Gosh, the fumes coming off the stick should come with a government health warning!
I got this pack (from The Incense Man - £1.69 for 10 sticks in a retro tube) because after reviewing Stamford Pakeezah (which I loved), it was suggested that the maker might be Padmini. Certainly there is a lot of similarity, though this stick is way more intense and sharp, while the Stamford is more melodic and delicious. The sticks are different lengths (Stamford is shorter), and the sticks are a different colour (Stamford is pink, Padmini is orange), and the paste on the Padmini is darker. That said, there is clearly an aim in both to reach for a certain scent, and a certain incense experience, which is very similar. I have seen two other Pakeezah incense sticks, one sold by Bhagwan Incense, and the other sold by Pasand, a UK based Indian grocery shop. Both are own branded, like the Stamford. It seems likely that all are made by Padmini, though perhaps at different formulations. Note: Eugene has told me that the Bhagwan Pakeezah is not made by Padmini. He says that "Pakeezah was created by Muslims. It is a blend of vetiver, musk and amber I believe, but the recipe could vary."
I like the scent on the stick of this Padmini Pakeezah - it's dark yet floral, with spicy and frosty sparkles. The fumes, though, are a little heady. There is something of a moist weight to the stick, rather like a flora style stick based on Sai Flora. A flora style stick can be dirt cheap, or packaged in a luxury box and be above average in price, yet they all tend to heady and rich with oils and/or something like DEP. When the flame is alive there is some smoke produced, but its more grey than black, so I don't think a heavy amount of DEP has been used. So there must be a load of fragrance oils in here.
The scent on the burn is woody, a tad smoky, and oily. It is quite resinous, but not in a bright way. This is a sludgy, oily, resin. The smoke is quite heavy, it hangs around and comes down rather than dispersing. This is a stick that is best burned at a distance and with plenty of ventilation, both for the fragrance sake, and for basic health reasons. There is a familiarity about the scent - a curious blend of basic heady perfumed incense and an everyday masala. And some aspects of it align with the Stamford, but this stick presents to me as cruder. I'll be curious to do a blind test on both of these, to see which I prefer then, but for now (perhaps because I'm just coming off a terpene overdose) I significantly prefer the Stamford.
I like the scent on the stick of this Padmini Pakeezah - it's dark yet floral, with spicy and frosty sparkles. The fumes, though, are a little heady. There is something of a moist weight to the stick, rather like a flora style stick based on Sai Flora. A flora style stick can be dirt cheap, or packaged in a luxury box and be above average in price, yet they all tend to heady and rich with oils and/or something like DEP. When the flame is alive there is some smoke produced, but its more grey than black, so I don't think a heavy amount of DEP has been used. So there must be a load of fragrance oils in here.
The scent on the burn is woody, a tad smoky, and oily. It is quite resinous, but not in a bright way. This is a sludgy, oily, resin. The smoke is quite heavy, it hangs around and comes down rather than dispersing. This is a stick that is best burned at a distance and with plenty of ventilation, both for the fragrance sake, and for basic health reasons. There is a familiarity about the scent - a curious blend of basic heady perfumed incense and an everyday masala. And some aspects of it align with the Stamford, but this stick presents to me as cruder. I'll be curious to do a blind test on both of these, to see which I prefer then, but for now (perhaps because I'm just coming off a terpene overdose) I significantly prefer the Stamford.
Steve, our (Bhagwan’s) Pakeezah is not made by Padmini. We order all our incense in bulk from dedicated white-label/private-label factories in India. Many of our blends are unique to us because we can now afford larger order quantities, so everything is made according to our own specifications, with our tweaks taken into account. I have never considered Padmini as our supplier. I don’t consider them premium enough, even for the Monsoon line. I do like their products, but their minimum order quantities per product are insane – around 500 kg or more. They are simply too large and are geared towards much bigger companies than us.
ReplyDeleteWe currently have about 50 kg of Pakeezah in stock, and if people want to buy from us in loose bulk, we are happy to supply. We can also supply many other products in loose bulk for private labels.
Thanks Eugene. I posted this before you told me, and hadn't got around to adjusting it. I will do now.
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