Spiritual Sky

Spiritual Sky incense was the main brand in the 1970s. It was hand made by the Krishna temple in California, and distributed and sold through local Krishna temples. It was a quality product, but wasn't expensive. According to this site, there were financial problems, and the brand changed hands a few times. It is currently owned in the USA by Willert Home Products, a chemical fragrance company, and they are the 14th owners. There is also a New Zealand based company which uses the name, as well as a West Bengal company. In France the brand is distributed by Laboratoires SIPA.

I have nine small, cheaply printed flat packets of Spiritual Sky incense. I can't remember where I bought them - probably a market stall in Gillingham. The UK distributor is EmporiumUK.biz [closed 2021], The sticks are barely 8 inch, and are on very thin strips of bamboo, with the amount of incense paste sometimes less than three quarters the length of the stick. The sticks are undyed and dirty with charcoal dust. All the incense paste is black and thinly applied. The sticks are hand rolled. Some of the packets are slightly different - they have almost identical design, but are better printed on better quality cardboard. They have the name of Karigar on the back - a West Bengal incense company, who have trade links with EmporiumUK.biz. All the designs are exactly the same, with the only difference between aromas being the name at the bottom of the packs.

I also have a packet of 10 inch sticks distributed by Laboratoires SIPA. The packet is about the same size as I remember from the 70s, though the printing is poor. The incense, however, is better quality than the 8 inch ones - using sandalwood and/or makko powder rather than charcoal, giving a tidy appearance,  leaving less mess on the hands, and providing a better base aroma to the combustible material than charcoal.

I found four more packets in my drawer. Funny enough, I wasn't that pleased, as I thought - aw, now I have to review them as well! There are two Karigar: Lavender and Strawberry, and two Emporium: Ylang Ylang and Sandalwood.

Karigar

Opium. Black charcoal base. Well rolled. Tidy, even, and decently fat. Aroma on the stick is quite floral with slightly citric top notes, hinting slightly of lemon pee (yes, pee, not peel or tea). Chemical notes appear when burned, and the aroma is a blend of camel dung, stale cigarette smoke, and cheap rose perfume - creating an odd Seventies Soho nightclub feel. It's not offensive or unpleasant, but it's not great. Indeed, it's a slightly embarrassing odour that you might not want to be caught with in your home. All in all, I don't find it objectionable, but it's not one to buy again.

Appearance:  4/10  
Scent: 4/10  
After: 4/10  
Plus: 8/20  
Total: 20/50

Opium incense scents

Rose: Pleasant tangerine aroma on the stick. Zesty fresh citric notes. Stick is a little cleaner and tidier than most of the others. Aroma when burning is again that tangerine note, but this time warmer, and a little more flowery, with a good suggestion of rose petals and fresh, sugar dusted Turkish delight - the real stuff.

Appearance:  4/10  
Scent: 5/10  
After: 4/10  
Plus: 9/20  
Total: 22/50

Cannabis: Black charcoal base on plain bamboo stick. A little messy with some paste flaking off. Aroma on the stick inclines toward pine and benzoin. The aroma when burning is warm and reasonably pleasant with soft soap notes and an underlying musk. It's a mild and modest aroma, but quite nice.

Appearance:  3/10  
Scent: 5/10  
After: 4/10  
Plus: 11/20  
Total: 23/50

Lavender: Dirty charcoal on a thin, floppy stick. Smells of pine block. On burning, has a pleasant musky sandalwood aroma. I could even be convinced there are notes of lavender present. It's an OK incense.

Score: 24

Strawberry:Some of the sticks are so thin, they are unable to support the incense. Again the base smell on the stick is pine block. On burning the aroma is synthetic rose, rotting vegetation, and ammonia. It's all quite mild, and not as ugly as it sounds, but I'm not sure where the strawberry aroma is! It's an OK incense - not offensive.

Score: 20

Emporium (closed 2021)

Patchouli: Pine, lilac - flowery on the stick. There is a certain familiarity about these sticks. They look the same, and the aromas on the stick cross over from one to another, so they have scents in common. And the aromas on burning tend to be similar as well. There's a soft warmth to this scent, but it also smells quite chemical and artificial, and is faintly reminiscent of loo cleaner. There's some woody sandalwood as well, so it's acceptable, but on the whole not wonderful.

