Julian of Incense Atelier has imported a selection of sticks into the UK from an outlet in Vrindavan who have a two generation heritage of incense making, which Julian is selling as "True Vrindavan". It is possible that some of these sticks are the ones sold by places such as Vrindavan Bazaar, Hare Krishna Das, and Rasbihari Lal & Sons, though there's no direct evidence. I have been researching Vrindavan for a while as I'll be visiting there in November this year (2026), so I was able to identify the outlet; but out of respect for Julian I'm not revealing the source, not even privately.
Shahi Chandan means "Royal Sandalwood" as in Vinason's Royal Sandalwood and Manohar's Royal Sandal, two excellent examples from Pune; and the scent on the stick is rich with resinous, woody, musky sandalwood - dark and hearty. Not the pale wimpy sandalwood scent often found in Asian incense where true sandalwood has been used, but in order to keep down costs the cheaper, unscented parts of the wood have been used. This is heart swooning sexy sandalwood derived from a blending of aroma chemicals and plant substitutes - skilfully marrying ancient and modern traditions to get at the true and royal essence of the beauty of dark sandalwood oil.
The scent on the burn is a little more complex and unclear than the cold throw scent on the stick. It takes longer than usual to settle. There's often a few moments after lighting an incense stick where the scent is more about the burning bamboo, binder, and combustibles, until the heat from the smouldering ember is able to bring the fragrances alive. That moment lasts a little while here, and some off notes such as burning plastic are thrown out. This is an oil rich stick, so is more smoky than the other sticks from this Vrindavan house. This needs more space and ventilation than the average. When the right space and air has been found, the stick produces a fertile, earthy, musty and musky wood scent. This is both comforting and challenging. Grounding, solid, stoic, enveloping, intense, with a sweeping sense of "incense"; yet also warming, glowing with passion, rising to honeyed tweaks with vague floral notes of jasmine and rose.
This is a deep, intense, hugely rich and sandalwood, such as you'd want a royal incense to be. Bloody gorgeous.
Available from The Incense Atelier at £3.45 for 10gms (plus shipping). A handy good value sampler of 2 sticks of each of the seven scents is available for £4.45 (plus shipping).
Date: March 2026 Score: 44
***
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment: