Sonnentag – Natural Scents – Everest

I discovered the Sonnentag brand by chance and ordered the incense sticks directly from their shop. The regular price is €2.70, I bought Kailash on special offer for €2.20. One pack contains 10g, in the case of Kailash that were 9 incense sticks, which makes an approximate unit price of 30ct.
A burning time is not specified.

I had a short, friendly email contact with Sonnentag and learned that the manufacturing company in India from which they had previously got their incense from unfortunately no longer exists. So the incense sticks that have been produced in India will disappear from their range as soon as the current stock is sold out, and Everest is one of them.

The ingredients listed are vanilla and patchouli.
The scent profile is described by Sonnentag as “sensual, warm, seductive, oriental, sweet, heavy.”

This is not the first time with this manufacturer that I’ve had difficulty identifying the specified ingredients in the scent.
The initial note of Everest is sweet, but the scent immediately turns towards a tartness, which can further develop into an iodine-like smell at its extreme. I recognize this particular scent, but I’ve mostly encountered it in Kesar (saffron) incense and in some Shroff Dry Masalas.
I also have the impression that the sticks can be quite different from one another. In some, this pungent smell is constantly present, while in others, the balsamic, very friendly sweetness has a much longer playtime.
With very good ventilation, i.e., near a wide-open window, I start to detect something vanilla-like, but it’s never an “Ah, yes! Vanilla!” experience, but leaves much room for interpretation. The scent reminds me more of the sweetness I occasionally found in Suraj – Mysore Sandal Bathi. They also share some similarities in their rather unpleasant, pungent note.

Everest leaves me confused for the most part. I’d really like to know what causes this peculiar scent. And I’m curious how others perceive it. I think I will hand out the remaining sticks to my incense friends and ask for their impressions.