Incense In The Wind

Radiating Incense In The Wind - a painting by Hai Linh Le

Monday 25 September 2023

Gokula Connoisseur Quality Royal Tube Rose


 
Tuberose is quite a heady and highly fragrant jasmine-like night flower that has been used as a floral note in perfumes since at least the 17th century. It was used by Marie Antoinette, who imported the tuberose plant from Mexico.  It is called rajnigandha in Hindi. I have had a few other tuberose/rajnigandha incenses -  Hari Om Divine Incense Rajnigandha and Moksh Swarna RajaniGandha and Balaji Rajnigandha and SifconTuberose Gardenia - including Gokula's incense cone version: Rajnigandha, which didn't impress. This has impressed me more, though it is a little restrained for a scent that has a reputation for being highly fragrant and heady.  This is part of Gokula's Connoisseur Quality range; it normally sells for £3.45 for 20g, though at time of writing it was sold out. 

The sticks are 8 inches with 7 inches of incense - hand-rolled semi-soft black paste on a plain bamboo splint, and moderately to thinly coated with a dusty pink blush coloured wood powder. The scent on the stick is driven by a volatile fragrant oil and is fruity with a curious blend of strawberry and raspberry softened with vanilla. I prefer the scent on the stick to the scent on the burn, though the burn scent gradually seduced me, even though it didn't completely win me over.  It burns for approx 60 minutes, producing a moderate smoke with a warm, dusty scent somewhat informed by burning dried plant matter. The scent does fill a room, but is variable - sometimes being a little too smoky and acrid for pleasure, while other times is warm, perfumed, and delightful. 

On the whole a pleasant incense. Appreciated more at a distance than close up. The lighter scents seem to both carry further and linger longer than the heavy scents, and in this stick it is the lighter, fruity/floral/sweet scents that please, while the heavier scents are just a little too crude, and too much like dry garden waste.  


Date: Sept 2023   Score: 35 

***
Gokula-incense



No comments:

Post a Comment

Please leave a comment: