrote:Bouki: I knew what I liked my entire life, my Parents are incense lovers. My Mother always asks my Pops about the stuff he brought her home from VietNam. She said it was intoxicating, made her woosy even. Lol, incense, imagine that. That wasn’t incense I imagine, ha.(06-15-2021, 03:11 AM)ExtraProtein Wrote: B: what’s your brand(s) of incense please?Lately in the evening we've been burning a lot of Byakudan Kobunboku (Baieido) - a nice sandal with a good bit of 'cherry blossom' thrown in. And it's cheap! In the morning I burn Hinoki (Nippon Kodo) - hinoki cedar. Clean, bright, and fairly light, it's a good start to the day.
I also really like these sandalwood incenses:
ExtraProtein, do you burn incense? If so, what do you like?
- Fuin Byakudan (Minorien) - a distinct wet & creamy sandal. Definitely Australian sandal but with some other really good other stuff blended in.
- Renzan (Tennendo) - a spicy sandal & aloes blend. We burned a lot of this at Christmas.
- Kuukai (Tennendo) - rich, deep sandal and lots of aloe. Stuff's expensive, but it smells fantastic. Very rich, very woody, very nice.
- Ranjatai (Shunkohdo) - this is expensive, so we save it for special occasions like when the power goes out, or our internet connection dies, or our eyes just get too tired to look at another screen. It's a rich, spicy, wonderful stick of aloes with some sandalwood and spice.
- Seiai (Kyukyodo) - a sandalwood blend. The good people at Japanincense.com sent me some sample sticks with my last order. It's really growing on me!
- Kyoto Moss Garden (Shoyeido) - this one's cheap, but it still smells great. I burn a stick whenever I'm cleaning. Nice diversion.
I like what you like above, brilliant choices and is there any other incense than Sandalwood? Right?
Baieido and Shoyeido are certainly 2 of my favs. In fact I received Plum Blossoms for Fathers Day yesterday!
About 3 maybe 4 years ago I stumble into japanincense.com changed my life! I learned everything I know from their site. Fantastic people too. I know how to do it all now, burn wood charcoal all of it. Obviously, the most fun are the sticks and cones.
My sister speaks conversational Japanese. I have her call the Koshi store to inquire about the “Refinement” sticks and what makes them so special. They enclose 3 samples in my next order, I wish I had one left to share. I’m trying to work something out with them to sell them individually at $10 a pop. Cinnamon Clove Agarwood…I get juniper, musk, smoky vanilla. At $100k a kilo for Agarwood, I understand why Refinement is $300 for 35 sticks
Ordering the Kuukai Tuesday, excited about your review above!
I hope you enjoy the Kuukai. It's becoming our daily incense. We always have our windows open, so we like to burn something fairly strong. Otherwise it just blows away.
Japanincense.com is great! Nice selection, friendly, and quick to fill your order. I also like kohgen.com. Based in Japan, they have an astonishing selection. My Japanese is pathetic, so they always find some one who speaks English to help me with my order.
Happy burning!