Sold as Mystic Champa and as Primo Chaitanya by UK importer and distributor Gokula, I have it as a sample of Gaura Absolute Chaitanya (no longer available under this name) from Gokula back in 2013. Whatever the name, it's the same incense, and it's made by Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi (HMS) of Pune. It is possibly (though just a guess) HMS Green Champa, which is possibly the same as Pure Green Champa (which I am reviewing next). Chaitanya probably refers to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (also known as Gaura), a religious scholar and teacher who is considered by followers to be the embodiment or avatar of Radha and Krishna.
This stick is old. I am very slow to review, and get easily distracted. While good quality masala incense has a decent shelf life, the nature of the fragrance experience will change, and at some point will deteriorate. I have some old stocks of Happy Hari incense that still blows me away. But, to be fair, fresh sticks will tend to have a more immediate impact. Fresher (obviously!), livelier, brighter, and more joyful. The mature sticks tend to be deeper, more rounded, more serious. And that's what this is. There's a green scent on the stick, but it's an ancient green, deep, dark, slightly troubled, like old, slightly damp, oak trees in an ancient, mysterious wood. Perhaps a Witchwood. It has the perfume of sexy witches luring young men to their death. It's mysterious, sexy, musky, green, ancient, woody, with notes of talcum powder ( white lily, vanilla, musk, jasmine, rose) and old tar and pipe tobacco (rather more intriguing, sexy, and wonderful than it sounds!). And just out of reach there's wafts of marine life on the shore (moss, amber, salt, sharp lemon).
On the burn much of the scents on the stick return, though warmer and less defined. The fragrance on the burn is not strong - it has lost energy and vibrancy as it aged, though there's enough here to enjoy, and to give me the sense that this is a stick that I want to try fresh, so - despite my backlog, I will be ordering this from Gokula.
On the burn much of the scents on the stick return, though warmer and less defined. The fragrance on the burn is not strong - it has lost energy and vibrancy as it aged, though there's enough here to enjoy, and to give me the sense that this is a stick that I want to try fresh, so - despite my backlog, I will be ordering this from Gokula.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment: