Tulasi Sandalwood Masala Incense

 

Second review - scroll down for earlier

I've just reviewed a Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi (HMS) incense, Dhupa Sandalwood, and as I was putting the packet away in a drawer I noticed this little sampler, which I originally reviewed two years ago, but hadn't given a high score. There are similarities with the HMS stick in that this is also quite thinly rolled, that the stick is pleasantly perfumed, and that the scent on the burn is fairly modest. 

The scent on the stick is a little soapy and artificial and quite perfumed. It's clear that this is a synthetic sandalwood, and the "masala" aspect is mainly for marketing purposes as I doubt there is any physical fragrant ingredients in the paste. Fragrance oils and DEP are likely to be the main culprits, though the stick has been given a melnoorva powder coating for appearance sake. The paste is a little moist and crumbly, so this is not a charcoal blank which has been dipped into a fragrance liquid. This appears to be a modern perfumed masala, which are becoming increasingly common. My understanding is that a masala paste is made up, but that, unlike with traditional masalas which - like Tibetan incense - use dried fragrant ingredients: plants, resins, woods, petals, etc, these perfumed masala sticks use liquid scents: essential oils, synthetic fragrance oils, etc, often with DEP as a plasticiser to increase the scent of the oils and perfumes.   Anyway, on the stick this smells like a pleasant sandalwood soap. 

There is a decent column of grey smoke on the burn. The fragrance is woody, musky, slightly sweet, very enjoyable. It's a warm, comforting, and cleansing scent - very welcome in my home. This is a decent incense, and I feel I was under-appreciative when I first reviewed it two years ago. 

Date: March 2024   Score: 33

First review

A free sample of a masala Tulasi. It's interesting to see that a number of well established Indian incense companies known for their perfumed incense are not only selling masala but are expanding their masala range and promoting it in the West. This has a moist charcoal paste hand-rolled onto a plain bamboo splint, which is then rolled in a finishing powder, and coated with an essential oil - in this case, a sandalwood essential oil and possibly a sweeter, more floral oil.  

The scent on the stick is floral and sweet with notes of parma violet, or - more accurately - of  Parma Violets. There is some volatility which I don't experience when I use my collection of essential oils (I will do a post on those at some point), so my assumption (just a speculation) is that the oil has been cut with agarbatti oil (DEP), which I have discovered recently is what is done with around 98% of incense in India. 

The scent on the burn is deeper, darker, and more woody. The ash is quite fibrous, suggesting that this is coconut charcoal rather than wood (which is better for the environment). Overall it is attractive, modest, with a woody base and some fleeting sweet floral notes, though also some sense of burning or scorching wood. It's an OK everyday incense, but not one that sweeps me away. And, as with a number of modern masalas I've been burning recently, I'm wondering just how much this is a genuine masala, and how much it is a perfumed incense. 

Date: Jan 2022 Score: 27

***

More Tulasi reviews

Sandalwood