I'm currently very curious about Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi (HMS) of Pune, who make very decent and distinctive vanilla accented and sparkle crusted incense sticks which they sell to various distributors to retail under their own branding - such as Pure Incense, Bhagwan, Gokula, Prasad, etc. This is another such example. Imported by the UK based Dhupa Luxury Incense, this is being sold via the UK Krishna temple, Bhaktivedanta Manor (which was bought by George Harrison for the UK branch of the international Krishna movement), via their online site Sacred Boutique/KrishnaShopping.com. It sells at £1 for an attractive little pack of eight short sticks (about 3 1/2 inches of paste). This is the first time I have encountered short sticks made by HMS, and is an indicator to me (along with (HMS) Pure Incense Connoisseur Laos Agarwood, which Adi-Guru says is unique to Pure Incense) that HMS may vary their production for some clients. I have heard rumours and stories of this - particularly in relation to Pure Incense, though I'm unclear on how much this happens.
These little sticks are nice; though - apart from size, appear to be no different to HMS Primo Sandalwood / Gokula Sandalwood & Vanilla. These sticks are fresher than my Gokula sample, and so there is more sparkle and lightness in the fragrance, though less depth and richness. The sweetness is both appealing and off-putting - there is something sort of babyish and obvious about it, which is not entirely to my taste. I like my incense to be a little wilder and more grown up, and more challenging and interesting. None the less, the scent on the stick is very yummy. Perfumed, sweet, vanilla, with an awareness of sandalwood oil, though without the depth and richness of sandalwood. As with other HMS I have burned, the scent takes a while to make itself known on the burn. The paste is quite thin, so there isn't a significant body of fragrant ingredients to make a big impression. There is a temptation to waft the smoke towards my nose - though I am aware of the health risks. Inhaling incense smoke is not good for the body. The healthier way to appreciate incense, is to allow the fragrance to inform or empower the room, or your surroundings, so you only breathe in the fragrance not the smoke which contains toxic particles. However, I get impatient as I see the stick burning down, and the fragrance has not yet made an impression, so I waft....
The scent on the burn is warm, less bright and sweet as on the stick, and so - for me - more appealing. There is, perhaps, more awareness of sandalwood, but not significantly so, this is still more of a vanilla incense than a sandalwood one. I think that the decision by Mark of Gokula to give his Connoisseur packet the name Sandalwood & Vanilla is both wise and helpful. The scent on the burn is a little flat and neutral and doesn't have the youthful vitality and promise of the scent on the stick.
Though this is a fresher stick than the Gokula (and shorter!) there is no significant difference that I can detect. I have a preference for the longer stick because of the time it takes for the mild scent to inform the room. On the back of the Dhupa packet it says: "Using one or three sticks, this incense can be offered to Lord Krishna, creating a sacred atmosphere in the home or temple." I think that using three sticks would be a good idea.
These little sticks are nice; though - apart from size, appear to be no different to HMS Primo Sandalwood / Gokula Sandalwood & Vanilla. These sticks are fresher than my Gokula sample, and so there is more sparkle and lightness in the fragrance, though less depth and richness. The sweetness is both appealing and off-putting - there is something sort of babyish and obvious about it, which is not entirely to my taste. I like my incense to be a little wilder and more grown up, and more challenging and interesting. None the less, the scent on the stick is very yummy. Perfumed, sweet, vanilla, with an awareness of sandalwood oil, though without the depth and richness of sandalwood. As with other HMS I have burned, the scent takes a while to make itself known on the burn. The paste is quite thin, so there isn't a significant body of fragrant ingredients to make a big impression. There is a temptation to waft the smoke towards my nose - though I am aware of the health risks. Inhaling incense smoke is not good for the body. The healthier way to appreciate incense, is to allow the fragrance to inform or empower the room, or your surroundings, so you only breathe in the fragrance not the smoke which contains toxic particles. However, I get impatient as I see the stick burning down, and the fragrance has not yet made an impression, so I waft....
The scent on the burn is warm, less bright and sweet as on the stick, and so - for me - more appealing. There is, perhaps, more awareness of sandalwood, but not significantly so, this is still more of a vanilla incense than a sandalwood one. I think that the decision by Mark of Gokula to give his Connoisseur packet the name Sandalwood & Vanilla is both wise and helpful. The scent on the burn is a little flat and neutral and doesn't have the youthful vitality and promise of the scent on the stick.
Though this is a fresher stick than the Gokula (and shorter!) there is no significant difference that I can detect. I have a preference for the longer stick because of the time it takes for the mild scent to inform the room. On the back of the Dhupa packet it says: "Using one or three sticks, this incense can be offered to Lord Krishna, creating a sacred atmosphere in the home or temple." I think that using three sticks would be a good idea.
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