All the Temple of Incense sticks I've had have been pleasantly perfumed on the stick, most have been modestly dusted, and some have been extruded, such as this one. This stick is gently perfumed - quite herby, grassy, faintly resinous, intriguingly elusive; possibly the most interesting and sophisticated of the scent fragrances I've yet encountered from ToI. Generally they tend to be quite up front, sweet, and commercial - immediately likeable. This one doesn't quite have that immediate appeal, but instead has the more lasting and satisfying (for me) attraction of a fragrance that doesn't blurt everything out at once, but unfolds in a quiet, subtle, and interesting manner. Over time the vanilla comes through, but in a benzoin manner rather than straight vanilla; though the herbaceous qualities are still present, hovering between a fresh lawn on a spring morning, glistening with dew, and a bag of home-grown marijuana. There's also milk chocolate and mint. The nature of the scent puts me in mind of some incenses by Naturveda, a Pondicherry based incense house. Indeed, thinking back, there was a Pondicherry quality to some of the other ToI incenses I've reviewed recently, some burned - a dry, twiggy quality, with the sense of re-used resin.
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| Available from ToI at £10 for a box of 20 sticks or from Exotic Incense for $13.50. |
The ToI blurb is: "Bombay Blues incense sticks are best for relaxation. They’re very grounding, especially for those times of contentment and contemplation. The sun is setting and there’s finally a little space to think. Super zen, super chilled. Soft, dry with a sweet note. Light patchouli, geranium, khus and a lift of mint." Khus is vetiver, which is used in perfume and incense as a fixative, though has a woody, earthy, musky quality of its own. I've only occasionally seen it named as an ingredient - though it may be used fairly frequently for its fragrance, but not identified as such because it has qualities akin to patchouli and amber and musk and woods. When I have seen it named, it has been in incenses, such as this Bombay Blues, aimed at the Western market.
The fragrance on the burn is pleasant though modest. I find it very likeable and, as the blurb says, relaxing. For me it presents as a soft benzoin incense, touched with gentle woods and florals, that don't quite come into the open, but soften and enhance the benzoin. There's a lot to like about this Bombay Blues, and I suspect it's one that I would like even more with repeat burnings.
The fragrance on the burn is pleasant though modest. I find it very likeable and, as the blurb says, relaxing. For me it presents as a soft benzoin incense, touched with gentle woods and florals, that don't quite come into the open, but soften and enhance the benzoin. There's a lot to like about this Bombay Blues, and I suspect it's one that I would like even more with repeat burnings.
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