Der echte Räucherkerzen-Adventskalender [The Real Incense Cone Advent Calendar]
My incense friend Sascha surprised me with this incense cone advent calendar, included among other items he sent that he had brought back for me from England.
The calendar is produced by the St. Benno publishing house (distributed via Vivat!) and filled with incense cones from the brand Crottendorfer, as confirmed by their sales manager, Mr. Schollbach. Crottendorfer also sells their own advent calendars with changing designs each year, and this seems to apply to the St. Benno calendars as well. Mr. Schollbach kindly informed me that my calendar must have been produced in 2022. According to him, “the incense cones inside are indefinitely durable and will emit their smoke with unchanged scent and intensity even after several years.” Of course, the calendar should be stored in a dry and not overly warm environment.
On top of that, he provided me with a table mapping Crottendorfer’s original names to the altered names created by St. Benno to make the varieties sound more festive. However, this table is from 2021, and a few varieties were swapped out in the 2022 edition.
The individual varieties are available from Crottendorfer in packs of 24, priced between €1.95 and €2.70. These incense cones (referred to as ‘incense candles’ in some regions) are approximately 3cm tall, with Crottendorfer designating this size as ‘M’. Some varieties are also available in other sizes and formats.
The cones burn for about 12 minutes, with the ember taking at least as long again to fully extinguish. Be cautious when disposing of what appears to be ash.
In the image, you can see the varieties as listed on the back of the calendar; there are 24 different ones.
In the review headings, I will include the original names according to the table in parentheses and the translations for both names in brackets. The corresponding descriptions from the Crottendorfer shop will be added as well. Please note that I cannot guarantee that these are the correct ones applied, as I rely on said, slightly outdated table.
Click on the name to jump to the respective mini-review.
Zeit der Freude [Time of Joy]
Lebkuchen [Gingerbread]
Waldweg [Forest Path]
Barbarazweig
Kerzenschein [Candlelight]
Glockenklang [Bell Sound]
Wintertraum [Winter Dream]
Kokosmakrone [Coconut Macaroons]
Weihnachtsapfel [Christmas Apple]
Abendruh [Evening Rest]
Bergmannsduft [Miner Fragrance]
Adventskaffee [Advent Coffee]
Waldhonig [Wild Honey]
Heiße Zitrone [Hot Lemon]
Sandelholz [Sandalwood]
Gebrannte Mandeln [Candied Almonds]
Tannenduft [Fir Fragrance]
Morgenröte [Dawn]
Heilige Drei Könige [Holy Three Kings]
Zeit des Segens [Time of Blessing]
Winter-Orange [Winter Orange]
Zimtstern [Cinnamon Star]
Kaminzauber [Fireplace Magic]
Weihnachtsduft [Christmas Fragrance]
The mounting of the incense cones is cleverly designed. A starburst cut punched into a cardboard securely holds each cone in place.
It’s not a secret that I usually dislike incense cones and consider them inferior to incense sticks (due to their shape and the resulting burn behaviour). Nevertheless, I occasionally enjoy putting this opinion to the test.
Zeit der Freude [Time of Joy] (Patchouli)
“Once lit, the mysterious, eroticising effect of the alluring patchouli lingers in the room for a long time. A woody, tart, slightly sweet fragrance accent, subtly caressed by exquisite Siam benzoin accords, lets you taste East India: earthy with a slightly smoky tone. Some attribute the scent with a mood-lifting, aphrodisiac effect.”
I perceived the scent as musky, soft, sweet, and woody. It is a relatively dark fragrance; quite pleasant, but towards the end, it becomes a little ashy.
Lebkuchen [Gingerbread]
This is one of the varieties that changed from the 2021 to 2022 edition. If St. Benno only changed the name (from ‘Gewürzplätzchen’ [Spice Cookies] to ‘Lebkuchen’), this variety might be the variety Gewürzduft [Spice Fragrance].
The scent is somewhat smeary-sweet, and I find it rather cloying, though not particularly potent. Not entirely unpleasant, but also not actually good. The after-smell reminds me of burnt sugar.
