Nandita have a range of incenses called Acharya (a term which means teacher or guide): Acharya Sandal, Acharya Rose, etc - this pack (which is marked as "Limited Edition") is simply called Acharya. As with other Nandita, it follows the standard masala incense presentation: a Satya sized box; and an 8 inch bamboo stick with just over 6 inches of hand-rolled charcoal paste (into which the binders, fixatives, and some fragrant ingredients have been mixed) which has been coated in a melnoorva/masala powder which has been perfumed.
The perfume on the stick is intense up close, and mildly volatile. It is very woodsy - sandalwood, with vanilla, florals, leather, mushrooms - ooh, such a beautiful and balanced melange of scents it makes a wonderful fragrance accord. What grips my attention is the scent in the middle. I'm not quite catching what it reminds me of, but it is finely balanced between the top and base notes, and shines there mysteriously. There's a sense of nuts - almonds, and something dark and dirty. It's that dirty part which makes the scent so compelling. What is interesting is that incense makers pay so much attention these days to getting the scent on the stick so attractive. I understand it for those American sticks that are sold open in jars to catch the attention of buyers; but I don't understand it with an incense like this, where you have to open the box, take out the inner wrapper, and unfold or unseal that inner wrapper in order to reach the scent on the stick. That's only going to happen when you've bought the incense. And people buy incense to burn, not to sniff the sticks. But I suppose people judge an incense by the scent on the stick - even though that scent may not match the scent on the burn. It's all part of the packaging. And I like attractive packaging. Same as I also like an attractive scent on the stick....
Anyway, the scent on the burn is absolutely glorious. And the scent on the stick has prepared the way, for the burn scent echoes it, then expands on it. As is often the way - the scent on the burn is warmer and deeper - the base notes richer, more enveloping, comforting, and relaxing. Yet there is still the playful, joyful, fresh and feminine top notes shimmering around, and sparkling here and there among the swirling clouds of clean sandalwood.
This is a delightful incense - a light, playful, uplifting sandalwood and vanilla (that's what I get from the scents, not what is described - there is no description, nor necessarily what is intended). I like its smoothness, its mellowness, and its relaxing yet joyful nature - like listening to water tinkling or children laughing in the distance on a hazy summer afternoon. I'd like more base, more depth. more sex, or something a little more exploratory. But as it is, it's a damn fine incense; one that I'll be buying again.
The perfume on the stick is intense up close, and mildly volatile. It is very woodsy - sandalwood, with vanilla, florals, leather, mushrooms - ooh, such a beautiful and balanced melange of scents it makes a wonderful fragrance accord. What grips my attention is the scent in the middle. I'm not quite catching what it reminds me of, but it is finely balanced between the top and base notes, and shines there mysteriously. There's a sense of nuts - almonds, and something dark and dirty. It's that dirty part which makes the scent so compelling. What is interesting is that incense makers pay so much attention these days to getting the scent on the stick so attractive. I understand it for those American sticks that are sold open in jars to catch the attention of buyers; but I don't understand it with an incense like this, where you have to open the box, take out the inner wrapper, and unfold or unseal that inner wrapper in order to reach the scent on the stick. That's only going to happen when you've bought the incense. And people buy incense to burn, not to sniff the sticks. But I suppose people judge an incense by the scent on the stick - even though that scent may not match the scent on the burn. It's all part of the packaging. And I like attractive packaging. Same as I also like an attractive scent on the stick....
Anyway, the scent on the burn is absolutely glorious. And the scent on the stick has prepared the way, for the burn scent echoes it, then expands on it. As is often the way - the scent on the burn is warmer and deeper - the base notes richer, more enveloping, comforting, and relaxing. Yet there is still the playful, joyful, fresh and feminine top notes shimmering around, and sparkling here and there among the swirling clouds of clean sandalwood.
This is a delightful incense - a light, playful, uplifting sandalwood and vanilla (that's what I get from the scents, not what is described - there is no description, nor necessarily what is intended). I like its smoothness, its mellowness, and its relaxing yet joyful nature - like listening to water tinkling or children laughing in the distance on a hazy summer afternoon. I'd like more base, more depth. more sex, or something a little more exploratory. But as it is, it's a damn fine incense; one that I'll be buying again.
