Satya (Mumbai 2015) Rain Forest

 

I've been reviewing some Elbenzauber sticks sent to me by SamsaSpoon of Rauchfahne, then decided to have a break and quickly review some other incenses for a while before returning to finish off the two remaining Elbenzauber samples. The box I've randomly dipped into is clearly an old box. I pulled out two packs of Veer Incense I'd never reviewed - and I got those back in 2018. I lit up a stick from one pack, but as they were perfume-dipped, and they are old, the scent had evaporated, so I simply threw them away. I then found two unreviewed packs of SAC incense, which must be old as I've not bought any SAC incense for years. And now I have an unreviewed and unopened pack of Mumbai Satya possibly from 2015 or just after. 2015 is about a year after the Setty brothers split. Balkrishna Setty remaining in Bangalore, where the company had their main factory, while Nagraj Setty remained in Mumbai where the company had originally been founded in 1964 by their father, and where most of the warehousing and distribution took place. Nagraj, as the brother in charge of distribution, had the contacts, though didn't have the Satya production. The sticks he was then distributing were apparently and allegedly poorer quality, and folks started talking about Satya no longer using halmaddi (which may or may not have been the case as regards Nagraj's incense), and by 2016 brother Balkrishna took Nagraj to court to get him to change his logo, and to stop using the Bangalore address on his packs. One of Balkrishna's concerns was that Nagraj's incense was machine made rather than hand-made (in my experience that makes little difference to the overall scent, though there is a paste formulation adjustment to ease the paste through the machine; however, opinions vary on this). 

Nagraj's logo on this packet was registered in 2014

Anyway. This pack has a seal dated 2015. It has Nagraj's first logo registered in 2014, based on the original Satya logo, but with the colours reversed, and the address changed.  But it does not have the Bangalore address. So, despite the 2015 date, this may be a 2016 or even 2017 box - perhaps using older security tape for the seals.  The court case - as of March last year (2023) is still going on, though the principle, which has been adhered to since the case started, is that Nagraj cannot use the Bangalore address on his packets.   The inner sleeve is transparent. On the back of the box is a list of "other new products" including Celestial, Blessings, Fortune, Patchouli Forest, etc, which are made exclusively for R. Expo Inc (better known as Song of India), who are also named in the court case.  

The sticks are a standard 8 inches with 6 inches of hand-rolled paste on plain bamboo splints with a thin smear of melnoorva - the tree bark powder used partly to prevent sticks gluing together as they dry and partly for the appearance. There is a cool volatile scent on the stick. Mildly sweet. A pretty floral bouquet - violets, daisies, apple blossom. Some mineral. A suggestion of camphor. It's a vague summer rain on the lawn scent. Quite perfumed. Quite pleasant. 

On the burn it is quite heady. Rather more heady than is usual for Satya incense. And presents very much like a synthetic-perfume based incense. The fragrance is pleasant in a modern room freshener manner. It lacks depth, resonance, and interest. And has no real "masala" qualities (difficult to pin that down - but, essentially,  I find a decent masala has a natural, earthy quality). It's an acceptable everyday incense. Modern, bright, floral, uplifting, forgettable. 

Date: Jan 2024   Score: 27 

Satya (Shrinivas Sugandhalaya)