As I was doing my review for Pure Incense Connoisseur Nepal Musk I discovered Primo Incense Nepal Musk, sourced from the same cottage manufacturer, Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi of Pune, and sold in the UK by Gokula Incense, who also sell Nepal Musk, under the brand name of Gaura. This is not a secret - on their Primo Incense page they say "These scents are also sold in our Gaura Range with the same or a similar name."
I have a selection of Gokula / Gaura incense samples, so I rummaged around, and sure enough found a sample of the Gaura Nepal Musk. Taking all three sticks to the family, they immediately identified which was the new one, and after some pondering, mostly between Pure and Gaura, my daughter decided that of the three she preferred Gaura - while my wife felt that the Gaura sits somewhere between Pure and Primo.
I find that the Gaura is closer to the Primo. The Pure is very natural - very soft, fluffy, sweet and yummy; while the Primo is quite sharp and bright, with a prickly pine quality. The Gaura is also a little sharp and prickly, with pine notes, but also cedar and patchouli. It is more complex and interesting than the Primo, and also a little softer. It is, actually, a pretty damn decent incense - the longer it burns the softer and more dreamy it becomes, yielding very low musky notes - more patchouli than musk, with playful side notes of chocolate and herbs. I like this. The more I burn this the more I like it.
Fascinating. Three different brands of the same fragrance made by the same manufacturer, resulting in three curiously different experiences.
The Gaura labeling has been discontinued by Gokula. Nepal Musk is listed in the Connoisseur Line. While never having tried either Primo or Pure incense lines, thanks for noting the similarity of Nepal Musks. Gokula Nepal Musk is a thin stick, handmade with a lovely musk scent in a base of vanilla halmaddi. Luxurious and light enough not to be overwhelming with a very good mix of ingredients. I’m assuming the musk to be vegetable, not animal sourced. 1 hour burn, approx. Another Madhavdas product? Not my favorite Gokula stick but this is very good and solid fragrance and I would buy it again. This is also different from the Temple of Incense's Electric Musk which is stronger and much more perfumed than Gokula's.
ReplyDelete"Another Madhavdas product?" Yes.
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