Koya's Nirvana Premium Incense Sticks

  

This was part of the batch of samples sent by Koya, and we used it in our little scent comparison where it received a mixed response - top average for most, but among the lowest scores for Chrissie and among the highest for me.  Negative comments included that it was too smoky, and that it smelled of cigars and wet grass, so it didn't feel like a typical incense. I understood why it was compared to cigars as I had a tobacco scent - and a particular tobacco, the St Julien Empire Blend that I also picked up when burning The Mother's Sattva. However, I also had creamy toffee, caramel, black tea, and a solid base of burnt toffee - the whole thing reminding me of Bonfire Night. 

The scent on the stick is divine - and it has all the ingredients noted in the scent comparison, though more cut grass than wet grass, and a touch of late summer hay. There's also dark floral notes, perhaps a lush dark red rose. What I like is that there are loads of scents to intrigue, and it's fascinating to keep sniffing to see if you can pick up another scent, yet the whole remains harmonious - all the scents group together in balance, supporting and complementing each other. It is a dignified, reassuring, mature scent - not entirely masculine because of those floral notes, but certainly commanding and authoritative. It's kind of like a confident female Sherlock Holmes. 

The scent on the burn is as complex, varied, unified, and fascinating as on the stick, though a little lighter, more jolly and fun. And I'm picking up chocolate and a mature alcohol soaked Christmas cake. Oooh - I'm loving this. I have burned it several times now, and it never disappoints. Indeed, it seems to get better each time. It's rare to come upon an incense I love as much as this.  It is available on Amazon in the UK for £9.99, including delivery. It was available in the US, but it looks to be out of stock at the moment. I suspect from the responses during our scent comparison that this will not be an incense that appeals to all - it doesn't have a broad commercial appeal; but for those, like me, who sometimes like a darker, woody, complex and fascinating scent, this one could really take off. If not stocked where you live, try contacting Koya's direct at their website: Koya's Incense.Com   

Date: Nov 2021   Score: 48 

***

Koya's Agarbathi

A little scent comparison

India luxury box incense

The Mother's India Fragrances Rishi

 

Part of the little scent comparison we did a week a or two ago, and which I've not yet written up. This was pretty much universally loved. In the past I have been somewhat hesitant about burning Mother's India Fragrances because of the amount of halmaddi in them, which tended to react badly on me. I seem to be overcoming that reaction, as recently I have not noticed the stinging eyes or tickle in the throat. This is actually a fairly old sample pack which I acquired at the end of 2017 - the maturity may have helped me.  

The scent on the stick is divine - it's a little sort of old fashioned, like a 1950s women's perfume, and there's also a bit of talcum powder. That retro feel is compelling and attractive because it somehow feels modern. The scent on the burn drew comparisons with cotton, flowers, talc and vanilla. I had baby powder. Baby powder is interesting because it borrows scent ideas from Chanel No. 5 (one of my favourite perfumes), and picks up on the clean soapy notes, the rose petal, vanilla and musk that is in No. 5. The whole thing is comforting and relaxing and cooling. It reminds me of some of the modern scents used in British foil wrapped incense.  It is a sweet, playful incense - easy to enjoy, though perhaps lacking the depth and range to make it totally captivating. Certainly an incense I'd be happy to buy again, not so much to explore further, but simply to enjoy as a pleasant, playful, relaxing scent. Good to burn, perhaps, on a sunny summer morning when you simply want to relax and unwind.   

In Hindu religion a Rishi is an enlightened person

Date: Nov 2021   Score: 39 

***

The Mother's India Fragrances

A little scent comparison

Pal-Ji Incense Sticks

  

I bought a bunch of these cheap incense sticks a while back, and I'm now clearing out my back log, and found that I have five I have never burned or reviewed. I can find no information on Pal-Ji - there's no address on the boxes, and nothing about them on the internet. Clearly someone imported them into the UK in bulk (and perhaps is still importing them!) and they turn up in job lots on eBay and other places - you can have 100 boxes delivered for £35, or collect them yourself from a distributor in Bolton for 99p.  They are not awful, but they are not very good either. 

