Nitiraj is one of the brands made by the Incense Collective (formally Fair Trade Incense), a white label company who make incense for own brand incense dealers. Nitiraj is a brand name that originated in the UK with a then British distributor, Bombay Incense. Rights to the distribution of the brand have been sold to a number of dealers, though I think the incense is still made in Mumbai by Fair Trade/Incense Collective - it is typical of Fair Trade.
The charcoal paste has been machine extruded onto plain bamboo splints, and then rolled in a thin covering of fragrant melnoorva/masala powder. The scent on the stick is sweet and pleasant - light delicate florals, powdery caster sugar, caramel, and vanilla or benzoin are the main scent notes. It is an appealing and commercial fragrance accord. There is an underlying woody or resinous note that adds some interest, though it is very faint. A quirky off-note is dried baby sick (it's actually quite cute, and is faint enough not to be unpleasant, but to add to the overall attraction of the accord).
It's a pleasant scent on the burn. Light touches of vanilla and lilac or lotus interwoven with resinous notes which perfumers would call "incense" and which most incense burners would find familiar as the basic masala scent - which would be informed by a resin such as benzoin or frankincense or resin fixative such as halmaddi. It's nice. There's not a lot going on, which I have found with other Fair Trade products, but it is nice. Professionally made with an eye on appealing to a Western market, though, for me, lacking in character or style, and fairly meagre (or careful or judicious) with the fragrant ingredients. There's nothing in here to offend (unless beige offends you), but there's equally nothing in here that would excite or interest someone who is familiar with Indian incense. The scent is gentle and clean and safe with little in the way of chaos, so would have a wide appeal, especially among those who want an Indian incense, but are made nervous by the real thing.
It's a pleasant scent on the burn. Light touches of vanilla and lilac or lotus interwoven with resinous notes which perfumers would call "incense" and which most incense burners would find familiar as the basic masala scent - which would be informed by a resin such as benzoin or frankincense or resin fixative such as halmaddi. It's nice. There's not a lot going on, which I have found with other Fair Trade products, but it is nice. Professionally made with an eye on appealing to a Western market, though, for me, lacking in character or style, and fairly meagre (or careful or judicious) with the fragrant ingredients. There's nothing in here to offend (unless beige offends you), but there's equally nothing in here that would excite or interest someone who is familiar with Indian incense. The scent is gentle and clean and safe with little in the way of chaos, so would have a wide appeal, especially among those who want an Indian incense, but are made nervous by the real thing.
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