I'm not sure if the Flora of the name is intended to refer to the Flora style of incense based on Sri Sai Flora Fluxo, or if it refers to the Vrindavan Flowers incense fragrance based on the flowers that Krishna would have known when he lived in Vrindavan - such as Happy Hari Vrindavan Flowers and Gokula Vrindavan Flower. As this stick is no different to the others I've reviewed from Vrindavan Bazaar, and as this incense is made in (or around) the sacred city of Vrindavan (as it is likely so were the Happy Hari and Gokula sticks), I am inclined to think that the name is more likely to refer to the Vrindavan Flowers fragrance than the Flora style. Though it is possible that it refers to both - or neither!
The sticks are mechanically extruded charcoal paste lightly rolled in a pale brown melnoorva/masala powder. Pleasant sweet floral scent on the stick.
The sticks are mechanically extruded charcoal paste lightly rolled in a pale brown melnoorva/masala powder. Pleasant sweet floral scent on the stick.
The scent on the burn is quite heavenly. Sweet, yes, perhaps a tad too much. It's a vanilla or benzoin focused sweetness. It could get sickly, but the delicate and charming florals prevent that. They hover on top, yet also weave in and around the sweetness. There's light, creamy wood - sandalwood. Not the dark, musky sandalwood, but a delicate white sandalwood. The florals have rose notes mostly. But light and delicate. This works for me. Perhaps a bit feminine for my taste. And perhaps a bit one-dimensional, in that the play is all around the florals and the sweetness, and there's not - for me - quite enough balancing darkness. I'd like there to be a naughty edge to this. However, with those quibbles, I still like it. Charming as fuck.
On looking at my reviews for the Happy Hari and Goloka Vrindavan Flower(s), I note I mention flowers, vanilla, and sandalwood in both (I suspect they came from the same source - probably around the same time), so there is an affinity with this Vrindavan Flora. I suspect they are all approaching the Vrindavan Flower fragrance from the same ideas - and it does make sense to conjure up the notion of this legendary flowers with a mix of light florals, vanilla, and light sandalwood. But, as with a fragrance such as Nag Champa, how each maker blends the scents to get to the final fragrance will be unique. This blend works for me. And I have no problem at all with the paste being extruded - which, apparently, can be an issue for some incense makers to adjust their paste ingredients to match the requirements of being extruded rather than hand-rolled (they probably need to go look at how dhoop is made).
Available at $1.40 for 20gm from Vrindavan Bazaar. They ship internationally at reasonable rates.
Interesting!
ReplyDeleteWhat are you finding interesting Alok?
DeleteHi Steve,
DeleteAfter reading some of the other reviews about products made in Vrindavan, it seems there’s at least one producer there with genuine skill and know-how. What really fascinates me is that someone from such a small, deeply spiritual town could create something worthy of such a high rating from you. I’ve visited Vrindavan myself, and I would have never imagined that a place like that could nurture such craftsmanship — it’s truly commendable. I’d like to believe that this incense was genuinely made in Vrindavan and not sourced from Bangalore.
Warm regards,
Alok
The Vrindavan thing is fascinating because we don't know who is responsible for making the incense sold there. The fragrances are not complex or clever, yet Vrindavan incense is sourced by a number of respected traders, such as Happy Hari through to Temple of Incense, because the scents work - they tend to be beautiful. There is a degree of inconsistency in production and quality, yet at heart there seems to be a rough charm. Some people, myself included, have found some similarity between incense sold in Vrindavan and incense made in Pune, particularly by HMS (Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi). A reader recently found a connection between incense sold in Vrindavan and incense sold in Pushkar - not just that the incense was the same, but also the packaging.
DeleteAdded to that, is that there are no (as far as I am aware) known incense makers in Vrindavan or Pushkar.
Our assumption, based on flimsy knowledge, and the natural reluctance of Indian businessmen to reveal information which may be to their detriment, is that the incense is made by local women under the guidance of one or more of the traders, or an unknown Svengali character. Though it is also possible that the incense is made elsewhere and transported to Vrindavan as a lucrative outlet because of the Krishna tourist trade - and that everyone involved, the makers and the sellers, project the image that the sticks are all made locally, as that is what the buyers want. Sacred incense made in the holy city.
It is curious that if there is a Svengali character (or more than one) in Vrindavan who is controlling the women making the incense, that he hasn't yet stepped forward and created his own company - perhaps under the name Vrindavan Sacred Incense or some such.
But I'm also well aware that there are a number of incense makers who concentrate on the "white label" trade. Perhaps because of the ways it offers to conceal the amount of trade, and so reduce tax overheads. Who knows? But I have been rather impressed by the amount of incense that is sold by companies which do not make the incense themselves, but brand it as their own. I suspect that most Indian incense is sold (in the West at least) under brand names not belonging to the people who actually made the incense.
I would love to visit India one day, and visit places such as Vrindavan, and try to find out what the reality actually is.