Another of Paul Eagle's imported incenses that was sold under the Cultures of Eden brand ten years ago, and is now discountinued. I looked to see if this incense is still sold, and found incense called "Krishna Balaram" sold by Brijvrindavan.in - a devotional shop in Mathura next to Vrindavan; Srijistore.com, an Indian store in Australia; and VedicVanni, an online devotional store formed in Mumbai in 2013.
There isn't a scent called Krishna Balaram, so this is a devotional blend aiming to invoke aspects of Krishna and Balarama who were brothers. My assumption is that it will be in line with much other Vrindavan devotional incense made for temple tourists - it will be soft and pleasant with a creamy sandalwood base, a floral nose, and a sweet heart, possibly based on vanilla or benzoin. It may aim for a balance of strength and playfulness to suggest the strength of Balarama and the playfulness of Krishna.
The scent on the stick is delightful - very light, fruity, and jammy with a sense of fermentation. Healthy dollops of sherbet give it an aldehyde fizz and sparkle. Promising, if a little child like and commercial. There is some warm wood, but at the moment it is rather swamped by the jam.
The incense gets more serious on the burn with a burst of resin, close to frankincense. As the burn settles there is a balance of light, playful fruit with solid, grounding resin. The heart is a little vague, though doesn't present as sweet vanilla - it's a more a vague smokiness. What most impresses is the red fruit - not quite raspberry (too sweet), and not quite strawberry. There's a sense of old school trifle combined with a Black Forest gateau. There's sweet cake and sherry in the mix. I like this. It's perhaps a bit too full on sweet to really impress me - I'd welcome a naughty or stronger grounding counter balance - but I do like the playfulness of the fruit, and can see this becoming a favourite. I wonder if any of the Krishna Balarams being sold today are anything like this. If so, I would be pleased.
The scent on the stick is delightful - very light, fruity, and jammy with a sense of fermentation. Healthy dollops of sherbet give it an aldehyde fizz and sparkle. Promising, if a little child like and commercial. There is some warm wood, but at the moment it is rather swamped by the jam.
The incense gets more serious on the burn with a burst of resin, close to frankincense. As the burn settles there is a balance of light, playful fruit with solid, grounding resin. The heart is a little vague, though doesn't present as sweet vanilla - it's a more a vague smokiness. What most impresses is the red fruit - not quite raspberry (too sweet), and not quite strawberry. There's a sense of old school trifle combined with a Black Forest gateau. There's sweet cake and sherry in the mix. I like this. It's perhaps a bit too full on sweet to really impress me - I'd welcome a naughty or stronger grounding counter balance - but I do like the playfulness of the fruit, and can see this becoming a favourite. I wonder if any of the Krishna Balarams being sold today are anything like this. If so, I would be pleased.
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