Waldweg [Forest Path] (Black Forest)
“Fresh and radiant, like morning dew caught in the pine needles and blooming heather tufts, delicate green notes blend with herbal elements of Heidelbeeren [Vaccinium vitis-idaea] and damp moss. This fragrance opens your heart to the Black Forest landscape with its wild herbs and rivers that flow sometimes turbulently, sometimes gently. Inhale warm notes of sandalwood, musk, ambergris, and frankincense – taste and smell the forest.”
Real musk and real ambergris are animal products found today only in very exclusive perfumes and incense. It is almost certain that these are synthetic fragrance compounds.
The scent is foresty, and I find it more characteristic than the Fichte/Kiefer [Spruce/Pine] variety by HUSS. There is a subtle sweetness (weaker than in those by HUSS) and a resinous, relatively dry tone that might also come from some Frankincense here. It smells of conifers, and I do not feel the need to search for the coniferous scent as I do with Fichte/Kiefer.
Waldweg is the first pleasant surprise in this range.
Barbarazweig (Weihnachtlicher Weihrauch [Christmasy Incense])
“Fine, exquisite balsamic frankincense unfolds its peaceful and imaginative effect in this incense experience. Rounded off with vanilla pods and a mysterious undertone – the typical Erzgebirge Christmas fragrance that many remember from childhood …”
I did not grow up in a Christian household, so I first had to google what a Barbarazweig [link to German Wiki page] is. In short: It’s a twig, which can be taken from different fruit trees, hazelnuts, birches or other trees, that is cut on Dec. 4th (the liturgical memorial day of St. Barbara) and placed in a vase in the home. It’s supposed to bloom around Christmas.
This cone has a friendly scent, with resinous and balsamic sweet notes, accompanied by a slight spiciness and something vaguely floral.
Nice and unobtrusive.
Kerzenschein [Candlelight] (Adventsduft [Advent Fragrance])
“What would Advent be without the delicious scent of Christmas pastries! With this sweet-aromatic fragrance, we capture for you the interplay of Christmas spices such as cinnamon, star anise, coriander, cloves, and other tasty ingredients.”
The scent starts sweet and somewhat cloying, then turns more tart. It reminds me of guggul or myrrh, with a burnt-sugary undertone.
The further the cone burns down, the more unpleasant the scent becomes: the sweetness diminishes further, it grows more tart and begins to smell slightly sooty or ashy. By the end, the scent reminds me a bit of warm plastic.
Unpleasant. I felt the need to burn other incense afterwards to get rid of the after-smell.
Glockenklang [Bell Chimes] (African Night)
“Let yourself be embraced by the South African way of life: colourful, full of strength and vitality. This blend of woods, spices, roots, and resins smells of warm savannah and exotic flowers. Savour the sweetish accord of jasmine and white orchids, which lend a touch of exoticism to the balsamic-spicy incense. Papyrus adds dry-woody accents, underlined by orange blossoms and yellow vanilla.”
This is a floral scent. Fresh-floral and somewhat reminiscent of perfume. However, the scent is again accompanied by a sweetish, slightly burnt-sugary note.
After the first third, the scent becomes unpleasant when you get closer to the cone; it grows more bitter and ashy. Where the scent can spread, though, it remains pleasantly fresh, greenish, and floral.
Wintertraum [Winter Dream]
“Wrapped in blankets, enjoy the winter light by the snow-covered window. Accompanying this is the Wintertraum incense, which will gently envelop you with its creamy, sweet, and soft notes.”
This was a scent I could not pick apart at all. I found it somewhat greenish-fresh, very slightly tart, and subtly sweet, with perhaps something floral added, but that’s really all I can tell.
Not unpleasant.
Kokosmakrone [Coconut Macaroon] (Cocos [Coconut])
“This sun-warmed fragrance will make you dream. Tall palm trees by blue lagoons release their treasures: creamy soft notes of coconut framed by a hint of bitter almond and vanilla create an exotic incense mix that brings a piece of tropical paradise into your living room.”
