Incense in The Wind: Balaji Golden Flora Natural Incense Sticks

Balaji make respectable traditional "natural" or "masala" incense which are not expensive. This pack of 15 sticks sells for 25 rupee (about 25p or 32 cents) in India. I think this was one of a bunch I picked up at my local hippy shop in Southampton for £1, though can be bought online in the UK for 75p, or $2 in the US.

I've burned a few different Balaji over the years, and though my scores have varied, there seems to be an identifiable pattern to the sticks in that they are quite traditional with a familiar "masala scent" to them - nothing unusual, nothing special, nothing refined, but all are well made with decent quality ingredients. And this fits right in with that. It's an OK masala incense - it's not bad, but it's not exciting either. It'll do the job, and it'll be liked more by those who like masala than those who like perfumed incense.

The sticks consist of a fragrant charcoal paste which appears to be machine extruded onto a dyed pink bamboo splint, and then coated in a fragrant melnoorva powder (which is used mainly to stop the damp sticks from gluing together as they dry). The paste is dry and hard. I don't know if this is the result of age, poor storage, or if that is the way it normally is for this incense. My general experience is that when the paste on natural incense is soft or moist the burn will be more pleasant than when it is dry. The scent is mildly volatile - a sort of old, tired volatility, and is mildly floral in an old fashioned ladies knickers style - a touch of rose, as though a little bag of rose petals has been placed in the knickers drawer to keep the knickers smelling fresh. It's OK, but doesn't reach out to me. There's also a faint sense of old sandalwood and halmaddi.

This may well be a flora style incense as the name implies, though - if so - then it is likely to be an old (or weak) example as there is little of the fragrant and/or essential oil that I associate with the style. Of course, the intention may well be to only use a modest amount of oil, but my overall experience with this, and the previous incense I reviewed from the Southampton hippy store, is that it really does present as old and faded rather than fresh. The scent on the burn is acceptable, but unexciting. This doesn't really do much for me. It's OK, but rather minor.

Date: May 2022 Score: 22

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