Veer Special Loban

This was one of a number of samples sent by Veer when I started a business order with them. Their incense is OK - decent everyday perfumed incense, but the packets got damaged in transit, and were anyway, a little too large to send cheaply through the post, so I lost money on that. I hardly sold any in my eBay shop, and then closed the shop as it was costing me just to keep it open (that was an error on eBay's side, which has now been rectified, and I've been refunded, so I am intending to start up trading again soon). Anyway, now that we're in Lockdown, I've been attempting to sort out my incense, and came upon the samples package from Veer. The jar is very big - it is 1/4 of a kilo of incense, which sells in India for 150 rupees - £1.60. There's over 200 sticks in the jar, and the sticks are 9 inches long and densely packed. They are machine made, with the incense paste applied evenly and consistently. The aroma quality is very good - it is compellingly attractive, delicately balanced between sweet and mineral, and with a very convincing scent of loban - which is also known as benzoin and as sambrini. I love it.


Date: March 2020   Score: 37

***

Veer incense

Benzoin / Loban / Sambrani

Veer Incense (Viral Enterprises)

Veer Incense is the brand name of Viral Enterprises based in Valsad (Gujarat, India). They were founded in 2015 by Viral Shah and employ up to ten people. They were the first company I imported incense from. They were new at it and made mistakes meaning the boxes arrived damaged. Plus the boxes were too big to sell via mail order, so I made a loss on the deal. However, their incense sticks are decent quality everyday incense.

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

Reviews

Veer Special Loban 
March 2020 - Score: 39 

Veer Special 3 in 1 
April 2020 - Score: 30

Veer Madhur 
Jan 2023 - Score: 29

Veer Fresh & Fresh 
March 2020 - Score: 29

Veer Green Forest
Sept 2018 - Score: 28*

Veer Belgian Rose
Dec 2028 - Score: 28*

Veer Kesar Chandan
Dec 2018 - Score: 28*

Veer Sweet Mogra
Dec 2018 - Score: 28*

Incense reviewed: 8

Top score: 39 

Low score: 28 

Average: 30 (Median: 28) 

Conclusion: A pleasant mid range everyday perfumed incense company.  Not that adventurous, and poor quality packaging,  but cheap and cheerful. 

***

The Best Incense Makers

Benzoin / Loban / Sambrani

Benzoin (also called loban and sambrani)  is a ritual incense - it is the resin from the storax or snowbell tree, and is burned for its cleansing power rather than the aesthetic qualities of the aroma, which tends to be neutral and mineral. However, some incense which contain loban/sambrini (or are named after it) can be attractive depending on what other ingredients are blended in. 

I like benzoin. As with frankincense and myrrh, it is a tree resin; it comes from the sap of the Sal tree. Sambrani cups are very popular in India, and have been available in the UK since at least 2017.  

I like sambrani - it is a fragrant tree resin, like frankincense, myrrh, dragon's blood, etc. It is also known as benzoin and as loban (among other names). It has a number of uses, including medicinal, as well as being a fragrance ingredient due to its fixing quality and sweet vanilla scent. It is particularly popular in India where it is burned as a single ingredient as part of a cleansing ritual. Typically when burned as part of a cleansing ritual, it will either be in a sambrani cup, such as Raj Guru Vandana Sambrani Cup, or a thick dhoop, such as Ambica Pooja Sambrani. 

Kinkele says that loban/benzoin has an "enveloping, soothing, protective cloak inviting us to relax and dream", which is rather nice. 

I often read that benzoin/sambrani has a sweet vanilla scent, though that tends not to be my experience. I usually find it has a cool mineral scent, sometimes pine or medicinal.

A reader, Chris, has said: "I've bought several loban and sambrani incense and non of them have smelled even remotely like benzoin resin. Either these descriptions have become stylized (I've had frankincense incense labelled loban before), or maybe sambrani uses another part of the styrax tree rather than the resin. Benzoin resin is sweet smelling and vanilla dominant. I'd be suspicious of any benzoin resin that isn't."

Reviews

Koya's Maya Supreme
Sambrani Premium Incense Sticks
June 2023 - Score: 45

Sai Handicraft UK Hand Rolled Loban 
Dec 2023 - Score: 40

Ambica Pooja Sambrani (D)
Jan 2018 - Score: 39

Veer Special Loban 
Match 2020 - Score: 39 

 

B.G Pooja Store Sambrani (P)
Feb 2023 - Score: 33

 

Incensum Benzoin (M)

Oct 2022 - Score: 32 

Yadalam Vaastu Loban Thick Dhoop (D)
Oct 2018 - Score: 32

Aromatika Benzoin cones

Feb 2021 - Score: 32

Hari Om Sambrani (P)
July 2018 - Score: 30

  

Misbah's Natural Loban Candy Agarbathi Benzoin
  June 2023 - Score:  21

Raj Guru Vandana Sambrani Cup 
with Natural Benzoin Filling
Jan 2018 - Score: 20

 

Vedavyasa Parimala Works Sree Chamundeshwari
Sambirani Instant Sticks 
Jan 2023 - Score: 20

Number of scents: 10
Top score: 39
Low score: 20
Average top five: 35
Total score: 30



Links

* Is sambrani smoke harmful
* What is sambrini
* Sambrani benefits
* Slideshare
* Wikipedia
* Thomas Kinkele
* The natural herbalist

 Incense Ratings - Top of the Dhoops!

Gokula Incense Cones Rajnigandha

Rajnigandha means tuberose, quite a heady jasmine like scent often used in perfume. The perfume is very pleasant, but it hasn't been well applied to the cones, so as the cone burns the tuberose scent is overwhelmed by the base material of the cone. This is not a quality product, and performs rather like the cheap self-dipped cones sold cheaply on eBay.  Shame.


Date: March 2020    Score: 19

***

Gokula-incense

HEM Cinnamon

This is sweet and musky with hints of fruit and wood. There's elements of frankincense. It's an odd, but very pleasant mix. Odd because it is hard to pin down the core scent, and also because it doesn't smell of cinnamon. But it is nice. It's a perfumed stick, and the stick itself smell, well perfumed, but also mildly fruity and floral, leaning in the direction of rose perhaps underpinned by peach. But on burning there's a sweet musky sort of frankincense and myrrh scent. Ho hum. Wild. There's no cinnamon in this at all. have they actually put the correct sticks in the packet? Ah! Now. The cinnamon is starting to come through. Hmm. The sticks are machine made, so my thinking is that the batch they made before starting the Cinnamon batch was Frankincense and Myrrh, and some of that perfume remained in the machine and got mixed with these Cinnamon sticks.  Anyway - whatever it is, I like it!


Date: March 2020 (Week 2 of Lockdown)   Score:  36

***

HEM Corporation

Best cinnamon incense

Goloka Cucumber

Delightful fragrance on the stick - sweet, perfumed, light, uplifting, with a crisp, fresh greenness; some light woods, some delicate summer florals. The scent on the burn is very gentle, though elements of the fragrance on the stick do come through in a relaxed manner. There is a sense of the scent of cucumber - light, green, fresh and watery, hints of fragrant watery fruits like melon and peach. Base notes are quite woody and musky, with pale biscuit, Rich Tea, middle notes.  This is a delightful little incense that I don't think I gave my full attention last time. I like this. 

Date: Feb 2024    Score: 38 

First review

Part of Goloka's Aromatherapy series. This is a smooth, cool, relaxing scent - gently fragrant, with hints of perfumed cucumber. It works better than expected. Not a hugely successful scent, but certainly very pleasant - perfect for sunny Sunday mornings.


Date: March 2020    Score: 33

***

Goloka

Hari Darshan Tales of India Maharani Dream

Second review - scroll down for earlier

I have returned to this, and I'm glad I have because I was unfairly harsh on what is actually a very pleasant incense. It is made from a fragrant charcoal paste hand rolled onto a thin bamboo stick dyed pink, and then rolled in a finishing powder.  There is an engaging fruity scent on the stick, and a fresh liveliness suggesting some fruit based essential oil. There is also a delicate floral quality  - it is very inviting, and feels quite pure and wholesome. There is a light, bright, jolly feel to the incense on the stick, quite young and uplifting.  