Strangely sweetish and plastic-like, with an undertone of stale pepper. Sharp and scratchy. I’m not sure if this is an actual scent or if I have a mild reaction to this variety.
The smell of warm plastic becomes more intense over time.
Very unpleasant.
Weihnachtsapfel [Christmas Apple] (Grüner Apfel [Green Apple])
I would have guessed this would be the variety Zimtapfel [Cinnamon Apple] because it would fit much better with the Advent theme, but in fact, the table lists this as Grüner Apfel [Green Apple]:
“Imagine a beautiful summer morning. Inhale the clear, cool air, catch the cloud-white sweetness of apple blossoms and the sparkling invigorating aroma of juicy green apples. A playful and enlivening incense scent.”
A strange scent. It reminds me of car air fresheners or reed diffusers but with a burnt note. Very artificial. Actually, even more unpleasant than Kokosmakrone, but I think only because it’s slightly stronger.
I extinguished the cone because it was just too unpleasant.
Abendruh [Evening Rest]
In the Vivat! shop, the newer version of the calendar contains Lavendel [Lavender] instead of Abendruh, which seems to correspond, since lavender is known for its calming effect. However, the list provided to me names Pfeffer Zitrus [Pepper Citrus] as the original name for Abendruh. These cones, however, are yellow, not green, like the cone in my calendar. I therefore assume that at least in the 2022 version, Abendruh corresponds to Lavendel:
“Be enchanted by the rich floral scent of a lavender field in the wonderful landscape of Provence. A thoroughly calming and healing fragrance creation warmly caresses the senses.”
Someone is currently heating their home with coal briquettes in our neighbourhood, and their smoke drifted over to us while I was trying this cone.
I had the impression that the cone also emitted a slightly sooty scent, but it was hard to judge how much of that actually came from the cone and what had just come in through the window. However, near the burning cone, there was definitely an intensified, sooty note present.
The actual aroma of Abendruh showed up as a mildly sweet and powdery fragrance. It would fit lavender but without much distinctiveness.
Bergmannsduft [Miner Fragrance]
“A balsamic fragrance composition of spicy myrrh, aromatic frankincense, and sweet styrax with the finest cinnamon notes and a hint of sweet vanilla.”
This might appear as a fairly odd name to most people outside Germany.
Crottendorfer are based in the German Erzgebirge region [literally ‘ore mountains’] which has a long history of mining that is tied into the local cultural identity and image. Crottendorfer‘s branding is basically all about evoking nostalgia.
Bergmannsduft immediately reveals frankincense as an ingredient and quickly develops into a fragrance concept I know as ‘Three Kings Blend’; A classic triad of frankincense, myrrh, and a sweet ingredient like benzoin (or styrax in this case); warm and very pleasant. (Since Crottendorfer also offers a variety called Heilige Drei Könige [Holy Three Kings, aka the three wise men], I’m very curious to see how they compare.)
After reading the description, I thought I could detect a hint of cinnamon, but I wouldn’t have noticed it on my own.
The scent quality diminishes slightly towards the end, but is still significantly better than most of what came before.
Adventskaffee [Advent Coffee] (Coffee House)
“When you light these incense cones from the box labelled Coffee House, you embark on a charming fragrance journey through Vienna’s coffee houses. Bitter like a hot black coffee, sweetened with exclusive dark chocolate and a fine note of vanilla and caramel as a whipped cream topping.”
Sweetish and similarly tart or rather bitter as some others before. Essentially, quite similar to the Kokosmakrone cone, but more bitter, slightly darker, and without the plastic-like smell. Not quite as unpleasant, but still not great for my nose.
In some ways, these cones are better than Mother’s Indiase Koffie sticks because they aren’t as overwhelmingly sweet and artificial; at the same time, they’re worse because I struggle to detect any reminiscence of coffee in the scent (unless you define ‘bitter’ as the epitome of coffee – but then, you might want to find better coffee). Even knowing the name, I find it difficult to make the association.