Reviews

  

Pal-Ji Frenk Insence
Score: 24

 

Pal-Ji Honey Suckle
Score: 23

Pal- Ji Musk  

A rather plain packet design - not much effort made here. The stick has been dyed a powdery brown. A solvent scent on the stick kinda like toilet cleaner. Not promising. However, the scent on the burn is quite warm and acceptable. It's sombre and woody and sort of heading in the direction of musk. This could be burned in the house, though after today I'm not going to. And I'm glad to have finished the set of scents. Score: 22 

 

Pal-Ji Green Apple 

Score: 20

 

Pal-Ji Sandal Wood 

Pale yellow is the theme here. The box  is pale yellow, with soft red printing in a sort of retro Beano style design. The stick is either dyed pale yellow or left natural, difficult to tell in the light in my room. The scent on the stick is slightly medicinal - a faded Band-Aid which is common in synthetic agarwood and sandalwood perfumes. The scent on the burn is sort of acceptable - it is modestly synthetic sandalwood and manages to assert itself over the base material (various wood and charcoal powders, including jiggit). This is OK. Score: 20 

Pal-Ji Vanilla
Score: 17

Pal-Ji Lavender 

The stick is dyed green. There is a floral note, reasonably pleasant, on the stick which could be rose or lavender - fairly vague, but OK. On burning there is some mineral aroma, quite nice - mild, but fresh enough to notice. It doesn't remain long, and drifts in and out. Not a great stick, but not offensive. This is the bottom end of perfumed incense, and there's not a lot to like about these sticks. They don't actually offend, but hover in an area just above that. I can't quite decide if this is bottom end of Everyday Incense, or just a Toilet Cleaner. Hmmm. Just a Toilet Cleaner, despite there being some fresh floral notes. Actually, more of the base notes are coming through now. Knocked a few points off. Too weak, and too inconsistent.  Score: 17  

  

Pal-Ji Bouqet
Score: 16

 

Pal-Ji Rose
Score: 15

Pal-Ji Jasmine 

 I like the 1950's children's book colours and illustrations on the pack. Most of the Pal-Ji packs have that same retro style. Faint floral aroma on the stick, which could be jasmine. Stick and incense is dyed a light blue. The burn is very modest. Hardly any perfume. Very neutral. There's a light floral warmth, but not much. It's not offensive, but there's little here to actually like.    Score: 12 

Pal-Ji Lilac 

This one is dyed a pine green. The scent on the stick is soft like cotton with notes of school rubber and sea mineral. Lilac? No, nothing floral for me. As with other Pal-Ji there is not a lot of scent when burned, and it is mostly the sawdust base I smell, a little crude, but not offensive. Barely any fragrance, certainly nothing floral or anywhere near lilac. This one is just for shooing away flies and covering up bad smells.  Score: 10 

Scents reviewed: 11 
Highest score: 24 
Lowest score: 10 
Average: 18 (Toilet Cleaners: Not to be burned in the house; just use in the toilet or outside.)

Conclusion: This is generic low quality bargain basement perfumed incense. The packets are cheaply and crudely designed. There has been little effort to make a quality product, and there is no pretence (other than, perhaps, the words "Export Quality") that these sticks are going to be anything other than utilitarian at best. There is in real terms little difference between the scents - some are better defined than others, but all the scents are weak and the smell of the base powders comes through rather noticeably - which is typical of poorer quality perfumed incense, and why poorer quality masala incenses will tend to still smell OK, because the fragrant ingredients are (mostly) dried, and last longer than oils and perfumes. Anyway, these Pal-Ji sticks are, as of Nov 2021, still available on the internet (and perhaps some market stalls), and deals such as 100 boxes for 99p sound a bargain. But what you are getting is not something that - for most people - will be a pleasure to burn. These are to be used  for covering up bad smells, or in the garden in summer to keep the flies away from the picnic, but even then you may wish to invest in better smelling incense.  Or - if you don't have much money, as a modest way of making an offering at a temple. Up to you, but my advice is not to be tempted. Go buy Moksh - cheap as chips, and with great smells. Or go to Popat Stores where awesome masala incense can be bought for less than a £1 a packet. 

***

The Best Incense Makers

Gonesh Extra Rich Amber

 

Here's a curious one. A perfumed incense made in America by a family of  Lithuanian immigrants who in 1923 took over an existing American incense company called The Hindu Incense Company. They have thrived, and are now one of the most popular incense brands in America.  Gonesh incense can be bought in the UK, though with shipping from America can be expensive such as this variety pack offer of six packs with two ash catchers for £64 on Amazon. Mine came from America via the very decent ExoticIncense shop. I have other American incense which I will be reviewing over the coming weeks. 

Gonesh is a variant spelling of Ganesha, the popular Hindu elephant head god, who is revered as the bringer of luck and intelligence, and the remover of obstacles.  

These are perfumed sticks, and the company make much of the quality of their charcoal, which they have registered under the name HighCharcoal; they claim that they have "the highest charcoal content of any brand currently on the market". Ambiguous wording which could be read as they have more charcoal on the stick than any other brand, which given it is smeared on quite thinly is obviously not true, but would presumably and sensibly mean they have the purest charcoal. The best charcoal is that which has heated the source material (usually wood, but could be other sources such as coconut) to very high temperatures, and so burn off any impurities. The best quality charcoal has no scent of its own, and is able to absorb and hold scents very well. The purest charcoal is used for medical purposes because it has no toxins itself, but can absorb toxins. The best charcoal can be detected by rubbing some ash on the back of your hand - the smoother it is the finer it is (I did the test, and this is a fine charcoal). All incense sticks (joss sticks) contain some form of combustible material, and, if there are oils or perfumes, some form of absorbable material. Charcoal is widely considered to be the best combustible, and the best absorbable material, and the better incense companies will strive to secure the best charcoal. So, it is promising that this American company seems to be aware of this. 

The scent on the stick is good quality. Often with perfumed incense there are sharp notes which can make my eyes water, but - even though fairly strongly perfumed, the scent on the stick is restrained and balanced, with good depth and range. Indications that they take their perfume making seriously. This may not be the House of Chanel, but it's not some bargain basement workshop either - they have made this perfume with some skill and care. Again, this is not something I expected to find in an incense company outside of  Asia. This is not Juicy Jay's or Wild Berry; to be fair, this is a company who appear committed to not producing a cheap incense with a gimmicky smell, but to producing quality scents. There is amber on the stick, along with higher floral notes and deeper musky notes. It is playful, evocative, seductive, joyful, indulgent, sweet, and fairly clean. I'm not getting any solvent notes. This is nice stuff. Promising so far. 

The sticks are thin, and a little longer than average, with just the merest smearing of charcoal and perfume. When first lit the first impression is a restrained amber perfume - woody, removed of some of the sweet top notes, but perfume none the less. Not as attractive as I hoped, but settling into the amber range. Although it is not as pleasant on the burn as on the stick, to be fair, that is quite common; however, after the promise of the stick and what appeared to be an attempt by the company to produce a quality product from a perfumed incense, the burn has let me down. It's not bad. It is better than toilet cleaner, but comes in at the bottom end of Everyday Incense. I did note that when burned upright it had harsher notes than when burned at an incline on an ash catcher, and that I assume is because the higher fragrance notes get burned too quickly when the stick is upright. It is cleaner and purer, with more playfulness when burned on an ash catcher. But still, at the end of the day, not quite the incense it was promising to be, and which I was convincing myself it was going to be. The scent does linger pleasantly in the room, so plus points for that, but overall just an everyday incense. 

