Stamford Midnight Calm (by Satya)

Second review - scroll down for earlier

Beautiful fragrance on the stick. Base notes are deliciously sweet, but that is balanced with layers of mineral and seaside scents, some benzoin resin,  bergamot, and other warm, woody-citric aromas. Very promising. It burns a little dry and dusty, with more awareness of the base materials than of the more refined perfume notes. This is not fresh, so is not at its best.

Date: July 2015   Score: 30   

First review

Highly perfumed hand rolled incense sticks from the UK company Aargee under their Stamford brand, which they introduced in 1994. Satya Sai Baba is stamped on the box, a brand name used by the Indian incense company Shrinivas Sugandhalaya of Bangalore (Satya), and these sticks are of the quality and character of that company, so they are likely to be the manufacturers, especially as in 2011, Aargee developed 12 new fragrances with Shrinivas Sugandhalaya to be sold exclusively through the Stamford brand. The two companies have listed 24 fragrances they make together.

The sticks are powdery, pale brown, with the twist lines indicating hand rolling. The bamboo sticks are dyed pink. They burn easily, producing a decent amount of soft smoke. The aroma is initially sweet, with high floral notes, underscored by sweet, warm sandalwood, with vanilla and honey in the main body. Though heady, it is a delicate and elegant perfume, carefully designed, and clearly made with pure, natural ingredients. There are no off notes. The result is gently sensual, with a sense of sophistication and elegance.  The aroma pleasantly fragrances the room, lingering satisfactorily for a long period. A very fine incense. 

I purchased these from my local shop for £1.50, and that appears to be the standard online price. I think any incense made by Shrinivas Sugandhalaya is going to be high quality, and with a sweet, heady, refined perfume. While some very good incenses can be picked up cheaper, these do represent good value for money for the quality of the ingredients and the perfume.

Date: March 2013   Score: 34   

***

Other ratings of incense by Aargee

Satya (Shrinivas Sugandhalaya of Bangalore)