Waldhonig [Wild Honey]
“A gentle, unobtrusive sweetness unfolds with these incense cones that smell of wild honey. Soft, dark, and warm, you’ll be delighted!”
This variety smells sweetish, herbaceous, and slightly soapy. I’m not delighted.
Heiße Zitrone [Hot Lemon] (RUHE! [QUIET!])
“Hot Lemon” is a popular hot drink and home remedy in Germany during the cold season. It’s believed to boost the immune system and help with sore throats, colds, etc. It’s a mix of freshly squeezed lemon juice and honey, stirred into hot (45°C max.) water.
Before receiving the list, I speculated whether this variety might actually be Crottendorfer’s Pfeffer ZItrus [Pepper Citrus], but it actually seems to be RUHE!
Even though the description doesn’t mention it, I suspect this scent is actually meant to be an insect repellant.
“These delightfully lemony incense cones create an atmosphere of calm and relaxation.”
I’m very pleasantly surprised by this variety.
The scent is lemony fresh and slightly tart, like fresh lemon peel, just not as intense.
Although I often dislike citrus fragrances, I find this one truly pleasant and invigorating.
Sandelholz [Sandalwood]
“Need some relaxation? Here’s the perfect incense scent for it: Subtle aspects of seductive sandalwood fill the air as the cone burns. Enjoy the warm, woody accord.”
The pale burgundy-red colour of the cones didn’t stir up confidence, but the Sandelholz variety is actually one of the better ones.
The scent is woody and rather dry, but unmistakably sandalwoody, all the way to the end.
In the after-smell, the fragrance remains similar to that during burning; rather strongly sandalwood-like but not overly sweet.
Gebrannte Mandeln [Candied Almonds] (Vanille [Vanilla])
“The yellow vanilla in this incense composition smells delicate and fresh, reminiscent of beloved sweet Vanillekipferl [a type of vanilla cookies] dusted with powdered sugar. A delight for every sensual nose.“
This cone smells smoky, which becomes unpleasant after a few minutes. I couldn’t detect much aroma, only a subtle sweetness. Toward the end, the scent reminded me of something like matchsticks.
Despite thorough airing, this smell lingered in the room for quite a while.
Tannenduft [Fir Fragrance]
“The secret of this scent lies hidden in the heart of fir trees. With the warm, spicy forest aroma of these incense cones, the high-quality essential oils of fir awaken your spirits. Enjoy how the rustling treetops transform into a crackling fire in the hearth as you sit back and relax.”
I had hoped these cones would smell as good as Waldweg.
To me, the fragrance comes across as frankincense-like resinous, but reminds me of bathwater, which I don’t find particularly appealing.
Morgenröte [Dawn] (Oriental)
“This scent is dominated by the oriental note of the Levant: Moroccan mint tea, saffron, olive soaps on endless bazaars. A pot-pourri of rose oil, cardamom, pepper, and Tahitian vanilla invites you to sensually explore the Orient. Pass by frankincense trees and tropical gardens with palms. Enjoy the wild, exotic rhythms of the Orient in this thrilling composition.“
This variety seems slightly stronger than the others. The aroma is intense and perfume-like, but not unpleasant. It reminds me a bit of one of the rose-scented Bakhoors sold by Rymer, which I explored recently.
I can’t pinpoint anything particularly specific in the scent, but it seems to be a mix of spicy and floral notes; sweet and relatively heavy. Occasionally, an interesting freshness comes through.
Close up, the scent becomes a bit less pleasant toward the end, but overall, it’s quite alright.
Heilige Drei Könige [Holy Three Kings] (Drei Königs-Duft [Three Kings Fragrance])
“Dark, earthy, and spicy-sharp, this incense fragrance envelopes you with the gifts of the Three Wise Men: balsamic incense resin, aromatic myrrh, and precious, fragrant frankincense. Let yourself be enchanted by their gifts and enjoy the magic of Christmas with every cone.
Our Drei Königs-Duft incense cones are vegan.”
As far as I’ve seen, this is the only variety where Crottendorfer mentions that the product is vegan, which might mean the others are not.
As expected, the scent of Heilige Drei Könige is quite similar to Bergmannsduft. Compared to what I recall from that, the fragrance of Heilige Drei Könige is slightly more tart, drier, or less sweet. The frankincense is equally prominent, while the myrrh is even more so, creating a stronger association with church.
I find the scent pleasant.
Zeit des Segens [Time of Blessing]
This variety is unfortunately not included in the 2021 table.
Time of Blessing is another fresh-floral scent, somewhat reminiscent of perfume, similar to Glockenklang. Not overly sweet, reasonably pleasant, but not quite my taste.
Winter-Orange [Winter Orange]
“An exuberant fragrance explosion of winter orange blossoms creates feelings of joy and harmony. Fresh, fruity, and citrusy with a caramel note.”
I believe I approached this variety with overly high expectations after the Blood Orange fragrance from Aromandise turned out to be surprisingly good.
The orange aroma I detect in this cone reminds me partly of cleaning products with orange oil and partly of stale orange peel that has lost all its citrusy freshness, leaving behind a dull, oxidised, somewhat sweet aroma.
Additionally, there’s an unpleasant note that scratches my throat and evokes memories of a grease remover I had an allergic reaction to.
I didn’t let the cone burn completely.
Zimtstern [Cinnamon Star] (Zimt [Cinnamon])
This variety currently couldn’t be found in the Crottendorfer shop.
“Cinnamon Stars” are very common Christmas cookies here in Germany. The lower half of the star-shaped cookies is rather chewy and heavy with cinnamon, the top half is Meringue.
This must be the worst cinnamon incense I’ve encountered so far. Kinda sweet and aromatic but barely recognisable as cinnamon. Additionally, it has a burnt smell, and toward the end, a sooty note emerges.
Kaminzauber [Fireplace Magic]
“Seductively sweet, this fragrance floats through the room once the cone is lit. It awakens memories of the delicious smell of a steaming cup of mulled wine with cinnamon, cloves, lemon, and grated orange peel.”
Kaminzauber is, for me, one of the worst varieties. It smells like one of those synthetic-perfumy reed diffusers or Glade plug-ins. An obtrusive mishmash of sweetish, fruity, vaguely spicy, and perhaps slightly floral notes. I extinguished the cone immediately.
Weihnachtsduft [Christmas Fragrance] (Erzgebirgischer Weihnachtsduft [Erzgebirge Christmas Fragrance])
The Erzgebirge [literally “ore mountains”] is a region in Germany, where the Crottendorfer Brand originates from.
“Aromatic fragrance with frankincense entwines the tart-woody aroma of noble fir. Enjoy this composition with a glass of wine by a roaring fireplace and immerse yourself in the magic of deeply snow-covered Christmas landscapes.”
Last but not least, here is another pleasant scent. Resinous, frankincense-like, woody, with a touch of balsamic character and the fresh, subtly sweet smell of fir needles.
The fragrance reminds me of the market booth of a former friend who sold incense, and makes me a bit nostalgic.
Conclusion
Many of the varieties are complete misses for me (Kerzenschein, Kokosmakrone, Weihnachtsapfel, Adventskaffee, Gebrannte Mandeln, Winter-Orange, Zimtstern, Kaminzauber), but there are also some I would recommend: Waldweg, Bergmannsduft, Heiße Zitrone, Sandelholz, Heilige Drei Könige, Weihnachtsduft and perhaps Morgenröte for people who like perfumey scents.
Overall, I think this Advent calendar is a nice idea. At least it’s something different.
It’s less likely to delight people who enjoy very natural scents. However, incense cone enthusiasts or those with a nostalgic connection to incense cones will surely appreciate it.
If you decide to get one, I’d recommend purchasing an Advent calendar directly from Crottendorfer. For one, they clearly indicate the year of production, and secondly, you save yourself the guessing game of which varieties you have if you want to restock them.