Kenmei Do – The Path of Perfection – Fuko (Rose Frankincense)

This roll comes from a small bundle of Japanese incense sticks that I bought second-hand.

These incense sticks are 14cm long, with a burning time of about 30 minutes each. A package contains about 36 sticks and costs around €8. On the internet, I find the following information about the ingredients: rose petals and leaves, frankincense, ho-leaves, woods, and herbs.

The rose scent of Fuko is clearly recognizable and feels natural. It has a slightly green nuance, which might be due to the herbs; in any case, it is not the overwhelmingly sweet rose scent that many products have.
I don’t notice the mentioned frankincense at all. However, I do smell a light sweetness that might come from some benzoin. This sweetness is very close to the warm, woody aspect of this composition and blends with it.
Unfortunately, Fuko also has a very noticeable smoke note for me, which I find a bit sharp. I only really smell the beautiful rose scent with a lot of air dilution, like directly in front of an open window.

I find it really unfortunate that I can’t appreciate the scent of Fuko more because they seem to be well-made. Perhaps they come into their own in larger spaces than mine.