Appearance:  4/10  
Scent: 4/10  
After: 4/10  
Plus: 7/20  
Total: 19/50

Lily: Soapy and flowery aroma on the stick. Warm, but modest and synthetic aroma when burned. 

Appearance:  4/10  
Scent: 3/10  
After: 3/10  
Plus: 7/20  
Total: 19/50

Nag Champa: Soapy, perfumed aroma on the stick - hovers around Rose rather than Nag Champa. It appears to be quite random what is named on the packet, as the contents don't quite match up. This is the least enjoyable of the Spiritual Sky incense I have tried so far. When burned the aroma is harsh and artificial and like stale Rose perfume. This is close to some HEM incense.

Appearance:  4/10  
Scent: 3/10  
After: 3/10  
Plus: 7/20  
Total: 18/50

Vanilla: A pleasant fresh aroma on the stick - quite floral and balsamic, with attractive perfumed top notes with the piquancy of fresh urine. Some of the incense paste has flaked off some of the sticks, so there are awkward bare patches. On burning the aroma is quite mild, stale, and artificial, and also rose like. I wondered if the wrong sticks had been placed in the packet - but I just opened a Rose packet, and the aroma there is different to this one. Overall not offensive, but there's little positive to say. 

Appearance:  3/10  
Scent: 4/10  
After: 4/10  
Plus: 7/20  
Total: 19/50

Frankincense: I have a plant in the front garden that I bought some years ago in Castle Howard - it has a delightful lemon scent which is very like the scent on the stick. It is slightly herbal, not quite lemon, but very like it, and this stick has a bit of camphor added to it. When lit there isn't much aroma - some vague smoke, a bit of musk, and musty mouldy lemon - the whole being a little hot. There's no sense of a frankincense aroma at all. No offensive, but nothing inviting. It doesn't seem to matter what it says on the packet - the aroma bears little or no relation to the nominated scent. The smoke is quite decent for a small, thin stick, producing attractive swirls as it burns evenly.

Appearance:  4/10  
Scent: 5/10  
After: 4/10  
Plus: 7/20  
Total: 20/50

Jasmine: Strawberry jam, and - yes - jasmine aroma on the stick. And a jasmine aroma when burned, underscored with some sandalwood and a certain amount of burning rubber - with a bit more sweet jam.

Appearance:  4/10  
Scent: 5/10  
After: 4/10  
Plus: 10/20  
Total: 21/50

Ylang Ylang: Great name. Ylang Ylang is a flower that produces a scent rather like jasmine. As usual the base stick is medicinal and pungent and reminiscent of a toilet block. The scent when burning is quite pleasant - it is quite floral, and - as suggested - it does have hints of banana. Like the Jasmine it is also quite sweet and jammy. It's not an unattractive smell. It's not wonderful either, but it's not bad for a cheap incense.

Score: 21

Sandalwood: There's an aroma on the base stick that is quite evocative. It takes me back to a precise time and place, but I don't know why. It's a complex smell, containing pine, rabbit hutches, rat urine, wood, and spring flowers. The aroma when burnt is very mild. The scent is close to sandalwood, and again has that warm, musky note of rabbits and rats. And there's also whiffs of fireworks and soap. This is not great stuff, but it's not offensive.

Score: 20

Laboratoires SIPA

Frankincense: This 10 inch Spiritual Sky is a decent incense, and of a higher quality than the 8 inch ones. The combustible base is sandalwood and/or makko powder, giving a better appearance, leaving no mess, and adding to the pleasant aroma. Sandalwood is present in the aroma when burned, along with notes of vanilla to accompany the frankincense. There is also an awareness of burning herbs, which suggests that the ingredients are natural. This is a decent and reasonably pleasant aroma, which - while not strong - does linger attractively. These 10 inch sticks are to be preferred over the 8 inch ones every time, and should be considered a different brand altogether.

