I took a look into Flora and Fluxo incense to understand these terms, and to see if there is any difference between when these terms are used, and if so what that difference is. As reported in my review of the Hari Om Fluxo, some Indian agarbathi makers seem to regard Fluxo as another term for masala incense, though perhaps fatter and richer - creating a rich, strong scent which will fill the room with the "flow" of the incense energy and scent. Incenses named Flora are normally also masala, though I've had some which were perfume-dipped, such as Moksh Swarna Sai Flora Batti. Most Flora is fat and rich, such as Balaji Red Premium Flora Sticks, though some, such as Sagon Sainath Flora Bathi, can be fairly dry and more like a standard masala. When looking back at my reviews of Flora and Fluxo incense I noticed that Supreme was also a term used for fatter and richer masala incense, such as Gokula Vrindavan Supreme, Happy Hari Meena Supreme, and Satya Supreme. On the whole I am tending to the thought that Flora, Fluxo and Supreme are terms generally used for fatter, richer masala incense, though as the terms are used just for marketing, as with the Moksh, they have no more significance than the word "premium", but in this case meaning "strong".
Some suggestions given to me by various Indian incense makers are that, while there is no defined definition or classification of "flora" and "fluxo" (and other terms such as "durbar", "supreme", "absolute", etc), and that each maker will use the terms as they see fit, a "flora" will tend to be a higher quality masala, or will contain more oils, or will simply be stronger (though at least one has said "softer and more refined"). Nobody has suggested that the term refers to floral, though I suspect that it links in with a common term in India for masala incense, and that is the term "natural" - as "flora" means plants, which is what a masala or natural incense was traditional mostly made from. The terms "natural" or "herbal" seem to me, based partly on anecdotal evidence of the incenses I have burned, partly on trawling through Indian incense company brochures and websites, and partly on the research I have done, to be more frequently used in India than "masala", which is more common in the West.
I'm becoming aware that most luxury boxes contain "Flora" style incense, and that much "Flora" style incense is sold in luxury style boxes in India. There is a relationship. At least in India - when Flora style incense is packaged for a Western reseller such as Happy Hari, TOI, or Bhagwan, they use the same packaging as for the rest of their output.
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| Balaji Red Premium Flora Sticks (M) Jan 2025 - Score: 50↑↑ |
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| Hari Darshan Sandalwood (M) Mar 2025 - Score: 46↑ |
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| Absolute Bliss Bengali Jungle Fluxo Durbar (M) Oct 2021 - Score: 46 |
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| Milo's Temple Maha Milo (M) Feb 2024 - Score: 45 |
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| Happy Hari Meena Supreme (M) Oct 2020 - Score: 44 |
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| Gokula Goloka Supreme (M) Feb 2024 - Score: 45↑ |
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| Monsoon Floral Bouquet (PM) Feb 2026 - Score: 43 |
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| Om Brand Sweet Musk Incense Flora Sticks (M) Jan 2025 - Score: 43↑ |
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| Happy Hari/Cultures of Eden Darshan Flora (M) June 2018 - Score: 42 |
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Jan 2022 - Score: 42↓ |
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| Anand Mayur Flora Fluxo Bathi (M) Nov 2023 - Score: 42↓↓ |
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| ELIF Sunflora (M) Mar 2022 - Score: 40 |
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| Gokula Gopala Darshan Flora (M) May 2013 - Score: 40 |
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| ELIF Capture Luxury Flora Incense (M) Nov 2022 - Score: 32 (Average of five reviews) |
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| Rathnams Tanjore Flexo Sticks (M) Sept 2021 - Score: 39 |
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| Padma Antique Flora Bathi (M) Aug 2023 - Score:38 |
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| Sri Sai Flora Fluxo Incense (M) Jan 2022 - Score: 36 |
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| Satya Supreme (M) Feb 2015 - Score: 35 |
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| Hari Om Vishwa Sai (Fluxo Incense) (M) Sept 2017 - Score: 35 |
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| Blue Pearl "Premium" Golden Champa (M) Feb 2026 - Score: 35 |
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| Moksh Swarna Sai Flora Batti (P) June 2017 - Score: 35↑ |
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| Gokula Ananda Flora Fluxo (M) Feb 2024 - Score: 34 |
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| Hari Om Fluxo Incense (M) Sept 2017 - Score: 34 |
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| SAC (Sandesh) Atma Darshan Flora (M) Apr 2023 - Score: 34=↑ |
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| Hari Darshan Om Flora (M) Jan 2025 - Score: 34 |
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| Goluka Gaura Absolute Cedarwood / Primo Cedarwood (M) Aug 2019 - Score: 33 |
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| Gokula Vrindavan Supreme (M) Aug 2019 - Score: 33 |
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| Balaji Om Shree Sai (M) Dec 2024 - Score: 32↓↑↓ [Average 33] |
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| Ganesh Flora by Aargee (M) Aug 2025 - Score: 32= |
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Feb 2024 - Score: 31 |
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| Hari Om 12/- Mangala Jyothi 3 in 1 Flora Sticks (M) May 2023 - Score: 27↑↓ |
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| Gokula Gaura Rose Supreme (M) July 2017 - Score: 30 |
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| Sagun Radhe Shyam Flora Bathi (M) Oct 2021 - Score: 30 |
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| Sagon Sainath Flora Bathi (M) Sept 2021 - Score: 28 |
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| Om Sai's Vithoba Flora Sticks (M) March 2024 - Score: 27 |
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| Hari Darshan Gold Premium Flora Batti (PM) Nov 2023 - Score: 24 |
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| Sagun Shiv Flora Bathi (M) Oct 2024 - Score: 21↑↓↑ |
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| Sree Vani Sri Akhand Jaap Flexo Bathi (M) Oct 2021 - Score: 20↑ |
Top score: 50
Low score: 20
Average: 36
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| Different Scents |
For myself, I will define Floras as having a rich, powerful base of halmaddi, vanilla/sandal, and being bigger than Champas. They are not as scent oriented but ambience oriented, filling a room with rich, luxurious, and sweet Champa-like fragrance. Some companies like Padma put out floras with distinctive front loaded scents, but it is Elif that one can look to for a standard of how Floras present. They are more horizontal than vertically scented. This comes from a careful mixing of the base with top notes. I don’t know of any maker of Floras better than Elif. If there are, I’d like to know about them.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, Ho Go, your view of Elif is not widely shared by some of the distributors I have spoken to. I like Elif - not as much as you, but I like the incense, and I certainly like it more than one particular distributor who was rather scathing about the overall quality. I do think, though, that while the incense is decent, the price is not. I like the general ambiance around the brand - I like the packaging, and I like the human story of the family recreating an historic incense that their father used to make. I like that direct link. Though it gets a bit smudgy when it comes to the manufacturing side, as I recall that they don't make the incense themselves.
DeleteAroma is a subjective experience - it is going to be different for each individual, though there will be qualities that are culturally shared, and some of these can possibly be universal. However, it is not going to be possible to create an aroma that everyone will be excited by. It is possible to have an aroma that most people will find pleasant or acceptable; though it will be somewhat bland. Vanilla, magnolia and beige are popular flavours, colours and aromas, though these tend to lack excitement.
Incense makers put together ingredients that they feel will work, and the end result may lack excitement or character, but may be pleasant enough that many people like it. Other times the ingredients may work together for an individual or group of individuals such that they become very excited. This may be incidental (some makers may only have one or two recipes that provoke such a response) or a maker may be sophisticated enough to be aware of a market niche and be able to respond to it, making a number of recipes around the same premise, and with the ability to develop that across a number of ranges. Given that Elif have as yet made very few recipes, and there isn't a wide acceptance of those recipes, it is a little early to say they are the standard for anything. What we can say is that they appear to be earnest and serious about their incense making, and are dedicated to making a success out of what they are doing, and that some people, such as you and me, like them. And even you and I differ in our appreciation of what they do!