Nippon Kodo – Ka-fuh – Aqua

I got 6 of these sticks in an incense exchange in August 2024.

The woman with whom I’d exchanged incense sticks this time drew my attention to the fact that Nippon Kodo apparently sell some sticks in multiple lines. She’d noticed parallels in the descriptions on Tierra Zen (who’ve belonged to the Nippon Kodo group since 2022 and seem to be something like their official distribution partner for Europe).
Furthermore, on the product pages of the Ka-fuh line, it’s pointed out that there are packs with 20 sticks, but these don’t appear within the line. However, with the corresponding varieties of the Koh Do line (which are only sold in packs with 20 sticks) there’s mention of larger packs that only exist in the Ka-fuh line.

Accordingly, there’s Ka-fuh – Aqua in packs with 20 sticks (sold as Koh Do – Aqua) for €3.80, 50 sticks (€6.50), 120 sticks (€9.90) and approximately 430 sticks (€29).
The sticks are about 14cm long and burn for 25-30 minutes.
They’re marketed as ‘smokeless’ incense sticks.

The prices mentioned above are from Tierra Zen, who are based in Spain. In German shops, you can find the packs of the Ka-fuh line from €5.90, for example at Ongnamo. This is where my incense exchange partner bought them.

Nippon Kodo describe Aqua as follows: ‘The elegant fragrance gives a sensation of coolness by the clear green and floral aqua note of cyclamen with a pleasing scent of primrose and jasmine and a fruity note of citrus.’

The mention of primrose astonishes me, as I’ve never found primroses to be fragrant. Perhaps it’s a very specific primrose, or it’s a translation error.
Something similar applies to cyclamen as well, whose absolute finds application in perfumery. The fragrance is described as cool; the cyclamen that you can buy as potted flowers, however, have no fragrance.

I find neither a jasmine nor a citrus note in Aqua, but the sticks really do smell uniquely watery fresh. It’s precisely that aquatic note as can be found in Monsoon Sandalwood.
After lighting a stick, I sense the woodiness of the base material for a while, which I get from many Nippon Kodo sticks of the more affordable lines. This recedes into the background over time, though. The room note is simply a cool, watery freshness, underlaid with a hint of mild wood smoke.
Shortly after going out, though, the base smell returns for a moment.

I wonder how much lab magic of the perfume industry is in Aqua, or whether you really can achieve such a fragrance exclusively with plant extracts.
In this price segment, at any rate, the sticks can’t be entirely natural.

Aqua have a truly watery fragrance that you probably have to smell once to be able to imagine it.
The fragrance is rather mild overall. The smoke output is minimal and only visible at all in bright lighting.