Blue Lotus, made by Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi (HMS) of Pune, and sold by UK importer Gokula as Primo Blue Lotus, and also available as Sacred Elephant Blue Lotus, and Pure Incense Blue Lotus. I am reviewing the Blue Lotus sold as Primo.
I like HMS incense - sometimes I really like it, and some sticks are placed high on my Top of the Dhoops! list. But I don't like that they sell their sticks to so many different resellers at the same time. There was a time in the UK when some brewers were doing that, and there was a kick back by drinkers, who started boycotting brewers who were doing it. I like honesty and transparency. I don't want to buy the same product, two, three, or four times under different names. I like to collect and investigate and experience different incenses - I don't want to be cheated into buying the same incense because somebody simply wanted to make money out of me. I kind of like exploring incenses sold by Pure, Absolute, Happy Hari, ToI, Bhagwan, Blue Pearl, Gokula, etc, because there's often something of a buzz around these companies. And sometimes they are bringing in incense that can't otherwise be bought (you try buying HMS branded incense - it's generally only available in India). And sometimes, as with Eugene of Bhagwan, they discover really exciting unknown incense makers. But, I do wish they would simply sell the incense under the original brand names. I understand the arguments that they want to protect their investment by not revealing their source, but with someone like HMS, most folks who have been buying Indian incense for a few years can identify them from the appearance of the sticks, and the use of vanilla. If you're going to sell HMS incense, sell it in HMS branded boxes so we all know what we're buying BEFORE we buy it! This rebranding means we're buying a cat in a bag instead of the baby pig or rabbit we were expecting.
Rant over....
Right. The masala paste on the stick has the glittery and coloured appearance that much HMS has, and the bamboo splint is also coloured. In this case the paste is coloured mauve while the bamboo splint is coloured red. If you follow the links in the first paragraph you'll see that the Sacred Elephant and Pure Incense Blue Lotus sticks are the same as the Primo sticks. Up to you which you buy, but the incense sold by Gokula generally works out the most economical.
The scent on the stick has the usual HMS vanilla, but also some violets - it's quite warm and seductive, and not quite as sweet as some HMS sticks can be. It burns nice and slowly, introducing the fragrance into the room fairly gently - perhaps too gently. It has the vanilla and violets that were noted on the stick, but there's also some charcoal which kinda intrudes. The lotus scent has not been applied generously enough to really shine. Lotus essential oil is expensive, though essential oils are usually diluted with a carrier, and amplified with agarbatti oil, so the production and retail cost doesn't become prohibitive. Though, synthetic fragrance oils can also be used. And these can be used more generously - sometimes in conjunction with a natural oil, so the maker can honestly say that natural oils were used. I don't know what has been used here, but this is too weak a scent to make a big impression on me. I like it. But without passion.
Date: Feb 2025 Score: 34
I too find it frustrating that Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi don't export their own brand direct, it is confusing dealing with resellers. I suspect however that the problem to some degree may lie with resellers and the contract terms HMS need to abide by to secure their business, also HMS may not have the resources to facilitate packaging and global export. It would be interesting to know for sure, but I doubt we'll get the truth. Money, money.
ReplyDeleteWhen Eugene of Bhagwan Incense was researching for his supplies he visited HMS, and a few others in Pune. He reported to me that Vithaldas Narayandas & Sons (Vinasons), neighbours of HMS, were not interested in rebadge deals. Same with Koya's. I respect that.
DeleteI think there is a world of difference between an incense company making incense on contract to a unique recipe, and an incense company selling unbranded sticks to a reseller. I'd willingly buy the unique recipe stuff.
I come from a beer scooper background - you'll see me and many of my friends and fellow scoopers, such as Gazza Prescott, in
Beer Tickers: Beyond The Ale
, and we hated rebadging with a passion, as that was a total waste of time and money, and we felt cheated. However, a "festival special", where a brewer made up a unique one-off beer specially for a festival, was acceptable and fun, even if it simply consisted of two different beers being blended together. Personally, I preferred regular beers to the specials. And best of all I preferred drinking the beer in the local area. A Shepherd Neame beer in Kent, and a Badger beer in Dorset, for example. But I wasn't against specials - and these days brewers, especially "craft" brewers, do loads of specials. Not just the seasonals or the Anniversary and Royal Wedding specials, but regular everyday specials. Some will make one batch, sell it, and move on to the next. I think it has got excessive, and that's not really my thing. I like the regular beers. But one-off specials are way more attractive and honest than rebadging. And the same should apply to incense. Sell unique incense, not stuff that can be bought under a different name from a different seller. It's really time that the incense community came together on this and called it out.
At least with ales there's a trail to follow to debunk 'specials'. With incense manufacturing and sale its all smoke and mirrors. Retail production is largely unregulated in India, with little records kept and those that are never see the light of day outside local offices. Good luck calling them out Steve, I hope it has some impact.
DeleteWhat needs to happen is the incense community says they want provenance on all the incense they buy, and refuse to accept any incense which doesn't indicate the true source. I am impressed that ITC give the provenance on all their Mangaldeep incenses, even though they are mostly small, unknown incense companies, and the target Mangaldeep audience would likely not care anyway. But it's a good example of ethical selling.
DeleteTotally agree, but do be careful of shooting someone else's bullets for them Steve..
DeleteI'm just a grumpy old man who rants now and again. I'm not a revolutionary leader or anything. Nor do I want to get involved in spats between some importers and some incense review websites. Nor do I want to start any spats myself. I understand the business model that some importers use. I don't like it. But I understand it. My views are different. But that doesn't mean there's no respect or no love for those following a different path.
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