It is quite gentle and soft on the burn - informing the room and leaving a scent that - as with most decent quality masala incense - lingers for some hours. The scent is a little more woody and sharp than on the stick, which would be the impact of the combustible material, with the deeper scents that don't readily emerge from the stick until they are warmed up.  I suspect I missed out on the delicate subtleties and charms of this incense because the scent on the burn is so gentle and mild. I lit one yesterday and after considering the scent on the burn for a few minutes, sort of turned away and ignored it as I got on with some work, feeling that my March 2020 assessment had got it right. But after about 10-15 minutes or so had passed I found myself enjoying the scent that was enveloping me. It wasn't calling attention to itself, but was just there, around me, almost a part of me so mild and subtle was it - it felt as though it belonged to me, belonged to my world. I'm burning again today and there's woods, fruits and flower petals here, but all very soft and delicate. I'm not getting definite scents, more ghosts and whispers - some jasmine, some rose, some soft sandalwood, some berry fruits. This is the fourth burn over two days, and each burn brings me closer to this delightful little beauty. 

Beautifully packaged, a beautiful and subtle burn, and a great value for money price. Yes, this is an incense I like. It's quite feminine. It is subtle and charming and, eventually, gently seductive. 

Date: Jan 2022   Score:  40 

 

First review

Bought from A Coven of Witches in the New Forest for £1.99, these are available from a variety of online shops, such as  ExoticIncense (America), SunDrops (Australia), and Siesta (UK). A beautifully packaged packet of masala incense by Hari Darshan. OK price for OK masala incense. This is not brilliant - I think more care has gone into the packaging than has gone into the blending of the scent. It is a fairly generic masala incense scent - there's nothing particularly brilliant about it. It's a bit meh. There's a vague blurry floral aroma, but nothing distinctive. It's not that strong, and fades rather quickly for a masala.

Harmless everyday masala incense which appears to be more about the packaging than the scent.

Date: March 2020 (day four of the Covid-19 lockdown)  Score: 28

***

Hari Darshan

Sifcon Werewolf Bite

This is a low priced perfumed incense from Sifcon, available in corner shops as well as incense shops. It is quite bright, ammy sweet, with suggestions of strawberry. Modestly pleasant, though not very strong. It smells fairly generic, like various plastic air fresheners, but is quite acceptable.

It doesn't rock my boat, but is fine as a background room freshener.


Date: March 2020   Score: 25

Sifcon International

Match Incense Grapefruit

There is a vague fruit scent on the cones, which is more blueberry jam than grapefruit, plus a furniture polish scent. Not great. When burning, the scent evaporates, leaving only the vague scent of hot charcoal. Not great.


Date: March 2020   Score: 19

***

Match incense

Match Incense Strawberry

There is a quick whiff of artificial strawberry, then the core charcoal material comes though and it just burns hot and empty. Sadly not an impressive cone, but not offensive. And the box is great fun!


Date: March 2020   Score: 20

***

Match incense

Fruit Fragrances
That'll Make You Drool

Match Incense Green Apple

Mild fruit notes which could be apple. An acceptable fruity incense. As with a number of other Match Incense cones, the perfume is quite light, and the cones are quite small, so the scent doesn't fully inform a room. A small room such as a toilet or bathroom is best. And, as with other Match cones, as the cone heats up so the perfume starts to evaporate, so by the end it's mainly the core material, a lower grade sandalwood, that becomes more noticeable.


Date: March 2020   Score: 25

***

Match incense

Match Incense Rose

There is a heady flower petal aroma to this which is quite simple but quite engaging. Moderately sweet, and, yes, rather rose like. This is not a bad cheap incense. It's fun, and it does what it says on the matchbox.


Date: March 2020   Score: 29

***

Match incense

Match Incense Aloe

Aloe is mostly known for it's skin healing properties rather than its aroma. However, this is a pleasant scent - clean and healthy, a sort of "green" scent. It's not particularly strong, and as the cone warms off the scent gets burned off so the core material, mostly lower grade sandalwood, starts to make itself felt. OK.

Date: March 2020   Score: 25

***

Match incense