Encens Chembur
Byredo (2008)

Now discontinued, this is a lovely (if simple) combination of ginger, frankincense without smoke, and light woods. It gets a lot of neutral reviews I think because of its simplicity. But it is an extremely pleasant and easy wear that works in all seasons, especially warmer weather, and is great in work/office settings. If you want avant-garde this is not it, but if you want a bottle you will use (and repurchase like me) that always puts a gentle smile on your face, this is a goodie!

Citrus and sweet incense...very nice...honey like Oriental feel on the opulent side...get an occasional paint/turpentine whiff , but very pleasant...resiny slightly smoky laid back incense...smells like a nice safe and very wearable incense fragrance...very nicely done...its like the actuall smoke/ smell of the burning incense drifting up to me...very 3D realistic effect...nice sweetness and combo of citrus and ginger...slightly musky and ambery toward the finish line...get numerous random associations to Heeley Cardinal...a very good possibility for incense afficiandos...

The opening is a fresh combination of bergamot and elemi, with touches of lemon leading to a bright start that is attenuated soon by the elemi. A brightness that is put into place by the non-citrus element.

The drydown follows through this direction by adding and incense note that unusual in its brightness and the lack of any ceremonial heaviness. By now the core concept of this creation is evident: combining freshness with a slimmed-down incense.

The base sees the incense gradually into an impression of pleasant and quite well-made white musks, which are gives added smoothness by a laudanum undertone. So it ends where is began - brightness and darker richness combined.

I get moderate sillage, good projection and twelve hours of longevity on my skin.

This autumnal scent tries to combine the refreshing with incense. The idea is quite original and takes away the haughty and ceremonial that some like in their incense, and makes the latter less like the traditional incense creation. On the other hand, the result is neither particularly refreshing nor is it impressive as an incense; it is a bit too trimmed down for that.

The main issue is the synthetic toning down of the individual elements of this composition, with makes it a bit too generic and too bland. A mix that compromises maybe a bit too much. 2.75/5.

Citrus and elemi on top. Leans more towards elemi. Nutmeg and ginger show up, although the latter is slight. Dark incense. Later, a musk and a touch of labdanum. Something skanky here. Some amber, too.

Not much going on here. I think it's rather dull.

Byredo Encens Chembur, also known simply as Chembur, is another odd creation by the house, a mix of incense and citrus, primarily, which instantly makes me think of two opposing seasons, with some ginger mixed it for good measure to cock it up.

It's not an unpleasant scent but it's unclear how or why one would wear this. It's roughly the same concept as the Acqua di Parma Colonia Leather, Oud, and Amber trio (with more entries since), where the very summery Colonia is mixed with heavier, wintery elements, though ADP's execution is excellent, and Byredo's just seem like a bit of a mishap.

For me, Encens Chembur lingers somewhere between mediocre and good, but not worth wearing a second time, still.

6 out of 10

Inoffensive and nice fragrance, but I can't shake the association that the scent kind of reminds me of Coca Cola (if that makes sense).

Still, worth a try as it's a unique novelty, but not one I would be adding to my collection.