Balaji Prashanth Herbal Flexo Sticks

 

Second review - scroll down for earlier

Returning to this stick which I reviewed two months ago, to see if I still feel the same way. There is an intriguing intensity about the scent on the stick - it's not aggressive, but is certainly bold and heady, but more than that, is that the scent is a little different. It's like sweet spicy tobacco - like Spanish Gold;  pungent, coconut, damp leather, turps, wood, hot summer beach, suntan lotion, sweat, mineral, sex, tropical breeze.... Phew! Glorious. Love it. 

The burn is a little hot, and takes a while to settle, but then produces the same scent as on the stick, albeit a little smoky, and also - as is typical of Balaji, a bit heady. There is halmaddi in the mix, or at least something that is sharp and prickly, but not outrageously so. Like chilli in curry, it adds piquancy and interest. This is not an incense for everyone, but if you like your incense packed with flavours, bold with its beauty, and a little bit heady and enveloping, then like me you'll love this. 

Date: April 2024   Score: 48

First review

Another awesome masala incense from Balaji. I absolutely love their wet masala - rich, heady, sweet, floral, enveloping. It's all soft and delicious and uplifting. Bright, joyful, passionate, full of life and generosity. It's a fragrance to lie back and enjoy. An incense that brings joy and peace and relaxing pleasure. My spirit feels uplifted, and my body feel calm and rested. There's florals - heady damask rose, with vanilla undertones, some light spicy woods, blended such that the balance is exquisite - the lightness and the weight of the fragrance accord are noted as opposites, but are held together in harmony so the olfactory senses experience them as a unified scent. This is great stuff. Genuinely profound. There's no off notes - no acidic or harsh chemical intrusions.

I suspect that some synthetics have been blended with a rose attar to achieve the rich and expansive harmony, which is what most perfumeries do - blend natural and synthetic oils.  "Synthetics" are derived from natural sources - mainly petroleum, though sometimes (as natural isolates) plants, such as rose; while "natural" absolutes, such as rose absolute, may undergo chemical processing with various solvents to reach the appropriate and stable fragrance density. While I prefer that my incense, same as my beer, and my food, and my clothing, is as natural and unprocessed as possible (for environmental, health, ecological, well being, and emotional reasons), where the processing is not intrusive and is beneficial, then I can have no genuine objections. And sometimes, as here, I can't tell what comes directly from the rose, and what comes from other "molecules". 

I still do object (emotionally not logically) to the use of  "synthetics". Same as I would prefer my incense to be made by hand. But the reality is that industrialisation of incense manufacture is more efficient, increasing profit, and therefore the overall well being of those involved in the industry. A machine made stick (as this is) is usually more consistent and  burns better, releasing the fragrance in the desired manner at the desired rate, and is cheaper to make. Of course, I think of the noise of the machine, and the isolation of the machine operator, compared to my romantic view of a circle of cheerful women sitting in the dappled sunshine, wearing their colourful saris, chatting away as they roll by hand.  And then I think of the Luddites, and the notion that standing in the way of progress inhibits advancement of the human race. Without technological improvements we'd still be banging rocks together on the African plains. I am torn. 

But back to this awesome incense. The box is a tad large and glossier than the standard oblong box, though not as large as a luxury box - it stands between those two common styles, and in a sense has elements of both. The box is glossy gold, with red text and an image of two red roses. It's attractive, and feels special, but not over-bearing. There's a sense that things are still kept in proportion. Cost is 30 Rupees (30p) for 14 sticks - which is roughly twice the cost of the average everyday incense pack, which underlines that this is a better than average pack. The name, Prashanth, is a boy's name, made popular by the Kollywood actor, Prashanth;  however, it is used here for its meaning of peace and calmness - which is appropriate given that is how I feel when burning the stick.  The sticks are a little longer than usual at 9 inches, though the paste is the usual length of approx 6 1/2 inches. This means that there is a slightly longer than average end piece. I don't know about anyone else, but I tend to break off a bit of long sticks when using them in my ash catcher, otherwise they tend to overhang the end of the burner. The paste appears to have been applied by machine, and the bamboo splints appear to be machine cut. The scent on the stick is fucking gorgeous. It's sweet, floral, heady, with notes of coconut, creamy sandalwood, and has a sense of the beach on a sunny day. Golly it's good! 

There's a bit of black smoke on lighting - this could be caused by a number of factors, though I do associate it with the use of DEP - a plasticiser used to carry the fragrance. Its use is apparently quite common in the Indian incense industry. I'm still learning, and I'm currently curious as to the similarities and differences in the use of DEP, halmaddi, and vanilla crystals, which all appear to be used as fragrance carriers.  Anyway, once lit, there is a steady and attractive column of grey smoke. The aroma is divine, and is as I say at the start of this review: rich, heady, sweet, floral, enveloping. This is my sort of incense. 

Date: Feb 2024    Score: 47

***

Balaji Agarbatti Company

Flora, Fluxo, and Supreme