Vrindavan Bazaar is a shop in the holy city of Vrindavan selling a variety of Krishna related souvenirs including divine incense. The shop doesn't make the items they sell. They present the incense as being made by local artisans. Clearly their customers would prefer the incense to be made locally in the vicinity of where Krishna played as a child. That would make the incense more auspicious. However, there is no strong evidence of a notable incense maker in Vrindavan (though Julian of The Incense Atelier has found a maker in Vrindavan he's named True Vrindavan). Much of the incense is made elsewhere, with Pune being a likely source for at least some of it.
Blue Lotus is a scent strongly associated with HMS in Pune. HMS have their own branded Blue Lotus, and a number of traders who are known to source from HMS also sell a Blue Lotus, such as Primo Blue Lotus. It is not a traditional Indian incense name, and though there may be other Indian incense makers who produce a Blue Lotus, I've not yet come upon one in my searches. The Blue Lotus incenses I've experienced have a blue paste, and a light and delicate scent informed by vanilla and violets.
This Vrindavan Bazaar Blue Lotus was sent to me by Brief Chemistry, along with some other incense he had bought which he noticed were pretty much the same. I agree with him - the sticks look and smell the same, and are pretty much indistinguishable. His Sai Handicrafts Oudh is a little fatter and stronger/fresher than the others, but when I compare the samples with my pack of Sai Handicrafts Oudh, I find them identical in every respect, including the glittery sprinkles (turn the sticks under a light source and the sprinkles can be seen). While we can agree that the Vrindavan Bazaar Blue Lotus is the same as Sai Handicrafts Oudh and Pushkar/Vrindavan Bazaar Ruhe Oud (one of the Ruhe Oud packs came direct from Vrindavan Bazaar, the other came from Pilgrims Fair Trade as a Pushkar incense), we are less certain that the Blue Lotus they sent him is the regular Vrindavan Bazaar Blue Lotus, as the sticks on the website are shown as coloured blue, the same as all other Blue Lotus incenses. All theories are possible as to what happened - the VB shop ran out of the regular Blue Lotus, so they randomly sent some other sticks and labelled them Blue Lotus; the shop changed its contract from HMS to some other supplier in Pune who sent a different incense they called Blue Lotus, meanwhile the VB shop continues to use the original picture; or this is just a mix up by the packer. Anyone who has bought from VB will be aware of the charmingly sloppy nature of the shop, such that what you get will rarely be 100% of what you ordered, and you tend to get more stuff than you expected, as they'll throw in an extra packet or two.
Anyway, what is clear is that Sai Handicrafts, Vrindavan Bazaar, and Pilgrims Fair Trade Pushkar Incense are all selling incense made by the same incense house. And that incense house is in Pune. Though there is some uncertainty if this is the regular Vrindavan Bazaar Blue Lotus, I'll take it as it is until indicated otherwise.
This Vrindavan Bazaar Blue Lotus was sent to me by Brief Chemistry, along with some other incense he had bought which he noticed were pretty much the same. I agree with him - the sticks look and smell the same, and are pretty much indistinguishable. His Sai Handicrafts Oudh is a little fatter and stronger/fresher than the others, but when I compare the samples with my pack of Sai Handicrafts Oudh, I find them identical in every respect, including the glittery sprinkles (turn the sticks under a light source and the sprinkles can be seen). While we can agree that the Vrindavan Bazaar Blue Lotus is the same as Sai Handicrafts Oudh and Pushkar/Vrindavan Bazaar Ruhe Oud (one of the Ruhe Oud packs came direct from Vrindavan Bazaar, the other came from Pilgrims Fair Trade as a Pushkar incense), we are less certain that the Blue Lotus they sent him is the regular Vrindavan Bazaar Blue Lotus, as the sticks on the website are shown as coloured blue, the same as all other Blue Lotus incenses. All theories are possible as to what happened - the VB shop ran out of the regular Blue Lotus, so they randomly sent some other sticks and labelled them Blue Lotus; the shop changed its contract from HMS to some other supplier in Pune who sent a different incense they called Blue Lotus, meanwhile the VB shop continues to use the original picture; or this is just a mix up by the packer. Anyone who has bought from VB will be aware of the charmingly sloppy nature of the shop, such that what you get will rarely be 100% of what you ordered, and you tend to get more stuff than you expected, as they'll throw in an extra packet or two.
Anyway, what is clear is that Sai Handicrafts, Vrindavan Bazaar, and Pilgrims Fair Trade Pushkar Incense are all selling incense made by the same incense house. And that incense house is in Pune. Though there is some uncertainty if this is the regular Vrindavan Bazaar Blue Lotus, I'll take it as it is until indicated otherwise.
The scent on the stick is similar to Sai Handicrafts Oudh - rich, oily, resinous, with aged wood and florals, it is slightly softer, with a violets tinge rather than the waxy jasmine I get from the Sai. Also, this has some awareness of vanilla which is not so apparent on the Sai. Essentially the same accord, with minor scent note differences which could happen with batch variation.
As with the Sai Oudh, the scent on the burn is softer than the cold throw scent on the stick. Quite rounded. Some sense of vanilla, which I didn't get on the Sai, but essentially the same accord. Just a little softer and less present. Woods and florals combine to create a pleasing whole, though the longer it burns the more vanilla I notice. I find this lovely, but, while it seems to me to be essentially the same accord, it is lacking the freshness and clarity of the Sai, such that I'm not picking up some of the delightful details that excited me about the Sai.
Available at £1.03 for 20gm from Vrindavan Bazaar. They ship internationally at reasonable rates.
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