Baieido – Tobiume

This sample comes from my friend Povilas. He sent it to me in 2023.

I’m surprised not to find a source for Tobiume in Germany, considering Baieido is amongst the better-represented brands here. In the EU it seems only the Lithuanian Etsy shop StudioByJV has it in stock: as a sample pack with 30 sticks for €6.
In the US, you can find the 150-piece box at Kikoh Incense for $27.99.
Wa no Kaori in Japan sell the same pack for €9.95.
The sticks are 13.5cm long and burn for 25-30 minutes.

Tobiume means ‘flying plum tree’, which is the name of a famous plum tree in Japan. Tobiume are, like Shoyeido – Baikaju, a homage to a plum tree.

Ingredients: agarwood, sandalwood, clove, cinnamon, costus root, spikenard, borneol

Tobiume surprised me with their sweetness. It was something I hadn’t expected from Baieido after all the varieties I’d tried so far were very dry, unsweet and ‘traditional’. (Tobiume is described as ‘a modern interpretation of traditional, natural ingredients’, whatever that means.)

The raw scent speaks of woody-warm sandalwood with a light sweetness and an umami tone, spicy notes and a hint of florality.

Lit, the first thing I smell is a rather dry but very soft and warm sandalwood note with spices. Diluted in room’s air, the sweetness becomes further pronounced and develops, in combination with the spices, to a gourmand smell that can remind me of Christmas baking.

Behind that, further subtle notes hide.
I smell a fine bitter note. The light umami tone I already found in the raw scent hangs with it. This aspect lends Tobiume considerable depth and substance.
The tingling sweet spiciness of cinnamon dances with another aspect that’s hard for me to grasp: a velvety softness that combines with quite a subtle but lively sparkling. This aspect sometimes seems floral, then again rather fruity. It’s what really brings the plum concept to life for me.
My perception of the weighting of those two components change with each burn. What causes this, I don’t know, but it doesn’t seem to be the weather alone.

I’m genuinely enthusiastic about Tobiume. The composition is multi-layered and faceted; it’s friendly and unobtrusive but nonetheless has substance.
I like Tobiume by far better than Shoyeido – Baikaju, not only because I find their smell more complex, but also because the sweetness of Tobiume comes across more elegant and sophisticated.