Fiore D’Orente – Marco Polo’s Treasures – Kampuram
I ordered this pack from Ephra World Shop at the end of 2022. A box costs €7.95 and contains 15 sticks or 30g. That’s €0.53 per stick. The burning time is given as 40-50 minutes.
The Marco Polo’s Treasures line mainly contains individual fragrances. I chose Kampuram rather by chance.
The sticks from the Marco Polo’s Treasures line are packed in an extraordinary and sophisticated way. The blurb on the case-like box provides general information about the history of the Incense Route and specific information about the variety’s namesake incense ingredient, in this case camphor. The description:
Campuram (Cinnamomum camphora)
Origin: The trees reach enormous sizes. In China there are specimens dating back 1200 years. At the time of Marco Polo, the camphor from Japan was worth its weight in gold.
Form: Camphor is a white crystalline substance that seeps out of the cracks of wood.
Uses: It has a purifying, refreshing and revitalising effect and helps promote concentration. It strengthens the conscience and mitigates sexual desire.
The box also comes with a certificate on which a batch number is noted by hand:
Certificate of Guarantee
The mixture of these incenses was subjected to sophisticated laboratory analysis to assure the total absence of any substance resulting from synthesis products, petrochemical or other. You can find the results of the analysis by connecting to our site www.fioredoriente.eu.
When you have completed the registration, click the button CERTIFICATES, then click the button Marco Polo’s Treasures, in this area you will find certificates matching the lot number that is stamped on this card.
Apart from the camphor, no specific ingredients are mentioned; on the back of the package you can only find the following text:
“This line of incense consists of a base of 18 ingredients including precious woods, resins, herbs and spices plus the 33% special resin indicated on the package. The 18 ingredients are used as a basis for burning and releasing the fragrance selected in a clear and light manner.“
Ephra World describes Kampuram as a natural, slightly minty, balsamic-caramel-like and very resinous scent. “Balsamic-caramel” doesn’t fit my image of camphor at all, and that’s probably what made me curious about this variety.
Even unpacked, Kampuram exudes an unmistakable smell of camphor. Camphor has a cooling effect, similar to menthol, but it doesn’t smell quite as fresh, but more tart in a way. It can have a slightly earthy to musty undertone; especially natural, unrefined camphor, which can be found commercially as “Bhimensi”.
I can’t find anything sweet in Kampuram, at least nothing balsamic-caramel-like. The heady camphor smell has noticeably diminished over the year, gradually revealing a very quiet, soft and natural sweetness that, I think, comes from a wood in the base. The scent definitely doesn’t appear sweetened in any way.
In addition to the fresh yet earthy camphor aroma, Kampuram have a very woody, dry, but powdery-smooth scent.
I’m not particularly fond of the smell of the Kampuram, but I find that these incense sticks have a strong cleansing effect and can neutralize odours remarkably effectively.
On a spiritual level, their effect feels like an energetic “reset”, they have a sobering effect, so to speak.
If you like the smell of camphor, which is reminiscent of cough chest rub, you probably also like Kampuram.