B.G Pooja Store Nag Champa

  

This is the third of the incenses that reader Eugene Andrushchenko brought back from the B.G   pooja store  in Tiruvannamalai, near the Arunachalesvara Temple. It's not clear if the shop owner has them made up for him by a local maker, buys them unbranded from a known maker, or has his own cottage industry. The sticks vary in thickness and consistency, so there is little quality control, suggesting that this is small scale local production; but that is not certain as even respected  brand names can have a few poorly rolled sticks now and again.  

The sticks are a standard charcoal-based paste hand-rolled onto bamboo splints of varying thickness, and then coated in a woody fine powder or melnoorva to prevent the sticks from gluing together as they dry. There is a liquid scent involved - the paste is still a little soft and moist, and there is a volatile scent on the stick. Because of the liquid scent, the aroma on the stick is mainly the volatile top notes so is light, flowery, a little sharp. It is quite delightful and summery. 

The scent on the burn grabbed me the first time I lit up one of the sticks. It took me back to the heady days of my youth when I was a young hippy in the Seventies. It's an evocative, sultry, woody, beautiful scent. I'm glad Eugene gave me a generous amount of sticks to sample, as I've been able to repeat that experience a few times on several different days.  And each time I've lit one of these sticks I've been impressed. Both the scent and the experience remind me of the first time I burned Satya's Nag Champa. The balance between creamy, sexy, sensual sandalwood and light, floral, joyful champaka is sublime and delightful and thrills me. 

I've thought about this incense quite a bit over the past few months. The other two incenses from this shop - the Sambrani and the Natural, are pretty much what I'd expect from an unknown local store keeper making his own incense: fairly average, decent enough stuff. Well, I'd expect either fairly average, decent enough or something cheap and grotty. But I wouldn't expect top level incense. For me this is as good as Satya. And I suspect that the makers have tried hard to emulate Satya's Nag Champa. I don't think there has been much creativity or art involved in this incense - simply a desire to mix a sandalwood oil with a champaka oil in a blend that smells like Satya's Nag Champa. I suppose this is the equivalent of buying a Rolex from a street market in South-east Asia. With the difference that the street market Rolex may look like a Rolex, but won't have the lasting quality; while this Nag Champa is likely to be using the same or similar easy to obtain ingredients as the Satya original.  So this isn't an incense that gets credit from me for originality or creativity, but certainly gets credit for smelling gorgeous.  Given that it smells as good as the first time I (knowingly) experienced Satya's Nag Champa back in 2012, and is the best Nag Champa I have smelled since then, I am putting this  incense in my World Class category.  And I intend to have a Nag Champa Burn Off soon, where I'll gather a selection of Nag Champas, and we'll do a smell test to see which we prefer.  

Date: March 2023   Score:  48 

 

Under my new rules any incense which I score highly enough for it to be placed in my Top Drawer - World Class category, needs first to be put in Purgatory to wait for a second review at least a month after the first review.  It's been around five months since my review of this B.G Pooja Store Nag Champa was placed in Purgatory with a score of 48, so well overdue for a second review.  Boosh! This easily passes the test. This is a truly gorgeous incense. I'd give it 50 if this was an original scent, but as it's a copy of Satya's Nag Champa I will hold it at 48. But, wow, what a divine scent this is! 


Date: Aug 2023   Score: 48 

Nag Champa

Cottage Industries Heritage No. 16 Amber

 

This is from Cottage Industries' Classic Heritage range. There is also an amber in the Festive Deluxe Packet range which I have reviewed. 

There is a sweet and attractive scent on the stick propelled by an essential oil - it is in the area I would associate with amber, though perhaps sweeter and less musky and more perfumed. Anyway, it's quite light, floral, and joyful. Quite promising, if not that interesting, engaging or exciting. 

