Ancient Wisdom

Ancient Wisdom are a UK distributor of gift ware and incense, based in Sheffield. They import incense from Thailand - often made by Balarama - and sell under their own name, or the brand name Dawn Of Time, or as wholesale bulk lots which are then sold on under names such as Ashley's Workshop. They also distribute Satya and Aargee products.

When I first encountered their products, it was bargain basement unbranded stuff from Vietnam and Thailand - aimed at a undiscriminating audience.  I grew cautious about buying anything that they sold under their own brands because my experiences tended to be of faded generic scents and crude organic core material, which I didn't enjoy; although, their foil-wrapped Red Dragon Incense I found quite enjoyable.  They are, as of 2018, working with Mahendra Perfumery Works of Bangalore, whose everyday perfume-dipped charcoal sticks are quite decent, to produce a range under the name Freedom.

The Ancient Wisdom warehouse
in Sheffield on fire in July 2020

The owner, David Hardy, sends regular emails to his customers about his travels around Asia buying stock. They are friendly and informative emails. He was out in Bali when Covid-19 brought flights to a halt, and he had to stay there for the duration. He arranged help for people in the area caught out by Covid-19. This week - start of July 2020, he has written to say he is coming back to the UK because one of his warehouses in Sheffield has burned down. As part of his email he says: "The stock will need replacing so all those family businesses in India, Indonesia and China are going to get a welcome boost at a time they really need it. " What a really good person he is.

Reviews

* = Score over five years old, so may not be reliable

Balarama Red Dragon Tibetan Musk
June 2015 - Score: 31*

Mahendra Freedom Nag Champa
June 2018 - Score: 31*

Dawn of Time Frankincense & Myrrh
June 2013 - Score: 28*

  

Mahendra Ancient Wisdom Freedom Serenity (P)
Dec 2023 - Score: 24 

Ancient Wisdom Bulk/Loose Incense
(assorted fragrances) (P)
Dec 2023 - Score: 21 

Cinnamon Orange
Jan 2016 - Score: 20*

  

Dawn of Time Of Persian Roses
June 2013 - Score: 20*

Ashleys Workshop 
 Dragon's Blood 
March 2013 - Score: 20*

Ashley's Workshop 
Nag Champa
April 2014 - Score: 20*

100 Loose Cones 
eBay Mega-Mix 
June 2014 - Score: 20*

Nose Delight 
Wizard Lavender
June 2013 - Score: 19*

Ancient Wisdom
Dragon's Blood cones (P)
Oct 2023 - Score: 9

Scents: 12 (9 over 5 years old)

Top: 31
Bottom: 9

Top five: 27
Average: 22

Overall:  24 

Conclusion: I love David's emails. Less keen on his own brand incense. 

***

Own Brand / Private Label

Ancient Wisdom Cinnamon Orange

The full name is Sensually Shaped Evocatively Scented Incense Cinnamon Orange. Quite a mouthful!

Reviewing Juicy Jay's Thai Incense Sticks earlier today made me look through my incense collection to see what Thailand incense I may have not yet burned. I found this pack of Ancient Wisdom cinnamon incense moulded in cute star shapes. I don't like Ancient Wisdom, and resolved some time ago not to buy any more, so I must have had these for some time. The packet was sealed airtight and does have an attractive candy and cinnamon aroma. The shape is a little unusual. I decided to place it upright on a dhoop stick holder and ignite one of the star points. I should imagine it is also possible to lay it down, and perhaps light all five star points. The aroma is mildly pleasant, though the cinnamon quality is overwhelmed by the base material, and it soon smells like sawdust and assorted organic material rather than anything more refined or interesting. So, initially interesting and promising, but ultimately rather dull  - just like all the other Ancient Wisdom products I've tried.


Date: Jan 2016   Score: 20

***

Best cinnamon incense

Fruit Fragrances
That'll Make You Drool

Ancient Wisdom

Incense by Country

Juicy Jay's Thai Incense Sticks

A few days ago while looking for some  Tulasi Vidwan online I noticed Juicy Jay's being offered at £1.99 for two packets, post free. The company was founded in America in the late 1990s to sell flavoured cigarette papers, and a few years ago - probably 2013, launched their incense series. The aromas have tempting names such as Orange Overload, Funkincense, and Apple Brown Betty. As they were cheap and made in Thailand, I suspected they would be poor quality, similar to the incense made for Ancient Wisdom, which are also made in Thailand, though as it turned out they were slightly better than that - but only just!

