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| Third review - scroll down for earlier |
Hari Darshan are a well established and respected Indian incense house who make both masala and scented incense for the domestic market. They have been reaching out to the West, exporting everyday scented incense, and beautifully packaged perfumed-masala. This is one of the packs aimed at the West. It uses the perfumed-masala approach that seems to appeal to a broad spectrum of the Western audience, as well as pretty packaging that ties in to Indian culture with its imagery, blurb, and title. I tend to prefer Hari Darshan's domestic masala incense, such as Sandalwood and Om Flora; though, after a rocky start, this Maharani Dream in the Tales of India series rocked my boat last time out.
The sticks are hand-rolled charcoal paste on a pink coloured bamboo splint. The paste is soft and moist with oils. There is an oily volatility on the stick that could go either way, but I'm finding it attractive and seductive, with no harsh notes or irritation. Any carriers or solutions used to enhance the fragrance have been judiciously used. There's an element here which is leaning toward a flora style, such as Hari Darshan use for their top end domestic incense sticks, and I like that. It's sweet, fruity, floral, feminine, fresh, active, uplifting. And it is balanced and grounded by some creamy sandalwood notes.
It is a gentle, unassuming fragrance on the burn. It works mostly in the background with a modest amount of smoke, and without being in any way brash, or calling attention to itself. And gradually the room becomes bright and lively with a fruity/floral pinkness. I like this. It makes the room sunny and happy. It makes me sunny and happy and young. Nice one.
The sticks are hand-rolled charcoal paste on a pink coloured bamboo splint. The paste is soft and moist with oils. There is an oily volatility on the stick that could go either way, but I'm finding it attractive and seductive, with no harsh notes or irritation. Any carriers or solutions used to enhance the fragrance have been judiciously used. There's an element here which is leaning toward a flora style, such as Hari Darshan use for their top end domestic incense sticks, and I like that. It's sweet, fruity, floral, feminine, fresh, active, uplifting. And it is balanced and grounded by some creamy sandalwood notes.
It is a gentle, unassuming fragrance on the burn. It works mostly in the background with a modest amount of smoke, and without being in any way brash, or calling attention to itself. And gradually the room becomes bright and lively with a fruity/floral pinkness. I like this. It makes the room sunny and happy. It makes me sunny and happy and young. Nice one.
Date: March 2025 Score: 38
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| Second review |
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 it 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
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| 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
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