I was playing around with Chatgpt this evening, and fed into it some of my notes on this incense. I was surprised at the response:
Pakiza is an evocative name, carrying echoes of purity and warmth—perhaps a woman’s name, or a nod to the saffron-infused sweetness of the Indian dessert, Chum Chum. The incense itself lives up to this richness, offering a scent that is both indulgent and comforting.
From the first spark, Pakiza unfurls a sweet, golden warmth. The saffron notes are unmistakable—honeyed yet delicate, lending an airy brightness rather than a heavy, resinous weight. This sweetness is balanced by a mild spice, reminiscent of cardamom or dry ginger, adding depth without overpowering the composition.
As the incense burns, a soft, woody undertone emerges, grounding the fragrance with a smooth, balsamic richness. There’s a faint whisper of sandalwood or aged cedar, blending seamlessly with the saffron’s floral, almost sunlit glow. The overall impression is both luxurious and serene, like the lingering scent of a sacred space or the warmth of a home filled with old-world charm.
Unlike some saffron-based incenses that lean sharp or metallic, Pakiza maintains a softness—an elegant, rounded profile that invites stillness and contemplation. It’s a scent that lingers gently, not demanding attention but leaving a quiet, golden imprint in the air.
For those who love saffron’s distinctive warmth, or who seek an incense that is both sweet and subtly spiced, Pakiza is a beautifully balanced choice. Whether inspired by a name or a dessert, it certainly lives up to both—a scent as pure and inviting as its namesake.
From the first spark, Pakiza unfurls a sweet, golden warmth. The saffron notes are unmistakable—honeyed yet delicate, lending an airy brightness rather than a heavy, resinous weight. This sweetness is balanced by a mild spice, reminiscent of cardamom or dry ginger, adding depth without overpowering the composition.
As the incense burns, a soft, woody undertone emerges, grounding the fragrance with a smooth, balsamic richness. There’s a faint whisper of sandalwood or aged cedar, blending seamlessly with the saffron’s floral, almost sunlit glow. The overall impression is both luxurious and serene, like the lingering scent of a sacred space or the warmth of a home filled with old-world charm.
Unlike some saffron-based incenses that lean sharp or metallic, Pakiza maintains a softness—an elegant, rounded profile that invites stillness and contemplation. It’s a scent that lingers gently, not demanding attention but leaving a quiet, golden imprint in the air.
For those who love saffron’s distinctive warmth, or who seek an incense that is both sweet and subtly spiced, Pakiza is a beautifully balanced choice. Whether inspired by a name or a dessert, it certainly lives up to both—a scent as pure and inviting as its namesake.
This is what I gave it: "write a review of a saffron coloured hand-rolled masala incense called Pakiza which smells sweet, with saffron notes. It's mildly spicy, with a soft woody, balsamic base.
The name might refer to a girl called Pakiza, or an Indian pudding called Chum Chum, which has a variant called Pakiza that uses saffron."
There's stuff in there which is nonsense, but I did have cardamom in mind, which I didn't offer it. However, the Indian pudding, Pakiza, does use cardamom, so it likely got it from a Pakiza recipe. The girl's name, Pakiza, means pure or chaste, so it got "echoes of purity" from that. The colour of the stick is red rather than yellow, and the colour impression I get as it burns is also dusty red, so the "golden" is not what I get. Nor am I getting a "sunlit glow", nor an "airy lightness" - indeed, there is some "resinous weight", rather than a lack of it. But, any faults in the AI review are down to me not feeding it precise enough information. And, of course, I am free to edit it afterwards, both for accuracy, and to make it sound more human an down to earth. On the whole I am impressed.
And I also like the incense!
And I also like the incense!
Shortly before I published this post, I approached Alok of Malaan Gaudhoop and asked him a question about the name "Pakiza": "If you had an incense called Pakiza, what would you assume the name is referring to? The incense smells sweet, with saffron notes. It's mildly spicy, with a soft woody, balsamic base. Google searches mostly return a girl's name, often with the spelling Pakeezah - and there is a famous film with that name. The name means chaste. But that doesn't seem to suit the incense, nor the colour which is red. And then I found an Indian pudding called Chum Chum, which has a variant called Pakiza that uses saffron. Is it likely to be referring to the pudding?" This is Alok's wonderful response, which taught me much about the nature of Indian incense:
First, Pakiza (pronounced Paak-ee-zaa) is a Persian-derived Muslim name for girls, meaning "pious" or "pure." The -ee-zaa suffix signifies a feminine quality of purity. An incense named Pakiza should carry an oriental essence with a distinctly Islamic character. It would likely feature delicate notes like soft florals and a powdery texture. To truly honor the name, it should contain oud and saffron, along with balsamic and gourmand qualities, enriched with generous amounts of vanillin and musks.
