How I Write Reviews

My review season for incense sticks starts in March/April and ends in September/October, when the weather becomes too cool to keep windows open for extended periods. Occasionally, I do use sticks during the cold season; however, I prefer loose incense gently heated on an incense burner during that time.
I find that all incense that is actually burned smells significantly better or even only good when the smoke can mix with fresh air. Moreover, many scents appear to smell better in summer.

I usually burn incense sticks in my living room, where my PC is located, which I use for note-taking and to write the reviews; less often I burn in the adjacent room (my workshop). I have at least two windows tilted or one fully opened. Sometimes, I also leave the door to the hallway open.
I have a mini fan, which I usually keep on. This helps especially in midsummer, when it feels like the hot air is trapped under the ceiling, holding the scent there.
When comparing incense sticks, I burn one in the living room, place the second one in the hallway, and move back and forth. Since the room itself also influences a scent, I will, whenever possible, test the respective sticks in reversed settings as well.
Incense I deem too strong for indoor use is burned on my balcony or the garden, and I resort to my mobile for taking notes.

I try to sample incense sticks under different weather conditions and temperatures to see how these affect the scent and to get a better overall picture.
Temperature and relative humidity seem to have a significant impact on scents.
However, one’s mood and physical condition also affect how scents are perceived, and sometimes it’s not entirely clear which of these factors is the dominant one at any given time.

The scent I choose is purely based on my mood, on what I feel like at the moment. However, I tend to write reviews in thematic groups, treating similar scents in a sequence; sometimes, they are also associative chains.
When I get new incense sticks, especially with sample packs, I tend to start, as with a puzzle, by picking out the ‘corners’. These are either the scents I’m particularly curious about or, more often, those I suspect I won’t like or find boring, so as not to push them to the back.
Due to the sheer number of samples I now have, on at least 90% of the occasions, it is new (meaning not yet reviewed) incense sticks I’m burning. Simply lighting incense from my collection in the background has become rather the exception.

I always attempt to take notes. At least for the first 3–4 times when I try new stuff. During the process of getting to know a scent, one’s impression can change significantly, and observing this can be very fascinating.
Equally interesting is, to let a stick burn in the background to observe which impressions spontaneously come to mind when not actively thinking about it.
For me, getting to know and exploring a scent is always like a mindfulness exercise in one way or another; something I do consciously.
With incense sticks that I find particularly complex, I take significantly more time because I want to do justice to the scent.

I don’t like writing a review based purely on my notes. This means that when I’m typing the review, I always have the corresponding incense stick burning. In the case of individual sample sticks, it’s usually the very last bit that I’ve saved for this purpose.
The only exceptions are incenses I only want to use outside. In those cases, I write the review shortly after having burned it. But ideally, I place it in a way that allows the scent to waft in without becoming too overpowering.

I’ve been using Microsoft OneNote for my notes for years. However, I’d also find Obsidian incredibly appealing for this. What holds me back from switching is the thought of having to transfer years of notes into a new system, and the fact that they charge $5 a month (or $48 a year) for synchronization between devices. For someone using only one device and just starting out, Obsidian would definitely be worth considering.

Since I’ve been publishing my reviews in two languages, I usually write the German version first, which I then run through a translator, and subsequently edit or correct and make adjustments if necessary for the English version. Currently, I use ChatGPT in the free version for translation, but equipped with some individual settings.

With the bilingualism of the blog, my workflow has settled into alternating between writing new reviews or translating already written ones in phases. Toward the end of my review season, I focus more on writing new reviews while the weather is still nice, as translating can be done at any time.

Every text goes through essentially three stages: draft, revision, and final touches, where, in individual cases, Max (my best friend and the admin of Rauchfahne) assists with a keen eye and a second opinion during the last step.
A powerful little helper that we wouldn’t want to miss is the LanguageTool browser plugin. It helps with spelling and grammar in multiple languages and has already saved us a lot of time and headaches.
To stay organized and keep track, we use the free version of Trello.

I generally try to avoid reading other’s reviews before engaging with an incense. For example, if a review of an incense appears on Incense in The Wind that I already have in my stock, I just copy a link in my notes but don’t read the post. I only do so after I’ve burned the sticks a few times. Otherwise, I think, there’s too much of a tendency to search for the notes one has read about, and that stands in the way of forming a truly independent impression.
Once I have a certain opinion, I allow myself to satisfy my curiosity and compare the other’s review with my perception.

In my posts, I like to link to reviews of other incense enthusiasts or include the opinions of friends and acquaintances. I do this not only because I appreciate the collegiality in this subculture, but also because I want to show how individual the perception of scents can be and that it’s not about being right.
A review is in many ways like a travel report. Two people can visit the same destination on the same day and still have fundamentally different experiences.
So, I encourage you to read my reviews like a travel report, and with some, I may even inspire you to embark on your own olfactory journey. 🙂