There are stocks of original Happy Hari incense still available. This is a machine made incense in what appears to be a Yoga Sutra series - this must have been Paul's idea of bringing together the popularity of yoga and the popularity of sex to create some form of sensual yoga! He claims this is a masala incense on the packet, and I know that he argued with another incense blogger that just because an incense is machine dipped it doesn't mean it's not masala, but this is a charcoal incense with an impregnated volatile oil as the fragrance bearer. The fragrance here does not come from dried ingredients. Not a masala, but a perfumed incense.
The fragrance is pleasant, and I like this. Not heavenly, but very nice. Top end of Everyday Incense for sure. It's a familiar scent, and I'm trying to pin down what it is. It is mildly citric. Quite clean. It has some of the musky warmth of civet. There's also a touch of wood. It breaks down now and again, and some of the charcoal intrudes. This is not top quality incense, and age has no doubt diminished some of the shine, but it is very pleasant and cleansing.
The Yoga Sutra series |
I'm not sure where I got this from. I think it was one of the smoke shops that Paul used to sell to. But a quick look on the internet didn't reveal any current UK stockists [the US site Essence Of The Ages still has stock as of Sept 2023]. But there are Happy Hari items still out there in shops which may not have an internet presence. If you see this one, and it's cheap, go for it, but be aware that it'snot one of the best Happy Hari, and it's not a masala incense.
Date: Aug 2019 Score: 32
Happy Hari Incense |
The Asana Sutra sticks are indeed charcoal sticks and not what we've come to expect from the Happy Hari line. A perfumed, dipped stick, is indeed not really a masala. The fragrance is so different from the usual HH line, missing that halmaddi richness and the way their base broadens the overall aroma. This one is not a bad smelling stick. A benzoin dominance to it is apparent. It's interesting just to compare with what is lacking in this stick. This one should be stricken from the line, IMO. It's not the charcoal that does it in, but the lack of a real masala to balance that perfumed scent.
ReplyDelete"stricken from the line". What do you mean by that Ho Go? I don't know if the incense is still made and sold, but as the official Happy Hari distribution business no longer exists, there is no need to remove it from their catalogue. There are at least two (perhaps three?) distributors who are using the Happy Hari name. Cory at Absolute Bliss has taken over the Happy Hari name and is using Paul's sources (they were in touch with each other, and Cory has shown me the communications, so I do believe he has a right to use the name), and is careful about what he sells under the Happy Hari name, so I doubt he'll be selling this. Is that what you meant? That people should not sell this under the Happy Hari name?
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