Kyara showdown: Nippon Kodo vs Shoyeido

Kyara is the most expensive incense ingredient in the world. It is worth more than its weight in gold. Rolls of Japanese kyara incense routinely cost in the hundreds of dollars, some in the thousands. Incense lovers like me dream of this ultimate olfactory experience. The opportunities are few and far between, so when I saw a chance to purchase some relatively inexpensive kyara samplers I took the plunge. I have one, and only one, stick of Shoyeido Sho-kaku, which came in the Shoyeido premium sampler pack. I have about 10 very thin sticks each of Nippon Kodo Gokuhin Kyara Taikan as well as their Tokusen Kyara Taikan. In the time it has taken me to type this entry, I have burned through a stick of the Tokusen. The sampler sticks are thin, even by Japanese standards. I have already accidentally broken one into several small pieces while lighting it. Well, how was the Tokusen? It did not immediately strike me as a premium scent. It was aromatic, but in that perfume derived way usually associated with cheaper Indian incense. Honestly, I've never had kyara before, so I may be grasping at straws here. Let's move up the chain so to speak to the even more expensive Gokuhin Kyara Taikan from Nippon Kodo.

Burning Gokuhin for the kyara showdown. I used two pieces to increase the smoke. I burn in an ash-filled burner bowl, which eliminates unburnt ends.

The step up in quality I think is dramatic. The rich, dense aroma only hinted at in the Tokusen here takes front and center stage. It's like going from light roast to dark roast coffee. I no longer feel a perfume-based quality, but instead the Gokuhin has an astonishing ability to cut right to the chase, or in this case right to the very rare wood that is kyara. I only wish I could afford to buy a full roll and burn this properly. The 10 minutes or so this lasted were fleeting, and left me wishing for so much more.

Finally, the last stick I have for today is Sho-kaku, or Translucent Path, by Shoyeido. It will be my one and only stick for quite some time, as a roll costs over $500. I will break it into two smaller sticks, which will shorten the burn time but increase the smoke and aroma. First impressions with the Shoyeido are less perfume and more wood. It is sharp and penetrating, vaguely reminding me of citrus at times, but still retaining a distinctive wood flavor. I would have to spend more time with this incense to fully grasp what is happening. At this juncture, though, I would have to declare Gokuhin Kyara Taikan by Nippon Kodo the winner of round one of the kyara showdown. There were no losers.

Shoyeido in Boulder

Incense will be one of the regular topics (labels) of this blog. In fact, it was another blog on incense (the mighty fine folks at the Olfactory Rescue Service) that got me thinking of my own blog. I was also spreading my interests across several websites, so I wanted to organize everything in one place. So, let's start with some incense.



I made one of my regular buying trips (more on those later) to Boulder, Colorado yesterday. I've recently been trying Japanese incense and it turns out the corporate headquarters of Shoyeido in the US is in Boulder. They don't make any incense here, it is all imported from Japan, but they do seem to be shipping out of Boulder. The lobby has a small retail space, and this is where I spent about an hour, sniffing and sampling. The prices were identical to the prices of everywhere else, Japanese incense companies seem to control them with an iron hand. So in that respect I was a little disappointed. I knew quite a bit about the Shoyeido line before I ever walked in, more than the very polite and friendly Asian woman who greeted me. For instance, I love Sei-fu, and wanted to try its companion En-mei. Next, I was very interested in the Shoyeido premium line and Horin line, so purchased samplers of each. I was already over my spending limit, but luckily Shoyeido was quite generous with small, free sample packets. I grabbed everything offered, especially if it had agarwood or aloeswood. The free samples definitely made the visit worthwhile. I also spotted some of the discontinued Shoyeido incense heaters on display, apparently the only ones left in stock. I was not ready to plunk down the $179, though I think they would have sold me one if I had asked. I departed with a bag full of incense, and even though most were packed tight, the aroma filled my car the rest of the day. It must have been that one stick of kyara infused Sho-kaku.





I'm only on my fourth stick of En-mei, but will post first impressions. The ingredients list is: sandalwood, patchouli, clove and spices. I can't help but compare to my favorite (so far) Shoyeido Sei-fu. It seems to have a similar base (the "spice" maybe), but otherwise En-mei lacks the penetrating sharpness I like about Sei-fu. It lazily floats around my head with its hazy mix of sandalwood and patchouli, and seems closer to an Indian blend. There is that base though, and I think that tips the scales to the Japanese style. Pleasant enough, but not a stand-out for Shoyeido at this point. Incense has a way of sneaking up on you, though, and a roll of sticks later I might have completely different feelings.