Appearance:  5/10  
Scent: 6/10  
After: 6/10  
Plus: 11/20  
Total: 28/50


Conclusion

The sticks with the Karigar name on the back of the packet are slightly better than the sticks with the Emporium name. I would be more inclined to burn the Karigar than the Emporium, but really there's not a lot in it. On the whole,  the sticks are a little rough and ready, and the overall quality is not the same as the genuine Spiritual Sky from the 1970s, so there is a sense that the name is being exploited, and in a sense the reputation eroded; however, for cheap and readily available incense, they are not that bad - and the ingredients of the Karigar appear to be purer and more natural than a number of the other major brand names such as HEM. The aromas are sometimes pleasant and enjoyable, if not exciting or noteworthy. The scents - particularly with the Emporium, can be a little harsh and synthetic. So, not a brand to seek out, but if there isn't much choice, I may pick Spiritual Sky Karigar over a number of other brands - though would just leave it if they were Emporium.

Date: May 2013   Total score: 21/50

***

 Incense Ratings - Top of the Dhoops!

Emporium incense
(Own brand label
out of business)

Balarama Divine Spirit

Bought 13 different aroma packets of Divine Spirit incense cones including a free small brass incense burner from JustAromatherapy for £10.76, which I thought was a good deal at the time as each packet contains 20 cones, but the quality of the cones is very poor, and these are sold direct from the UK distributor Emporiumuk.biz [closed 2021] at £1.80 for 6 packets, so they turn out not to have been a good deal.

The cones come in large and colourful boxes with an image of Krishna playing a flute - similar to the image found on the legendary Spiritual Sky incense. The same design is used for each scent - the only difference being the name of the scent on the box. Though they have different names, each one I have tried so far is pretty much the same - they have a mild and pleasant aroma on the cones, reminiscent of the aroma name (the Lavender has a fragrance slightly like lavender, Cinnamon has a scent like cinnamon, etc), each cone dyed a colour appropriate to the name (the Lavender has a purple colour like lavender, the Cinnamon is the pale brown-orange colour of cinnamon, etc), though when burned they essentially all mainly smell of basic wood and herb pulp, with little or no sense of the named fragrance, though some individual differences in aroma can be detected when burned together, and some are more pleasant or effective than others, and none are actually offensive. While the aromas are not offensive, they are a little harsh and hot, and are not positively attractive or pleasant. The experience is simply that of burning woody and herbal material - there is no joy, no mood enhancement, just a basic woody/herbal burning aroma. Because there is little difference between the scents, there is no point in reviewing each one individually, so I will review them as a group, simply pointing out what differences there are.  I now have over 250 cones which are mainly only going to be used for covering up bad smells. These are not cones you would consider burning in any room other than the toilet or the kitchen (after - not before or during - cooking).

The cones are also available unboxed under the Aroma Zone brand. They are exactly the same, with the same stock codes. They are of the same quality and production method as Ancient Wisdom cones.  All packets come with disc burner - and what I discovered while burning several of these cones simultaneously (in order to pick up the subtle differences - and I didn't have space on my regular cone burners for all the cones, so I used the little discs supplied) is that the discs do not protect the surface below from scorching, so do not place directly on valued or vulnerable surfaces like wooden desks or tables, or mouse mats!

These cones would be made by creating a basic cone of combustible woody material, and then dipping in a dye to colour and a fragrance oil to perfume. The exact aroma of the cone within a fragrance box will vary from cone to cone while burning, perhaps depending on the amount of fragrance oil that was absorbed and has since evaporated. Notes below are more impressions than an exact guide. Apart from Jasmine and Opium, the cones are slightly taller than average. Despite their size, the cones burn fairly rapidly (between 15 and 20 minutes), so there is nothing to be gained from the extra size - indeed, the size means the top cannot be placed on a cone incense burner until the cone has already burned down a bit. Sometimes the cones don't burn well and produce little smoke or will simply go out.

Cannabis: Green. Scent of benzoin and  mint on the cone. Just the basic woody/herbal aroma when burned.

Cinnamon: Pale orange-brown. Hint of cinnamon, coconut and bees wax on the cone. Just the basic woody/herbal aroma when burned.

Dark Musk: Green. Hint of toilet-cleaner pine on the cone. Suggestion of mild camphor wood when burned.

Jasmine: Green. Small cones - only 15. Jammy fruit aroma on the cone - hint of tangerine and jelly mint. Most fragrant of the cones so far when burned, with a decent memory of the jammy fruit and tangerine, and a hint of a flowery aroma that could point toward jasmine. Best so far.

