Jiri & Friends – Frankincense (Olibanum)

I received the Jiri & Friends incense sticks as part of an incense exchange. They cost between €8.50 and €9.95 per pack. Each pack contains 15 incense sticks, weighing approximately 15g.

Ingredients: Olibanum resin, tree bark, bamboo sticks.

I have recently had the chance to try various olibanum incense sticks. Among them, these Frankincense stands out. Not because they are better or worse than the others, but simply because they are distinctly different. While other olibanum incense sticks typically focus on the fresh, citrusy aspect of Boswellia resin or go towards resin incense sticks with a very intense, resinous scent and a lot of smoke, Frankincense is neither and yet still has a classic olibanum scent.
I think that these incense sticks use Boswellia papyrifera. Its scent has little of the resinous freshness; it is rather heavy, slightly bitter, and smells oily to me. This is the frankincense scent of these incense sticks.
I find the scent warm and soothing, with the resin bringing in a peculiar sweetness. There is a spicy aspect present, which partly comes from the olibanum but is accentuated by the “tree bark”. I smell the tree bark as a slightly earthy-spicy and woody note.

Like B. serrata, which has a similar scent profile but is somewhat spicier, I am not a fan of papyrifera resin when it is burned on coal or a heater. However, I surprisingly find myself liking the scent of these incense sticks. I notice that I perceive the scent as more complex the more time I spend with it. The resinous aspect, which I barely noticed at first, clarifies further, and the sweet, balsamic warmth deepens.
If you do not like citrusy or overly resinous smells but are interested in natural olibanum incense sticks, give these a try.

Note:
I am very uncertain about which category these incense sticks best fit into. They are to some extent resin-incense, but they do not have the typically very high resin content where you can observe the resin boiling and forming bubbles nest to the ember, nor is the scent typical. Dry-Masala does not seem quite right either, but due to the absence of any liquid fragrances and despite the minimal ingredients, that seems to fit best.