Date: Nov 2021   Score: 23 

***

Gonesh

Incense by Country

Amber

Koya's Oudh Premium Incense Sticks

 

One of the bunch of samples sent by Koya's Incense.  I like this, not as much as the others in the range - the Nirvana and the Heavenswood, but it's still a decent incense. A reader who owns an incense shop in America wrote in to complain that it doesn't smell much of Vietnamese agarwood. No, I wouldn't think so at the price - but just in case anyone else runs away with the idea that a packet of incense costing £1.50 ($2) is going to remind them of Vietnamese agarwood, it's worth bearing in mind that incense containing old agarwood is very expensive as there are fewer and fewer old Aquilaria crassna trees that can be harvested for agarwood. Some Japanese incenses which contain old agarwood cost £100 ($135) for a packet. Most agarwood these days comes from younger trees grown on plantations. 

The scent on the stick is a little woody: sandalwood, some cedar, some spice, some tobacco; quite sombre but decent enough. The burn takes a little while to settle down and is initially quite light and flowery, but than agarwood/bukhoor notes start to emerge - not in any profound manner, but quite acceptable. The woody notes and floral notes hover around for a while in a curious dance, though - for me - the floral notes tend to dominate, with a sort of sherbet rose being the most prominent. The burn is sweeter, lighter, more colourful and charming than the stick. The balance between the light, perfumed floral notes, and the more sombre woody notes is uncertain - varying, sometimes erratically, suggestive of  inconsistency in the mix. But the whole experience is pleasant enough. 

Date: Nov 2021    Score: 32  

***

The best agarwood incense

Koya's Agarbathi

India luxury box incense

Fair Trade Om Temple

 

The Om brand is made by Fair Trade Incense Works, who are based in Mumbai and mostly make incense for others to brand. The Om and Nitraj brands have been licensed out to various distributors over the years, and are currently (2021)  handled by Namaste in the UK, Kheops International in North America, KO in Australia, and Liberty in Japan. 

A machine made incense using natural ingredients, as is typical for Fair Trade. There is a pleasant, fresh and wholesome floral scent on the stick, supported by decent, creamy, sweet sandalwood. The burn takes a little while to settle, and is led by woody spice, a little bit prickly, without the attractive sweet and floral nature of the stick. Sandalwood, cedar, pepper, mineral, neutral, wool, are the impressions I get during the burn. Solid, but nothing special. I tend to quite like Fair Trade products, but never get excited by them. They are always decent scents, and the incense is well made, professional, and consistent. But there is not much excitement, creativity, or heart about them. This is professionally made incense, made with a clear eye on the profit line. Job done. There is nothing wrong with them, except, like HEM and SAC Sandesh, they lack soul. Companies like this show that it doesn't matter if the incense is masala or perfumed, what matters is the attitude and spirit of the makers. 

Date: Nov 2021    Score: 25 

***

Fair Trade Incense Works

Radha Madhav Agarbatti

  

A Mumbai based incense company who are followers of Krishna.  All their incense is traditionally made using natural ingredients.  They are were distributed in the UK by Gokula, who are also followers of Krishna. They are available in India from India Mart, and sometimes turn up in the UK on Amazon in 200g packs, or on eBay. 

Reviews

Radha Madhav Damodar
Aug 2019 - Score: 37

Radha Madhav Sandal Supreme (M)

Feb 2024 - Score: 31

Radha Madhav Tulsi / Vrinda Chandan

Nov 2021 - Score: 31

 

Radha Madhav Radha Madhav

Nov 2021 - Score: 29

 

Radha Madhav Nag Champa 

Dec 2022 - Score: 29 

 

Radha Madhav Gopal
Aug 2019 - Score: 29

Radha Madhav Pushpanjali
Nov 2021 - Score: 25

Radha Madhav Jagannath

Nov 2021 - Score: 25

Radha Madhav Lavender (M)
Feb 2024 - Score: 24

Incense reviewed: 9 

Highest score: 37 

Lowest score: 24

Average: 27 (Everyday Incense) 

Conclusion: A modest but pleasant maker of natural incense. Nothing particularly special, but sold by Gokula at a modest price, and worth trying. Much of what I have tried has been around a while, so will try a fresh batch or two of some of the more promising scents to see what they are like new. 

