Aravinda's Parijata

Cheap as chips machine extruded everyday perfumed-charcoal incense. It's a synthetic scent, clean, acceptable, does what people want. Not an incense for anything more meaningful than to freshen the house, cover smells, and detract flies. There is a modest perfume which approximates jasmine. It's warm, it's acceptable; it's not interesting, but that's not the point. My main issue on the couple of burns today is that the scent is not that strong. Indeed, we had it in the front room this morning, and I don't think anyone noticed. I tend to waft the incense smoke toward me when reviewing, in order to get closer to the scent, and that can at times distort the true experience. The true experience of incense is to let it breathe and inform a room at it's own pace. We shouldn't really be getting close to incense smoke and breathe it in. Incense smoke is harmful. Especially perfumed-charcoal incense with the charcoal, the binders, and the synthetic perfume. It is the scent we should be experiencing, not the smoke. 

So, assessing this as an incense to inform a room and provide pleasant scents, creating a positive mood, it is actually quite weak. The scent is acceptable, but it doesn't have quite enough strength to do its job. 

Date: Oct 2023   Score: 26  

Made by Aravinda Parimala Works, of Mysore, who were founded as a small local company in 1963, and whose most notable product is Sugandha Shringar.  These are very cheap perfumed-charcoal incense, which can be picked up from various Indian shops, like Popat Stores at £1.25 for 6 packs and Desi Khazana at 49p for 1 pack. Packs are the hex packs which are generally used for standard low cost perfumed incense. I kinda like these packs, as I associate them with older style Indian incense - though I prefer the even older round packs, which are somewhat less common. 

There is a pleasant floral scent on the stick, slightly fruity, slightly heady. Parijata is a night jasmine. I've had one incense previously with this scent - Goloka Nature's Parijatha, which I see I also felt had fruit notes alongside the floral. 

The burn is very clean, and retains the same scent as on the stick, which is impressive. The formulation is clearly quite pure, and so there is a steady, slow burn with no off notes. The stick is machine extruded onto a machine-cut bamboo splint. Everything about this screams that this should be a nasty stick: machine-made, perfume-dipped, dirt cheap, and yet the scent is quietly fresh and pleasant. 

I'm OK with this, and at the price, quality, and freshness of the scent, would be happy to buy again as an everyday decent incense to brighten up the house. 

Date: Feb 2023   Score: 33 

Aravinda Parimala Works

Best jasmine incense

Jasmine v Jasmine (a burn off)