The scent on the burn is quite gentle, laid back, subtle, soft, weak - whatever term you want to use, but essentially doesn't make itself known even when sitting close to it. I have to waft the smoke in my direction. I don't get much from the smoke. Yes, a pleasant scent, but nothing really stands out. There's no scent journey to follow, there's nothing new or interesting here, nothing interesting or challenging. Just a generally soft, pleasant mild smoke that vaguely smells of incense. There is a sense of  musk, sandalwood, floral notes, and a touch of burning green plant. It's not offensive, but neither is it delightful, interesting, or heavenly. It is what it is. People have liked this scent for over seventy years, so there's clearly stuff here I am missing. It reminds me of  Japanese incense - and that's probably the key. If someone likes soft, subtle, gentle, unassuming, undemanding, pleasant scents then I suspect they will like this. If someone likes their scents to be more hearty, fun, heady, sensual, exciting, demanding, interesting, then I suspect this is not for them. 

Date: March 2023   Score: 25 

***

Cottage Industries

Amber

Ranga Rao Cycle Brand Heritage Warli

 

A Cycle brand perfumed-masala in their Heritage range, launched in May 2022, which celebrates the tribal art of the Warli people near the West coast of India in the former Bombay State. The Warli tribal art had a continuous and stable history of over a 1,000 years until the 1970s when Jivya Soma Mashe, who after losing his mother when he was seven years old had only communicated through drawing in the dust, took up and transformed what had previously been an art only done by women for special ritual occasions. The art was previously typified by its rigid simplicity - using only circle, triangle, and circle shapes, and using only white on red, and could be seen mainly as a form of decoration until Mashe added colour, movement, and meaning. Using the art to express ideas and emotions.  Coco Cola has used some of the imagery of the original ritual art in their adverts. 

Warli art

The incense is not as interesting as the background story or the box, which is decorated with Warli art. The incense is sub-titled Prayer Incense on the back of the box, which is part promotional, but may also be an admission that the incense isn't for aesthetic use. That's not to say that it's an unpleasant incense - it's actually quite acceptable, just that it's rather ordinary, and a little bit dull and old fashioned.  The sticks are made from a charcoal-based paste with a masala (mix) of dried fragrant ingredients, some of which can be seen as flecks in the paste. It has then been coated in a rather crude agarbatti fragrance oil which gives off a strong volatile aroma of pine toilet cleaner. 

The scent is more attractive on the burn than on the stick, but is largely vague and indifferent. There are no off-notes, and it's not an assertive or smoky incense, but it doesn't actually do much. It has a gentle warmth which comes from a modest base of sandalwood, and is enlivened with some floral touches of champaka - a combination similar to Nag Champa, and a blend of floral and wood which has been around since Sugandha Shringar was introduced in 1960.

Points for the box and for raising awareness of Warli art, but on the whole an indifferent fairly average incense.  Sold in India for 50 rupees (50p, 61c) - the equivalent of £5 in the UK economy - for 62g, this is a decent value incense, though not a budget price.  As far as I'm aware it's not available in the UK, though can be bought via Aavyaa in India who do ship internationally at a reasonable rate. I bought a box of 30 different, interesting, and hard to obtain Indian incense from them for £42 including postage.  Bargain! There is an eBay seller who will ship the entire Cycle Heritage range (4 packs) to America for $24.23. 

Date: March 2023   Score: 27   

***

Ranga Rao 

Aravinda's Sugandha Shringar Gold

 

Somewhat scruffy and poorly hand-rolled charcoal-paste joss sticks by the makers of  Sugandha Shringar. I bought these because the company claims they are natural/masala - but they look and smell like perfumed-charcoal. It's quite possible there are dried and crushed fragrant ingredients like flowers, barks, and tree resin contained in the paste, but the bulk of the work appears to be done by a perfume of some sort, as that is what presents on the stick - a modest but pleasant moderately sweet floral scent with a touch of volatility. It has a sort of beeswax table polish aroma. 

There is a rather simple and old fashioned look to the pack which is both endearing and off-putting. The price is 15 rupees (15p or 17c) for 15gms  - given the annual Indian salary is 10% that of the British salary, this is really the equivalent of £1.50, which is exactly what I paid for it on eBay. 

The scent on the burn is a little smoky with hot spots, though some of the aromas on the stick do come through. It has a warm, reassuring base, with some floral top notes. It's an OK scent. Nothing special, a little old fashioned, but mostly harmless and moderately attractive.  I kinda like it. 

