MDH R-pure Mogra

MDH are Mahashian Di Hatti Limited, a food and spice company founded in New Delhi in 1919. According to their website, initially the spices were hand ground, but the company quickly moved into automation. This is also true for their incense sticks, as these Mogra sticks are machine-dipped, rather than hand-rolled, though I note that a number of web-sites are selling the incense as hand-rolled. A look at the sticks will show the even and glossy appearance of machine-dipping, as well as the streaking on the bamboo stick. There are no signs of the paste being twisted or rolled. The sticks are undyed, and the colour of the incense is black. The finish is powdery, and it will stain the fingers black, so take care when holding. The aroma is mainly of the base sandalwood paste, so it is difficult to tell how natural the perfumes are. I suspect the use of chemicals, but I don't know. While there is nothing fresh and natural about the perfume, there is also nothing false or chemical or harsh. The brand name "R-pure" is used by MDH for a variety of products, not just incense sticks. It is possible that MDH bought up a company called R-pure, and took over their spice and incense range.

Mogra is Arabian jasmine, which is the main jasmine flower of India. Jasmine is native to India, and has been used for hundreds of years as personal ornamentation, for flavouring tea or food, and as a fragrance. It is one of the oldest fragrance flowers cultivated by mankind. It has associations as an aphrodisiac, and is also regarded as an anti-depressant and sedative, and as an antiseptic or cleansing property.

This hex box of 20 sticks cost 45p from the online shop Asian Cookshop - a good value website. The sticks are thin, though burn at a moderate and even pace, producing a thin and modest smoke which can be a little bit sharp and hot. The aroma is warm, faint sandalwood, with wood smoke, some damp leaves, and the occasional flowery, sweet note that could point toward jasmine. It's a mild, inoffensive aroma. While there are no high points, there are equally no low points. This is a basic, cheap, workable incense. It has little to commend it other than cheapness and inoffensiveness. For the same price and from the same shop, you can buy Aargee Jasmine, a much more pleasant incense.

Date: April 2013   Score: 20

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Best jasmine incense