Two Years and a Milestone

Quo Vadis?

At the end of February this year (2024), we (my best friend Max and I) added the Polylang plug-in to Rauchfahne, and since then, I have been busy translating all pages and old reviews into English while the new ones were already published bilingually. Since July, it is finally done: Rauchfahne is completely translated – what a milestone! 😀

Aside from that, a lot has happened over the past year. Rauchfahne has grown, and I don’t just mean the number of reviews.
Early last year, a spontaneous incense-exchange with my blogger colleague Steve Pereira (Incense in The Wind) took place, and over the year, we kept in contact and became friends. I am also in friendly contact with Mike of ORS now. Additionally, Nathan Upchurch reached out to me, who also runs a blog on which he writes (not only) about incense sticks. I am getting in touch with more and more interesting and nice people from around the world to exchange thoughts, tips, recipes, and incense.
Now, I not only swap incense with other incense enthusiasts, but also receive samples from traders or manufacturers increasingly often, and my stash is steadily growing.

Reviews and Samples

When I started blogging, I intended to write a review for everything that came into my hands. At that time, the number of samples (and purchased packs) was still relatively manageable.
When doing an incense-exchange, I liked to give and request 2 sticks per scent if possible, as a single stick is often not enough to get to know a scent properly. Often, however, it was just about finding out if you generally like something and want to buy a pack of it, for which a single stick is usually absolutely enough. A large number of samples I received recently were single sticks.

I have slowly realized that writing a review based on a single stick is not only difficult because it often feels superficial or insufficient, but also because it is stressful in a way. In such cases, you can’t just let a stick burn in the background and let the scent affect you while doing something else. You get distracted too quickly, and the sample is used up. So you always have to sit down consciously, take your time, and make thorough notes.
There are also many influences, like weather, temperature, rooms, up to your own mood and physical condition, that affect a scent and its perception. Therefore, I even try to split single sample sticks into at least two sessions to get a more thorough impression.
When you have not just a few dozen but hundreds of samples or more, it begins to feel like an exhausting, repetitive and never-ending task and I have found that I tend to prefer working with those varieties of which I have more available.

Because of this, I decided to create a page with guidelines addressed to traders and manufacturers. I am also working on an article about my approach to writing reviews, for those who are curious about my process. (These will be published shortly.)

When exchanging with private individuals or if someone just wants to give me something, I am far from setting conditions. On these occasions, I will continue to keep it as before.

In the future, I will probably refrain from reviewing some individual samples more often, purely for time reasons. However, I still hold on to my intention. I think it is important to review a wide range of different incense sticks and qualities, and I consider ‘negative’ reviews just as valuable for the reader as positive ones. Be it to spare someone a purchase they might have regretted or because the description of something I don’t like reads quite appealing to someone else.
To quote the Grinch again: “What is one man’s toxic sludge is another man’s pot-pourri.“ 😉

An Outlook

The last few Ispalla reviews announced in the last ‘Quo Vadis?’ post will be published next week, but I have only recently started with many of the others (mostly individual sticks sent to me by Steve). There is also a big range of Mother’s I have not yet dealt with, and I have also not gotten around to some Fiore D’Oriente reviews.
Therefore, I would like to hold back a bit on review announcements this time.

Currently, I am sitting on a mountain of just under 400 unreviewed Indian incense sticks, plus about 50 varieties of the Japanese and Tibetan style incenses, as well as 20 different Bakhoor that my friend Povilas gave me.
My review season is slowly coming to an end, but I have been busy. In the queue are some more reviews of Bhagwan and also of Eugene’s other brand, Monsoon Incense (formerly Good Incense). There will be 3 more reviews of Sonnentag, and a few varieties of Pema of Tibet and the Holy Smokes – Feng Shui Line are also in the pipeline. I am currently working on a series of Nag Champa and Sandalwood reviews.
I hope to get a few Shroff varieties done this year, and I have a selection of samples from promising, yet unknown brands that I am really looking forward to.

Besides all the reviews, I also want to publish a few more recipes and maybe elaborate on individual raw materials. However, I am not yet entirely sure about the best formate for the letter.

Last but not least, I would like to thank all the lovely people who have exchanged incense with me or sent me some. I truly appreciate the variety it offers me, and it is always nice to come into contact with people through this hobby, and sometimes even make new friends. 🙂
A massive “Thank you!” goes to Max, the admin of Rauchfahne, who supports me with his technical knowledge, helps me with proofreading every now and again, and keeps everything running smoothly behind the scenes. 💜