If you have read very many of these little reviews then it should be apparent that I love patchouli.  I like the warm, earthy, sometimes oily and woody scent that a good patchouli has.  So after having burned approximately half the output of the worlds patchouli incense in a quest to find just the right one, I consider myself to be very familiar with all of its myriad variations in scent.

I think I will preface this review of Hem‘s Patchouli by saying that I am not a fan of dipped incense or charcoal incense or worse, dipped charcoal incense.  To my nose it leaves an unpleasant note that often clashes miserably with the overall scent of the stick.  I know there are people in the world that prefer charcoal sticks and many, many more that can’t tell the difference or just don’t care.  Unfortunately for me, I have been using and enjoying incense for a long time and I have sharpened my sense of smell to the point where I can’t ignore that burning charcoal scent.

So with that said, this stick isn’t great, it isn’t horrible, it is just a slightly below average patchouli that could use a little more patchouli.  It smells like a thinner, less vibrant version of a good masala patchouli.  For a patchouli variant that will absolutely blow your mind, I seriously suggest Satya‘s Patchouli Forest.  The combination of vanilla, sandalwood and patchouli is excellent.

This stick on the other hand is okay, and probably great for people who don’t want too much patchouli scent and don’t or can’t notice the scent of burning charcoal.

Grab a hex pack here and put on some Grateful Dead.