When I started this blog in 2013 Stamford (called Aargee back then) was the main UK incense importer, bringing in brands such as Satya and Goloka, and had their own-brand range of decent quality masala incense under the Aargee name, as well as attractive perfumed incense under the Stamford name. When the company split around 2020, the incense importing business continued as Stamford London, and most of the adventurous Aargee branded masala was discontinued, with Stamford London concentrating on the more popular perfumed incense. However, some masala incense is still sold, such as this Loban. The UK incense market is now quite busy with a wide variety of importers, and where at one time Aargee/Stamford dominated in the own brand market, with only a handful of small time operators like Happy Hari offering a viable alternative, now there are several, such as Gokula, Sai Handicrafts, Oneironaut, Milo's Temple, Sacred Boutique, Temple of Incense, Pure, Zam Zam, True Vrindavan, etc. But it is nice to see, even in a busy marketplace, that Stamford can still deliver attractive masala incense.
There has been some discussion on this blog as I feel, based on a long standing relationship between Aargee/Stamford and Satya, where Stamford developed unique scents with Satya and sold them under a shared Satya & Stamford brand name, and on this range of Stamford masala incense being in boxes that closely echo Satya's boxes, that the incense is made by Satya (Mumbai). However, previous collaborations have indicated on the boxes that the incense was made by Satya, whereas these do not. Nothing is certain, but indicators do point in the direction of Satya.
While loban-sambrani is generally understood in India to be a low cost resin blend of benzoin and other gums and resins which Thomas Kinsella calls "Calcutta block benzoin", in the West it is largely regarded as an exotic term for pure benzoin resin. And I assume the intention here is to create a sweet and beguiling benzoin scent which will have some vanilla qualities among the earthy, herbal sandalwood notes typical of a Bangalore masala incense. And that it won't be that much different from Satya Benzoin. The cold throw scent on the stick is typical Bangalore masala - it has the earthy, herby sandalwood. There's a mildly cool aldehyde note. And perhaps some vanilla, but that could be suggestive.
The scent on the burn is not impressive. A little smoky and vague. Not a lot to say really. Rather disappointing.
There has been some discussion on this blog as I feel, based on a long standing relationship between Aargee/Stamford and Satya, where Stamford developed unique scents with Satya and sold them under a shared Satya & Stamford brand name, and on this range of Stamford masala incense being in boxes that closely echo Satya's boxes, that the incense is made by Satya (Mumbai). However, previous collaborations have indicated on the boxes that the incense was made by Satya, whereas these do not. Nothing is certain, but indicators do point in the direction of Satya.
While loban-sambrani is generally understood in India to be a low cost resin blend of benzoin and other gums and resins which Thomas Kinsella calls "Calcutta block benzoin", in the West it is largely regarded as an exotic term for pure benzoin resin. And I assume the intention here is to create a sweet and beguiling benzoin scent which will have some vanilla qualities among the earthy, herbal sandalwood notes typical of a Bangalore masala incense. And that it won't be that much different from Satya Benzoin. The cold throw scent on the stick is typical Bangalore masala - it has the earthy, herby sandalwood. There's a mildly cool aldehyde note. And perhaps some vanilla, but that could be suggestive.
The scent on the burn is not impressive. A little smoky and vague. Not a lot to say really. Rather disappointing.