Date: March 2023  Score: 27

  

Yes, this is a modest, floral perfumed incense, with an awareness of rose.  Likeable, but nothing to recommend.  Quite happy to burn these in a low key fashion, but not for special occasions.  It's OK, but I'm moving it to outhouse use as I have plenty of better incense to burn in the home.  


Date: June 2023  Score: 25

***

Aravinda Parimala Works

Cottage Industries Heritage No. 11 Mattipal

Sample from Padma Store in Germany.  There is an old fashioned (or, rather, an older style) scent on the stick that is kind of a blend of Indian joss sticks from the Seventies and an old ladies rose perfume. It's a more attractive scent than that description, but at the same time there's nothing exciting, new, or interesting about the scent.  I suppose, familiar, undemanding, and reassuring could be positive words to use instead of old fashioned and unexciting. It's each to their own.  

  

Though given the number 11, this is apparently the first scent created for The Mother at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. It seems it took 11 attempts before The Mother was satisfied with the scent.  It is part of Cottage Industries Heritage Range - other scents follow in number sequence from 12 to 20. 

 

A bodhi tree at Mahabodhi Temple, said to be a
direct descendant of the tree Buddha sat under

Mattipal is the sacred fig or peepal tree, Ficus religiosa, also called bodhi because Buddha obtained enlightened while sitting under a fig tree. The essence of the leaves of the tree has a pleasant spritzy, figgy, honey fragrance. It is used in some fine perfumes, such as Teone Reinthal's Bodhi, and 4160 Tuesdays Bodhi Language.  There is occasionally some confusion regarding mattipal being another name for halmaddi,  the resin which is used, like gum arabica, as a binder to slow down the burning and hold and intensify the scent of the fragrant ingredients in an incense. This is because mattipal is a name given to two different trees - the Ficus religiosa, which produces the mattipal fragrance essence, and Ailanthus triphysa, which produces the halmaddi gum resin. Halmaddi does not have an attractive scent, and there are no perfumes, even cheap ones, made from halmaddi as far as I know. So while mattipal can refer to the halmaddi tree as well as the sacred fig tree, when it comes to the fragrance, mattipal only refers to the sacred fig. 

On the burn the scent is warm and friendly with a decent sensual musky base. I can be convinced there is some fig in the aroma, though it is a restrained sweetness, and a modest fruit. There is little zest or life. I am picking up few top notes, which could just be me, but at the moment this incense is not doing a lot for me. Now and again, just drifting by on the breeze, there is a suggestion of rose petals. 

On the whole I find this a modest and somewhat old fashioned perfumed-charcoal scent. Given that it was developed in 1949, that it is old fashioned is understandable; that it is somewhat limited for an incense that has been moderately successful for over 60 years is a little more surprising. 

Date: March 2023    Score:  24 

Cottage Industries

Cottage Industries Call of Krishna

 

A perfumed-masala/charcoal joss stick, the third in the set of three scents celebrating the Hindu gods Krishna and Shiva, by Cottage Industries based in the ashram in Pondicherry. This one is "Formula 20 Sweet Bouquet".  The sticks appear to be made from a charcoal-based paste hand-rolled around a hand-cut bamboo splint, and dried. A fragrant oil or perfume is doing the bulk of the work. Cottage Industries state that the sticks are "handmade in a traditional way from the extracts of fragrant herbs, plant roots, aromatic barks and flower petals". The use of  "fragrant herbs, plant roots, aromatic barks and flower petals" in the description puts one in mind of traditional masala incense rather than perfumed, though  the term "extract" is generally applied to the fragrant ingredient in an essential oil or perfume.  This presents and behaves more like a perfumed-charcoal incense than a masala incense, though it is difficult to know for sure.

Special Box

There is a faint scent on the stick - slightly floral with tiny touches of spice. The overall impression is mainly neutral, hovering between mild savoury notes and mild sweet notes. The incense comes more to life on the burn, with a pleasant woody warmth  - I am getting wood and spice rather than the "Sweet Bouquet" promised by the sub-title on the flat-pack. 

