I’ve read very good things about this incense stick all over the internet so I am quite excited to finally get to try some. This incense is sold in boxes, as well as in Gyokushodo’s Kaori no sho Iconic incense assortment pack.
It contains 13 incense sticks, of 6 different varieties, including:
- Circle – En no Sho (Kyara Blend) – 1 Stick
- Wind – Kaze no Sho (Aloeswood Blend) – 2 Sticks
- Clouds – Kumo no Sho (Aloeswood Blend – 2 Sticks
- Wave – Nami no Sho (Aloeswood Blend) – 2 Sticks
- Woodland – Mori no Sho (Aloeswood Blend) – 3 Sticks
- Bloom – Hana no Sho (Sandalwood Blend) – 3 Sticks
This is a Vietnamese aloeswood incense blend with the following ingredients: Aloeswood, Sandalwood, Benzoin, Camphor, Musk, and Others.
In appearance, it is another thin square-cut incense stick from Gyokushodo, and it’s color is black, with some shiny speckles within it.
Review
I’ve been burning this incense stick for about 10 minutes now.
To me, this smells very similar to some other Gyokushodo offerings contained in this sampler pack, such as ‘Clouds’. The high charcoal content allows the agarwood to permeate properly and it’s fragrance is evident.
It’s a very nice, sort of damp agarwood scent. I would say that the agarwood is high-quality but it does not give off those electric-blue notes that are typical of top-grade kyara blends. Of course, this was not advertised as a kyara blend, but rather an agarwood blend.
The scent of benzoin and herbs are a nice addition to what already seemed to be an excellent fragrance. The musk is noticeable as well and seems to round out the fragrance profile. There is certainly a slightly animalistic quality there as well. The blending is excellent, in typical Gyokushodo fashion. Some smooth sandalwood notes in the mix.
I don’t personally smell much camphor in this blend, although it is certainly listened in the ingredients. This is strange because I certainly know what camphor smells like, and I have read on other reviews that the camphor was certainly noticeable. I do detect it’s presence, but it’s camphor scent is not as strong as some other incense sticks I have smelled, such as Shoyeido’s Beckoning Spring.
The fragrance certainly does give the impression of either air or wind. The smoke seems to be a medium density, but is wispy nonetheless.
This is an awesome incense stick and certainly one you should consider trying if you are looking for a quality aloeswood incense stick.
If you’re tried these Gyokushodo Kaze no Sho incense sticks then please comment below and let me know what you thought about them!
