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| Third review - scroll down for earlier |
In 2017 I called this "proper job masala" as it has a delightful scent, and presents as traditional
masala (it has a coating of dusty melnoorva powder - sometimes called "masala powder"). However, since 2017 I've been learning more, observing more, experiencing more, researching more, and thinking more. Back in 2017 I was still fairly naive, and gathering the bulk of my information from the internet, mainly blogs and forums - which themselves were fairly ignorant back then, mainly making assumptions. Blogs and forums these days are much better, particularly
Reddit.Incense with its shared knowledge, some of which is first class, and Irene/SamsaSpoon's questing
Rauchfahne blog, where she asks questions rather than make assumptions, or pretend to know, and her blog comes across as fiercely honest and intelligent.
Anyway, what I have learned since 2017 is that most "
masala" incense these days uses "
perfume" - fragrance oils composed of natural and/or synthetic aromatic compounds. I have been studying perfume, and I'm now aware that as regards olfactory appreciation, quality is not measured by synthetic v natural, as some natural fragrances are difficult or impossible to capture, or perform poorly when extracted, so synthetics are widely used. The most expensive and admired perfumes are a blend of synthetics and naturals. What matters more than synthetic v natural, is the amount of fragrance oils used - or the purity. In the perfume world the highest concentration of fragrance is called "parfum", this passes down through Eau de toilette to Eau fraiche (or body mist) - which contains the lowest (and therefore usually the cheapest) concentration of fragrance compounds. The amount of perfume used in an incense will generally determine the power/clarity of the fragrance (and the price). Other factors help - such as the binding material, burning material (charcoal is the purest), the carrier (which is used to dilute the perfume), and the
fixative (which disperses the scent and allows it to linger); but without an appropriate dose of aromatic compounds (perfume/fragrance oil or dried natural ingredients) the quality of the binders or fixatives won't amount to much. It is unlikely that using a lot of fixative (usually some form of gum or resin, such as benzoin, frankincense, gum Arabic, or
halmaddi) will overcome using a thin perfume or equivalent of Eau fraiche - though Japanese and Thai incense houses appear to specialise in using delicate amounts of fragrance ingredients, and can be very successful. In Indian incense, which is used frequently every day rather than in discrete limited moments of concentration, what is generally appreciated is a heady scent that manages to disperse around the house and linger poetically for some time.
I've digressed a bit. A quick summary: Since 2017 I've learned that most Indian incense uses perfume as the main fragrance ingredient, so there could be little difference between a masala and a perfumed incense, other than presentation. Between a basic charcoal coated stick dipped in a fragrance oil, and a proper masala stick in which finely ground natural aromatic resins and plants and blended in a paste with fine quality binders and fixatives, there is a spectrum of incense. In the middle there are sticks made of paste containing fragrance oils which could be marketed as either masala or perfumed. This is one such stick.
What strikes me today is the volatility of the perfume on the stick. I bought this pack in 2021, so this stick is around three years old, and still emits a powerful scent. The volatility indicates that the fragrance is a perfume (an essential oil or synthetic - I think it's not possible to tell the difference just on the scent); I like that it still smells fresh. Though, to be fair, I've just burned a ten year old perfumed incense,
Mahendra Arora, which also smelled fresh on the stick (somewhat less so on the burn). Masala and perfumed incense can both be made with skill, care, and decent binders and fixatives which will ensure they project their scent for years to come.
The scent on the stick is more floral than woody. Moderately sweet. Touches of citric. Leans toward
damask rose. The woods start coming though: beechwood - nutty and sweet; cedarwood - camphor and mineral; and the agarwood - dark, sexy, musky, fruity. Mmmmm.
The burn is a little disappointing after experiencing the scent on the stick. But this is common with perfumed sticks - the heat of the burn alters the balance of the fragrance, as the top notes are consumed very quickly - sometimes (depending on the blend and the fixatives) the top notes are not really noticed at all. The burn tends to favour the release of the slower, heavier, base aroma compounds, though will confuse those scents with the scent of the smoke, which is composed of the flammable ingredients, the wood and tree bark powders, the charcoal powder, and the bamboo, and which tend to be deeper scents themselves. Generally there is a warmth from these deeper notes, and that is true here. The fragrance is moderate - not light, but certainly not heady. It is woody and rounded, though has acidic peaks with a moderate sweetness. It is pleasant and attractive, though doesn't really engage my interest or emotions. It diffuses moderately, and lingers moderately, so overall doesn't make a great impression. I like this, though not as much as I did last time I reviewed in 2018.
Date: Oct 2024 Score: 37
Average all three reviews: 37
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| Second review |
I've been burning a bunch of the incense I've imported for sale on my newly opened shop on eBay, and I just wanted to get a perspective on some other incense, so opened my drawer and pulled out the first thing I touched, which was some basic everyday
perfumed stuff from
SAC, which had lost some of its fragrance through evaporation. So I needed something a bit better as contrast. I originally reviewed this Agarwood last year, and had been burning it on and off recently. Being a proper job masala, the fragrance doesn't evaporate. I'm not sure if it improves or even changes over time, but in my experience masala incense tends to hold up well, while perfumed incense fades and fades....
This Agarwood by
A.S. Agarbathi Works has a lovely sweet woody aroma. I'm not sure I would entirely pin it down to agarwood as there are creamy notes of sandalwood and crisp golden citric cedarwood, but woody it is without a doubt. And it has honey in there. And halmaddi. Though not aggressive or sharp halmaddi, but a rounded, sweet, balsamic halmaddi. There is the earthy warmth and fresh night air excitement of a camp fire, and the nostalgic evocation of a Seventies music festival. Burning damp wood, and the smoke from joss sticks and joints drifting in the night air. I'm really enjoying this. It's not top end heavenly. Its range is limited and sort of predictable. There's no depths, no range, and no soaring heights of excitement and delusion. But it's a bloody solid job masala, and certainly an incense I want to burn again and again, so this is moving up to nudge into the bottom end of my Heavenly department.
Date: Oct 2018 Score: 40
Average all three reviews: 37
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| First review |
I like agarwood. I picked this up in
The Loft Ladder in Southampton. It is a proper job masala incense made by A. S. Agarbathi Works of Bangalore, who
were founded in 1978. They are members of the
All India Agarbathi Manufacturers Association, which I have been intending to write about for some time.
Pleasant candy sweetness on the stick, with notes of beeswax and rose petals. As is often the case with masala incense containing halmaddi, the aroma on burning is different, with prickly warm wool dominating. There is also some honey notes, and some woody notes. The woody notes lean toward agarwood, but also contain beechwood, and I think it is the beechwood that comes more to the fore. It is a very attractive, fairly masculine scent. As with many of the best proper job masala, the scent continues to inform the room for around 24 hours afterwards.
I like this. It doesn't lift or transcend me, but is a solid proper job masala incense that should have a wide appeal.
Date: Dec 2017 Score: 33
Average all three reviews: 37
