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| Second review - scroll down for earlier |
I have been having a sort out of my stock of incense - and while doing so, I have been plucking out (almost but not quite randomly) sticks that have already been reviewed that it appears it may be appropriate or useful to re-review. This is a clear case of one such incense, as I reviewed this a year ago, burned a few sticks over the course of a few days, and then placed it as my favourite incense on my Top Drawer World Class Incense listing. This is generally what I had done since I started this blog just over ten years ago. This blog was started as an account of my personal discoveries in the world of incense, and the rating and listing was my personal indication of which incenses I liked or found the most or least interesting. This blog, over the years, has attracted more attention than I had anticipated, and some people take the listings and my reviews rather more seriously than I intended. While I am sent a lot of incense to review (much more than I can seriously cope with, and when incense companies ask, I always make clear that this is a hobby, that I have a backlog, and that it may take a while before I review their incense), I always take it that any review is going to be a form of signposting or advertising of the company and their incense, and that what I actually say, or what score I give, is always going to be accepted as my personal opinion, even if I am recommending the incense or the incense house, as I did in this review. However, people do tell me that they buy incense that I rate highly, and some are pleased when they do so, while others are disappointed. Such is the nature of personal taste. And even when people share tastes, there are going to be points at which they diverge. Such is life. Anyway - my enthusiasm for Koya's has been quite strong - not for all their products; there are plenty, such as the Rose and the Pineapple, that I rate low or ordinary; but enough to give me pause for thought in if I was being a tad over enthusiastic. So, shortly after placing this Rasta top of my chart, I decided that if I rated an incense highly, before placing that incense on my Top Drawer listing, that it would go into a Purgatory listing for at least a month, and then I would review it again to see if after a month had passed I was still enthusiastic.
So, a year later, do I still find this incense to be the best in the world?
The packet is a luxury box, with a glossy soft yellowy green colour which makes me think of patchouli and of cannabis. There is a stylised image of a burning joss stick, the smoke rising to meet some Toblerone type mountains, behind which the sun is setting or rising. The subtitle is "The Spiritual Journey of Life". The wording is "Natural Incense is Prepared from odoriferous resins, gums & Natural essential oils. This mystic aroma is specially formulated to worship GOD, to deodorize living quarters and to create a peaceful atmosphere for everyday activity." Not exactly inspired or uplifting wording, and there is a sense in which they might be better off not using them as it says nothing other than the obvious and banal. The packet is, though, on the whole, attractive. The front and back are identical.
The sticks are 9 inches long with 7 inches of soft crumbly black paste hand-rolled onto a plain bamboo splint. The paste has been sparingly covered with a brown wood powder called melnoorva, which prevents the sticks from gluing together when drying, though is also used for the appearance. While the main powdered fragrant ingredients (the "masala" or noorva ) are mixed into the paste along with oils, charcoals, binders, and other ingredients, the powder or melnoorva on the outside may also contain fragrant ingredients. The main scent on this stick is quite volatile, indicating that the fragrance comes from an oil or perfume which may have been applied after the powder via spraying or dipping. It is an utterly gorgeous scent - sweet as sherbet, flowery, bright, gay, refined, uplifting. There are some petrol notes, which are not off-putting, they are fairly neutral. Some woody notes emerge, mostly soft sandalwood, though there's also a hint or suggestion of perfume soaked agarwood, just that touch of bakhoor. There's pine and honey and bees wax. There's herbs. And some awareness of patchouli. It's an awesome masala of fragrances.
The burn is steady, producing a slightly thin but still attractive blue grey smoke. The scent is gentle though not shy, unfolding into all parts of the room, and infusing the house with an indulgent gorgeous fragrance for days afterwards. The scent on the burn mostly echoes the scent on the stick, though is both warmer and sharper. Because of the many elements in the fragrance, this is an incense does not not reveal itself fully when wafted. This is an incense that needs space and time to unfold and develop. Wafting will only give you parts of the overall fragrance, and not necessarily the best parts. Allow this incense to come to you, and you will be well rewarded. Oh gosh, this is truly special. Wood, chocolate, flowers, sweet patchouli. Heavenly.
Yes, I'm keeping the score of 50.
Date: Dec 2023 Score: 50
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| First review |
This is a beautiful natural (or masala) incense, rich with oils and resins. It has an identifiable Koya's feel about it - an earthy elegance. Koya's premium incense is among the best available anywhere, and it's a shame they are hardly known outside India. An incense distributor in Europe, America, or Australia should get in touch with the company at Koya, and work out a deal.
The scent on the stick is floral and woody and musky - I love that it blends three key areas. It's sweet, yet also has an edge of spice. There's rose, there's vanilla, there's agarwood, there's sweet African tobacco - a tantalising and adorable range of scents. Gosh this is stunning stuff. I'm so pleased a reader turned me on to Koya's a few years back. At moments like this I genuinely feel that Koya's are not just among the best incense makers, but are the top incense company in the world right now. It's clear that they purchase top quality ingredients, and that the person responsible for formulating their recipes knows what they are doing, and has the nose for blending fascinating scents.
The stick is made from a masala-charcoal paste hand-rolled around a plain machine-cut bamboo splint, and then rolled in a woody melnoorva powder to prevent the sticks gluing together as they dry. Essential oils are used in the mixture - and it is the oils that carry the weight of the fragrance on the stick.
The scent on the burn is as fascinating and compelling as on the stick. It continues to be a rich, though not overbearing, scent, predominantly focused on a sweet rose underscored by a spicy tobacco and creamy wood. It burns slowly and evenly, lasting for over an hour. The room is gently informed and filled with the scent, which lingers pleasantly into the next day (and longer). This is awesome.
It is a sensual scent, gently sexy, yet also quite calming and reassuring. It has an assured gravitas, and is paradoxically refined yet earthy. Golly, there is so much going on here, and none of it clashes - all the scents and the emotions created from the scents are in harmony, even when they should be in conflict. I adore this scent. I have burned a good few sticks now, and each burn impresses me more. The scent from stick to stick is consistent, but with each burn I learn more, discover new nuances, new balances, new shades. This is great stuff.
If you have any interest at all in incense (and I assume you would have, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this), then go out and find yourself some of this incense. There are, sadly, few outlets outside India, but Koya's have been experimenting with posting on Amazon, so you could try there first. And if you find nothing, then contact Koya's directly on their contact page - they are very friendly and helpful.
Date: Nov 2022 Score: 50
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| India luxury box incense |
I think as 1 USD= 90 INR the incense that you are smelling is made at least with 50 times more care/depth than what they sell in their/my country. This really is just dollar value speaking. Indian version is trash.
ReplyDeleteI am also surprised to see that both top 50 scores given to this company. Is there a marketing campaign on to start/boost their exports through your sphere of influence in the international incense community?
DeleteI am often sent incense to review. Each company that sends the incense no doubt hopes to get a little bit of promotion. Generally it is the more confident, but lessor known, companies that send me stuff - the bargain basement companies, and the already well known companies, tend not to send me samples. And it is not uncommon (and it makes sense) for a company to send me a bunch of stuff to review after I have already positively reviewed one of their products.
DeleteI always warn companies (and individuals) that I have a huge backlog, and this is a hobby, so it may take a while before I review their product - much depending on circumstance and inclination. I have samples here from years back that I've not yet touched.
I respond to incense on a mainly subjective level. There are a number of factors that influence the score: the scent, the packaging, the ethics of the company, the price, the history, the time of day, my mood, the reputation of the incense (too big a reputation can result in a lower score if my hopes are raised then disappointed; while a low or unknown reputation can result in a higher score if the incense has pleasingly surprised me), what other people say, problems or inconsistencies during the burn, etc, etc. And I sometimes find that I burn the same incense on a different day and I have a different experience.
We all tend to have different responses to the same incense. This blog is my record of my experiences. The intention was not to set out to guide other people. Indeed, I was very ignorant when I started the blog. I have learned a bit over the years, though I still have much to learn, and there's areas I really wish to explore more. I do acknowledge that as time has gone by, that people have been writing to me as a useful source on incense, though I hope that people will still recognise that I come from the stance of an individual reporting on their personal experiences with incense.
Now and again, as here with the Koya, I might get enthusiastic and urge people to try it. But that is purely as one incense lover to another. I don't get paid - well, I do get an income from people clicking on the adverts, but by golly that doesn't cover what I spend on buying incense when people recommend it to me. And I tend to always follow up on recommendations. Generally I find there is a reason why people are recommending something.
As regards the incense I reviewed. It was made for the Indian market. It was sent directly to me from the company in India. It is the same product that is sold in India. The price was marked in rupees.
And it's worth noting that the bulk of the incense they sent me I regarded as unremarkable, such as
Koya's Nexa Premium Incense
Thank you for the clarification.Actually i depend on you SOOO much for guidance into the evolving incense market here that i felt really hurt to read and see this incense get 50/50. I am sorry if my words have hurt you.I am sorry. But believe me the run of the mill batches here are trash.
ReplyDeleteOpinions are subjective. It's always good to get a range of opinions.
DeleteAlso i am suggesting "DHANUSH KHANDAN" from Prabhu Shri Ram incense. I hope that you find it a suitable apology from my side.
ReplyDeleteI've looked, and it is not available in the UK, and those sellers in India who do have it do not ship to the UK.
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