Last year (2023) I bought four packs of Om Brand (Om Sai Agarbatti Works) incense from Aavyaa in a combo deal. The sticks were Om's Vedamrut range, which are packed in luxury boxes, and sold at the higher domestic price point for Indian incense - 140 to 200 Rupees (approx £2) for 50g. I was rather disappointed with my experience of the Vedamrut range - I felt the experience didn't match the expectation, and gave the Chandan and the Lavender rather harsh reviews. I felt the sticks were lower quality than I was expecting for the price and presentation; as such I felt a little cheated, which fed into my reviews. Rahul Kairamkonda of Om Sai got in touch regarding the reviews, and asked if he could send me improved versions of the incenses, plus some other packs. I thought that was rather bold of him - incense houses usually send me samples after they have read positive reviews of their incense, rather than when they have read negative reviews. I admire his spirit. The samples have arrived (though not the Lavender) - a mix of everyday and luxury incense, and I have been having fun going through Om's everyday perfumed incense, starting with the Trishala range. Nothing remarkable so far - the usual budget room-fresheners; well made, though not stuff to go out of the way to find. However, on a personal level, I have enjoyed the scent of the Om Brand Trishala Patchouli.
I'm now moving onto the more interesting packets. The large luxury boxes. This Sweet Musk is the first I have tried, and I am impressed. The box is nicely chunky containing 100g at a domestic MRP of 130 Rupees (approx £1.30). As a rough calculation, the domestic price can be multiplied ten times to get at a Western price - so this would typically cost around £13 in the UK. If scaling down to the usual pack size of 15g, this would make it around £2 a pack - a standard price for a Satya or Goloka in a UK corner shop. The box is a reddish brown colour with embossed glossy silver print over an Indian paisley pattern. It's quite sombre and unadventurous - a rather dull design. Opening up the box, and a delightful warm and floral scent bursts out. Not musky, but certainly sweet, attractive, and inviting. The sticks are packed into an waxed paper inner bag, and are quite heavy, rich, and fluffy like many incenses termed "Flora", and very much in the style of Sri Sai Flora Fluxo, which appears from my research so far, to be the original "Flora/Fluxo" incense - or at least the oldest still being made.
I'm now moving onto the more interesting packets. The large luxury boxes. This Sweet Musk is the first I have tried, and I am impressed. The box is nicely chunky containing 100g at a domestic MRP of 130 Rupees (approx £1.30). As a rough calculation, the domestic price can be multiplied ten times to get at a Western price - so this would typically cost around £13 in the UK. If scaling down to the usual pack size of 15g, this would make it around £2 a pack - a standard price for a Satya or Goloka in a UK corner shop. The box is a reddish brown colour with embossed glossy silver print over an Indian paisley pattern. It's quite sombre and unadventurous - a rather dull design. Opening up the box, and a delightful warm and floral scent bursts out. Not musky, but certainly sweet, attractive, and inviting. The sticks are packed into an waxed paper inner bag, and are quite heavy, rich, and fluffy like many incenses termed "Flora", and very much in the style of Sri Sai Flora Fluxo, which appears from my research so far, to be the original "Flora/Fluxo" incense - or at least the oldest still being made.
The scent on the stick is very floral - mostly roses. There's some cool, almost sharp, volatility, but it's not off-putting. The fragrance is very bright and uplifting - it's quite summery. When lit there is no black smoke. It settles into a solid burn - not as heady as I was expecting, though not shy either. The scent informs the room quite politely, and some impatient wafting is needed to get closer to the fragrance elements. I like the general ambiance of the fragrance in the room. It's less floral on the burn - more woody, especially sweet, creamy sandalwood.
Initially I didn't get too much in the way of musk, though that changes later. Musk scent originally came from animals, but for some years traditional incense musk scent has been derived from the crushed seeds of the musk mallow plant, though most sticks these days use synthetic musk. Some incenses may use a blend of musk mallow and synthetics. As the musk scent is not clearly defined in this Om Brand Sweet Musk, I'm wondering if it relies more on the musk mallow (amplified by a carrier such as DEP) than the synthetics. Use of synthetic musk would possibly heighten the musk scent and make it more obvious and perhaps less individual, so when an incense house doesn't follow the others we have the potential for more interesting fragrances. And I think this Om Brand Sweet Musk is in that category. For a musk scent this is more interesting than most. The musk scent is here, and becomes more apparent once I tune into it - it's a softer, more gentle, better behaved musk than that which I normally enjoy. I like dark, earthy, sweet, sexy aromas - which musk usually is; this is more plant than animal, and lacks sexuality and mystery. But it compensates with a certain amount of delicate beauty - the floral and mild camphor notes on a soft, subdued musk base is gently engaging. There is much to like about this incense. I'm keen to explore the other luxury box Om Band incense, and also to return to this Sweet Musk in a week or two to see how I feel about it then.
Initially I didn't get too much in the way of musk, though that changes later. Musk scent originally came from animals, but for some years traditional incense musk scent has been derived from the crushed seeds of the musk mallow plant, though most sticks these days use synthetic musk. Some incenses may use a blend of musk mallow and synthetics. As the musk scent is not clearly defined in this Om Brand Sweet Musk, I'm wondering if it relies more on the musk mallow (amplified by a carrier such as DEP) than the synthetics. Use of synthetic musk would possibly heighten the musk scent and make it more obvious and perhaps less individual, so when an incense house doesn't follow the others we have the potential for more interesting fragrances. And I think this Om Brand Sweet Musk is in that category. For a musk scent this is more interesting than most. The musk scent is here, and becomes more apparent once I tune into it - it's a softer, more gentle, better behaved musk than that which I normally enjoy. I like dark, earthy, sweet, sexy aromas - which musk usually is; this is more plant than animal, and lacks sexuality and mystery. But it compensates with a certain amount of delicate beauty - the floral and mild camphor notes on a soft, subdued musk base is gently engaging. There is much to like about this incense. I'm keen to explore the other luxury box Om Band incense, and also to return to this Sweet Musk in a week or two to see how I feel about it then.
Date: Feb 2024 Score: 38
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