Pema of Tibet – Faircense: Amber, Vanille-Benzoe
You can find the main article about the Faircense line here.
A pack of these Dry Masala incense sticks costs 4–5 Euros, containing 10 sticks, which weigh about 10g and are 20cm long. The burning time is given as approx. 35 minutes.
Amber | Cocooning
The back of the packaging lists labdanum and benzoin as ingredients.
When lighting the Amber sticks, a little resin becomes apparent, but not enough to see it bubbling behind the ember.
At first, I didn’t notice that the two main aromatic ingredients of Amber were mentioned on the packaging. Solely based on the smell, I would have thought that Turkish storax was used. The scent has a deep ambery note, sweet but not piercing; balanced by a fine, almost a little sour resin scent, which I would have attributed to storax. Though, it to actually come from a small amount of labdanum.
The base material contributes a distinct woody note that does not interfere with or overshadows the fragrance. It’s a balanced, warm, and deep composition.
To me, these are very pleasant, natural amber incense sticks. Relatively simple, but with a beautiful and long-lasting aftersmell.
Vanille-Benzoe | Good Luck
The benzoin used is Styrax tonkinensis.
With Vanille-Benzoe, the emerging liquified resin is even more noticeable, and some traces can be seen behind the ember.
The sweetness of this variety is more pronounced; the high, almost piercing smell of benzoin is clearly recognizable and stands out distinctly. I find that the scent of Vanille-Benzoe needs a bit more space to open up, but then it is just as beautiful as Amber. The scent is balsamic-sweet and vanilla-like; however, I smell more of the vanilla-like character of benzoin rather than actual vanilla.
Vanille-Benzoe has a subtle but long-lasting after-smell, leaving a pleasant warm note until the next day.