Anyone else hold a special place in your heart for incense? Anyone’s parents (or any of you elder statesmen) use Gonesh Cones in the 70’s & 80’s? What was your go-to incense brand/scent? What sounds were you hearing back then?

Posted by bring-me-cake@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 34 comments

Ahhh. The sweet smell of Ozium and Gonesh cones blended with my parents’ poor attempt at covering the fog of happy buzzed Saturday nights. Occupied getting mellow with their friends in the den, playing the best albums (which I’ve since inherited) on stereo equipment, I wasn’t allowed to touch (which I’ve now collected for myself) — it’s a proper good time trying to piece together sounds and smells of a 1979-85 (+/-) weekend.

If you’ve got sounds or albums — please share. I’d love to know. If you’ve got smells we can try and recreate, hit me with those specifics. If that memory is too much and too hard, much love to you — there are many in that space too my friends.

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RolandOfGilead@reddit

One of my exes was really into nag champa, so that scent always brings back some memories. My personal preference is frankincense. It smells like 1980s Catholic church, and despite my non-religiousness, I still love the smell.

porkchopespresso@reddit

I still light Nag Champa before we have people over so they know if they want to burn one in the garage that’s not going to be a problem

UncleDrummers@reddit

Still have a few boxes. I just like the scent.

Icy-Tough-1791@reddit

Yesssssss. Nag Champa is always on hand in our house.

CyndiIsOnReddit@reddit

Sandalwood. We still get the incense sticks because I don't really see the cones anymore. I remember growing up my mom had an elephant with a little basket you put the one in and covered it so the smoke was diffused around the elephant and my friend had one where you put a dragon statue over the tray and the smoke came out it's nostrils.

sugarcookiepoptarts@reddit

Hem incense -Coconut

MyriVerse2@reddit

I've used more incense than my parents.

HPIndifferenceCraft@reddit

I’ve had much love for sandalwood since the moment I first stepped foot in Loose Lucy‘s in Charleston back in 1996. My apartment smelled just like that for the next three years.

Initial_Run1632@reddit

I get such a migraine from sandalwood. But I love it so much sometimes I do it anyway.

Olivia_Bitsui@reddit

I was a huge incense burner! Thanks for the memories.

buckeyegurl1313@reddit

I love it & have been burning it most of my adult life. This is my favourite brand.

It smells good. Makes me happy.

I shall be a candle & incense burner for life.

Melodic-You1896@reddit

Still burn it pretty frequently. Nag, then some in house stuff from a local shop that reminds me of a yoga retreat I went on. Very calming.

2Dogs3Tents@reddit

Nag Champa is always in my heart.

ashbyatx@reddit

I burn Nagchampa daily…..

jessek@reddit

i still burn it when I feel like improving the mood, i started during the pandemic because it helped me stop worrying about covid if I could still smell it

bored-panda55@reddit

I use infusers or vaporizers now due to the smoke causing me issues. Still love sandelwood.

FlowerGi1015@reddit

My college roommate introduced me to incense. Our go-to scent was Ocean.

DorianGre@reddit

Gonesh #6, perfumes of ancient times

XerTrekker@reddit

I’m not a fan of incense but my stoner parents used it a bit. I have a low tolerance for smoke of any kind these days, usually makes me cough. Sorry not much help there! I like scented candles, especially pine or orange.

The Moody Blues and Pink Floyd, especially Dark Side of the Moon. I don’t have good memories of my parents, but I still love their music.

Avasia1717@reddit

when i got into my retro hippie phase i raided my dad's closet and got his leather jacket and a couple of shirts, then got ahold of his sandalwood. i got a lava lamp too, and hung up christmas lights, and it was awesome when my friend came over to jam on guitars. we were such dorks.

but i've loved sandalwood ever since then, and added nag champa not long after i moved out.

a few years ago my dad's cousin send me a box of old famliy photos with some other junk mixed in, like he just dumped a draw into the box he sent me or something. in the box were some eucalyptus gonesh cones. i burned those and they were okay, but nothing like my sandalwood and nag champa sticks.

Digflipz@reddit

Was a cone of musk, a lava lamp, and pink floyd. Weekend after weekend, a different album played on repeat, and someone would flip the album. I'd wake up when the music stopped. Wasn't allowed in that room, but the house could hear everything

Jebgogh@reddit

Can’t stand the smell of it. To sickly sweet. Just reminds me of all the hippie chicks I was trying to get with and was only moderately successful with

scamlikely33@reddit

My teenage daughter was burning incense in our basement for the first time without me knowing. When I went down to get something I was immediately transported back to the late 80s hanging in my older sister’s bedroom. It was a rare occurrence when she’d allow me in. I remember lying on her floor and looking up at the posters of Depeche Mode, Kate Bush, Prince and others she had pinned on the ceiling. The incense would be so strong but I would tolerate it until she kicked me out. 😝

F-Cloud@reddit

In the '70s, when I was a kid, I only knew of jasmine incense. It was the only scent a particular aunt of mine purchased. When I was in my late teens I began using Gonesh #6 and #8. Four decades later I still use those, (they are nostalgia-inducing) plus Gonesh Sandalwood and Sathya Sai Baba Nag Champa.

DaisyDuckens@reddit

I use incense sticks in the 80s but my parents did not. I don’t use them anymore but I do like the incense at church.

cantseemeimblackice@reddit

What is that incense they use? Swinging the censer around.

Sufficient-Lab-5769@reddit

Oooh I love that smell.

Frankincense and myrrh

Wytch78@reddit

Awww thank you so much for this post.

If you make your way to the YouTube, check out a channel called ThePoodleBites. Lots of 60s-70s underground gems.

I grew up listening to James Taylor and Leon Russell. My parents saw all the cool shows. And even remembered most of them!

I actually don’t think incense is as good a quality as it used to be.