Date: Dec 2024 Score: 46
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Hi Steve, Nandita is a brand by 'Acharya Products' and they are a big retail chain business of incense sticks in Mumbai. They have around 5 stores in Mumbai. They are so famous that people line up in front of their stores. They are also one of the largest distributors of incense sticks in that part of the country. Acharya Products is as old as Satya and they used to be the largest exporters for Satya in the west. I am not sure of the current status, but they share an old affiliation to Satya.
ReplyDeleteThat explains the name. I just looked at my post on Nandita, and I do have the information there that "The company was founded by Sri. K.Y. Acharya (1928-2010), and is based in Mumbai, with a retail store in Udupi, where Acharya was born."
DeleteSo the retail company was founded in 1956 (same year I was born!). Do you know when the Nandita incense brand was created? I assume the retail company was started first, and then Acharya decided to retail his own incense.
Do you know if Nandita make their own incense, or if it is made for the brand by others? Perhaps by Satya?
I believe their retail business is a fraction of what their real business is, and that is distribution and exports. The Nandita brand was created much later; I am not sure when, but people in Mumbai say that they bought incenses made by Acharya Products in the early 90s. The Acharya family members oversee different operations of the business. I have met a member of that family, and I got a sense that they have contracts with producers in Bangalore that make it for them as per their requirement. I am sure that Satya (Mumbai) produces only for itself. Bangalore has many producers that make for others, like white labeling. Even Iskon Goloka is not actually made by Goloka; it is produced by a third party.
DeleteEugene, who owns the Bhagwan distribution company, did say to me that someone else makes Goloka incense. He even told me the name, as he was in the factory and saw the boxes. I found it difficult to accept that, and if I recall I debated that with him for a bit because a) Goloka have their own factory premises, and b) they say they make the incense themselves.
DeleteSatya did have an agreement with Aargee, a British importer, for some years, to make incense for them. It was branded Aargee, but did say that it was made by Satya. The scents were developed between the two companies, and were unique to Aargee. Some of those scents are now sold just under the Satya name, as Aargee doesn't exist in the same form any more - it split into two companies. One half, Stamford London, still imports Satya. I think they are the main UK Satya importer.
DeleteMy heart deflates when I find out that a company doesn't make their own products. It just seems a world away from what you do Alok. I love your passion and commitment and involvement in the product.
DeleteThank you so much, Steve. We will always remain the same. If a company outsources production, consistency cannot be assured. And you are right about Goloka, they do have their own manufacturing facility. I have met someone from Goloka and he told me that they have a facility. But the demands are so massive that the in house facility of Goloka cannot cope with. I just saw the Stamford London website, and it is very interesting! Steve, do you think that someday an incense brand may enjoy the glamour of the levels of some of the French fine perfume brands like Chanel or Guerlain? Satya may have a massive following, but is that glamorous ?
DeleteIn my observations of the incense market over the past few years, I have noted that most folks burn incense as a room freshener. I have a number of viewing hits, and these seem to mostly be people looking up certain brands and scents. There are only a handful who really settle on the site, and read several pages - comparing or investigating. Most come, check out Satya Nag Champa (the most hits are for that page), or some other brand and scent they are interested in, and then go. The Top of the Dhoops page gets a lot of hits - I think that's the second most popular. I have been told that a high placing on that page will attract more sales. I think it's curiosity. When people start buzzing about a new incense (or even an established one), I get curious and want to check it out.
DeleteSo, we have those who just want a decent room freshener (not glamorous), and those who have a particular interest in incense - the connoisseurs, who may be perhaps a bit geeky (not glamorous, but these connoisseurs will individually buy a lot of incense and are willing to pay a lot).
DeleteA number of distributors have set up over the years targeting the connoisseurs. Buying stock from the white label incense traders such as HMS and Fair Trade, and then selling them under their own brand name. Some do better than others, but none of them appear to make the sort of money that a perfume company makes. The most legendary was Paul Eagle of Happy Hari. But he struggled financially, and ended up killing himself. Shortly before he died he sold his source information to Cory Topul of Absolute Bliss, who both continued the Happy Hari line, and developed his own Absolute Bliss line. Cory then died of cancer. He had sold a huge supply of Happy Hari branded incense to Ashok of Padma Store in Germany before he died, so that line will continue under that brand name for a while. Also, the remains of Cory's stock was bought by an American Etsy dealer, Everest Trading, which has a good reputation among the incense connoisseurs in America. But though there's a legendary reputation in Happy Hari, none of the people involved in dealing with that line have ended up rich. Cory's sister set up a support fund to help pay for Cory's medical bills.
