 |
| Second review - scroll down for earlier |
I love patchouli, so most patchouli incenses will seduce me - it doesn't take much! This is a pleasant room-freshener incense with sweet spots and some musk, and it approximates patchouli, though wanders a little too far from the core essentials to hold my interest. It's sugar sweet, and is more vanilla sweet than the musky, earthy sweetness of the patchouli I love. There is vanilla on the stick, and a frosty volatility. It's attractive in a commercial way - an easy draw, like doughnuts with sugar icing. Yes, it's like Krispy Kreme. The vanilla content is no doubt why some people feel the source for this incense from American based distributor Blue Pearl, is Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi whose incense tends to be vanilla scented. And, after comparing with HMS Patchouli, I agree. The scent profile, and the appearance is spot on - too close for coincidence.
I like this incense, though more as a sweet and rather limited room freshener than as a proper patchouli. It's gentle, pleasant, moderately uplifting and quietly fun. A charming and sweet little burner.
Date: Feb 2024 Score: 31
 |
| HMS Patchouli |
I like this incense, though more as a sweet and rather limited room freshener than as a proper patchouli. It's gentle, pleasant, moderately uplifting and quietly fun. A charming and sweet little burner.
Date: Feb 2024 Score: 31
 |
| First review |
Earlier this year (Jan 2022) I received an order from the excellent American incense site ExoticIncense which included Blue Pearl Classic Champa, which we absolutely loved, and this Patchouli. I was very excited by the Blue Pearl brand, and found a UK stockist, Vitamin Grocer, so made a small order of samples. I was a little surprised on opening the pack to discover that, unlike the Classic Champa, which is a masala incense, this is a perfumed charcoal. However, as I've become aware more and more this year, there is not exactly a solid divide between perfumed incense and natural/masala incense. It's not a yin yang thing, it's more of a spectrum.
On that joss stick spectrum, this Blue Pearl Patchouli has been hand rolled with a charcoal paste, dusted with a melnoorva powder, and impregnated with an essential oil rather than a perfume. It smells bloody good. The scent on the stick is not exactly pure, despite the claim on the pack that "Aromatherapy Grade Essential Oils" have been used - it's a little darker than a pure patchouli oil is (I have several patchouli essential oils, as patchouli is one of my favourite scents, and I like to wear it). There's a woody base, along with some old satchel leather, and some light fruit; the whole creating a warm and pleasing and very attractive scent, but without the sexy, sensual, musky quality of patchouli.
On that joss stick spectrum, this Blue Pearl Patchouli has been hand rolled with a charcoal paste, dusted with a melnoorva powder, and impregnated with an essential oil rather than a perfume. It smells bloody good. The scent on the stick is not exactly pure, despite the claim on the pack that "Aromatherapy Grade Essential Oils" have been used - it's a little darker than a pure patchouli oil is (I have several patchouli essential oils, as patchouli is one of my favourite scents, and I like to wear it). There's a woody base, along with some old satchel leather, and some light fruit; the whole creating a warm and pleasing and very attractive scent, but without the sexy, sensual, musky quality of patchouli.
The scent on the burn is again very attractive but without being heavenly or special. It is an expansion of the scent on the stick - modestly sweet with some vanilla, some light woods, and some waxy florals - jasmine, magnolia, and frangipani. It's all very nice, and certainly very commercial, so I'm not surprised that Blue Pearl sells in both incense stores and Walmart in America. It breaks down now and again - the fragrance scent fading slightly, and a basic charcoal scent coming to the fore, but on the whole this is a decent everyday incense. It burns for nearly an hour, and informs the room with a warm, sweet, gentle and attractive scent. Yeah. Nice one. Not what I was expecting after the Classic Champa, but acceptable.
Date: Dec 2022 Score: 33
***
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment: