Patchouli stick from Damodardas Bhagwandas Sugandhi (DBS) of Pune, neighbours of Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi (HMS) and Vinasons, sent to me by Eugene of incense importer Bhagwan Incense when he was doing research for his business in 2022. He later sent me a sample of Good Incense Patchouli which was made for him by DBS, which is sharper, brighter, fresher, quite minty, and Eugene tells me it was made in 2023 with 10% extra oil. That is now sold as Monsoon Incense Patchouli, after a name change last year.
The scent on the stick is earthy, musky, rustic, natural and honest and real. I've really liked the DBS incense that Eugene sent me. It has the feel of HMS and of Vinasons, so really belongs to the "school of Pune" (if there could be said to be such a thing!). There is vanilla in here, which perhaps is the key to the Pune character. It's certainly there in HMS, though Vinasons' incense, while also quite sweet, leans more in the direction of Parma Violets. My enthusiasm for DBS led to Everest Trader in America ordering stocks to sell on their website. The plus side of that is DBS is now better known and available (in America at least), though as it was Eugene who brought them to my attention though his hunt for incense for his Bhagwan and Good/Monsoon incense brands, it feels in a way as though I have harmed Eugene's business in a way. We have talked about it today, and he's cool with me revealing that DBS is the source for the Monsoon Patchouli, as the cat is now out of the bag.
The scent on the stick is earthy, musky, rustic, natural and honest and real. I've really liked the DBS incense that Eugene sent me. It has the feel of HMS and of Vinasons, so really belongs to the "school of Pune" (if there could be said to be such a thing!). There is vanilla in here, which perhaps is the key to the Pune character. It's certainly there in HMS, though Vinasons' incense, while also quite sweet, leans more in the direction of Parma Violets. My enthusiasm for DBS led to Everest Trader in America ordering stocks to sell on their website. The plus side of that is DBS is now better known and available (in America at least), though as it was Eugene who brought them to my attention though his hunt for incense for his Bhagwan and Good/Monsoon incense brands, it feels in a way as though I have harmed Eugene's business in a way. We have talked about it today, and he's cool with me revealing that DBS is the source for the Monsoon Patchouli, as the cat is now out of the bag.
The vanilla character is clearer on the burn, which detracts a little. Vanilla crystals are a perfume fixative, operating in the same way as halmaddi; and it has long been my assumption that is why HMS use it. And it is possibly a tradition in Pune to use vanilla instead of or in addition to halmaddi as a scent fixative, which is why I notice it here, also, in a DBS incense.
The burn is gentle and subtle, though not weak or shy. The scent unfolds peacefully around the room, lifting, warming, and sweetening it. It is characteristically patchouli - leafy, herby, somewhat minty, underscored with a sensual though gentle musk. Bloody good stuff.
The burn is gentle and subtle, though not weak or shy. The scent unfolds peacefully around the room, lifting, warming, and sweetening it. It is characteristically patchouli - leafy, herby, somewhat minty, underscored with a sensual though gentle musk. Bloody good stuff.
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