The nearest I think anyone is coming to glamorous are the Aydee sisters who run Temple of Incense. They are London born girls of Indian descent. They are attractive, and have solid business brains. They have developed a solid following by carefully selecting their incense and defending it against competitors. As with the perfume companies they nurture the glamour with their price point. People associate glamour and quality with price. When you buy from them, they follow up with a subtle marketing. Not too heavy. Well judged. But they are not selling incense on the scale of the big Indian companies. They are kind of at the opposite end and opposite scale of ITC with its Mangaldeep brand, though both are doing the same thing.
Incense for most people is an everyday product, so they want it to be cheap.
The people you'll want to market to are the niche buyers - the connoisseurs who are interested in Happy Hari and Temple of Incense. But I don't think that's a big market.
There are buyers who buy on trend or fashion. This appears to attract more people. The Kuumba company have done well with that market. They have worked with fashionable/glamorous companies such as Carhartt, so some of that glamour carries over into their brand. Their incense (likely made for them by Balarama of Thailand) sells well at a high price.
I've come upon a company in London - oneironaut.co.uk - who are putting glamour and good business sense into their incense. But, like Kuumba, they are not aiming themselves at the connoisseurs but at the young and trendy.
So - long rambling post - I think there are three or four main markets:
1) The everyday buyer who wants value for money
2) The casual occasional buyer who will vary in their purchase choice
3) The niche buyers - either connoisseurs or those buying for a purpose other than room freshener (aromatherapy, ritual, spiritual, etc)
4) The trendy buyers. The trendy buyers will buy on image, but will stay for the scents.
What a tragic story of Paul Eagle! I see Amazon USA data on incense sales, and it is unbelievable. There are a good amount of people that buy incense for their homes, especially in the west. But you are right, Steve; it will take some churning for a brand to be able to reach the glamorous world. Honestly, a sustainable and a growing business is far more desirable than glamour. Many glamorous businesses in the past had bad endings. hahaha. In the past, I always wondered why people burned incense when they could use really good air fresheners. I got the answer only once I got myself involved in this, and that is incense burning can give a sense of divinity that air fresheners can't.
ReplyDeleteI think it is difficult to pin down exactly why people prefer incense over air fresheners - particularly the stick diffusers, which are much purer and cleaner; and more especially oil burners, which are divine, and with which you can create your own blend. You just select your favourite essential oils and drip them into the water above the candle. That scent can be more pure and divine than the best incense, and it can be unique and personal as well. It's much cleaner, and way more healthy than having smoke in the house.
DeleteBut there is something about burning. The actual process of burning, rather than just warming up. And there is something about the smoke. Some companies tried smokeless incense but didn't find it that popular. People who burn incense want the burning and want the smoke.
I think there is a spiritual connection to the act of burning; and a spiritual connection to the sight of smoke rising.
So I completely understand the attraction of incense. And sticks are just so much more convenient than burning resin.
I think it is difficult to pin down exactly why people prefer incense over air fresheners - particularly the stick diffusers, which are much purer and cleaner; and more especially oil burners, which are divine, and with which you can create your own blend. You just select your favourite essential oils and drip them into the water above the candle. That scent can be more pure and divine than the best incense, and it can be unique and personal as well. It's much cleaner, and way more healthy than having smoke in the house.
DeleteBut there is something about burning. The actual process of burning, rather than just warming up. And there is something about the smoke. Some companies tried smokeless incense but didn't find it that popular. People who burn incense want the burning and want the smoke.
I think there is a spiritual connection to the act of burning; and a spiritual connection to the sight of smoke rising.
So I completely understand the attraction of incense. And sticks are just so much more convenient than burning resin.
Yes Steve, I totally agree. In fact, smoke and fire are essential rituals in Hindu tradition. As per Ayurveda, not all smoke is bad, and that makes sense. Smoke from resins may have medicinal effects, but excess of anything is not good.
DeleteYeah, the evidence regarding smoke is not good, unfortunately. Incense that contains wood of any sort is particularly bad. Charcoal is good, so your incense is among the cleanest. The best charcoal doesn't make smoke. If it does, it's impure and harmful to inhale. But any product in incense that creates smoke will be harmful when inhaled, even if the product is otherwise medicinal. We know the powerful medicinal benefits of marijuana, but that is best consumed orally or through anal suppositories. If it is smoked, there will be health benefits, but also some harm from the toxic particles that are inhaled.
DeleteIncense should be burned in a ventilated room, and the smoke itself should not be inhaled. Let the scent do its thing without inhaling the actual smoke.