Lavender: Purple. Chemical notes on the cone - perhaps pine toilet cleaner, just slightly sweeter, with a suggestion of lavender scent. Fairly neutral aroma when burned.

Lily: Sand. Mint and furniture polish on the cone. Fairly mild aroma when burned  - quite warm, with sandalwood at the base, and some flowery top notes.

Opium: Earthenware. Small cones - only 15. Cherry and benzion on the cone. Pleasant musky tones when burned. Sweet vanilla top notes. As with the Jasmine - which are also small - these are the better quality. These were either made by a different supplier to the larger ones, or using a different method, or different ingredients. Though smaller and fewer, they are preferable. Unknown if purchasing again the same cones would be delivered. Interesting that these two also have a different style of burning disc to the others.

Patchouli: Earthenware. Benzoin and faint patchouli oil on the cone. Scorching bees wax polish or table top varnish when burning.

Rose: Dusky pink. Synthetic rose scent on cone. Not much of the perfume when burning.

Sea Breeze: Green. Benzoin and pine scent on cone. mainly neutral perfume when burned, though with a hint of pine.

Strawberry: Dusky pink. Bees wax and honey aroma on the cone.  Some bees wax when burned.

Vanilla: Dusty yellow brown like flower pollen. Furniture polish with vanilla top notes on the cone. Furniture polish underlaid with musk when burned.

White Musk: Pale browny sand. Medicinal and chemical and like industrial strength toiler cleaner smell on the cone - perhaps a suggestion of musk deep in background. Singed hair aroma when burned - not as unpleasant as it sounds - fairly neutral in fact, given that, as with the others, the predominant aroma is the woody/herbal combustible material.

[Added 2024]: These cones are made by Balarama of Thailand, who are quite possibly also the source for Kuumba incense.

Date: May 2013  Score: 18/50

***

Balarama

Emporium incense
(Own brand label
out of business)

Gokula Gaura Aguru

Gaura Aguru is a pale sandy colour paste on a pale yellow bamboo stick. The stick aroma is peppermint, department store perfume counter with hints of Chanel No 5, and wild musk. Very attractive and engaging. It burns with a full swirl of smoke with the most amazing range of colours I've seen - blue, yellow, brown, flashes and hints of red, moments of gold and silver.

Agura is the Sanskrit for Agarwood, the infected heartwood of a small range of now endangered trees. Also known as "oud", the perfume made from the heartwood is so beautiful, and now so rare, that the fragrant wood is the most expensive in the world - averaging 18,000 euros for one kilo. Good articles at Fragrantica: Agarwood (Oud), and Why is oud so popular?

The aroma when burning doesn't live up to the promise on the stick - this is fairly common. The surface aroma of a hand rolled stick will be the delicate perfumes which can be burned off too quickly to catch, while the woody base paste which keeps the stick burning, and which forms not just the combustible material but also the base aroma notes, can overwhelm. Some incense can be elusive when burned, and may best be experienced from a little distance, rather than from too near the smoke, which may carry too much of the combustible aroma. This incense is like that - and when it wafts over it carries the scent of coconuts on the breeze, and a hint of minerals and a tropical beach. The perfume counter is also present, with its suggestion of No 5. This is a fairly exotic and sensual aroma. Musk at the base, coconut swirling through the middle, and that No 5 as part of the top notes. There's also some licorice in the mix, fading in and out now and again. This is a flirty and delicious incense, great for preparing a room for a sensual or romantic mood. I love it.

Gaura is a brand of the Gokula-incense site, which is run by a couple who are passionate about good quality incense. The sticks are hand rolled in India from pure and natural ingredients. No synthetics.


Date: May 2013   Score: 44

***

Gokula-incense

The best agarwood incense

Gokula-incense

   

Old banner

Doing a search for Goloka incense on the internet, I discovered the Gokula-incense site, which has a wonderful samples offer. I bought sixty different scents for £9.30 including postage. The site is run by Mukunda dasa, who has travelled as a monk around India and to various Hare Krishna temples; and Gauriji Devi, who has a passion for incense. As of 2021, the website says Mark, rather than Mukunda dasa. 

The samples come from three brands: Gokula, Gopala and the higher quality (and slightly more expensive) Gaura brand. I am unsure of what the difference is between each brand - perhaps different suppliers? I may ask one day. There is also incense from Radha Madhav, a Bangalore based Krishna incense company.   Anyway, all the sticks are hand rolled in India. The package was sent with a hand-written note, and a colourful booklet on Lord Krishna. Each sample has its own plastic bag on which the name is hand written. The aroma from the package is very sweet and very promising. 

Mukunda / Mark has confirmed to me that they source "from different suppliers in India and other
locations also. We also have some scents from Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi of Pune."  As of 2021 the incense is organised into:

* Classic Quality, which is sold in red packets at £2.95 for 20gm, and in Bundle Savers at £22.95 for 250gm;
* Connoisseur Quality, which  is sold in purple packets at £3.95 for 20gm, and in Bundle savers at £32.95 for 250gm;
* Chakra: Ayurvedic Healing Incense, which is sold at £3.95 for 20 gm;
* Meditation: Ayurvedic Healing Incense, which is sold at £3.95 for 20gm; 
* Primo, which is sold at £3.95 for 20gm; 

* Radha Madhav, which is sold at £7.99 for 200gm; 

* Cones, which are sold at £1.95 for 18 gm; and 

* Sample packs. 

See Radha Madhav Agarbatti for reviews of Radha Madhav incense sold by Gokula

See Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi (HMS) for reviews of Primo, Gaura, and Gokula Connoisseur incense sold by Gokula

Reviews

* = Reviews over 5 years old

Gokula Gaura Radharani
Aug 2019 - Score: 46

Gopala Parvati
May 2013 - Score: 45*

Gokula Goloka Supreme (M)
Feb 2024 - Score: 45↑ 

Gaura Aguru

May 2013 - Score: 44*

  

Gaura Absolute Hari Leela (M)
Oct 2023 - Score: 44

Gokula Shyam
Feb 2024 - Score: 43

Gokula Prabhupada Special
July 2017 - Score: 42*

Gopala Darshan Flora
(also see Happy Hari Darshan Flora)
May 2013 - Score: 40*

Gokula Gauranga
Aug 2019 - Score: 39

Gokula Floral Champa (M)
Nov 2021 - Score: 37

Gaura Nepal Musk
July 2017 - Score: 36*

Gokula Everest (M)
Nov 2021 - Score 35↓ 

 

Gokula Connoisseur Royal Tube Rose (M)
Sept 2023 - Score: 35 

 

Gokula Ananda Flora Fluxo (M)
Feb 2024 - Score: 34

   

Gokula Vrindavan Supreme (M)
Aug 2019 - Score: 33 

Radha Rasabihari sold by Gokula (M)

 Mar 2024) - Score: 32↓

Gokula Agarwood & Musk (M)
Feb 2024 - Score: 32↓↑

Gaura Rose Supreme
July 2017 - Score: 30

  

Gokula Vrindavan Flower (M)
June 2019 - Score: 30

Gokula Connoisseur Tulsi Vrinda (M)
Feb 2024 - Score: 30

Gokula Oud
Pure Vietnamese Agarwood Connoisseur (P)
Aug 2023 - Score: 28

Gokula Gaura Super Night Queen (M)
 Nov 2021 - Score: 27 

  

Gokula Meditation Natural Ayurvedic Incense
Dammar (M)
June 2023 - Score: 26 

  

Gokula Connoisseur Chocolate & Vanilla / 

Gaura Chocolate Supreme 

Nov 2021 - Score: 24

Gokula Incense Cones Rajnigandha
March 2020 - Score: 19

Gokula Incense Cones Mogra 
Feb 2020 - Score: 19

Scents reviewed: 22
Highest score: 46

Lowest Score: 19

***

Own Brand / Private Label

 What's The Best Incense In The World?

The Gokula Catalogue  

(* means it has been reviewed)

*NOTE* Gokula changed the names of some their incense in 2019, the pre-2019 names are in brackets.

