Aromatika Patchouli Incense Cones

 

Quite herby and green smelling - not as sweet as the previous Aromatika cones I've tried. There's a little bit of  Tibetan incense and a little bit of patchouli about this. This is the best Aromatika cone from the Natural Masala Incense Cones collection that I've yet tried. It's not a masala cone, it's perfumed, and a rather light perfume, so it doesn't penetrate a large room, doesn't linger, and can be outdone by the base burning material of the cone. However it has a sultry warmth and I'm quite liking this. 

Date: Jan 2021   Score:  27

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  Aromatika

Patchouli

Aromatika Palo Santo Incense Cones

 

I've had good experience of Aromatika incense - some of their incense is in my top drawer. However, I'm not impressed with these "natural masala" cones. They are not natural masala, they are perfumed. The image on the boxes is that the cones are coloured according to the scent. Well, none of mine are  - mine are all same undyed raw colour. The boxes are all sealed, and the plastic bags inside are all unbroken Aromatika bags, so these are Aromatika cones. There is a possibility that this is a rogue bunch, and what I have got is not what is supposed to be in the boxes, but when we come to the  7 Chakras box the interior contains different coloured cones, as it appears it is supposed to be. So it doesn't appear to be a mistake. Perhaps there is a rogue distributor who has carefully replaced all the Aromatika masala cones with Aromatika perfumed cones (the company makes both, and perfumed are always cheaper). I somehow doubt that - it seems very involved - and what on earth would they then do with all the masala cones? So, I have to assume that the company wanted to produce some masala cones in different colours, but in the end opted for undyed perfume-dipped cones, but didn't want to waste the boxes they already had printed. That seems more likely. 

Palo Santo is a fragrant wood from the bursera graveloens tree, which is in the same family as the trees which produce frankincense and myrrh. I bought some palo santo woods a while back, but haven't yet got round to reviewing them. The cone has a volatile mineral, candy, citric, mint, caramel, and cigarette-ash aroma.  When burning the scent is light and soon dominated by the base material, and is a little smoky. The cone doesn't last too long.  Not impressive. 

Date: Jan 2021   Score:  20

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  Aromatika

Aromatika African Musk Incense Cones

Quite a sweet scent on the cone - midway between floral and fruit - with some pine. Fairly volatile, so the scent appears to come from a liquid source than from the dry ingredients. The terms "natural" and "masala" indicate that the scents are derived from natural ingredients gathered together rather than from an artificial scent manufactured in a lab, but it does not preclude liquid scents such as essential oils. 

What's the difference between essential oils and perfumes? An essential oil is made by distilling the fragrant (or "essential") parts of a plant. The resulting liquid contains "volatile" chemical compounds that are readily released into the air, even at room temperature. These chemical compounds are those found naturally in the plant. Perfumes, for thousands of years, have been made from essential oils - either just one, or a blend of several - sometimes on their own, or mixed with other fragrant ingredients, such as powered flower petals. An essential oil, therefore, is a potential ingredient in perfume, usually blended with other fragrant ingredients, and usually mixed with water and/or alcohol. The less diluted, the more expensive the perfume. The scents which are most diluted are colognes;  eau de toilettes are less distilled than colognes; eau de parfums are even less distilled, then essential oils, which in their pure form are not distilled. 

So, if a perfume is made from an essential oil, which may be an ingredient in a natural or masala incense, why are some people who consider themselves incense connoisseurs so hostile and dismissive toward perfumed (or "perfume-dipped" as termed in the West) incense? That's because since the 1850s, when various chemists discovered that various aromatic compounds could be created from   Benzaldehyde, chemists have been involved in making perfume, and some people have a dislike or distrust of processes they don't understand or can't replicate themselves, while others would prefer, aesthetically and morally, that items, such as food and love making and scent, are as natural as possible. Others are happy to eat white bread and Pot Noodles, use lubricant, and burn HEM incense. Each to their own. 

Anyway. Back to the incense. It makes very little impression when being burned. It is a modest, run-of-the-mill incense. There is little impression of the musk initially, though after the top fruity, flowery notes (mildly citric, mildly lavender) have floated, some of the base notes do come through, but also so do some of the rough base notes of the core material - the sawdust, etc. 

On the whole this is lower end everyday stuff. it's not offensive, but it is far from top quality, and has little use beyond general air freshening. 

Date: Jan 2021   Score:  22

***

  Aromatika

Musk

Jaycia Passion Opium

 

Running out of casual incense for the outhouse, I grab this everyday perfumed charcoal incense which is distributed by a UK wholesale company,  Jaycia, based in Birmingham.  It doesn't appear that the company distributes this anymore, but some sites, such as JustAromatherapy, still have stocks, so it's not quite a Vintage incense yet. It's not clear who makes this for Jaycia, but it is very basic bargain basement stuff. There is a crisp burning scent, with little awareness of the perfume that I found modest but pleasant two years ago. That is a particular down side to cheap perfumed charcoal incense, the scent evaporates quite quickly. 

This is basic stuff. The sticks are 10 inches long with 8 inches of hand rolled charcoal paste which has then been dipped in a chemical perfume. There is a claim of the use of "natural essential oils and medicinal herbs" with oils such as sandal, geranium, benzoin, etc, mentioned. Yeah, a few drops of oil in tub of diethyl phthalate (DEP) most likely. Cheap and nasty. Could have been made anywhere in Southeast Asia - quite possibly Vietnam. I'm not impressed. This is now more in the area of toilet cleaner than outhouse incense. I'll see what the cats think, and it it makes the outhouse too unpleasant, I'll just dump them. 

Not recommended. 


Date: Sept 2023   Score:  19 

Perfume-dipped charcoal incense commissioned and distributed by a UK wholesaler, Jaycia.  

Modest but pleasant scent. Warm, almost seductive. It sits in the background, quietly dark and mysterious. It'll do as a gentle inoffensive room freshener, but little more than that. Could be used to subtly inform a room before a potential lover arrives. It's discrete enough not to draw attention to one's desire, but will help create the right atmosphere.

Date: Jan 2021   Score: 26

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Opium

Passion by Jaycia