Gokula Classic Om Shanti

 

Scent on the stick is sandalwood oil, with some volatility, some dust, some fruit, some petrol. It's a sort of aged incense smell. Moderately enticing, but also moderately crude. It's a sort of budget everyday masala incense smell, and, as with the Gokula Classic Tube Rose I've just reviewed, it reminds me of Pushkar and Vrindavan incense, though more toward the Pushkar end, which I tend to find a little crude, as though too much agarbatti oil has been used, and/or there isn't someone genuinely knowledgeable in charge of scent profiling. 

The scent on the burn is more attractive than the scent on the stick. It's mostly sandalwood, and it leans in toward some peppery lamb's wool, which I tend to associate with halmaddi. I'm not a fan of halmaddi, partly because I tend to have a reaction to the terpene content, but also because I find other resin fixatives, such as frankincense or benzoin, to be more attractive, and to integrate with the other fragrance ingredients more sympathetically.  But it's each to their own, and I know some people are fans. 

On the whole I'm not finding much here to hold my interest. This is, for me, a modest sandalwood focused incense with what feels like a basic or crude formulation. It's an OK incense, and it settles down into something quite warm, soft, and warmly pleasing, but it's not one that excites me much. 

Date: Dec 2025   Score: 28

***

Gokula-incense

Gokula Classic Tube Rose

 

One of the packs in a cardboard box I brought down from the attic while I was up there ghost hunting. There are several cardboard boxes up there in storage - random packets that were shoved into boxes in order to clear space in our middle room which serves both as my office, and as the dining room when we have friends round for dinner.  

This pack of Gokula's Classic range was opened, so I had burned some, but it seems I never got around to reviewing it. The Classic range replaces the old Gopala range. There are essentially now two Gokula incense ranges - the Classic range, which sells at £3.95 for 20gms (a reasonable price for a Western trader - though Sai Handicrafts, also a UK trader, sell at half the price), and the Connoisseur range which sells at £4.95 (or higher) for 20gms. Connoisseur is the same range as Primo - same price, same incense, just a different name as historically Primo was sold in the US, and Gokula in the UK. Gokula has now taken over the Primo name, and some American customers who are familiar with the Primo range would prefer to still buy their incense under that name. I have checked, and this Tube Rose is no longer sold by Gokula. Gokula, same as Sai Handicrafts, do seem to source from the same place(s) as the sellers in Pushkar and Vrindavan. The source may be one or other of the incense houses in Pune (and Mukunda / Mark, the owner of Gokula, has told me that one of his sources is HMS in Pune). Anyway, this Tube Rose bears more than a passing resemblance to Pushkar Tube Rose, including spelling tuberose as two names. 

There is a curious scent on the stick - slightly acidic and slightly milky, which puts me in mind of baby vomit, though there is also an awareness of pineapple, of sandalwood, and of coconut. I find it more interesting than attractive. 

The scent on the burn is fairly laid back or meagre. I wouldn't call it mild, because it does make itself known, and it's not a gentle scent - it's a little dry and rough around the edges, leaning on old wood and dirty resin like sambrani. Initially in the burn I don't get much in the way of floral, but it does gradually build - it's a little soapy and artificial, but it is present. It does remind me of the Pushkar incense, and could very well be the same sticks, though I am enjoying this a little more than I did the Pushkar. That could very well be because I wasn't as a whole impressed with the Pushkar range of incenses, and was feeling a little negative toward them at the time I reviewed that Tube Rose. But it could also be that this is a different batch (older, certainly), or that the similarity is just a coincidence. 

Date: Dec 2025   Score: 25 

***

Gokula-incense

Tuberose scent

See also: 

Pushkar Tube Rose (PM)
Jan 2025 - Score: 21

A. S. Agarbathi Works Ayurvedic Meditation

 

This is one of the packets of incense from a cardboard box I brought down from the attic after going up there ghost hunting after Chrissie heard noises (I think it was a neighbour's cat which had crawled though the gaps in the partitions between the attics - the partitions were not part of the original Victorian building work, so don't neatly fit at the angles). The box is a curious mix of incense I've reviewed and, like the Satya Champa I reviewed yesterday, incense I've not reviewed, even though I've had the packets for several years. I've just re-reviewed A. S. Agarbathi Works Ayurvedic Relaxation and enjoyed that (though was a little disappointed that the scent on the burn was not more like the scent on the stick), so I am looking forward to burning this, though my expectation is that I will have a similar experience.