Gokula Brand

Kesar Chandan
Vrindavana Flower
Dabari
* Everest
* Radha Rasabihari
Himalaya
Frank Incense
Chandan Supreme
Nag Champa Special
Visnu Priya
Jasmin Masala
Rasa Leela
* S(h)yam
Green Champa
* Gauranga
Tulasi Masala
* Prabhupada Special
Rose Special
Madhuvan

Gaura Brand - Now called Primo (also sold as Gokula Connoisseur)

Sourced from Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi and listed under Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi (HMS)

* Vrindavan Supreme
Absolute Agarwood
Pink Sayli
* Nepal Musk
* Super Patchouli
* Aguru
* Rose Supreme
Narayan Supreme
* Absolute Cedarwood
Vrindavan Champa
* Absolute Sandalwood
* Super Night Queen
Absolute Hari-Leela
*Absolute Chaitanya
* Goloka Supreme
Vaikuntha Supreme
Shiva Shambhu
* Chocolate Supreme
Absolute Night Queen
Gold Flora
Gold Sandal
Gold Highness
Super Flora
* Radharani
Krishna Champa

Gokula Classic (Gopala Brand)

Chintamani
Gopi Priya
* Darshan Flora
Govardhan
Jasmine
Krishna Balaram
Lotus
Saraswati
Special Sandal
White Frank
* Parvati
Ganga Yamuna
Nandini (Tulsi)

Gokula Classic

Apple & Strawberry (Krishna Balaram)
Chandan (Chandan Supreme)
Cinnamon (Syam)
Earth Flora (Madhuvan)
Everest (Everest)
Frankincense (Frankincense)
Green Apple (Saraswati)
Green Champa (Green Champa)
Himalaya (Himalaya)
Honey Champa (Dabari)
Jasmine (Jasmine Masala)
Jasmine & Kadam (Govardhan)
Kesar Chandan (Kesar Chandan )
Lotus (Lotus)
Musk & Saffron (Darshan Flora)
Nag Champa (Nag Champa Special)
OM Shanti (Prabhupada)
Rose (Rose Special)
Sandalwood (Special Sandal)
Summer Fruits (Rasa Leela)
Tube Rose (Tube Rose)
Tulasi (Tulasi Masala)
* Vrindavan Flower (Vrindavan Flower)

Gokula Connoisseur - Also see Primo and  Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi (HMS) 

See Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi (HMS) for reviews of Primo and Gokula Connoisseur incense sold by Gokula

Agar Sandal (Gold Flora)
* Agarwood & Musk (Agarwood Supreme)
Agarwood & Vanilla (Absolute Agarwood)
Aloeswood & Jasmine (Aguru)
Amber (Super Amber)
Amber & Frankincensem (Ganga Yamuna)
* Bakula Flower (Absolute Hari Leela)
Blue Lotus (Blue Lotus)
Cedarwood (Absolute Cedarwood)
Celestial Fruits (Madhuri Radhika)
*Chocolate & Vanilla (Chocolate Supreme)
* Flora Fluxo (Super Flora)
Floral Bouquet (Gold Highness)
* Floral Champa (Krishna Champa)
Gold Sandal (Gold Sandal)
Golden Champa (Golden Champa)
Jasmine & Lotus (Mukunda Supreme)
Jasmine & Nag Champa (Narayan Supreme)
Lilac Flower ( Pink Sayli)
Lotus & Kewra (Lotus & Kewra)
Marigold & Juhi (Shiva Shambu)
Musk & Amber (Musk & Amber)
Musk & Champa (Musk & Champa)
Musk Heena (Musk Heena)
*Mystic Champa (Absolute Chaitanya)
Mystic Night Queen (Absolute Night Queen)
Nepal Musk (Nepal Musk)
Parijata Flower (Parijata Flower)
* Patchouli (Super Patchouli)
Pink Rose (Rose Supreme)
Rose & Saffron (Radharani)
Royal Green Champa (Super Green Champa)
Royal Kesar Chandan (Super Kesar Chandan)
Royal Nag Champa (Super Nag Champa)
* Royal Tube Rose (Royal Tube Rose)
Royal Vrindavan Flower (Super Vrindavan Flower)
Sandalwood & Myrrh (Vaikuntha Supreme)
* Sandalwood & Saffron (Vrindavan Supreme)
Sandalwood & Vanilla (Absolute Sandalwood)
Shiva Nag Champa (Varshana)
* Tulsi Vrinda (Nandini)

Radha Madhav Brand

A traditional masala Indian incense company based in Bangalore.

