Goloka Sandalwood (Organica / Natural Series)

 

The Organica / Natural series has been around since at least 2018 with six Indian focused fragrances (Davanam, Astagandha, Frangipani, Kastoori, Sandalwood, and Sri Tulasi), though appears to have been joined at some point with four additional scents with a Native American focus (Palo Santo, White Sage, Lavender & White Sage, and Sandalwood & White Sage). They are distributed in the US by Om Imports, and in the UK by Puckator. Sold in the UK at around £1.50 per 15gm pack, and in the US at $2.00 per pack. The Organica name appears to have been replaced at some point with Natural, so while retail outlets still refer to them as Organica, it appears that Goloka want them to be known as Natural. I have noted other Indian incense companies moving away from using the term "organic" for incense exported  to the West - this may be due to legal pressure to have companies pay for certification in order to label products as organic. 

I like sandalwood incense. Well, I like oil based sandalwood incense - less keen on the wood based sandalwood incense which is favoured in Asian countries. I'm cool with man made sandalwood oil, as it is the scent that I'm most interested in, and it is difficult for most people to detect when a synthetic has been used. The price may give it away. As well as the scent being  rounded, and perhaps quite heady as the lower cost allows for generosity in use. Indeed, I suspect most Indian sandalwood incense utilises synthetic sandalwood oil. It works. It's low cost. It doesn't harm the planet. Trees should be for hugging not for chopping down for our pleasure. 

The scent on the stick has sandalwood, a little soapy (possibly due to an aldehyde in the fragrance mix, placed there to make the sandalwood warmer and richer), as well as a glorious meld of herby, dusty, curiously natural feeling scents. This reminds me of the Astagandha and the Sri Tulasi in terms of herbs and the yinyang balance of synthetics and natural. I'm not suggesting that there is a balance of natural and synthetic fragrance ingredients here, just that is how the accord presents itself to me. It's a compelling and satisfying accord that keeps on giving. 

The scent on the burn is centred on sandalwood, though it's a little dry and peppery prickly for my taste - a little too woody, and not enough of the sexy oil.  It's an attractive fragrance, just that it doesn't rock my boat the way that some sandalwood can and does. Just a tad too dry and serious for my pleasure (your pleasure may vary). 

Date: June 2025    Score: 30

***

Goloka

Sandalwood

Reviewed in Germany

Goloka Astagandha (Organica / Natural Series)

 

The Organica series has been around since at least 2018 with six Indian focused fragrances (Davanam, Astagandha, Frangipani, Kastoori, Sandalwood, and Sri Tulasi), though appears to have been joined at some point with four additional scents with a Native American focus (Palo Santo, White Sage, Lavender & White Sage, and Sandalwood & White Sage). They are distributed in the US by Om Imports, and in the UK by Puckator. Sold in the UK at around £1.50 per 15gm pack, and in the US at $2.00 per pack. The Organica name appears to have been replaced at some point with Natural, presumably due to the costs involved in using the "organic" term in the West. 

Astagandha is a blend of eight fragrant ingredients which typically include saffron and sandalwood.  The paste on the stick is roughly rolled and uneven. There is a curious fragrance on the stick. A rough men's hair oil scent alongside more natural and intriguing and not necessarily commercially appealing aromas. Summer dust with hints of farmyard. Clay and flowers. Gosh - fascinating. This is not an accord that will likely have a wide appeal, but I find it compelling and rewarding. I like scents that are a little different, and perhaps a little challenging, but especially, as here, also somewhat attractive and desirable. I do find, personally - your mileage may vary, that scents which combine the harmonious with the challenging are the most interesting and satisfying.  Fragrance accords that combine the principle of yin and yang (contrasting elements that together form a positive energy in which the whole is greater than the parts) are much more delightful than scents which are weighted too much on the sweet or the savoury - such scents tend to pall after a while and become boring or satiating. While a yin and yang scent will continue to fascinate. 

The scent on the burn is floral, earthy, mildly bitter, dry, herby (in the sense of dry herbs rather than fresh), with suggestions of saffron. It's a compelling and fascinating scent, though doesn't quite carry the promise of the stick, and is a little hazy or muddled. I walked around the house smudging each of the rooms, and found it opened up more in the larger rooms which had more fresh air coming from larger open windows. This is a fascinating and delightful incense which I love, though that love is tempered by the sense of disappointment that the burn fell short of the promise of the scent on the stick.  This could have scored so much higher. 

