Today I will be reviewing Gyokushodo’s Seidai koh incense sticks.
This is a new incense formula. It isn’t the same formula it used to be. It now uses a Vietnamese Tani aloeswood, mixed with sandalwood, Lysimachiae herba (Reiryo koh) and other herbs. I have not tried the old incense formulation.
Main Ingredients: Aloeswood, Sandalwood, Clove, Spikenard, Common Vladimiria Root, and Lysimachiae herba (Reiryo koh), Borneo Camphor, and Others.
Length: 5.5″
Burn Time: approx. 30 min.
Company: Gyokushodo
The incense stick itself is a light brown color.
Review
I have burned this incense stick once before, but am now burning it again for this review. It’s very interesting indeed. I really like this one.
You can tell right away that the aloeswood is Vietnamese. It has that typical Vietnamese bitter component to it, although it doesn’t have the ‘depth’ that some higher-end varieties of aloeswood may have. It’s perhaps a bit dry, but smells very nice nonetheless. Or maybe this is because of the smoothness of the sandalwood. I definitely smell more aloeswood then sandalwood though.
There is an herbaceous spiciness from the reiryo koh. To be honest, I’m not sure what Vladimiria root smells like on it’s own, so I’m not really able to pick it out. The spices round it out nicely. There is some sort of high-note here that smells like musk, although I have no idea if they use real musk in this incense or not.
I would personally love to burn this again, and in comparison to many other comparable Japanese incense sticks, this one is well-priced.
Hope you enjoyed my review!
