By and large Satya are the standard to which other incense houses in India try to match if they want to export to the West. Many incense houses pack their incense in the same size, shape, and weight box as Satya use; and their sticks will be 8 inches long with 6 inches of charcoal paste coated in a perfumed melnoorva/masala powder, same as Satya. I don't know if Satya were the first to use these measurements of sticks and box, but I suspect that others are using these measurements because Satya are. When I first encountered incense back in the early Seventies, the boxes tended to be tubes, or the flat packs of Spiritual Sky. I became aware of hexagonal boxes later, and the Satya oblong boxes after that. That doesn't mean that was the order in which they appeared in the UK (or the West in general), but that is my recollection. And I'm probably the only one who is even faintly interested in the size and shape of incense packets!
The scent on the stick is mostly light sandalwood with sweet floral notes. There's a fascinating middle note that I can't quite pin down. I know it, but can't bring the scent to mind. A touch of violets and lotus, and something else - something a little chalky yet sharp with hints of old leather and mould. Cool. The promotional blub says: "The Spiritual Healing blend is known to harmonize energy imbalances in the user’s aura and create a joyful environment that promotes self-love and acceptance." So now you know. Go and self-love yourself.
The scent on the burn is really, really attractive - it's a small wow! The base is sandalwood and vanilla - the vanilla giving it that immediate appeal (which doesn't last...). But there's something else. A scent that is much softer and more complex and harmonised than the scent on the stick. This scent really works. It's so so familiar. I know this scent, I really do. But I'm not quite getting it, it's slipping away at the edge of my memory. It's a resin scent. This scent settles and grows, replacing the immediate appealing hit of the vanilla, and giving the incense more body and interest. It's a bit of frankincense, a bit of sweet amber, and something a little darker and burnt, edging toward dark roasted coffee. It's compelling as it develops, but doesn't quite deliver. It's more of a promise than a delivery. But there's lots of really nice scents here. I don't think the scents really work in harmony. Individually they appeal and promise, but they don't quite come together. By the end the sweet pleasure of the vanilla and the promise of the resin has given way to stale, morning after come down. There is something about this stick which kinda reminds me of HMS incense - it's that vanilla quality. Though, as Alok of Malaan Gaudhoop suggests in his comments below, that vanilla quality could be produced by benzoin rather than vanilla itself - which is what I understand HMS use as a fixative.
The scent on the burn is really, really attractive - it's a small wow! The base is sandalwood and vanilla - the vanilla giving it that immediate appeal (which doesn't last...). But there's something else. A scent that is much softer and more complex and harmonised than the scent on the stick. This scent really works. It's so so familiar. I know this scent, I really do. But I'm not quite getting it, it's slipping away at the edge of my memory. It's a resin scent. This scent settles and grows, replacing the immediate appealing hit of the vanilla, and giving the incense more body and interest. It's a bit of frankincense, a bit of sweet amber, and something a little darker and burnt, edging toward dark roasted coffee. It's compelling as it develops, but doesn't quite deliver. It's more of a promise than a delivery. But there's lots of really nice scents here. I don't think the scents really work in harmony. Individually they appeal and promise, but they don't quite come together. By the end the sweet pleasure of the vanilla and the promise of the resin has given way to stale, morning after come down. There is something about this stick which kinda reminds me of HMS incense - it's that vanilla quality. Though, as Alok of Malaan Gaudhoop suggests in his comments below, that vanilla quality could be produced by benzoin rather than vanilla itself - which is what I understand HMS use as a fixative.
A decent incense that starts well, but finishes like a joint smouldering in cold coffee grounds.
"It's a resin scent. This scent settles and grows, replacing the immediate appealing hit of the vanilla, and giving the incense more body and interest. It's a bit of frankincense, a bit of sweet amber, and something a little darker and burnt, edging toward dark roasted coffee" sounds like Benzoin to me. Could be in combination with labdanum.
ReplyDeleteOooh. That's a good call actually. The vanilla, though, is quite clear. I'm wondering if Satya are using it as a fixative. I suspect the vanilla accent comes from vanilla rather than benzoin (and historically I have had problems getting vanilla from benzoin - my scent receptors don't work that way). But the amber could certainly be coming from labdanum.
DeleteYou have a impressive knowledge of scents, Alok. And this was from five years research? You didn't previously work in incense?
"replacing the immediate appealing hit of the vanilla, and giving the incense more body and interest" This sounds like Benzoin because of its character close to that you describe. "a bit of frankincense, a bit of sweet amber, and something a little darker and burnt, edging toward dark roasted coffee" This part, especially the coffee and the resemblance to frankincense, is a signature of labdanum. Any serious incense maker that is involved in the development knows these materials very well, Steve. These materials are the basic notes in perfumery, just like Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So ... in music. I did not have any background in perfumery or incense, but once I decided to venture into this field a couple of years ago, I had no choice but to learn everything and anything. Now I feel that I had a natural instinct towards perfumery in the past; it was just unexplored.
ReplyDeleteI want to tell something about vanilla in incense. Many incense brands, as well as the fine perfumery brands, love vanilla because it is such a beautiful and technical material that solves many problems. Vanillin is crystalline, highly stable, and reduces the vapor pressure of the overall blend, increasing the lasting for several times. Even the fragile top notes are trapped under the claws of vanillin and similar crystalline materials. In burning, vanillin produces excellent diffusion, kicking off even the most difficult notes to the corners of the space. Vanillin also serves as a mask for off notes in incense application. It is a versatile material that is used in Amber, Oriental, and Gourmand blends for its rightful place in these formulations. In fact, just any blend, Chypre, Fougere, or Floral, uses vanillin for some purpose.
ReplyDeleteThe only book about Indian incense manufacture that I know is the one we discussed by Kashinath Patwardhan. Did you learn about incense making from talking to others, and experimenting with scents yourself?
DeleteYes, countless experiments and sampling of whatever I could get hold of. I also read and have discussions with some friends that I have made in the industry. Some generous friends give out all that they know without any holding back, hahaha. Reading and owning materials is the key, but it is such a pocket-burning exercise, Steve! haha
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