Malaan Gaudhoop Swarna Champa

In September this year I received an email from an Indian start-up company, Malaan Gaudhoop, run by Alok Pandey. Alok was reaching out to all incense blogs. He explained "Our company, Malaan Gaudhoop Co., is a family-run business that we started two years ago. My father’s previous business completely collapsed during the COVID pandemic, and we didn’t have enough funds to restart it. In addition, our family is dedicated to conserving an endangered cow breed called Gaolao on our family farm. Although we were financially stable, the conservation effort was financially draining. To support it, we came up with the idea of producing handcrafted incense using biochar made from cow dung as the primary ingredient."  Alok explained that they had developed three incenses using the cow dung biochar, and asked if he could send them to me for review. 

I explained that I wasn't accepting any more incense for review because of my backlog, and that there were a number of folks still waiting for me to review their products. However, I was somewhat intrigued. I liked that this was a start-up. I liked that there was conservation going on. And I liked the experimentation with using biochar as a fuel, as that is an area of interest to us at home. Chrissie's work involves sustainability - and we are always interested in areas which help protect against more climate change. I suggested trying ratnagandh, ORS, and rauchfahne. That was when Alok told me that he'd already approached them.  I was tempted, but didn't want to waste anyone's time with incense made from cowdung that wasn't going to be pleasant (my experience with Dhenum Cow Dung Cakes has not encouraged me to burn any more gaudhoop). So I  asked "Is your product designed to be aesthetic? That is, does it have fragrant oils in it? Or is it designed to be therapeutic or religious? If it is designed to be fragrant, then I would be interested. If not, then I'm not really the person you're after." 

Alok replied: "Over the past three years of my journey into the world of incense, I’ve sampled countless products. Through this extensive and costly research, we’ve learned which paths to avoid. We decided that, in order to build a lasting presence and eventually become a recognized brand, our products needed to be based on the principles of perfumery. Our incense isn’t meant for rituals or visual appeal; it’s created for connoisseurs. My ideal customer is someone passionate about perfumery who values it as an art form." 

I liked that Alok had been doing research - that in fact he was a fellow incense-hunter. Much of his journey is detailed on his Instagram account - and makes for fascinating reading. There is a lot of very useful information there for anyone wishing to learn more about incense making in India. It is a rare and valuable resource. Alok is a clear, articulate, intelligent, and scientific observer and commentator. So I agreed. And the incenses arrived, along with a small metal container of halmaddi balm, as Alok had noted my interest in the substance. That was very kind of him - though I already have some halmaddi which I have played around with. I should review the halmaddi resin I have. 

The incense comes as a dhoop in a colourful though poorly printed box. The language on the box is Hindi. There's a leaflet inside which gives information - that is also all in Hindi. I'm charmed by it, and a number of incense "connoisseurs" would be also, as this looks and feels authentic, rather than soulless and corporate. Though it might help to have some English on the box, and perhaps crisper, less colour saturated, printing - the purple is rather intense, and bleeds into the other colours. However, I like it as it is, as it just feels like the real thing. This is a box of incense from a farm which breeds a rare cow (the Gaolao). This is not HEM or Zed Black. 

There is a hugely attractive, scintillating, shimmering floral fragrance on the stick. Hugely perfumed, quite heady, typically Indian, and absolutely gorgeous. Underneath, so it takes a moment to come though, are earthy and green notes. There's musky, dark woods, quite dirty and heavy and real. The playfulness of the joyful yet heady magnolia florals over the earthy base notes is quite exciting. Magnolia Champaca is the flower that is used in Nag Champa scents, though here it is brighter, sweeter, more joyful and fruity. I wrote to Alok that I found the "Magnolia Champaca  has a delicate and fruity floral perfume - very bright. For me, very like cherry - fresh, citric, roses, sweet and uplifting. I also get some sense of cow dung, which - for me - helps to balance out the sweetness of the scent so it doesn't becoming too cloying; but I'm also aware that I could be imagining the cow dung scent."   Alok responded "To clarify, we don’t use raw cow dung in our incense. Instead, it’s converted into biochar, a form of charcoal. The earthy, woody scent you associate with cow dung likely comes from the frankincense we use, which has similar dry, woody characteristics."