The packaging is top quality, with expensively printed glossy cardboard sleeves over double plastic sleeves, one with a zip lock. They look appealing, with attractive modern names, and the initial aromas are fresh, light, fun, and very modern. The sticks are not blanks, but dry extruded fragrant paste over a bamboo stick - similar to some of Happy Hari's incense sticks. So it all looks OK. And when you burn them they last for over an hour, with no nasty off-notes. The aromas, however, tend to be the earthy organic base material overlaid with a very basic and simplistic synthetic car air freshener scent. They are not bad as such, but they are not as interesting as they look, and the earthy aroma of the base organic material can contrast a little uncomfortably with the modern synthetic sweet aromas of the top notes.

As they are not refined sophisticated aromas, I'm simply grouping them here. They are cheap and cheerful, and would serve to cover up bad smells, or as a low cost everyday incense or room freshener. They wouldn't be used for anything meaningful.

Apple Brown Betty does have an awareness of apple to it - a slightly sweet, applie pie type aroma. But it is faint, and it is merged into the obscure organic material of the paste so creating a slightly duller aroma than it could have been. It's OK, and while it doesn't live up to its promise, it is an inexpensive and reasonably pleasant air freshener.
Score: 22

Strawberry Fields is the stick that is closest to its name. There is a distinct aroma of synthetic strawberry and cream. It's cute, and is the second most enjoyable of the five I tried.
Score: 22

Funkincense is my favourite as I love frankincense, and this does have some of the sultry, musky warmth of that incense, and there is something a little more spiritual about it than the others. But as a frankincense aroma it is fairly poor.
 Score: 23

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough is a little vague, but does have a pleasant sweet warmth about it, rather like synthetic vanilla. It reminds me a little of Tulasi Chocolate, and maybe I'm being a bit harsh with my scores here, as I gave the Tulasi a 26 - or perhaps I was being a bit generous with the Tulasi, which I reviewed two and a half years ago,  when I was less knowledgeable/experienced than I am now. I'm still learning and discovering, and there is much I still don't know, but I know more now than I did back then, and I hope that in two to three years time I will know more than I know now.
Score: 21

Orange Overload is the most disappointing of the bunch. The name promises so much and the stick delivers so little. There's a faint peppery aroma that is nothing like orange, and sure enough is not an overload at all!
Score: 18


Incense tried: 5
Highest score: 23
Lowest score: 18
Average: 21

Conclusion: American importer and distributor of own brand Asian perfumed-incense. The perfumes are fun, but manufacturing and storing is poor quality, so the scents on the burn do not live up to the promise on the stick. 

***

Own Brand / Private Label

Incense by Country

Sai Handicrafts UK Gold Sandal (dhoop)

At the same time as I bought  Sai Gold Sandal (sticks) I bought this little packet of dhoops. These are more oily than the sticks, with a deeper, richer sandal, but with  less going on. This is more intense than the stick, partly due I suppose to the greater amount of incense being burned from the thicker dhoop. The sticks, though one-dimensional compared to some of the other sandal incense I have been burning recently, are more varied and complex than the dhoops. They are sweeter, sharper, more prickly, and have a hint of halmaddi about them. The dhoops are smokier and more obviously sandalwood. I like both - they are decent quality with a natural feel about them.  As they have different characteristics with some positives and some negatives, neither emerges as better than the other. I'm happy to burn either. The dhoop is a more relaxing experience, covers a larger area of the house, and I love the swirls of silver grey smoke. The sticks are more invigorating and interesting. 

[Note: 2023 - I have just searched and found that Sai Handicraft are a small UK importer who sell Indian goods and some own brand incense at festivals around the UK.]


Date: Jan 2016  Score: 34

***

Sai Handicrafts UK

Sandalwood

Dhoop

Nov 2023  118 

Sai Handicrafts UK Gold Sandal (sticks)

Second review - scroll down for earlier

I really loved these sticks when I reviewed them back in 2016, then they got put away in my stash, and I'm not sure if I've burned them since. But returning to them now as part of sorting out my collection (bin, outhouse, or keep), I'm really blown away. While loving single scents (sandalwood, patchouli, frankincense, etc), I have found over the years that I am more interested in blends, especially new and unique blends. However, returning to this stick I find it has awakened my enthusiasm and love for pure scents. Well, for particular single scents, such as sandalwood. 

The sticks are a standard 8 inches long with approx 6 inches of soft, crumbly charcoal paste which has been coated in a dusting of melnoorva or wood powder. These are masala style sticks. I have been saying "masala style" for a little while now because from discussions with Indian incense houses, and from my own observations, there are a number of style which give the appearance of being masala (composed of dried, ground fragrant ingredients such as petals, woods, resins, spices), but are actually mainly composed of a fragrant oil - unlikely to be a pure essential oil, more likely to be either a synthetic fragrance (such as the IBCH I mentioned in my first review, which I felt this wouldn't be because it smelled so lovely) or an essential oil diluted by a product such as diethyl phthalate (DEP), which is sold in India under the name "agarbatti oil". I say masala style here because, while I love the fragrance, I am noting when wafting the smoke towards me (not something I recommend - it is more appropriate, and better for your health, to allow the fragrance from the burning incense to infuse the room naturally, so it is the fragrance you inhale rather than the smoke and pollutants which contain toxic properties; I waft partly out of impatience to get at the fragrance, and partly to get closer to the composition of the incense) that some of the top fragrant notes are burning off and not being revealed - something I note can happen with poor formulations which burn too hot or too quickly, and/or when a liquid fragrance is used, though I don't know why. And, while these sticks are at least seven years old, there is still a fragrance volatility on the stick which I only note when oils and perfumes are used. There will be some volatility in the scent of natural sandalwood, though I only detect the fragrance, I don't detect the volatility (felt as a coolness or alcoholic spirit) on solids.  