Steve, Bhagwan Incense is not a distribution company. Most of our incense is made exclusively for us. You have only a fraction of our catalogue. If you do not like us, I hope you are a decent person and will not misuse your position against us.
ReplyDeleteI don't dislike you Eugene. I kinda thought we were friends. But from our discussions when you were setting up Bhagwan you know how I feel about companies like yours. That hasn't changed. I told you that my preference was a set up like Ashok has with Padma Store. But it's each to their own. Some people like beer, some people like whiskey. I like beer, but I don't like whiskey. I may riff a bit about why I don't like whiskey, but that doesn't mean I don't like the folks involved in making the whiskey. Or the folks who drink whiskey. But I aint gonna shut up about how much I prefer beer over whiskey; nor shut up about explaining why I prefer beer.
DeleteYou are happy when I give a Bhagwan branded incense a good review, but you complain when I give a less enthusiastic review. But I aint gonna give all your incense good reviews just to keep you happy That's dishonest. And, no, nor do I want to be pre-selective over what I review. This blog is FIRST and FOREMOST my personal record of my experiences with incense. As it's public I always had it in mind that I was speaking "out there", and looked forward to connecting with people and learning more.
In the last two years I've learned a lot. And in the last year I've learned more than I had in the previous ten years thanks both to me burning a lot of incense this year (and, obviously, the more incense you burn - good, bad, and ugly - the more you learn), and to people getting in touch to talk. Things are starting to fall in place. I like that.
I do have a huge curiosity about things. I'm not an incense connoisseur, nor do I use incense for spiritual reasons. I'm more of the casual everyday user, who also loves it when I find new, different, unusual, or simply brilliant incense that excites me. And when I do, I want to learn more about it. Which includes knowing who made it. So when I'm presented with an incense from any house where I don't know who made it, I feel uncomfortable. I've had a rather nice New Moon incense on my desk for the past two days - Mysore Sandalwood. I would have reviewed it done and dusted yesterday. But the whole thing about not knowing who actually makes it is bugging me, and taking away some of my simple pleasure.
So, it's absolutely 100% not personal mate. When I review I just give my personal response. I'm not an expert. I just give my feelings about the incense, coupled with what I have learned over the years.
Steve, thank you for considering me your friend. I feel the same about you, but you know, friends and relatives can be the most cruel to each other because it’s difficult to sense the borders of pain one friend is causing another.
DeleteOver the last two years, I’ve spent almost six months in India, meeting and mixing with hundreds of manufacturers and resellers alike. I’ve gathered a lot of information that could be classified as business intelligence — or, put simply, insider info.
Last year, I told you about Goloka, but you didn’t believe me... why? I felt hurt. Now a second person has confirmed the same, and you believed them. Yes, part of your belief system in companies like Goloka has collapsed — for good.
But what if I told you that there are other companies you’re writing euphoric reviews about that haven’t made a single stick? Their entire catalogues are produced at various factories. Goloka is only the tip of the iceberg.
You’re welcome to believe your version of the story or whatever is written on Indian websites (usually sweet nonsense and complete lies). Please, for God’s sake, don’t be delusional, Steve.
So, when you take 10 or more points off a score given to my incense, please question, every time, if another large Indian company you’re raving about is a real manufacturer or just a reseller/private label. There are many of them out there! But the illusion is so sweet!
A number of people have been telling me what you are saying, and - yes - I don't like it. I feel deceived. When I looked into HMS last year I was astonished to see how many companies both outside and inside India were using them as a source.
DeleteAt that point I was starting to question the whole thing. What I don't like as a customer is that I am buying the same incense twice or three times over, just under different brand names.
The score I give is for my enjoyment of the whole experience, and some of that enjoyment is going to be impacted by stuff like the presentation, the price or value for money, and the story behind the company. I can burn the very same incense from two different companies, and enjoy one more than the other because of the marketing. And I'm not alone in that. Companies pay fortunes to establish a brand image. People are happy to pay more for a Kuumba branded stick than a Wicked Dragon branded stick, even though they are made by the same company, Balarama, because they are seduced or enchanted by the Kuumba branding. This is across all products, not just incense, and not just India. And when people buy into a brand, as I had with Goloka (I like their concern for the environment, and that they are a charitable company), it can be a bit denting to discover that some deceit is going on. When we like a brand we often do so because we share values - and we place a little of our ideals in that brand, and feel we identify with it.