  

The economy flat pack

There is a prickly spice  and overall dryness to this which is not to my taste; and that is something I often find with incenses from Pondicherry/Auroville. There is an approach to incense making by the folks associated with the ashram that results in a dry, sombre, spicy scent balance that is perfectly acceptable, and a number of people like it, but it is not the sort of scent balance that gives me the most pleasure. I like my incense to be sweeter, or more playful, or more fun, or more delightful, or more balanced, or more complex, or more sensual, or more heavenly, or to take me on a more interesting journey.  I want more than just the scent of fairly ordinary wood burning, albeit with a bit of spice. 

Having said all that, I don't actively dislike this incense - it's just that it doesn't do much for me. I also note, as this is burning, that despite my assertions that this is a perfumed incense, it is now presenting almost as a masala, or at least like a thin Tibetan incense.  And as I write that I wonder, really, what is the point in classifying incense as as either masala or perfumed, especially as sometimes makers use both approaches in the same stick. I think it's something worth noting as part of the general description of an incense, such as length and thickness of the stick, but what really matters is how the incense smells, and the impression it leaves on your senses and on the house.  

I find this to be a modest and mild incense with a general aroma akin to that of burning dried petals and barks and spice. It is fairly neutral, and has little impact on my senses or emotions. But it is mildly pleasant.

Date: March 2023    Score: 22 

Cottage Industries

Cottage Industries

 

Cottage Industries is part of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, India.  The history of the Cottage Industries brand is that it was founded in 1949 by Mirra Alfassa, The Mother, to provide the ashram with incense. So the aim was for this to be a modest low cost product for their own use. Surplus was sold to visitors, and by 1973 was being exported. It is sold under the Cottage Industries brand name, though originally and for a while it was under the name of the ashram, Sri Aurobindo, and had a shop in Pondicherry. However, when it became a charity, it was not allowed to get directly involved in a commercial enterprise, so set up a separate trust, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Central Sales Organisation, to deal with incense and other sales through their online shop: Sacso-online.com, 

The incense and the packaging are similar to Auroshika, and One Aromatics, and Meadows, and  The Mother's, who all appear to be connected in some way with the ashram in Pondicherry and the community  in Auroville, which was founded by The Mother. Though  the companies operate in different places (Auroshika in America, and The Mother's in the UK, etc),  the Cottage Industries brand is the original, and operates from Pondicherry.  

They appear to have four main ranges: Classic - which splits into Heritage (the original range from 1949) and Amrita (a more modern, more economical range); Festive, which comes in Deluxe Box, Deluxe Cones, and Deluxe Packet versions; Pondicherry - a more expensive modern range in colourful packets; and the Special range of three scents celebrating Hindu gods, which is available in Economy Flat Packs and Special Boxes which are colourfully printed. They are sold in sizes ranging from 10g to 100g, with the Heritage range offering the most flexibility with 10, 50 and 100g sizes.

The packaging design is very basic and minimal, especially on the Classic ranges, and generally the only difference between packaging of the scents will be the name, and on the Classic range, a different colour for the packet size. The modern ranges, however, particularly the Special range, are more interesting, colourful, thoughtful, and attractive.  The main point of incense is the scent, though wrapped around the scent are other aspects of the total experience, which includes the ethics of the company, and the thought and care given to the packaging, not just in sustainability, but in how the packet can inform and delight. While, like most people, I like the convenience and ease of an MP3 for obtaining, transporting, using, and sharing music, I do deeply love a vinyl album, not just for the warmth and depth of the sound, but also for the art and information on the album sleeve. Each to their own, but I warm to an incense which is in an attractively and thoughtfully designed packet, while I feel put off by a poorly designed packet, and am largely cold and indifferent to a packet that is rather plain and unimaginative.  

The scents tend to be single note, aiming to replicate a known and popular incense scent such as amber, jasmine, sandalwood, myrrh, etc. Though modern scents are aiming to be more complex and interesting and unique  - blending two or more scents. 

On the whole I find the scents from Cottage Industries (as I do for most of the incenses from companies associated with the Pondicherry ashram) to be rather simple/essential, dry, sombre, and faint/subtle. I moderately like them, though they don't excite me or give me much pleasure. I don't find there's a lot going on, so for me they can be a little boring. I like the idea of the modern scents with their scent blends, such as the Special range, though as blending is not Cottage Industries speciality, I don't find them as interesting as I hoped. 