Upcoming reviews: 
* Nag Champa

* Vrindavan Flower 

* Kesar Chandan 

***

The Best Incense Makers

Radha Madhav Pushpanjali

  

Day 3 of the mammoth Gokula binge - reviewing all the old Gokula samples I have in one (several day) session. The samples (mostly) date from May 2013 so are not indicative of what a fresh pack would be like. Masala incense does last a while, certainly longer than perfumed incense, especially when kept in a cool, dark, airtight space, but some of the higher notes will evaporate over a period of eight years - I am allowing  that up to 15 points could be lost per incense. Some of the higher scoring Gokulas I will buy new once I clear my backlog, and see how they behave when fresh. Meanwhile....

This is a crudely rolled stick of uneven character. There is a pleasant floral scent on the stick. On the burn it is that floral character which dominates. This is a pleasant incense - modest but pleasant. There is little of the depth, character, earthiness, or naturalness of a masala stick (even though it is a masala stick), and this presents as a modest everyday perfumed incense. There is nothing offensive about this, but also nothing to get interested in or excited about. A sort of mildly pleasant, modest, everyday floral incense to burn in the background.  

Sold by Gokula at 99p for 20gm, this is currently out of stock at that amount, but is available at £7.99 for 200gm. 

Date: Nov 2021   Score: 25 

***

Gokula-incense

 

Radha Madhav Agarbatti

Radha Madhav Jagannath

  

Day 3 of the mammoth binge of samples from UK incense importer Gokula-incense  - reviewing all the old samples I have in one session. The samples (mostly) date from May 2013 so are not indicative of what a fresh pack would be like. The highest scoring samples I will buy fresh, and review again. This sample is of an incense by Radha Madhav of Mumbai. 

Jagannath is one of the complex representations of Krishna, and is the source for the word juggernaut.  

Scent on the stick is mildly floral mixed with sandalwood.  It hovers around a meld of floral and woody, with some mildly spicy sharp peaks which add a little interest. It's certainly a pleasant aroma, with a couple of vegetal/woody scents that are familiar but I can't quite pin down, but is essentially just a decent everyday masala incense. The burn is smoky and a little acrid, settling down to an everyday damp sawdust and modest sandalwood aroma which gradually evolves into a slightly prickly generic "masala incense" scent.   It's the sort of scent you light and forget. Other than the initial acrid notes, it's an inoffensive and unremarkable incense.  

Available from Gokula at £7.99 for 200 gms.  [2024 note: Hasn't been available in the UK for some time]

Date: Nov 2021   Score: 25  

***

Radha Madhav Agarbatti

Radha Madhav Tulsi / Vrinda Chandan

  

Day 2 of the mammoth Gokula binge - reviewing all the old Gokula samples I have in one session. The samples (mostly) date from May 2013 so are not indicative of what a fresh pack would be like. Masala incense does last a while, certainly longer than perfumed incense, especially when kept in a cool, dark, airtight space, but some of the higher notes will evaporate over a period of eight years - I am allowing  that up to 15 points could be lost per incense. Some of the higher scoring Gokulas I will buy new once I clear my backlog, and see how they behave when fresh. Meanwhile....

Radha Madhav is a Krishna devotee incense company in Mumbai. It appears that Gokula are the only distributors who import them into the UK. Tulsi and Vrinda mean the same thing - both are Indian words for holy basil, which is related to sweet basil, which is commonly used in the West for cooking. Holy basil is a sacred and medicinal herb in India. 

On the stick this is a very scented incense, with more associations with rose petals than either basil or sandalwood (chandan is sandalwood). It is a sweet, powdery rose petal scent - quite heady, but in a light, joyful, feminine way. There is some essential oil, some volatile peaks, sharp nips of petrol, hints of bitter orange, and then the sandalwood comes through. Not creamy and sweet, nor seductive and woody, but clean and sharp like pine. After the rose petal hit, it does settle into something worth digging at a bit further, but it is not entirely compelling, and heady sweet floral notes are not among my favourite scents. 