I was a little surprised when looking for UK outlets, that the shop I bought them from was no longer selling them, and that currently (2025) there appears to be no UK or US shop selling them. A. S. Agarbathi Works Ayurvedic incense is, however, fairly widely available in the EU, though UK and US buyers will have to pay extra shipping costs. 

The use of the Ayurvedic name attached to the incense packs is unclear. There is a relationship between Ayurveda and incense.  Ayurveda is a traditional approach to healing used in India, which is similar to other traditional healings in that it uses herbs and meditation; and incense can play a part in the healing processes. And incense, in turn, can be made according to Ayurvedic ingredients. So there is an attractive symbiosis. Various modern studies on classic pure incense ingredients such as frankincense (not incense sticks, but the pure resin) indicate positive calming and healing properties. So, while modern science is uncertain about embracing all aspects of Ayurveda (particularly the use of metals), there are elements, such as incense or aromatherapy, which have positive indications. But is the use of the name here on this incense packet meant to suggest that the incense was made following Ayurvedic methods and/or that it can be used as an Ayurvedic medicine? On the pack it has the words: "Natural Ingredients Natural Results", which suggest it might at least be implying the incense is Ayurvedic, while not explicitly saying so. It also says "Export Only", which may suggest that the Ayurvedic name is being invoked for marketing purposes, to impress Western buyers. Rather like the term "Temple Incense" is used on incense sold to Westerners, but not when it is sold to Indian customers. Up to the buyer themselves to decide how much if at all these sticks are genuinely Ayurvedic. I mainly burn incense for the pleasure of the scent, or for other mundane purposes like covering up bad smells. But I am aware that certain scents do calm me, or excite me, or help me focus. So I am quite accepting of the Ayurvedic principles of incense, including incense that may not be made from pure incense ingredients. I don't think an incense has to be made following Ayurvedic principles and/or be named Ayurvedic for the scent to have an effect. I am aware that synthetic lavender has the same calming effect as natural lavender, while a natural plant which is often used in place of lavender as it smells the same, does not have that calming effect. Anyway - each to their own, make of the Ayurvedic name on the packet what you will. 

As with the Ayurvedic Relaxation, this Ayurvedic Meditation has a very attractive fragrance on the stick. Sandalwood, honey, flowers, a little spice, and a little bit of warm lamb's wool. It's a fairly typical "masala incense" fragrance. If you have collected and burned a number of different Indian masala incenses you will be familiar with this scent. I mostly find this scent on incense made in Bangalore. It is a traditional / old-fashioned scent. I like it. Though, after burning a few hundred versions of this sort of incense over the years, it no longer excites me as it once did. I still like it, but I am more interested these days in incense which does a little more than do what hundreds of other incense versions do. Essentially if I wanted this sort of scent, I might as well light up a Satya Nag Champa, which does what this does, plus a bit more. And is cheap and easy to buy on Amazon or even in many corner shops these days. 

There is a somewhat resinous scent on the burn. A little spicy, and a little too rich in terpenes for my taste - I can only take so many of these sticks in one day. This is the fourth today, and I have the start of a headache. Having said that, and having moaned about how unadventurous and run of the mill it is, I do like this. It warms the room, cleanses it, and leaves a gentle energy. It's burning incense like this which causes post officer workers and delivery people and door to door salespeople to say how nice our house smells when they are standing on the door step, and we maybe haven't even burned any incense for a few days because we've been away.  So, yes, niggles and grumbles aside, A. S. Agarbathi Works Ayurvedic incense does the job. 

Date: Dec 2025   Score: 38 

***

AS Agarbathi Works of Bangalore

Vinason's (VNS) Kevda

 

Kevda (also known as kewda, kewra, and ketaki) is the distilled essence of the screw pine or pandanus plant. While not a scent that is commonly exported to the West, it does turn up in domestic Indian incenses, and this is the fifth I can recall having. It's not a scent I favour much, especially cold on the stick where I have observed these notes: volatile, solvent, artificial, boiled corn, burning plastic. And those scents are present on this stick. 

