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| Second review - scroll down for earlier |
I'm OK with perfumed incense. I've wavered around on this issue for years. Some of the crudest, cheapest and nastiest incense can be perfume dipped, so it has a bad reputation. Some of the most prominent perfume-dipped manufacturers are little more than chemical companies, which lies in stark contrast with the association of incense as being a natural, hand-made article by artisans using decades old traditions. Masala incense is generally aimed at the premium market, with more attention paid to fixatives, and some of the more traditional masala incense makers will use as much natural ingredients as they can. Usually, I find the most divine and genuinely mood enhancing incense to be masala incense. Perfumed incense, however, I am much more casual with. I burn them frequently, often several at a time. I find I am comfortable with perfumed, and I have more fun with them. If they are bright and bold, they can quickly lift a room, and much of the time that is exactly what I want. I just want something pleasant, bright, and joyful to freshen my house, and lift my mood. This incense does just that. It is bold and bright and highly perfumed. There are floral notes, bright, breezy ones - it's like opening the window and letting in the Spring.
Great fun!
Date: March 2017 Score: 41
Average of two reviews: 37
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| First review |
Hex box of approx 15 hand-rolled sticks of charcoal based paste onto undyed sticks of varying sizes - some quite thin and weak. The paste was either too dry, or has been poorly rolled, as there are pieces missing on the stick. Quite a perfumed floral aroma on the stick - fairly heavy, rose like, sweet to neutral, slightly synthetic. Mostly attractive. The sticks were bought from Indiabaazar on Amazon for 51p including postage. The company, Amber Aromatics of Bangalore, started as a perfume business in 1911, then moved into incense sticks in 1977. They have a second incense factory near Mumbai. They use the brand name Sital for their incense, and appear to have an interesting range of aromas.
The incense name, Ratnamala, means jewelled necklace - and that is the image used on the box. The name is commonly used for girls in India. The recommended retail price in India is marked on the box: 17 rupees, which is the equivalent of 19p. There is a profit to be made in importing incense to the UK!
The sticks do burn slowly and evenly producing a moderate amount of soft, pleasant smoke. The scent is sandalwood and rose, with some sherbet, bergamot and lily - it is a warm and indulgent aroma, creating a calm and relaxed mood ideal for bedroom or living room in the evening. This is a very pleasant incense that while not particularly special, does a very good job at an excellent price.
Date: July 2013 Score: 33
Average score is 37
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