Shoyeido – Overtones – Palo Santo

I had been curious for a while about trying Japanese Palo Santo incense sticks. The typical Palo Santo incense sticks with bamboo cores are generally quite thick and smoky, which can be interesting for some occasions, but also can quickly become too much.
About Palo Santo by Shoyeido, however, I was rather sceptical. Shoyeido‘s style is characterised (especially in the more affordable lines) by a creamy sweetness that I’ve found far too dominant in some other Overtones varieties.
I saw the chance that the combination could work, but it could just as easily be disappointing.

Eventually, I discovered this mint-condition pack of Overtones – Palo Santo on Kleinanzeigen, not long after I got the others, and bought it for a good price.

Here‘s an overview of the Overtones line, where you can also find information about the average prices.

Ingredients: Palo Santo wood, cinnamon, benzoin, and others.

The Palo Santo scent is clearly recognisable in the sticks and is in the foreground, especially when you burn the sticks without ‘olfactory context’.
Today, I lit a stick after I’d had one of the rather dry and tart smelling Palo Santo sticks made by Fiore D’Oriente burning, and in contrast to these, the sweetness of the Shoyeido composition is much more immediately apparent.

I have to say, though, that the combination of Palo Santo, cinnamon and benzoin, which are named as the main ingredients, really harmonises well.
The interplay of Palo Santo and benzoin happens to be surprisingly reminiscent of cinnamon buns (Bonnie from Esprit de la Nature suggested me trying that combination out a while ago), and so it’s no great surprise that cinnamon also combines well with Palo Santo.

The sweet ingredients take away some of the dryness of the Palo Santo wood and emphasise its natural sweetness instead.
For purists, Overtones – Palo Santo won’t be the right thing, but for people who are looking for milder sticks with a bit more than just the plain Palo Santo scent, they’re definitely interesting.