See Radha Madhav Agarbatti for reviews of Radha Madhav incense sold by Gokula

Sandal Supreme
*Radha Madhav
*Damodar
*Gopal
Nag Champa
*Pushpanjali
Parijata
*Jagannath
Tulsi (vrinda)
* Tulsi chandan (vrinda chandan)
Vrindavan Flower
Kesar Chandan
White Rose

Stamford Sandalwood

Bought as part of a double special offer from buyallmeans shop on Amazon, where Stamford incense gift packs were reduced, and if four were bought together there was a further reduction, so I managed to get 24 different small boxes of between six and eight incense sticks for £10, including postage - that's around 170 sticks for £10. Bargain. The Sandalwood incense is present in the Exotic and Floral packs - and a slightly different version appears in the Moods pack as Sandalwood Meditation. A Meditation incense appears in the Aromatherapy pack where it is a blend of sandalwood, vanilla and camomile.

Stamford is the quality brand for the UK distribution company Aargee, who tend to use  the Goloka and Shrinivas Sugandhalaya (Satya) incense companies - though there's no indication which incense company actually made these.. The sticks are hand rolled. The incense paste is black on a dyed red bamboo stick. The packs are intensely perfumed - I have to keep them in the plastic bag they arrived in because the sweet, slightly cloying perfume dominates the room if they are left out. The Sandalwood sticks on taking out of the box are fruity sweet, like kids sweets, but also with aromas of black tea, bergamont and dried roses. The scent when burned doesn't feel natural - it has a synthetic tang to it. Also, it doesn't remind me of sandalwood. It is hot, slightly harsh, with little of the aromas on the stick. It is fairly mild, and while it is a bit harsh, it's not an offensive aroma at all - it's quite neutral.

Overall not an impressive incense, especially from a brand that is aiming to project itself as quality.

Date: May 2013  Score: 25

***

Other ratings of incense by Aargee

Sandalwood

Goloka Krishna Priya Chandan

  

Second review - scroll down for earlier

Burning these again nearly three years later, and crude though the sticks are - poorly rolled, with some of the incense flaking off, quite thin and rather ugly looking, the aroma is quite pleasant. There is some benzoin on the stick, and when burned, the aroma is gorgeous blend of sandalwood and violets. There is much going on, and the aroma is very inviting, and quite exciting with its deep musky tones balancing against the nippy citric edge of the violet and benzoin. It's an aroma you want to keep on going because there is much to enjoy here, and it is never heavy, over bearing or harsh.

Date:  Jan, 2016   Score: 36   

First review

 

Attractive oblong box of hand rolled sticks by Goloka - the Bangalore based, non-profit charity which provides food and education for disadvantaged children, and training and assistance for women who have lost their husbands.. Bought online from Tribes & Vines for £1.45, post free [2024 comment: no longer available from Tribes & Vines - but Ephra World has it for 1.75 Euros].

The name Krishna Priya means "beloved of Krishna", and is usually applied to a woman or girl that Krishna was interested in. The box has an image of a young person, possibly a girl, playing a flute, and I assume this is a girl that Krishna fancies, rather than it being a drawing of young Krishna himself. The words "from here to eternity" are written across the bottom. The sticks are hand rolled - quite thin and rough, and then dipped in a yellow dusting of perfume. The bamboo stick is pale yellow - possibly dyed. The aroma is sweet and quite pleasant - some parma violets, nag champa, mint, and sandalwood. However, these do appear to be roughly made on a budget - the length and width of the bamboo sticks vary, sometimes so thin they are unable to remain upright unsupported; the incense paste is sometimes applied so thinly that the sticks burn so quickly, they are gone before the scent has really made an impression.

I like the scent, though at times there is so little smoke and aroma, that the scent can hardly be noticed. Added to which, while it is sandalwood based, it leans rather more toward sweet nag champa with bergamont and violets than a decent solid sandalwood scent. I do think that if a company is calling a scent "sandalwood", that that scent should be dominant. If this was called simply "Krishna Priya", then the amount of sandalwood wouldn't be an issue.

Date: May, 2013  Score: 30   

***

Goloka

Sandalwood