Sital Ratnamala

Second review - scroll down for earlier

I like perfume-dipped incense. I've wavered around on this issue for years. Some of the crudest, cheapest and nastiest incense is perfume dipped, so it has a bad reputation. Some of the most prominent perfume-dipped manufacturers are little more than chemical companies, which lies at stark contrast with the association of incense as being a natural, hand-made article by artisans using centuries old traditions. Masala incense is  generally made from pure and natural ingredients. Chemicals are not involved - everything is natural and made by hand. The most divine and genuinely mood enhancing incense is natural masala. However, I often find that masala incense aromas are pretty much the same. And they can be a little intense, and if they contain too much halmaddi they can have a negative impact on me, so I am sometimes a little wary of using them. The perfume dipped stuff, however, I am much more casual with. I burn them frequently, often several at a time. I find I am comfortable with perfume-dipped, and I have more fun with them. If they are bright and bold, they can quickly lift a room. And the perfume into which they are dipped can be a natural essence or oil of flowers, so perfume dipping in itself is not the issue, though the more chemical orientated perfume dipped incenses can tend to be superficial. While I will sometimes spend a long time in close focus inhaling a masala incense, and unravelling the scents, discovering new scents and exquisite combinations and shifts, with a perfume-dipped incense you tend to get it all at once. But most 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* 

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*

***

Best rose incense

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