ShoyeidoShoyeido Frankincense, 35 CT

Ingredients (at the time of this review and as per the box): Sandalwood, frankincense, benzoin, and other spicesInside the box, the bundle of 35 incense sticks are bound at three points (ends and middle) with about 1-inch wide strips of brown paper and are nestled with a two-sided paper sheet detailing tidbits about the company, directions for use, and the USDA-validated cruelty-free and vegan-friendly ingredients and practices of Shoyeido and its entire collection.Shoyeido 'Frankincense' (of the Overtones collection) is one of the company's longer stick varieties and comes without its own packaged small, circular incense holder. Unlit, a smooth and soft yet comparitively strong (compared to unlit, shorter incense sticks of the same brand) almost baby powder-like aroma with a mild and agreeable citrus-y pungency (that characteristic scent of frankincense) emanates from the sticks. When burning, the incense do certainly have that 'sweetness' from benzoin (as previous reviewers noted) prominently in its fumes, but the frankincense is just as pronounced if not more, especially with it being blended with the aforementioned ingredients that provide a complementary (rather than a smothering) mellowness to the frankincense's sharpness. The scent is quite similar to Nitiraj's 'Nanak', a frankincense-fronted nag champa blend that could be described as an Indian-styled equivalent.In truncated briefness, an excellent frankincense-blend worthy of repeat purchases.

One of the three paper rolls came loose in the box. As a result, ALL of the sticks are broken, some so small as to be unusable . Fortunately, the majority seem to be only broken in half, so they're still usable ; they'll just burn completely in 10-15 minutes instead of around 30. It looks like 4-6 of the 34 broke so completely I'll probably just discard the smal remnants, (or see it they can be used as drawer sachets maybe....)I have bought Shoyeido before, and this is the first time this has happened ; had this been my FIRST purchase, it would probably be my last. I tried to return this box in exchange for a different one that would hopefully be properly packaged, but it's "ineligible for return", so...I mention all this on the off-chance Shoyeido watches its amazon reviews : PLEASE look into your QA ! If it happened to me , it's probably happening to a certain percentage of incense stick buyers : The paper rolls meant to protect the sticks are coming unfastened in transit, or while the sticks are being prepared for boxing.As for the fragrance, it's almost as nice as my favorite (autumn leaves) and with even less smoke ; very mellow, and possibly the nicest sandalwood (that's the primary note I am picking up on ) I've ever run across. I will certainly rebuy.ETA I bought a second box ; this time, the very first paper roll as you pull the incense out of the box's top was where it should be , as was the second roll, but the third and final roll on the bottom of the incense bunch had worked its way down and was just barely on. One stick was broken in two, the rest were intact. I haven't seen this issue with any of this company's products EXCEPT the frankincense.

Best incense ever. Japanese incense is much less heavy than others, and this one smells lovely, lasts a while, and seems to improve and calm my mood.Edit, 2-18-21: Still the only incense I buy. Seriously love this stuff. I’ve never had an issue with it arriving broken, and up until recently, Prime shipping has gotten it to me in one day. It has been out of stock for a couple of months, and I’ve been watching for it; now that it’s back in stock, I see that it’s no longer a Prime item, and they are charging $5.95 for shipping. Same seller I’ve been purchasing from for years, and I’ve never had to pay shipping. If it isn’t added back to Prime, I’ll start purchasing it from Shoyeido directly - they do charge shipping, but the product itself is $1-2 cheaper than Amazon.

This incense is high quality with all-natural all natural ingredients. But if anyone was looking for a clean cut frankincense smell, they may be disappointed. The benzoin makes this smell very sweet, and it also smells like vanilla and cinnamon, which is almost as strong as the frankincense. This is not exactly what I wanted, but it's not bad. I just don't think the sweet vanilla (or maybe it's actually the benzoin) goes the best with frankincense, but if you like the smell of baking in the kitchen during Christmas you will like this.The fragrance is not overpowering at all and is very mild (maybe too mild). It kind of feels light and happy, but maybe a little hungry at the same time.

This is my 3rd time ordering. This incense for me is perfect, the wonderful smell from Japanese temples. It's exactly what it was looking for, used daily in my yoga practice. *HOWEVER* shipping lately is less than desirable. The 1st time it arrived in a box with other items. All OK. The 2nd and 3rd time it arrived all alone in one of those white mailers. The incense sticks, in both shipments, were broken in half. I am not pleased.

Packaging damaged upon arrival, half of incense sticks broken, and no return policy. Smells good, but they're broken so they only burn for 5-10 minutes or even less. Really disappointed because this brand is solid, but the delivery/seller packaging was not even close to what you would need for such a fragile item. It was loose in a large box with other items. For the price it was not worth it. Would not buy again.

I had bought this brand years ago at a museum. I was super happy when I was able to find them on Amazon. They smell awesome, burn right down to the end, and most importantly very minimal smoke, and the scent is just phenomenal.

Like the product a lot. Unfortunately the retailer just drops them in a shipping bag. As you can see one of the bundles is brocken the other is fine.No way in the Amazon app to get a replacement

The incense stick is so soft and will break when is drawn out from the pack. Scent is ok but really doesn’t smell like Frankincense. But it was well packed when it was delivered. Thank you.

I like that they smell great and are half the size if a full incense stick. It sucked that i did not realize they need a special holder and that I do not have a proper stick holder for it right now

Love this incense. Burns consistently. Scent is even through the burn and from stick to stick.

Great product and worth it.

love it