Even though I have been doing this blog for 10 years (woohoo, ten years - I missed the anniversary date in Feb, and only just noticed that it's been ten years), and have burned some incense in that time, mostly Indian, I feel I'm only now starting to get some understanding of the Indian incense market. The bulk of the market is this incense - everyday perfumed incense. Not expensive, but well made, and producing pleasant, consistent, and reliable scents. These 8 inch sticks, with approx 6 1/2 inches of extruded charcoal paste impregnated with a synthetic perfume, are standard fare, and are sold in an oblong cardboard packet with 20g of sticks for 10 Rupees (around 10p). The sticks light up with a black smoke, then settle into a modest burn for around 50 minutes.
The top companies, such as Cycle, Moksh, Mangaldeep, Zed Black, HEM, Patanjali, Hari Darshan, and Nandi, succeed domestically through producing reliable, professional sticks with attractive, commercial scents at a low cost, and with good marketing and distribution. Some, such as HEM, will also succeed in exports, aiming, as with the domestic market, at an audience who are mainly looking for pleasant, everyday scents at a low cost. There are some customers who are willing to pay more for incense with scents that are less synthetic and more natural, and which are, or give the appearance of being, masala incense, and this is a growing market, which has for years been mostly dominated by Satya. Some customers look for something other than or "beyond" Satya, feeling that Satya is too "big business" or commonplace for them to identify with (and image is key in all products); so there are small, traditional companies, "artisan" or "cottage", who don't, perhaps, have the will, the desire, or the means to go into large production, and so remain small and traditional. They may wish to remain traditional, hand-rolling with as close to natural products as they can because that is their ethos and way of life, or they may feel a little trapped in the marketplace, unable to expand into synthetic and/or larger scale production without losing their existing customer base. These small, traditional producers may hope to develop a name for themselves, though many find it more economic to sell their incense in bulk to own brand or resellers, such as Happy Hari, Absolute Bliss, Prabhuji's Gifts, or Berk.
In and around these incense makers, are the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of incense companies, mostly small, but many medium sized, who aim for one or more of the existing markets - either directly under their own name, selling in their own branded packets, or in bulk stick order to a distributor, who may themselves be quite small, or may be quite large, such as Mangaldeep.
Anyway, enough waffle....
These sticks are quite mild and gently informative. The scent doesn't have a big impact, and doesn't remain for long, but there is no unpleasant ashy after-smell. They are what they are. An inexpensive everyday modest room freshener. Light up a handful and wander round the house doing a low key, low cost, synthetic smudging. Because they are so modest, best grab something more assertive if the dog has just farted.
Date: Oct 2023 Score: 22
Patanjali Agarbatti - a branch of Patanjali Ayurved, a manufacturer and distributor of various foods and goods in India, who were founded in 1956 in New Delhi, are considered one of the Top Incense Brands in India, so I'm trying them out. AyurvedaProducts.co.uk sell Pantanjali incense for a modest price - 20g boxes for £1.49, which retail in India for 10 Rupees (10p or 13 US cents). The sticks are machine-extruded charcoal paste on a machine-cut bamboo splint, impregnated with a perfume. This is standard perfumed incense, the most popular form of incense in India. It can be used to freshen a room, to cover a bad smell, to create a mood, to keep away flies, or to be used as part of a pooja ritual.
This one is called Pooja, though it has no special characteristics to differentiate it from any standard/everyday perfumed incense stick. There are the familiar volatile aromas on the stick, reminiscent of a pine disinfectant. The stick burns evenly, and at a good pace, dispersing the scent into the air so the room becomes informed by the scent, but not overwhelmed. This is not bargain basement shit which simply smells of cheap sawdust and burned ash, but nor is it pleasingly engaging. It is just there - a perfumed incense scent. The scent is not clearly defined - it's a generic perfumed incense smell, though it's in the floral area, inclining toward sweet. It's generally sort of pleasant, though has tones of chemical, and is kinda sharp.
Essentially this is not great, but neither is it obviously offensive. I am a little surprised it is considered a market leader, as this is just above bargain basement stuff. I guess price and ready availability, coupled with it not being offensive, would incline people toward buying it and then repeat buying it. 10 Rupees is a competitive price - though Koya's have some incense at this price, which is more characterful and pleasant than this dull stuff.
Date: March 2022 Score: 22
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