Cottage Industries – #14 Sandalwood

I received a single one of these incense sticks as a sample from a friend.
In Germany, they are available at Padma Store, among others. The packaging is very simple, just a paper bag with a black and white label. So they seem to focus on the essential part: the incense.
Unfortunately, I’m not at all impressed with the smell. I couldn’t find much in it that I know and like about sandalwood. Maybe the simple packaging also means that the scent evaporates quickly?
They smell quite smoky and woody, but not exactly like sandalwood, just some aromatic wood. The wood note is quite strong, but its character is unspecific. It could just as easily be cedar wood, although it lacks the fruity note that defines cedar for me.
The scent is dry, rather dark, and I find it warm. Occasionally, I smell a vaguely sulphurous note, which I have often found in sandalwood sticks with saffron (“Kesar Chandan”) and described it as a “toy revolver ammunition” smell. However, I only smell it here when I get too close to the burning stick, and then only as a hint.
It’s a very natural smell, but not particularly pleasant for me and also absolutely irrelevant.
Rating: 2.0