Three times Cinnamon
Once again I swapped samples with someone, and this time I got some rather special things. Incense sticks by Jiri & Friends, a brand from the Netherlands whose incense sticks are also made there, and a bunch of sticks and cones of the encense ecologique range by Aromandise, a company from France.
In this Review, I’m comparing:
J&F – Copal Cinnamon;
Aromandise – Cinnamon
and Zimt [Cinnamon] from the German brand Holy Smokes (BERK).
J&F are fair trade (WFTO certified). They also emphasize that their incense sticks do not contain any charcoal and are purely natural.
Encense ecologique is also manufactured under fair trade conditions, in Pondicherry, India and is ICEA certified. This line is not intended for online retail, but as a “pick’n’mix” concept – i.e. sticks and cones sold individually, of which you choose as many or as few as you want.
Copal Cinnamon smells cinnamony, woody and rather reserved. It is a warm, very natural smell that sometimes comes across as a little smoky. Especially when there is good ventilation, the cinnamon aroma intensifies and appears sweeter. I was looking for the copal without any success.
Cinnamon smells much more intense. They have a little more “spiciness” and are a little sweeter. Overall, the smell has more volume and body. As it progresses, an earthy note develops, which continues to increase – I really like it. Compared to them, Copal Cinnamon seems thin and simple, but that’s not a fundamentally bad thing.
When I compare Copal Cinnamon with Cinnamon, things get really interesting: Suddenly I smell a resinous note that comes across as rather tart and dry and combines with the woody base smell. The cinnamon fades into the background. Only close to the window, where the air from outside mixes in, is the cinnamon becomes clearly noticeable to me, spicy, warm and sweet.
Zimt smells extremely sweet compared to the J&F incense sticks. Essentially, I smell benzoin and vanilla, and just far, far in the background, a slight cinnamon spiciness. They also have something perfumey or ethereal in their profile.
Comparing Cinnamon with Zimt, the earthy character of Cinnamon stands out even more and the ethereal perfume character of Zimt is highlighted. The types of sweetness are entirely different: Zimt is high-pitched and very vanilla-like, while Cinnamon is more of a “heart note”, almost balsamic and very warm.
I will also write individual reviews for both. The review of Holy Smokes – Zimt can be found here.