The Happy Hari incense that Ashok is selling in his Padma Store came from Corey Topel of Absolute Bliss. Paul Eagle, the UK importer of the Happy Hari brand, passed on details of his suppliers to Corey just before he killed himself on Christmas Day in 2016 - the arrangement had been that Corey would give Paul 10% of each order because Paul was weary with the way his business was going. Ashok had previously dealt with Paul, and still has the templates that Paul gave him for the labels. Ashok feels certain that the incense he received from Corey is the same as the incense he received from Paul. Combined with Ashok using the original templates for the labels (Ashok receives the sticks in bulk, and then packages them himself), Padma Store's Happy Hari is as close to the originals as you're going to find anywhere.
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| Padma Store Queen of Lotus |
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| Original Queen of Lotus |
The stick appears the same as the Absolute Bliss Lotus Flowers, which to me felt as close to the original Happy Hari Queen of Lotus as you're going to find. However, despite the similar appearance, the scent on the stick is subtly different. This is richer, deeper, creamier, more satisfying, more floral, more lotus-like, much more enticing and seducing. Hmmm. Is it actually closer to the original Queen of Lotus than the Lotus Flowers? I wish I had the original Happy Hari Lotus with me to compare, but I sent the very last stick of the original Queen of Lotus to a reader in Thailand last January as I felt he would appreciate it.
Lotus is the national flower of India due to its significant status among several cultures and spiritual beliefs in ancient Indian traditions - it is regarded as a auspicious flower, largely due to the beauty of the petals and the heady sweetness of the scent, and that it rises above the dirty water where it is found. Most lotus perfumes are not made from the lotus plant itself, but from other plants, such as hyacinth, which have similar scents, or simply from chemical formulations. The organic compound 1,4-Dimethoxybenzene (sweet floral scent) is the primary constituent in the lotus plant that produces the characteristic lotus scent, and that would be used in most lotus perfumes. Also present in the lotus scent are eucalyptol or eucalyptus oil (woody, camphor, minty, fresh scent), terpinen-4-ol or tea tree oil (camphor scent), and linalool (floral, spicy, woody scent).
It's not always possible to tell when a fragrance is natural or synthetic. Sometimes it is obvious, particularly with cheaper products, because of "chemical" tones, but a quality synthetic which utilises the same chemical fragrance compounds as a natural product can smell just as good (or even better). The scent on this stick smells natural because it is so smooth and attractive, but - oddly, when it comes to essential oils, the rougher, wilder, earthier, more inconsistent fragrance can be the most natural one. the Absolute Bliss Lotus scent could be the natural, as it is most definitely wilder (and more interesting). Paul was always quite strong on the qualities of his own incense and packaging. Criticism of his packaging and the cheap, shoddy nature of his labels would be met with a robust defence of not wasting materials, and that it is the incense that matters. If a stick was machine made, then that was a wonderful thing. If a stick used man made fragrances, then that also could be a wonderful thing.
As with the Absolute Bliss Lotus, the stick is slow to ignite. I don't know the reason for this, but I suspect it may be because there is less (or no) alcohol or DEP (diethyl phthalate) in the mix - which is a good thing. The scent is clean and pure. Though it has the same strengths and weaknesses as the Absolute Bliss Lotus, in that it is rather comfortably and elegantly beige. What I said in regards to that scent I could repeat here, that it is like painting a room beige: the first impression is of a shimmering holiness, a creamy cleanliness, a bright and almost stunning wow of pristine marble beauty, but after a while it just becomes part of the background, acceptable, agreeable, comfortable, but now just background. It lacks contrasts and tension and journey. It lacks mystery and allure. It's a great scent, and I love it. That it doesn't take me to heaven or hold my interest is an element to mention, but that shouldn't detract from what a glorious little beauty this scent is. I think this is a tad more attractive, more commercial, more appealing than the Absolute Bliss Lotus, and it is fairly borderline on Heavenly. But, ultimately I feel this is pleasurable enough to push it positively over the border. This is as good as Paul's Happy Hari Queen of Lotus, and very likely it is made by exactly the same person.
Lotus is the national flower of India due to its significant status among several cultures and spiritual beliefs in ancient Indian traditions - it is regarded as a auspicious flower, largely due to the beauty of the petals and the heady sweetness of the scent, and that it rises above the dirty water where it is found. Most lotus perfumes are not made from the lotus plant itself, but from other plants, such as hyacinth, which have similar scents, or simply from chemical formulations. The organic compound 1,4-Dimethoxybenzene (sweet floral scent) is the primary constituent in the lotus plant that produces the characteristic lotus scent, and that would be used in most lotus perfumes. Also present in the lotus scent are eucalyptol or eucalyptus oil (woody, camphor, minty, fresh scent), terpinen-4-ol or tea tree oil (camphor scent), and linalool (floral, spicy, woody scent).
It's not always possible to tell when a fragrance is natural or synthetic. Sometimes it is obvious, particularly with cheaper products, because of "chemical" tones, but a quality synthetic which utilises the same chemical fragrance compounds as a natural product can smell just as good (or even better). The scent on this stick smells natural because it is so smooth and attractive, but - oddly, when it comes to essential oils, the rougher, wilder, earthier, more inconsistent fragrance can be the most natural one. the Absolute Bliss Lotus scent could be the natural, as it is most definitely wilder (and more interesting). Paul was always quite strong on the qualities of his own incense and packaging. Criticism of his packaging and the cheap, shoddy nature of his labels would be met with a robust defence of not wasting materials, and that it is the incense that matters. If a stick was machine made, then that was a wonderful thing. If a stick used man made fragrances, then that also could be a wonderful thing.
As with the Absolute Bliss Lotus, the stick is slow to ignite. I don't know the reason for this, but I suspect it may be because there is less (or no) alcohol or DEP (diethyl phthalate) in the mix - which is a good thing. The scent is clean and pure. Though it has the same strengths and weaknesses as the Absolute Bliss Lotus, in that it is rather comfortably and elegantly beige. What I said in regards to that scent I could repeat here, that it is like painting a room beige: the first impression is of a shimmering holiness, a creamy cleanliness, a bright and almost stunning wow of pristine marble beauty, but after a while it just becomes part of the background, acceptable, agreeable, comfortable, but now just background. It lacks contrasts and tension and journey. It lacks mystery and allure. It's a great scent, and I love it. That it doesn't take me to heaven or hold my interest is an element to mention, but that shouldn't detract from what a glorious little beauty this scent is. I think this is a tad more attractive, more commercial, more appealing than the Absolute Bliss Lotus, and it is fairly borderline on Heavenly. But, ultimately I feel this is pleasurable enough to push it positively over the border. This is as good as Paul's Happy Hari Queen of Lotus, and very likely it is made by exactly the same person.
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