Nandita Black Gold Natural Incense

Fourth review - - scroll down for earlier

This is divine and very beguiling. It's an intoxicating fragrance which pulls me in and seduces me. Honey, fruit, alcohol, bitter oranges, sandalwood, the essence of Indian incense. I love this. It's creamy, woody, sweet in a heavenly way - not cloying or cheap, milky, and with little touches of fruit and tobacco and alcohol and bitter almonds to give depth, edge, and interest.  There's a lot going on, and I've just looked down at previous reviews and seen the variety of scents I have experienced. This is a compelling, beautiful, gentle, wonderful incense. I love it! 


Date: April 2024    Score: 46 

Third review

  

This packet is from 2018 - I haven't bought a new one, I found it while rummaging in one of my incense boxes. The sticks are rather rough and unpleasant looking, and the design on the box is a bit meh, but the scent on the burn is proper. Impressive for a five year old incense. 

The sticks are 8 inches long, with 6 inches of scruffily rolled still moist black paste coated in a fine brown wood powder. The scent on the stick is softly volatile and quite compelling. Fresh sawdust (cedar, pine, walnut) and bubblegum and bees wax. Oooh. Nice. 

When lit the stick catches with a modest and controlled flame producing no black smoke. The scent on the burn is warm and soft - quite delicate and refined. It echoes the scent on the stick, though in a modest manner, introducing warm honey.  The stick burns for approx 60 minutes. 

I really like this, though am aware that at five years old it's no longer fresh. I'm ordering some fresh. The best UK sources are Amazon - the one I mentioned five years ago is still good, though the price is now £2.75 (which includes postage, so still excellent value),  and a new Amazon source offers six different Nandita plus a wooden holder for £8.99 including postage.  

Oooh, even at five years old, this Black Gold is still delightful. I'm holding it at 40 until I review a fresh packet. Though it could go higher. 

Date: Sept 2023    Score: 40 

Second review

The stick has a yummy vanilla, honey, sandalwood and fruit aroma. Quite moreish. It's quite gentle on burning, with just hints of prickly halmaddi. The main impression is of soft fragrant woods  - cedar and sandal and a wisp of agar.  Very likable.


Date: July 2018   Score: 40

First review

A very gentle masala incense, "exclusively" distributed by Wonder Incense in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.  While they can be bought in bulk from UK wholesalers like eApollo and The Indian Connection, getting single packets online is tricky, and can be expensive - the best deal seems to be this one for £1.99 on Amazon.

There is milk chocolate, cinnamon, agarwood, balsamic vinegar, honey, beech wood, burnt wool, etc in the aroma. It's warm and woody with spice overtones. Gentle. Very gentle. Perhaps too gentle. It can burn away quite close by and be forgotten. While pleasant, it doesn't really develop into anything significant or heavenly. I like this, and can see it as being useful for when I want a comforting, calming, pleasant woody incense that isn't going to be heavy or intrusive.


Date: May 2018  Score: 35

Nandita of Mumbai