Ansaam Incenses Mini Galaxy Sticks Arabesque

We've just come back from Cairo, where we brought home one of my daughters who has been teaching there for the last six months. Hectic place Cairo, and the drivers are extraordinary, swerving with one hand at high speed around cars travelling in both directions, while texting with the other. If it wasn't for the nauseating levels of  toxic exhaust fumes coming in the windows (few cars have working air-con), it would be good fun. We visited Khan el-Khalili, the touristy shopping area - not quite a souk, more like The Lanes in Brighton. It was Ramadan, and we were leaving as Iftar was approaching - most shops were closing, and people were gathering at tables to break their fast. And I spotted some incense on a stall outside a shop. Conscious that this was not really the time to be trading, I was still curious to see if any of the incense was made in Egypt. Unfortunately the stall holder descended on me and began thrusting various bits of incense at me asking silly prices. It was difficult to focus, but I managed to establish (despite his insistence that all his incense was Egyptian) that most of his incense was made in India (there was Tulasi among others on his stall). But I did notice the galaxy sticks - huge sticks that burned for over 5 hours. Way too large for me. But then I found two packs of mini galaxy sticks - still rather large and daunting, with a burning time of 3 hours, but more manageable. I would have liked to explore further, but we had to move on.  

The incense is made by Ansaam Incenses of  Cairo, who also make regular size sticks and cones. I've looked, and they do not appear to be available outside of Egypt. I have written to the company asking for details of sellers in the UK, or if I can buy direct from them, but no response yet. 

There are five sticks in each pack. These "mini" galaxy sticks are a regular length - 61/2 inches of incense on a thick 9 inch stick, but they are very thick - around 1/2 inch. The fragrant masala style paste has been extruded onto the bamboo core (I'm calling it bamboo, but I'm not sure what it is), with a ridged appearance that makes it look like a dozen or more regular thickness sticks have been mashed together. 

A mini galaxy stick next to a regular incense stick

 

The scent on the stick is delightful. There's a faint awareness of bakhoor, though mainly it's a sweet floral scent with jasmine, rose and bubblegum being the most prominent. The bubblegum is a curious scent to find, and I think my mind has latched onto that as the most familiar, though there is an array of aromas in here - various fruits; watermelon, peach, strawberry, plus nips of tobacco and spice. It's fascinating and very appealing. 

Because of it's size I was dubious about burning it indoors, so set it up initially in the outhouse, where we normally burn the least appealing incense to keep the cats company when they eat - though mainly to keep the flies away. However, I was impressed that neither the scent, nor the smoke was overwhelming. So I went around the house, smudging the rooms. The size of the stick makes this a good smudge incense. Plenty of smoke, but not at all dominating. However, because of the length of the burn, I did find that if left in a room for an hour, it will accumulate too much smoke for comfort.  Best used with windows open, or used outside, or simply go around cleansing the house, then extinguish to burn again another day. 

The scent on the burn is true to the scent on the stick, which to me tends to be a sign of quality incense. There is a clean, natural feel to the scent - an absence of chemicals or synthetics. It's quite possible there are synthetics or chemicals used, but they don't present during the burn. It all feels very natural, soft, and beautiful. I love this incense!  


Date: April 2024    Score: 44 

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