All in all, this is an ethical, historic, interesting incense maker which I like the idea of more than I like the scents, which I find to be moderately likeable and average. 

Reviews

  

Cottage Industries No. 16 Amber 

March 2023 - Score: 25

Cottage Industries No. 11 Mattipal 
March 2023 - Score: 24

Cottage Industries Heritage No. 12 Jasmine
October 2023 - Score: 24

 

Cottage Industries No. 14 Sandalwood 
Jan 2022 - Score: 23

 

Cottage Industries Dance of Shiva
March 2023 - Score: 23

 

Cottage Industries Festive Deluxe Amber

March 2023 - Score: 23↓

 

Cottage Industries Call of Krishna

March 2023 - Score: 22

Cottage Industries Sandhya Pooja 
Score: 20 

 

Scents tried: 8
Highest: 25
Lowest: 20
Average: 23 - Lower end modest  incense

***

 

The Best Incense Makers

Cottage Industries Dance of Shiva

 

Second in the modern range of three scents celebrating the Hindu gods Krishna and Shiva. A charcoal-based paste which has been dried then perfumed rather than the dry ingredients carrying the fragrance.  It comes in two different packets. An "economy" flat pack, where it gives the information that this is "Formula No. 19 Himalayan Cedar", and a "Special Box", which has a design that reminds me of the designs on Auroshikha Incense, who are also associated with Sri Aurobindo Ashram.

 

"Economy" flat pack

There is a mild perfume on the stick, and this is repeated in the burn. A gentle, slightly dry, slightly spicy, woody scent that is more cedar than any other wood, but not distinctively cedar. It helps to be nudged in that direction.

"Special Box" 

There can be some inconsistency and crudeness in the incense sticks by Cottage Industries; however, this one is nicely made, and burns well. I suppose with all incense companies there are going to be those who are experienced and roll well, and those who are still learning. Quality control can be expensive, so the smaller or less successful companies will be more likely to accept poorly rolled sticks rather than throw them away.  Machine-made or extruded dhoops are going to be more consistent than hand-rolled, and I suppose that may be one reason why we are seeing more and more machine-made Indian incense, even from companies who are seen as more traditional. 

On the whole this is an acceptable if slightly dry and uninteresting incense. I am in general not someone who favours dry incense, and I am not someone who favours incense that does little more than impact one average scent. A little contrast, a little adventure, a more bold blend, some kind of scent journey is what I like. I can cherish a single beautiful scent, such as an amber or a frankincense or an agarwood, but if the scent is not outstanding then I'd like it be part of an interesting, challenging, or playful blend. And this is not.  Too dull. 

Date: March 2023    Score: 23 

Cottage Industries

A cedarwood sampling

Cottage Industries Sandhya Pooja

 

Cottage Industries is part of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, India. It was founded in 1949 by The Mother in order to provide the ashram with incense, and has since expanded, with exports taking place from 1973 onwards.  Sandhya Pooja is part of a modern range of three scents celebrating the Hindu gods Krishna and Shiva -  Sandhya Pooja is part of the celebration of the Hindu gods which takes place at twilight, and can be translated as "twilight ritual". I was sent a sample by Samsa Spoon, who has the Plume of Smoke blog, and that prompted me to dig out a pack of samples I received from Padma Store in Germany. 

These are crudely made perfumed-charcoal joss sticks. A charcoal paste has been hand-rolled around hand-cut bamboo splints, and the finished sticks (or "blanks") have been soaked in a fragrant oil. The joss sticks are of varying thickness, and are inconsistent in themselves - so I have one fat one, one thin one, and one that wobbles in and out. The scent on the sticks varies slightly across all three, though it is mainly sweet and floral with an inclination toward rose; the thin one is rather more clinical in scent, and reminds me of disinfectant and hospital wards. 

The scent on the burn is quite faint, and  tends to be more about the non-fragrant ingredients. It is the thin one that has the most perfume. One of the sticks that Samsa sent me has barely any fragrance at all, though all three sticks wander to and fro with sometimes an attractive scent, and sometimes a fairly neutral, though never unpleasant, scent. On the whole this is a modestly attractive lightly floral scent that I don't find that interesting.  It is fairly ordinary and unremarkable. 


Date: March 2023    Score: 20 

Cottage Industries

Shoyeido Daily Incense Kin-kaku (Golden Pavilion)

 

Second review - for earlier scroll down

Tidying up my desk for Christmas and I found this packet with a couple of sticks left, so just finishing them off. I'm not getting what I got earlier in the year. At this moment I'm getting more smoke than perfume. There is no discernible scent on the stick, and when lit I'm getting smoke and a certain prickly sharpness. There's a general aroma of burning wood, but without any refinement to it. And at times there's more than a suggestion of scorching. Odd that I picked up so much from this in March, and now I'm getting nothing but the sort of scorched sawdust nonsense I get from bargain basement perfume-dipped incense. I was not expecting these sort of off-notes from a Japanese incense. This is really presenting as a cheap perfumed incense where the perfume has evaporated. Ah, eventually it has settled down, and I am getting the perfume. But it's all too little too late. 

Date: Dec 2023   Score: 27 

First review

This is a modest but attractive little incense. Basic though pleasant sandalwood enriched with the modest sweet spice of cinnamon and a warm, sexy hint of patchouli.  The combination works for me. As there is no agarwood in the mix, this is more reasonably priced than the White Cloud I just burned. This is perhaps the first Japanese incense I can see myself burning for pleasure rather than just to review, and I could be tempted to buy a pack of this (the sample was sent to me by Samsa Spoon, who has the Plume of Smoke blog). Not heavenly, but certainly a pleasing incense that lifts the spirits and cleanses the room. It has a lilting charm and a chiming character. 

 

Price on the Shoyeido site in the US is $4.50; from Amazon in the UK it is £4.95; from Sakucha in Oz it is $13. 

Date: March 2023    Score: 32 

***

Japanese incense

Reviewed on Rauchfahne

Shoyeido Daily Incense Haku-un (White Cloud)

 

This is a gift from Samsa Spoon, who has the Plume of Smoke blog. Haku-un, translated as White Cloud, contains agarwood, benzoin, and sandalwood, though it is mainly the sandalwood that I smell, and a rather basic sandalwood. There is a touch of general burning, some earthy warmth that I find attractive and comforting, like an old and slightly rough wool blanket. I was a little dismissive at first, but I grew to like it more as time went by. It's a quirky little incense, at times smelling of boiling cabbage, but not in a horrid way, more like a homely and reassuring way. 

It's not a heavenly or delightful incense, but as the intention is modest - this is aimed to be an everyday incense for "casual enjoyment", I think this achieves that purpose. The sticks are thin and soon gone - I found I appreciated the incense more when I burned four sticks at the same time, so there was more presence to the scent, and some of the depth and some of the subtleties and some of the spice could be experienced, but even then it was soon gone. There are a number of places where this is sold, but none of them offer this at what I would consider a reasonable price for what is a modest incense. The most common form is a 35 stick bundle, which is sold on the Shoyeido site in the US for $12.50;  at ZenMinded for $17; at Fragrancia for £14.95; at Amazon for £13.95; at Vectis Karma for £14.95; at Sacred By Design (Australia) for $18.95, etc. The best price I found is from Tokyo-Market in France for €9.32.

I am curious enough to keep exploring Japanese incense and to keep an open mind, but the price does put me off, especially when what I have experienced so far has been fairly modest. Bakhoor is also not a cheap incense, but with bakhoor the experience is so sublime that it is clear that the money is worth it.  And this experience with such a meagre amount of agarwood that it cannot reasonably be fully experienced amid the sandalwood and spice, has just reminded me of how wonderful agarwood can be when used in bakhoor, and that I should dig out the bakhoor I ordered some time back, but have not yet burned. 

Date: March 2023    Score:  28 

Japanese incense

Thurga's (SunRayn) Paavai Vilakku Incense Sticks

  

I'm quite pleased to get this incense - it's a pleasant perfumed-charcoal incense which very much reminds me of the foil-wrapped incense that is sold in the UK under various brand names.  But that's not why I'm pleased - it's because the incense company, Thurga's Industries Sdn. Bhd (Facebook), is a Malaysian company, and this is the first incense I've had from that country. Indeed, this is the first Malaysian incense I've been aware of, let alone burn.  Malaysia is an Asian country just below Thailand, which, on the peninsula at least - which I visited with one of my daughters in order to see the 

Kampung Kuantan  fireflies and visit the Batu Caves, is part Malay, part Indian, and part Chinese. It is a mainly Muslim country, though is tolerant of other religions, so while alcohol is frowned upon, it does have a small brewery.  And incense isn't as popular in Malaysia as it is in Buddhist and Hindu  countries, though they do make beautiful Dragon Incense for the Chinese community.

I like the scent, and it tantalised me for a long while as the scent is so familiar. There's floral elements with a creamy sandalwood base. Touches of rose and jasmine and vanilla. No off notes. Burns for a long time. This has been a regular burn on my desk and around the house for the past few days, and I've almost used up the packet.  And then I got it. It reminds me of baby powder - which HEM have used as a scent, and there is also a foil-wrapped one; though it also reminds me a little of Shalimar. 

Yes, very likable as a bright, soft, attractive, mostly floral everyday incense.  Available in the UK from Desi Khazana for 69p. The name Paavai Vilakku refers to a popular statue of a woman holding an oil lamp, which is a symbol of wealth, good luck, and peace. The statue may also be called Deepa Lakshmi. 


Date: March 2023    Score:   33 

***

Thurga's (SunRayn) Incense

Incense by Country

Aravinda's Duva Gold Original Premium Incense Sticks

   

I'm just clearing away incense that is on my desk, and a pack of Duva Gold has been left on my desk for some reason. Either I simply didn't clear it away after the review in March, or I left it on the desk for some reason - perhaps wanting to compare it with something else.  34 does seem a high score for an everyday perfumed incense - so perhaps subconsciously I felt I had been a little generous. Well, let's find out. 

The sticks are ugly. This bargain basement stuff. They do look like someone has been sticking pink bamboo splints in black dog shit, and letting it dry. Ragged little things. The scent on the stick is sharp, sweet, perfumed. It's OK. The scent on the burn is warm and smoky with a lack of clarity, but it does have some of the pleasant candy sweetness of the stick, plus an awareness of rose. There is some similarity between this and Aravinda's notable Sugandha Shringar. It's modestly attractive and quite pleasant. It is not quite a proper decent incense - but it is a top end acceptable everyday perfumed incense. Something to burn casually in the house in the morning to freshen it up with a bright, cheerful, sweet, floral note. 


Date: Aug 2023   Score: 28  

Just when I thought it was safe to go back into my incense pile, I pull out a pack of Aravinda's incense. 44p from Desi Khazana in the UK.  Scruffy looking perfumed-incense sticks - they look more like bowel cancer samples than the "premium incense" they claim on the packet. 

The name "Duva Gold" appears to be something like a golden or precious prayer. Duva is the translation of  दुआ which refers to a sacred prayer and is more often written as dua or du'a.  The scent is pleasant - a fragrant floral scent, mildly sweet. It is a modestly attractive scent which sweetens and refreshes the room, lifting it, making it lighter and happier.  It is a familiar scent - I am sure I have smelled this on an incense before. I like it. There is a warm, slightly sensual base on which the floral heart notes build. There's elements of rose and elements of jasmine. Yes, a pleasing scent. 

Interesting that this stick, unlike the machine made sticks inAravinda's hexagonal packs (such as the Sandal), is hand rolled. Both the hex packs and this flat "premium" pack are perfumed-charcoal, but there appears here to be an intention to mark this pack out as more special than the everyday hex packs. I have noted that wide flat packs are marketed in India as premium incense, carrying a higher price. This pack is 22 rupees for 22g, which is not high, but I don't know what Aravinda's hex packs sell for in India. 

Anyway. I like this. It's not heavenly, but it is a decent and very pleasant scent.  And it's oh so familiar, but I really can't pin it down. I know I've smelled this before. 

Date: March 2023    Score: 34  

Aravinda Parimala Works