The scent on the burn is quite fresh, and is again initially rose petals, then settles into a more herbal area with hints of mint, and - perhaps - basil, but a quiet basil. It is much better on the burn than on the stick. And I'm impressed that this is an eight year old incense - it smells so fresh. Gosh, I wonder how heady this would be when new? After a while the sandalwood comes forward, less sharp and pine like than on the stick, more rounded, embracing a modest creamy sweetness as well as musky woodiness. You know, the more I burn this the more I like it. The chandan/sandalwood is becoming more dominant, but the herbal, mint like qualities of the tulsi/vrinda/holy basil wrap around it to make it more complex and interesting than just the sandalwood alone. 

OK, not a world class incense, but one I would be interested to explore fresher. Gokula's blurb is "Sweet and Floral. This unique combination of Tulsi with Sandalwood creates a soothing fragrance for relaxation", and I think I would agree with that. It is a calming scent. 


Date: Nov 2021   Score: 31 

***

Gokula-incense

Radha Madhav Agarbatti

Fair Trade Nitiraj Green Champa

  

Fair Trade are a private label incense company based just outside Mumbai (Bombay) whose Nitiraj brand used to be distributed by Bombay Incense, then Ian Snow, and now I'm not sure, but Nitiraj is widely available in the UK and America. 

This is a sweet incense with floral qualities. Champa is the plumeria flower, also known as frangipani - it has citrus qualities which are present here. There's also almonds, candy, sandalwood and leather. All decent scents, and melding well together. On the burn there's something spicy and woody, with a suggestion of cannabis. It's quite herbal and lacks the sweetness on the stick. It's a modest scent - acceptable as an everyday low end  masala, but nothing more than that. This doesn't lift. But it is clean, and has a cleansing feel. Probably best used as a light background cleanser of the house. 

Date: Nov 2021   Score: 21 

Fair Trade Incense Works

Best of Champa

Gokula Connoisseur Chocolate & Vanilla / Gaura Chocolate Supreme

  

Day 2 of the mammoth Gokula binge - reviewing all the old Gokula samples I have in one session. The samples (mostly) date from May 2013 so are not indicative of what a fresh pack would be like. Masala incense does last a while, certainly longer than perfumed incense, especially when kept in a cool, dark, airtight space, but some of the higher notes will evaporate over a period of eight years - I am allowing  that up to 15 points could be lost per incense. Some of the higher scoring Gokulas I will buy new once I clear my backlog, and see how they behave when fresh. Meanwhile....

I have two samples here - one from the 2013 batch, and one that I was sent in Dec 2019, so is only around two years old. Be interesting to see the difference. The Gaura brand name has been absorbed into the Gokula Connoisseur brand, and the name changed from Chocolate Supreme to Chocolate & Vanilla. It is available at £3.95 for 20gm. I notice that there is a sign on the website saying that the shop is closed for maintenance, and they will reopen on 22/11/21. I hope they don't change the website and break my links! 

The scent on the 2013 stick is sonorous, dark, spirited with sharp peaks, has tobacco, petrol, faint dark bitter orange, leather. Little sweetness or richness, and no chocolate notes that I can pick up. Quite a dense scent, and fairly active. Likeable, but in a modest way. I enjoy more sweetness or wood in my incense. The 2019 sample looks so similar - it could have been rolled by the same person. It smells very similar, though is slightly less sombre, and there are fresher fruit tones, hints of raspberry, and less tobacco. Though it is equally spirited with sharp peaks and hints of petrol. Hard to believe from the appearance and the scent on the stick that over six years separate these two. 

They both have a similar burn appearance - an even controlled burn, releasing an appropriate amount of smoke. The aroma from both is sombre, limited, a bit smoky, burning wood, There is more flavour in the 2019 stick, and I am now getting chocolate. The 2013 is lighter, less interesting, and mostly wood burning. This matches my previous experience with older sticks, that the scent on the stick can remain a long time, but on the burn top notes and range is lost, and the experience is mostly of the heavier scents, and there is a tendency for the base material to assert itself. There's a little dark spice - burnt cinnamon - on both sticks. The 2019 is better, but neither are impressing me. This is not my sort of incense. It is too sombre, and there's not enough going on. 

Date: Nov 2021    Score:   24 

***

Gokula-incense