All that said, I love this. I think there has been some maturing (deepening) of the fragrance over the years (which I tend to find in proper masala rather than perfumed incense). I think these sticks are a blend of solid masala ingredients and fragrant oils, and that the fragrant oils are decent quality. It would be interesting to know who Sai Handicraft source from. [2024 comment: Pinkesh of Sai Handicrafts tells me they make the incense themself]  I have just ordered some more incense from them, as I enjoyed these sticks so much. At £2 for approx 15g, these are good value. 

Date: Nov 2023  Score: 42

First review

I picked up this packet, and some hand rolled dhoops also called Gold Sandal, from a market stall in Oxford, when I was there for the Oxford Half Marathon in October (2015). Some sticks were burning, and they smelled so lovely I bought some. The stall holder was enthusing about how natural they were, and that they were the real thing, but he also had some Hem products on his stall, so I didn't pay much attention. They appear to be from a cottage industry - there is a Sai Handicraft in India, but they deal with weddings not incense, so probably not the same company. There is an email address, so I may get in touch to see what else they have on offer. [Note: 2023 - I have just searched and found that Sai Handicraft are a small UK importer who sell Indian goods and some own brand incense at festivals around the UK.]

The sticks are hand rolled with a charcoal paste and then rolled in a fine golden brown wood powder. The wood dust has not been applied well because all the packets on the stall had loose dust inside. The aroma is sandalwood - it's a prickly fairly one-dimensional sandalwood, but it's sweet and musky, so I like it anyway.

I have a soft spot for sandalwood - well, the real thing, not the perfume dipped sticks which use the chemical IBCH. [Note: 2023 - IBCH is a compound with a sandalwood aroma] I have been burning a range of sandalwood incense since last night when I reviewed the strongly sandalwood based Tulasi Vidwan. I returned to one of my all time favourite incenses Nandita Wood Spice, and found I still loved it, and moved up its score a little; I also returned to Krishna Priya Chandan by one of my favourite incense makers, Goloka, and moved that up as well. Though on burning  GR International Sandalo this morning, an incense that has been in my Top Ten for nearly three years, I found it a little flat compared to the sandalwoods I have discovered since 2013, so I moved it out of the Top Ten, and below this one.

What the Wood Spice and the Krishan Priva have that this, the Vidwan and the Sandalo don't have, for all their sweet muskiness, is that there is more going on than just the sandalwood - there are balancing and contrasting aromas that weave in and create a magic spell that keeps your mind and senses alive - the Wood Spice especially.

I like this Sai Gold Sandal, especially as it informs the house and leaves a gorgeous lingering aroma, but I don't see it becoming one of my all time favourite incenses.


Date: Jan 2016   Score: 34

***

Sai Handicrafts UK

 What's The Best Incense In The World?

Sandalwood

Nov 2023  184 

Tulasi Vidwan

Oh my goodness this is lovely. I've burned a fair amount of masala incense since I last reviewed this in January of 2016 - a lot of smoke under the bridge since then! - and in that time this has grown in my estimation. I would agree with my 2016 sense that the initial promise is the best part of the burn - it opens with a sweet burst of honey and vanilla, then settles down into the more robust and earthy elements of musk, sandalwood, and patchouli with a degree of heat and a pinch of peppery halmaddi, but it remains wonderful. I think the difference between my 2016 self and my 2018 self is that I have grown more acclimatised to the scratchy halmaddi so it doesn't have quite the negative impact on me now as it did back then.  Yes, this is a proper job masala, and a really good 'un.

Date: July 2018   Score:  39

I had written off Tulasi as a brand not worth buying any more as it is part of Sarathi International, the largest incense works in Bangalore, which just seemed to churn out cheap synthetic perfume dipped sticks en masse. But then I read a review on  Lesley's blog of Tulasi Vidwan, which caught my attention, so I bought some off eBay for £3.55 (inc postage) for 25g. The company market Vidwan as a Premium Incense, and looking at their catalogue they seem to have a few other products that may be work checking out, including the Sri Govinda range, reviewed by ORS, which doesn't appear to be available in the UK.

I like the packaging. It's traditional, retro, simple yet classic, and has a feel of quality. From the company's (outdated) FaceBook page, you get a sense of the pride they take in their packaging. Not everyone is into packaging. I am. I like goods to come in packaging that shows the manufacturer takes a pride and a care. Poor printing, and sloppy artwork doesn't impress me. Packaging doesn't need to be expensive or flashy, but it should reflect some of the care and thought that went into the product. The name Vidwan means someone knowledgeable, such as an expert in Hindu philosophy or Indian classical music. On opening the gold foil inner packet the aroma rushes out - very sweet, like white chocolate and vanilla ice cream, with just a faint touch of fresh rubber, like rubber bands. Wonderful. The sticks are long with a hand-rolled charcoal base onto which a fine masala mix of natural ingredients has been rolled.

On burning the scent is quite heady and fairly strong with a faint sense of the damp wool and human sweat of halmaddi, but only faint. The base notes are patchouli and sandalwood, and that's pretty much where it stays. No real top notes. I like patchouli and sandalwood, but this one is a little harsh. Initially I was quite excited, and felt I would score this high, but when the aroma didn't develop and the harshness lingered, I could feel the score coming down. It's a good incense, miles better than the standard perfume-dipped Tulasi, but it doesn't quite live up to the promise of the initial aroma. However, I like it enough to consider buying again, and will play around comparing it to some of my favourite sandalwood incenses. Burning time is well over one hour.

I have been impressed. Even chemical factories can produce decent traditional incense!


Date: Jan 2016   Score:  34

***

More Tulasi reviews

Reviewed on Rauchfahne

 What's The Best Incense In The World?

R. Expo / Song of India Aroma Temple

Third review - scroll down for earlier

Modest synthetic-perfume sticks. These apparently have a huge reputation in the US, and I am often sent sample sticks.  We have tried them a few times and never been impressed. Lower end everyday incense.  

Date: Jan 2024   Score: 20 

Second review

I bought a 15g box from Just Aromatherapy for £1.29 last August (they are available from many sites in America, such as Incense Warehouse, and also wholesale direct from R-Expo). We've tried the Aroma Temple sticks a few times over the last few months and find them to be a modest everyday incense. The sticks are machine made with charcoal paste, and then perfume-dipped. The scent on the stick is quite chemical and sharp, but not offensive. The scent when burning is reasonably attractive, if a little limited. It has a bright though modest floral note, perhaps rose, with some citric qualities. The scent is not heavy, and can be burned close up without irritation. It doesn't fully impress itself on a room unless several sticks are burning at the same time, and when we do that we find it gets a bit smoky. It can get a bit hot at times, but mostly remains clean and sharp. We found Aroma Temple to be a likeable but modest everyday perfume-dipped incense.

Date: June 2018   Score: 21

First review

A free sample of Aroma Temple by R-Expo / Song Of India, an Indian company based in Noida,  a new city just outside of Delhi. They started out in 1932 as an independent business called Mathur Perfumery Works hand-making traditional incense, then branched out in 1972 to create a sales outlet in America. Aroma Temple is Song of India's main brand, and is a machine extruded and perfume-dipped incense with a volatile aroma of pine toilet cleaner. With the hype surrounding this, and the name, I had expected something a bit more traditional and better quality.  I had turned to this to lift my spirits after the disappointments of burning two Sage Spirit incenses that had very little fragrance left on them, and it did that, but wasn't quite the quality incense I had expected. However, to be fair, this Aroma Temple is OK. It's a cheap, everyday incense with a robust, cleansing aroma - plenty of lemon and some bergamot. It is lively and sharp, and would be good to wake up the house, or to reinvigorate a tired room. Also useful for masking bad odours. It has its uses. It is not, however, spiritual or sensual or beautiful. It is plain and simple, but bold and lively. I quite like it.

Date: Jan 2016  Score: 23

***

 What's The Best Incense In The World?

R. Expo / Song Of India

Reviewed on Rauchfahne

Sage Spirit Totem Spirit Buffalo Abundance

As with other Sage Spirit incense, this is a charcoal paste stick sprayed or dipped in an all natural perfume. There is very little scent on the stick, though on smelling the plastic sleeve the sticks come in, there is delightful and heady aroma, quite buttery and floral, and with hints of dark fruit and candy sugar. It's a great scent. But it hasn't remained on the sticks. Perhaps in America folks can get these sticks fresh, and they work well, but by the time it gets to me in the UK, the scent has started to evaporate - especially if they have been stored in a warm place.

There is very little going on here. I can't give much of a review to the smell of charcoal and sawdust burning.....

Epic fail. Shame.

Score: 16

***

Sage Spirit

 Incense Ratings - Top of the Dhoops!

Incense Around the World