Aromandise – encens ecologique: Gingerbread, Cinnamon
You can read the main article about the encense ecologique line here, there you will also find information about prices and possible sources of supply (in Germany).
Aromandise‘s extremely friendly and helpful customer service provided me with a list of ingredients for all varieties of this line. Again, many thanks for that!
Gingerbread
Ingredients: Cinnamon bark powder, clove powder, wood powder, lemongrass powder, resin, natural mineral, bitter orange essential oil, Peruvian balm.
In addition to cinnamon bark, the Gingerbread variety also has clove as an ingredient, and from experience I don’t get along particularly well with this. I think the clove powder is the reason why Gingerbread smells relatively smoky to me.
As far as the aroma is concerned, the bitter orange oil is clearly noticeable right from the start and brings a pleasant, fruity freshness.
The cinnamon is noticeable, but more in the background.
After the smell has been able to spread and develop a little, a fine, sweet note emerges, which is not always present to the same extent, but rounds off the smell overall.
It’s a scent profile that fits well into the winter and Christmas seasons, but it doesn’t specifically remind me of gingerbread. I miss a little more sweetness and the scent would need to be a little richer, more confectionery like.
The smoky note creates a certain association with a fireplace and could contribute to a cosy atmosphere for some.
For people who like clove incense, gingerbread may smell a little different. They’re not entirely my cup of tea, but I don’t find them unpleasant at all.
Cinnamon
Ingredients: Cinnamon bark powder, wood powder, resin, cinnamon bark essential oil.
I have already discussed Cinnamon in this comparative review. I still really like them, although cinnamon was always one of the rather boring incense scents for me.
Cinnamon has an excellent balance between sweetness and spicy and warm notes. There is some of the cinnamon spiciness present, as well as the deep, aromatic components that are familiar from real Ceylon cinnamon.
But what I find particularly special about these Cinnamon incense sticks is a musky undertone and their earthy aspect; maybe there is some patchouli in it that isn’t mentioned in the ingredients list?
The burning time of the cones is just over 20 minutes.
As expected, the Cinnamon cones smell stronger than the sticks. The sweet and spicy heat comes out more clearly, especially at the beginning. The earthy aspect is also a little more pronounced, but soon mixes with a slightly ashy smelling smokiness of these cones. The further down the cone burns, the stronger it becomes. But in this regard, I think Cinnamon is a little better than the patchouli cones, which smell strongly ashy and unpleasant. Only when the embers reach the bottom the Cinnamon cones becomes very unpleasant for a moment, at that stage, the smell reminds me of a chimney. But the aftersmell is quite ok again.