Minorien Fu-in Kyara

Nothing to do with the original Fu-in Kyara sold by Minorien before. Invest your money elsewhere. The recipe changed drastically and the magic is totally gone now.

This is one of my favorite incenses. Sharp, bitter-sweet and earthy. It’s a scent that is both captivating and deeply soothing. I enjoy it even more than Minorien’s higher grade Ryugen and Choko, which don’t have the same satisfying bite in my opinion. Absolutly a must try. Unfortunately, in my experience, the quality and potency of the smell can indeed vary from a box to another. I once had two same boxes side by side. They had the same overall nice scent signature, but one was clearly more potent and nicer smelling. I have ordered Fuin Kyara so far about a dozen times. Most of the time it was very good, sometimes even sublime, and maybe just once or twice it was a bit more disappointing. Consistency also seems to be a rather old issue. I found a post from someone, on incense forum Olfactory Rescue Service, who addressed the issue of Fuin Kyara consistency, and it dates back from 2008, so nothing new. If it was not of this issue, Fuin Kyara would deserve a strong 5 stars, but 4 seems more accurate.

This review is for the 100 stick 13.5cm box.
My previous experience with this incense made it one of my favorites, it was excellent. This time, the magic is gone. Instead of a captivating blend of exotic spices and agar wood, this batch is dominated by a soap scent (like Ivory bar soap). The wood notes that come through are not pleasant. Occasionally there are whiffs of the old magic, almost as if some of the original ingredients were mixed in with inferior bulk materials.

This isn't a bad incense, but it is nowhere near as good as the fu-in aloeswood. It smells like a more watered-down and natural version of Nippon Kodo's Oedo-Koh Kyara Hime (Aloeswood).