I was initially a little unsure of the scent on the burn, but as it balanced out, and I got the whole picture, I was impressed. And repeated burnings returned the same pleasure. There's flowery, girly, joyous and bright top notes, though plenty of earthy base notes to keep it grounded and approachable. After the first burn I wrote to Alok: "The floral fragrance is not as noticeable nor as attractive on the burn. I do commonly find this with scented incense. When oils and perfumes are quickly heated, such as in burning, the fragile top notes are rapidly consumed so I hardly notice them - it is generally the more resilient and slower middle and bottom notes of the perfumes that are noticeable, or the scents of the dried ingredients - such as the binders or resins such as frankincense or benzoin, which may not be there for their scent, but for their fixative properties. However, the top notes on your dhoop have lingered, and so now, after a while, I am getting the whole balance of the fragrance, and I'm impressed. My room is currently smelling very bright and floral and girly. Like a teenage girl's bedroom!"  Alok replied: "You’re spot on about the magnolia champaca scent—its fruity, floral brightness makes it a favorite of mine too. In fact, I’ve planted 50 Champaca trees on our farm. Regarding delicate fragrance retention during burning, you’re absolutely right that it’s challenging. Incense perfume design differs from fine perfumery; the art lies in crafting incense that can retain its delicate notes despite the crude process of burning. Resins play a dual role here—not only as fixatives in perfume but also as sacrificial materials that enhance burning quality."

I asked Alok about the process of making these dhoops, and also of using melnoorva/masala powder on the dhoops, which I don't think I've noticed before on other dhoops. Alok responded: 

"The masala dhoop process is quite intricate, and I’d even say we’re pioneers in this craft since I haven’t come across other brands doing it quite like us. Many rely on machine extrusion, but honestly, I haven’t enjoyed any dhoop I’ve tried so far. We follow a meticulous process:
First, we create separate dry and wet mixtures.
The wet mixture consists of halmaddi, honey, and perfume.
These are then blended and kneaded by hand until a sticky conglobate is formed.
Due to its stickiness, we use a brass extruder for partial extrusion rather than creating full-length dhoops. The sticks are then elongated by hand and rolled in masala/melnoorva powder.
This powder ensures the sticks don’t stick together and adds an aromatic headspace when the pack is opened—a key part of the customer’s sensory experience and branding. Without this, the immediate burst of fragrance upon opening wouldn’t be possible, especially with masala dhoop and agarbatti. For clarity, masala powder and melnoorva are the same. Melnoorva (also called Noorva by some) is a blend of aromachemicals on a sawdust base, with each brand having its own recipe. While some brands use heavy animalic musks or synthetic blends, we avoid those. Our melnoorva is made with sandalwood powder, spent sandalwood, and perfume. Lastly, in the masala process, perfume is always added before kneading, unlike the dipped incense process." 

These are just extracts from a very enlightening series of exchanges. I learned more from Alok in these exchanges (coupled with his Instagram account) than I have from all other exchanges I've had with incense makers over the past ten years. He is so open and honest, and explains things clearly. He says "I am ready to share information because I believe that the real secret in any recipe is the sheer hard work, supply chain, unwavering quality standards, and values.... The Indian incense industry is known for its secretive nature, because I strongly feel that they have a deep sense of insecurity. This happens because most of the makers produce substandard products that are easy to copy. Also, the nature of business is more towards trading than the real hard core research and development. I am not insecure because I am not playing on the same field as them. I want to cater to customers that appreciate good products and that are ready to pay the price. We will be bringing out expensive products in the near future, but they will be worth buying." 

I love so much about this incense. I love the scent  - the combination of beautiful, girly, joyful florals with such earthy, dirty, rustic, musky base scents creating a wonderful blend that echoes the history of Indian incense, but is a clear step forward into the future. I like what Alok is doing - both with the incense, and with his farm. I like the guy himself. I like the sustainability. I like the use of melnoorva/masala powder on the dhoops. I love the idea of using biochar. And biochar from cow dung is such an awesome idea for Indian incense. This is utterly, utterly brilliant. I love it all! 

Malaan Gaudhoop Magnolia Champaca is available from Aavyaa for  ₹ 450.00 (approx £4.50), or Etsy for £32.44. Also from the interesting looking German site Indiaroma.de for 7.95 Euros. 

Date: Nov 2024    Score: 50 

***

Reviewed on Rauchfahne