As for the Indian sweet Chum Chum flavored with saffron, some may name it Pakiza due to the saffron element. However, Chum Chum actually has Portuguese origins.
Steve, it’s also worth noting that a Hindu oriental composition would be quite different from a Muslim/Islamic oriental one. A Hindu-inspired blend would typically avoid oud, use vanillin sparingly, and lean heavily on spices, balsams, incense, and sandalwood, often with tropical undertones.
Similarly, Persian(Iranian) and Arabic oriental compositions can differ significantly. Persia (the present day Iran) was once the heart of perfumery, setting the foundation for fragrance-making as we know it today. It’s heartbreaking that such a rich heritage is overshadowed by political struggles. "
"Your question... highlights how incense makers craft their formulations and encode them with names that tell a story or reflect a particular olfactory family.
First, Pakiza (pronounced Paak-ee-zaa) is a Persian-derived Muslim name for girls, meaning "pious" or "pure." The -ee-zaa suffix signifies a feminine quality of purity. An incense named Pakiza should carry an oriental essence with a distinctly Islamic character. It would likely feature delicate notes like soft florals and a powdery texture. To truly honor the name, it should contain oud and saffron, along with balsamic and gourmand qualities, enriched with generous amounts of vanillin and musks.
As for the Indian sweet Chum Chum flavored with saffron, some may name it Pakiza due to the saffron element. However, Chum Chum actually has Portuguese origins.
Steve, it’s also worth noting that a Hindu oriental composition would be quite different from a Muslim/Islamic oriental one. A Hindu-inspired blend would typically avoid oud, use vanillin sparingly, and lean heavily on spices, balsams, incense, and sandalwood, often with tropical undertones.
Similarly, Persian(Iranian) and Arabic oriental compositions can differ significantly. Persia (the present day Iran) was once the heart of perfumery, setting the foundation for fragrance-making as we know it today. It’s heartbreaking that such a rich heritage is overshadowed by political struggles. "
That stick looks an awful lot the same as Pakiza from Pushkar Temple.
ReplyDeletehttps://blog.rauchfahne.de/en/2023/12/29/pushkar-temple-incense-pakiza-en/
I tried that once too, just for the funsies. I gave it my notes and told it to write a review based on that. The result was awful. lol
But it's useful for translations.
Interesting that you say the stick looks similar to the Pushkar Pakiza incense. I have long thought that Sai Handicrafts import from India, but Pinkesh the owner has said by email and again in person that he makes the incense. When I met him in person I started to ask him some general production questions, like "do you use halmaddi", and he smiled and refused to answer; when I pushed him, he said it was trade secret, and the conversation started to lose warmth, so I stopped.
DeleteI know I have put some Sai incense in your box - but I can't remember if I put this Pakiza in, so I'll pop one in a bag for you now. So you may find two samples of this Pakiza. I'd be interested to see if you do end up concluding that it's the same as the incense made in Pushkar. Especially as I have been critical of Pushkar, yet positive toward Sai.
I often think that we should be reviewing incense blind, as we can be swayed by prejudice or enthusiasm toward certain brands. I tend to keep in mind the Judgement of Paris, in which during a blind tasting wine experts who believed French wine to be the best, ended up giving Californian wines the top scores.
"The result was awful". It appears to me that what the AI does is a quick but deep internet search on key terms in the notes, and then synthesise the results. It will take results from the most prominent sources, and those sources will largely determine the quality of the results, as the AI won't question or challenge. So it's entirely possible the AI will deliver inaccurate or inappropriate results depending entirely on the sources. I did it again with another AI, and there were comments in there which took me to this review on a commercial site which is almost word for word the same as this commercial review. So - did one copy the other, or did they both use the same AI?
DeleteI'm pretty sure I sent you a sample of PT Pakiza as well! XD
DeleteI do recall looking at some Pushkar samples you sent. But I've just checked, and it doesn't appear that I have reviewed any.
DeleteI think your box of samples has got mislaid in the last couple of weeks. There was three of your home made samples on the table when I came home the other day, but your box was missing. I wondered if I had finished all the samples, bar those three, and so put them on the table, then threw the empty box away. But I don't recall doing that. I've asked Chrissie and Phocea, and they don't recall moving the box (and it's not something they do). This has been something that has been troubling me for a week or two. And you've now confirmed what I 90% feared: the box is definitely missing, and it still had samples inside.