Date: June 2025    Score: 40

***

Goloka

Reviewed in Germany

Goloka Frangipani (Organica / Natural Series)

 

The Organica series launched in the West with five Indian focused fragrances (Davanam, Astagandha, Frangipani, Kastoori, and Sri Tulasi), then was updated with four additional scents with a Native American focus (Palo Santo, White Sage, Lavender & White Sage, and Sandalwood & White Sage). They are distributed in the US by Om Imports, and in the UK by Puckator. Sold at around £1.50 per 15gm pack.

Frangipani (also known as Plumeria) is a waxy, fragrant flower, akin to jasmine and gardenia, with fruity notes. It is generally the scent used if an incense is called Champa. Because of the Champa name, it gets conflated with Nag Champa, though Nag Champa generally uses Magnolia champaca - however, this is a general usage, and Nag Champas may use frangipani and/or other related floral scents according to the whim of the maker. 

The scent on the stick is perfumed, heady, floral, with a woody base. It is slightly sweeter - touches of vanillin, than the Davanam, though is in the same general area of a Bangalore made Nah Champa. The scent on the burn is warm and familiar. In general if you like Nag Champa then you're likely to enjoy this. I like it. A solid, well made classic Indian blend of sandalwood and floral. Where I'm not excited is that I've come upon this fragrance blend so often now under different names and brands and minor variations, that it can feel a little too bland  and safe and almost boring. However, to be fair, it is a classic fragrance, and it is well made here. It doesn't excite me, and it doesn't soar high, but it is delightful. 

Available at £1.45 for 15gm from Powells Aromatherapy, or  $2.00 for 15gm from Exotic Incense.

Date: June 2025    Score: 37

***

Goloka

Best of Champa

Reviewed in Germany

Goloka Davanam (Organica / Natural Series)

 

This Organica series has been around since at least 2018 with six Indian focused fragrances (Davanam, Astagandha, Frangipani, Kastoori, Sandalwood, and Sri Tulasi), though appears to have been joined at some point with four additional scents with a Native American focus (Palo Santo, White Sage, Lavender & White Sage, and Sandalwood & White Sage). They are distributed in the US by Om Imports, and in the UK by Puckator. Sold in the UK at around £1.50 per 15gm pack, and in the US at $2.00 per pack. The Organica name appears to have been replaced at some point with Natural, so while outlets still refer to them as Organica, it appears that Goloka want them to be known as Natural. I have noted other Indian incense companies moving away from using the term "organic" for incense exported  to the West - this may be due to legal pressure to have companies pay for certification in order to label products as organic. Most products in India would be naturally organic, but the farmers couldn't afford to pay for certification. 

These are classic Bangalore sticks - hand-rolled perfumed masala with a heady fragrance on the stick. The fragrance is traditional (or nostalgic, depending on your age) - warm, woody, perfumed, slightly sweet, mildly exotic, gently floral. It's an attractive scent - quite compelling. The classic Indian balance of sandalwood and floral. It's a variation on the popular and successful theme of Nag Champa. 

The scent on the burn is attractive, following the same Nag Champa theme of sandalwood and floral, though also touched with some sweet citric. It perhaps burns a tad hot for comfort, but it does diffuse gently and pleasantly around the room. The floral element is a little playful, and morphs through various colours and tones of rose and begonia and gardenia into jasmine. Just a tad too floral for my taste, but the soft playfulness is enjoyable, and I like the heady but not aggressive blossom. 

Date: June 2025    Score: 35

***

Goloka

Sai Handicrafts Lavender

 

Pretty appearance and pretty fragrance on the stick. A blend of floral, herb, lavender, and vanillin, with some wet leather and straw. Attractive and inviting, though the sweetness is a mite too sugary and obvious, which is a slight distraction. 

The fragrance on the burn echoes that on the stick, though somewhat sweeter and more perfumed. Because of the vanillin it reminds me of HMS in Pune, though DBS, also of Pune, use vanillin as well, and incense from Vrindavan sometimes uses vanillin. Indeed, I thought for a while that incense sold in Vrindavan by shops such as Vrindavan Bazaar, Hare Krishna Das, and Rasbihari Lal & Sons, were made by HMS - though logically it would make more sense for those shops to sell incense made locally, rather than bring in incense by lorry from a maker over 24 hours drive away. Also, the Lavender incense made by HMS, such as Ab Lavender sold by Sacred Boutiques,  Lavender sold by Blue Pearl, and Lavender Bliss sold by Bhagwan, look and smell different.  

I quite like this (indeed, I was going to send two samples to Vid of Ratnagandh, but I'm now only going to send them one as I'm burning this quite a bit). The sticks are somewhat variable, with some being darker and muskier than others (I like the darker and muskier ones more), and the sweetness becomes less obvious on subsequent burnings. On the whole, an attractive, albeit slightly modest, incense. Not bold on the named scent, though in the same ball park. Yeah, these are OK.  Available from Sai Handicrafts at approx 15g for £2.00. 

