Sree Vani Little Buddha

 

Toward the end of last year (Aug 2003) I reviewed Sree Vani Little Ganesh, and I was impressed. I wanted to try more, but was held back by the knowledge of my backlog, and that several incense houses and distributors had sent me samples which I hadn't got to reviewing. So I held off. Then I returned to Little Ganesh earlier this year, and I liked it even more than the previous time. So, yes, I got more of the Little Gods. Bless them. 

The box is a standard Satya size and shape. This is the most popular box for masala style incense exported to the West. The sticks follow the standard Satya format of 6 inches of  masala-charcoal paste hand-rolled onto an 8 inch bamboo splint, and then coated in a fluffy covering of brown melnoorva powder. This powder serves to dry the paste and prevent the sticks from gluing together. Each incense house will have their own melnoorva recipe, using tree bark or sandalwood powder, and perhaps adding a fragrance so the sticks smell pleasant and inviting when the pack is opened, and the sticks are taken out.  The main scent is mixed into the paste before it is applied to the stick, and the fragrances in the paste are treated with fixatives which protect, heighten, disperse, and lengthen their scent. But the fragrance on the outside of the stick - be it mixed with the melnoorva powder or poured as a liquid scent onto the finished stick - will add its character to the scent on the burn. It is the incense maker's task to take into account how the scents in the paste and the scents on the stick will work together as the stick is burned. From my experience, it appears to be relatively simple to get a great smelling stick. Anyone can dunk a charcoal blank into a fragrance oil, and the stick will smell of that oil. The trick appears to be to get a great smell when the stick is burned. For here it is so easy to go wrong, and so hard to get it right. 

Shree Vani have got the scent on the stick right. It is a kind of standard "masala" scent. A little woody, a little floral, a little fruity. It feels natural and traditional. It doesn't excite me, but it is acceptable and pleasant, and certainly within expectations of a standard masala. It displays coconut - a creamy, milky coconut - which sits between the woods and the florals and holds them together. It's a nice scent. It works. 

The scent on the burn is steady and attractive. It is professional and well done. There's no clash of scents or accords, no off notes, no smouldering wood powder or garden waste. This is a well made and well judged incense in line with the top masala houses such as Satya and Goloka. The scent echoes what was on the stick - there's woods, and florals, mild fruit, and a memory of the coconut. It is a warm, pleasant, attractive and entirely competent incense such as Satya make. But it does little for me. I like it as a top quality room freshener, but it doesn't quite move me the way that Little Ganesh did.  

Date: Nov 2024   Score: 34 

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