On New Years Day 2023, a reader asked about reviews of Heera masala incense. Curious, I decided to explore. Heera is a brand of P&B Foods Ltd, a large and successful importer and distributor of goods to the Asian community in Europe and the UK.
Heera pay an unknown white label Indian incense house to make their incense. The scents may be commissioned and unique, or - more likely - bought off the shelf, and simply packaged under the Heera name.
Heera incense is available in many Asian online stores and corner shops for reasonable prices (under a £1 for 15g). They have a wide range of fragrances - I wrote to the company to see if I could buy the complete range in one go, but that was not possible. They gave me the address of the nearest stockist they believed would have a good selection, and I bought all that the shop had. Six sticks, and four packs of cones.
The company gave me a full list of the incense they import - standard names: Mogra, Musk, Rose, Attract Money, Nag Champa, etc. They didn't tell me who makes the incense for them, but they are made somewhere in India. I've burned a few sticks, and they are decent masala, with some use of fragrant oils or perfumes. At the price, these are excellent value for money. On the whole I find them more attractive and pleasant than the average Satya, at a lower price point. I have a feeling the incense is made by Tulasi - though that is no more than idle speculation based on superficial similarities in packaging and some similarities in incense formulation and scent profile. It could be any number of companies.
The sticks I've explored are masala in appearance - a fragrant charcoal paste hand rolled onto pink dyed bamboo splints, and then coated in a perfumed noorva/masala powder. The paste is soft and semi-moist, indicating that fragrant oils have been used. There are volatile scents on the sticks which is generally pleasant. The burn scents are good - generally more woody and woolly than the fresh scent on the sticks, and certainly what I associate with decent masala. Good scents, certainly decent, though not quite heavenly. Excellent value for money.
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| Bought from local corner shop for less than £10 |
The company gave me a full list of the incense they import - standard names: Mogra, Musk, Rose, Attract Money, Nag Champa, etc. They didn't tell me who makes the incense for them, but they are made somewhere in India. I've burned a few sticks, and they are decent masala, with some use of fragrant oils or perfumes. At the price, these are excellent value for money. On the whole I find them more attractive and pleasant than the average Satya, at a lower price point. I have a feeling the incense is made by Tulasi - though that is no more than idle speculation based on superficial similarities in packaging and some similarities in incense formulation and scent profile. It could be any number of companies.
The sticks I've explored are masala in appearance - a fragrant charcoal paste hand rolled onto pink dyed bamboo splints, and then coated in a perfumed noorva/masala powder. The paste is soft and semi-moist, indicating that fragrant oils have been used. There are volatile scents on the sticks which is generally pleasant. The burn scents are good - generally more woody and woolly than the fresh scent on the sticks, and certainly what I associate with decent masala. Good scents, certainly decent, though not quite heavenly. Excellent value for money.
Reviews
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| Heera Krishna Leela Premium Masala Incense Feb 2023 - Score: 36 |
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April 2023 - Score: 35 |
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| Heera Rudraksh Premium Masala Incense Feb 2023 - Score: 35 |
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| Heera Pure Chandan Premium Masala Incense (M) April 2023 - Score: 34 |
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April 2023 - Score: 29 |
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| Heera Vedic Havan Incense Cones Feb 2023 - Score: 29 |
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| Heera 4 in 1 Rose/Lavender/Musk/Mogra Incense Cones Feb 2023 - Score: 23 |
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| Heera Oudh Incense Cones Feb 2023 - Score: 20 |
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| Heera Saffron Sandal Incense Cones Feb 2023 - Score: 20 |
Scents tried (masala sticks): 5
Highest: 36
Lowest: 35
Average: 36
Scents tried (cones): 4
Highest: 29
Lowest: 20
Average: 23
Scents tried (all): 9
Highest: 36
Lowest: 20
Average: 30
Highest: 36
Lowest: 20
Average: 30
Conclusion: Decent everyday masala sticks and perfumed cones. Good quality incense, and excellent value for money, but fairly standard. There's nothing interesting here, and it's likely the same sticks are sold elsewhere under a different brand name. I'd pick up some more packs if I'm in a local Indian shop that sells them, but I wouldn't seek them out.
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| Own brand distributors |
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