Date: June 2025    Score: 30

***

Sai Handicrafts

Best of Lavender

Sai Handicrafts Rose

 

These sticks look pretty, and they have a pleasant powdery sweet floral scent on the stick, leaning toward Turkish delight, though with some fresh, rain splashed rhododendrons in there. Gentle, mildly intriguing, though a tad too perfumed for my taste. I've enjoyed some rose incenses, though on the whole it's not a scent I like to cuddle up to. 

It's a smidge smoky on the burn, as well as being somewhat vague, so the mind tends to focus on the blurry smell of grey smoke. Aside from the smoke there's a slight acidic sharpness, and a sense of floral, more jasmine than rose. On the whole, while mildly pleasant, this is not my huckleberry. 

Best burned while listening to "Moon River" sung by Audrey Hepburn. Available from Sai Handicrafts at approx 15g for £2.00. 

Date: June 2025    Score: 28

***

Sai Handicrafts

Best rose incense

Stamford Patchouli

 

Sample stick of perfumed-charcoal incense from Stamford London who have carried on the Stamford name and incense from the now closed Aargee.  I did review this Patchouli back in 2015 as part of the Stamford Exotic Collection, and wasn't impressed: "There is a hint of patchouli on the stick - also sandalwood, lemon, and polish. There is a mild and modest perfume on burning, with hints of rose petal, strawberry jam, and lawn grass. It's OK, but doesn't really make an impression." 

I largely agree with that review. I like patchouli and am usually inclined to like even the simplest or crudest patchouli incense, but this one isn't impressive.  

Date: June 2025   Score: 20

***

Patchouli

Stamford London

Prasad Incense

  

Prasad Incense is the brand name of incense sold by American gifts and incense shop Prasad Gifts. The incense is made by HMS (Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi of Pune), a much used and fairly distinctive white label incense house who make incense for a number of own brand outlets in India and the West, such as Gokula,  Berk, and Pure, as well as selling incense under their own name (though not easily available in the West). 

Reviews

(HMS) Prasad Celestial Patchouli (PM)
Apr 2025 - Score: 35

   

(HMS) Prasad Celestial Golden Champa (PM)
May 2025 - Score: 30 

  

(HMS) Prasad Celestial Midnight Rose (PM)
May 2025 - Score: 30

  

(HMS) Prasad Celestial Frankincense (PM)

May 2025 - Score: 28

 

(HMS) Prasad Celestial Sandalwood (PM)
Apr 2025 - Score: 28 

   

(HMS) Prasad Celestial Amber (PM)
Apr 2025 - Score: 26 

  

(HMS) Prasad Celestial Musk (PM)
Apr 2025 - Score: 26

   

Reviews: 7
Top Score: 35
Bottom score: 26
Average: 29

Conclusion: These are pleasant enough everyday incenses. Though, as they are made by HMS whose sticks are sold by so many own brand traders, I have little interest in exploring further. I would much rather get HMS incense in HMS branded boxes so I know exactly what it is I am getting. 

***

Own Brand Traders

Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi

Seraphim Astral Vision

   

The ingredients of Astral Vision have been selected by hand  by incense maker Benyamin Shoham of Seraphim Incense in Israel for their meditation properties; and the ingredients chosen do have historic ritual uses as well as uses in modern medicine - such as Compass Lettuce which produces Lactucarium, an opium-like substance which has sedative and euphoric qualities, Rue which protects against the evil eye and is also a mild sedative, and Blue Lotus which aids sleep as well as euphoria.  

There's a curious and pleasant mild curry scent on the stick. Some herb, some root, some mild spice, and a hint of sweet mint. I like it, though more as a curiosity than a delight. I find the scent on the burn a little rough and dry - not really my thing. Closer in style with Pondicherry and Himalayan incense than the fragrant incenses that really move me. I quite liked the first Seraphim incense I reviewed, Embracing Love, though in retrospect I think I was a tad generous in my scoring. I'll be interested to see how I react to the same incense when I return to it later in the year. 

On the whole I think that Seraphim incense is not my thing. As I said earlier in response to a comment on Single Spirit Cedar: "My heart goes out to makers like Benyamin who are focused on the spiritual aspect of incense. However, in my journey of exploration though incense I have found that my personal inclination is toward the fragrance rather than the symbolism or even the health benefits of certain ingredients.... I'm cool with incense that has an awareness of spirituality and ritual, because many of us are drawn to incense as a way of fragrancing our homes because of the spiritual and ritual aspects of incense. I think it makes us feel closer to nature, to our past, to rituals, and to the spiritual, in whatever manner we feel that. But I guess I don't want the spiritual and ritual to be the be all and end all of the incense, especially at the cost of creating an attractive fragrance. I feel that an understanding of both the spiritual and ritual, and the olfactory pleasure of incense, should go hand in hand. And the best incenses handle that balance well." 

All that being said, for those for whom the ritual, spiritual, and natural aspects of the burning of herbs and resins is important, Seraphim incense is likely to hold a strong and vibrant attraction; and, at a high price point though these sticks are, there will be people willing to pay the premium for hand made sticks from Israel. Available at  $17.00 for 10 sticks from Seraphim. 

Date: June 2025    Score: 28

***

Seraphim Incense

Seraphim Incense

 

Seraphim, Handmade Natural Incense from the Holy Land

Sourced and hand-crafted in Israel by Benyamin Shoham of Seraphim Incense who, in relation to the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians and other Muslims, told me: "I condemn all acts of aggression against any human, animal or plant. I am a man of peace, and I promote peace on earth mainly by providing medicine from mother earth to the hearts of all people."

I love that this incense is made in the Holy Land because some of our earliest and most evocative and lasting writings about incense come from this area. Benyamin writes: "Each incense stick I craft is more than just a blend of herbs—it is a story, a prayer, a piece of the land itself."

He describes how he makes the incense: "I gather my ingredients from the forests, hills, and deserts of Israel, selecting each herb with care and respect. Only plants that have reached their full potency are chosen. The herbs are dried, crushed, and blended by hand, following ancient knowledge of scent and energy. No chemicals, no artificial scents—only the raw, untamed power of nature. Every batch is rolled with focused intention, honouring the sacred purpose of incense. Whether for healing, meditation, or ritual, each stick is a tool for transformation." 

My heart goes out to this, though my head and my experience knows that most of it is New Age smoke and mirrors. I love that each stick is "rolled with focused intention", but I know that such intention is not going to be realistically picked up in an olfactory way. What matters most is the construction of the fragrance profile, and protecting the scent ingredients so they are not consumed too quickly in the burn.  However, I find myself more engaged and willing when I encounter incense made by hand with love and care than when the incense is made by machine from synthetic ingredients. I know that the love and care and the natural, hand-picked ingredients do not necessarily transfer to a more profound and precise olfactory experience, but it is what excites, warms, and interests me more. I'm an old hippy so such things do move me....

Reviews

Seraphim Embracing Love (M)

May 2025 - Score: 34

  

Seraphim Astral Vision (M)
Jun 2025 - Score: 28

   

Seraphim Single Spirit Pine (M)
June 2025 - Score: 27

Seraphim Single Spirit Cedar (M)
Jun 2025 - Score: 25

Reviews: 4

Top score: 34

Bottom score: 25 

Average: 28

Conclusion: On the whole I think that Seraphim incense is not my thing - the incense is too close to Pondicherry and Himalayan incense than the fragrant incenses that really move me.. As I said earlier in response to a comment on Single Spirit Cedar: "My heart goes out to makers like Benyamin who are focused on the spiritual aspect of incense. However, in my journey of exploration though incense I have found that my personal inclination is toward the fragrance rather than the symbolism or even the health benefits of certain ingredients.... I'm cool with incense that has an awareness of spirituality and ritual, because many of us are drawn to incense as a way of fragrancing our homes because of the spiritual and ritual aspects of incense. I think it makes us feel closer to nature, to our past, to rituals, and to the spiritual, in whatever manner we feel that. But I guess I don't want the spiritual and ritual to be the be all and end all of the incense, especially at the cost of creating an attractive fragrance. I feel that an understanding of both the spiritual and ritual, and the olfactory pleasure of incense, should go hand in hand. And the best incenses handle that balance well." 

***

Incense by Country

The Best Incense Makers

Seraphim Single Spirit Pine

 

Third of the four incenses sent to me by Benyamin Shoham of Seraphim Incense in Israel. The first, Embracing Love, I liked; the second, Single Spirit Cedar, which is in the same series as this Pine, I did not. 

I like woody incense - but it's the oils I like. I'm not so keen on solid woods. Indeed, one of the things I think I dislike about Asian incense is that they tend to use wood powder as the combustible. My understanding from what Benyamin says, is that he uses solid ingredients, dried and ground down. This, for me, from prior experience, tends to give the incense a dry, crackling feel, which is not to my personal taste. Some oils, and some modern fragrance ingredients might make Seraphim's incense more commercially appealing; but from what Benyamin says, it is the ancient traditions, and the use of natural, local ingredients which fires him. I wish there were an acceptable way of using traditional, natural ingredients in a modern and vibrant manner. I love what some new incense makers, such as Pure Yemen in Yemen, and Jeomra in Germany, are doing with traditional, natural ingredients - so there is a way perhaps. 

As with the Cedar, I'm puzzled that the scent on the stick is somewhat modern, perfumed, light and sweet, almost floral. I was expecting something drier, more rustic, more spicy, and certainly more woody. 

On lighting there is a strong flame which doesn't want to be blown out - the stick burns fiercely for a while as though some resin has caught fire. As the stick settles, and the fragrance drifts across, I find that this stick is more aligned with what I expect of a spicy wood incense, especially one made by hand from local ingredients dried and ground down. It is a little dry and crispy, perhaps a tad harsh; quite fragrant though, and I'm liking this one more than the Cedar. The first stick burned a little awkwardly - there was that flare up at the start, and then it went out a few times. This happens with incense sometimes, though this happened with the second and third stick as well, and I didn't have the enthusiasm to try a fourth. I'll do that sometime down the line. 

The scent on the burn is pleasant. Warm, slightly resinous, spicy, woody, and reminiscent of pine. I'm not a huge fan of mono-scents - I like balance and contrast, and a story. This is a fairly simple incense. It's pleasant, but it is also problematic with the sticks going out, and I can't say I've enjoyed the experience that much. The gentle burning pine smell not being sufficient to compensate.  $17.00 for 10 sticks from Seraphim. 

Date: June 2025    Score: 27

***

Seraphim Incense

Seraphim Single Spirit Cedar

 

Sourced and hand-crafted in Israel by Benyamin Shoham of Seraphim Incense who, in relation to the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians and other Muslims, told me: "I condemn all acts of aggression against any human, animal or plant. I am a man of peace, and I promote peace on earth mainly by providing medicine from mother earth to the hearts of all people."

I love that this incense is made in the Holy Land because some of our earliest and most evocative and lasting writings about incense come from this area. Benyamin writes: "Each incense stick I craft is more than just a blend of herbs—it is a story, a prayer, a piece of the land itself."

He describes how he makes the incense: "I gather my ingredients from the forests, hills, and deserts of Israel, selecting each herb with care and respect. Only plants that have reached their full potency are chosen. The herbs are dried, crushed, and blended by hand, following ancient knowledge of scent and energy. No chemicals, no artificial scents—only the raw, untamed power of nature. Every batch is rolled with focused intention, honouring the sacred purpose of incense. Whether for healing, meditation, or ritual, each stick is a tool for transformation." 

My heart goes out to this, though my head and my experience knows that most of it is New Age smoke and mirrors. I love that each stick is "rolled with focused intention", but I know that such intention is not going to be realistically picked up in an olfactory way. What matters most is the construction of the fragrance profile, and protecting the scent ingredients so they are not consumed too quickly in the burn.  However, I find myself more engaged and willing when I encounter incense made by hand with love and care than when the incense is made by machine from synthetic ingredients. I know that the love and care and the natural, hand-picked ingredients do not necessarily transfer to a more profound and precise olfactory experience, but it is what excites, warms, and interests me more. I'm an old hippy so such things do move me....

The brown, gritty hand-rolled paste on the stick is hard and dry with a gentle sweet floral scent which presents as being perfume or crystal based (due to the energy, strength, and volatility). I'm curious, as this is named as a cedar incense, that there is no cedar or even wood quality on the stick. However, it is an attractive, gentle, and inviting scent. 

The scent on the burn is herbal, plant-based, somewhat fruit-inclined (perhaps raspberry). There's a sort of damp, outdoors feel - wet, almost rotting (but not quite) vegetation. The scent of the wet, slimy leaves of bulrushes. Vegetation is key here. There's tomatoes, or - more precisely - tomato sauce or ketchup. A pleasant sweetness. A sense of decay. Chrissie said she could smell death. Not foliage death, but people death. I wouldn't go that far, but I understand what she's saying.  

After the incense has burned, and the scent has diffused, there is a more balanced and attractive and, yes, woody, fragrance in the air. This is perhaps more of an incense to burn in an empty room as a smudge, perhaps, than one to burn live when you are present. As a smudge it is a little light and gentle, and I don't find the room cleansed, or the atmosphere charged, but the residual smell is more than acceptable. 

This is a curious incense.  Interesting, but I'm not sure how much I like it. Smouldering damp plants is mostly what I get, though on subsequent burns there is an element of dry resin and wood - tree bark perhaps. 

Date: June 2025    Score: 25

***

A cedarwood sampling