Shoyeido – Overtones – Patchouli

At the beginning of the year (2025), I bought five of the seven Overtones varieties second-hand, including Tea Leaves. The previous owner had sorted through his collection, which had grown too large, and parted with these, among others.

Here’s my overview of the Overtones line.

Ingredients: patchouli leaves, sandalwood, and other spices

No less sweet than the others, Patchouli offers a noticeably more distinct character. The herbal and earthy notes of patchouli are at the forefront and, unlike the other varieties, are not masked by the sweetness of benzoin but pleasantly contrasted by it.
This intensely fragrant herb simply has the strength needed to counterbalance and harmonise with the excessive use of benzoin resin in this line.
I also detect some subdued spicy tones, which remind me that these are still Japanese incense sticks.

Having never really been able to pick out the patchouli in any of the “dailies” that supposedly contain it, I didn’t expect much from the Patchouli of the Overtones. But in fact, this has now become my favourite out of the line and a favourite among patchouli incense sticks in general.
I have a soft spot for sweet patchouli scents, which makes this one perfect for me.

I would recommend Patchouli to those looking for natural, earthy-herbal, and sweet incense sticks that (compared to Indian incenses) aren’t overly strong.