When lit the stick burns quite black, something I associate with sticks that use DEP. I have thought about this, and my theory is this: black smoke is generally produced when something does not fully burn, and DEP does not ignite easily. When there is a flame, the hottest part is the outside, furthest away from the material, so the DEP is not getting hot enough. When the flame is blown out, the heat is concentrated on the ember so the DEP is more fully consumed, and so there is no longer black smoke. 

Anyway, with the uncomfortable aroma on the stick, and that there is  black smoke when lit, I am not feeling positive about this stick. In its favour, the stick is made by Vinason's, an incense house I am becoming familiar with and developing a lot of respect for. I haven't liked all their range, but nothing has been awful. The incenses have, for me, been average at least, some have been decent, while most have been excellent. 

The scent on the burn is curious, as most of the screw pine incense scents have been. There's a sense of fruit, slightly decayed, some wood smoke, some pineapple, some old, moist leather, some stewed corn. It's bordering on ugly, though remains compelling. On the whole, though, it's not a scent I feel entirely comfortable with. I'm not repelled by it, but nor am I attracted to it. I am interested in it, like watching one of those car safety crashes in slow motion. Yes, Kevda is a car crash dummy. 

Vinason's Kevda sticks are available from VNS at 30 rupees (25p) for 20g. (If you live outside India, to buy from VNS contact Shreyas Sugandhi at vns@vnsons.com). 

Date: Dec 2025  Score: 23

***

Vithaldas Narayandas & Sons
Vinasons

Ketaki / Kewda / Screwpine

Satya (BNG) Champa

 

We have a ghost in the attic, so I went up to do some ghost hunting. I didn't find the ghost (though I heard noises), but while up there I randomly brought back with me two boxes of incense. Inside one of the boxes was this packet of Satya Champa with most of the sticks burned - only four left. And it appears I haven't reviewed it. This is typical Satya - glorious scent on the stick: bright, light, and joyful. Floral with light fruity citric zest, and grounded with creamy sandalwood. It is so delicious. There's nothing synthetic or chemical about this scent - it presents as wonderfully fresh and natural. Oh wow! 

The scent on the burn is pleasantly woody, though with less of the bright, sweet, fruity floral notes found on the stick, so I enjoy it less, and - although from experience I know that the burn scent tends to be less bright and fresh, I am a little bit disappointed. It's still a good scent, though the balance is slightly off for me - the base notes, the woods, are a little too dominant, and also a little damp, and obscured. Some cardboard notes intrude. Scents named Champa tend to be floral, and with characteristics of frangipani/plumeria - and, to be fair, this Champa has some of those characteristics on the stick, but when burned the sandalwood is the main element. 

The scent on the stick I absolutely adored, and I fully expected to be rating this Champa in the 40s, however, while essentially quite pleasant, the woods on the burn are too dominant and there's a general sense of damp confusion rather than the bright happy clarity of the cool scent. There are some jasmine and coconut notes, a suggestion of white lily, which round out the fragrance accord quite nicely, but the amount of sandalwood is a tad too intrusive for my taste. Over time a prickly lamb's wool note comes through, which I tend to associate with halmaddi (though it could come from another ingredient). Overall, this is an attractive scent, just marred slightly for me by the amount of dissonance between the cool and warm scent, and the weight of the woody base notes.   

Date: Dec 2025  Score: 34

***

Satya 
Shrinivas Sugandhalaya of Bangalore

Best of Champa

Reviewed in USA

Vinason's (VNS) Gugul

 

This is, I think, my first experience of gugul. Gugal is a tree resin which comes from the Indian bdellium-tree; there are medically unsupported claims that gugul has health benefits when swallowed. It is related to myrrh, though most folks seem to find it less bitter. 

The sticks appear to be perfumed charcoal, though there is no scent on the surface. It's possible that the fragrant ingredients are folded into the charcoal as in traditional masala incense. 

On the burn there is a mild scent, though so faint it can almost be missed. It is a resin scent. Softly dark and woody with touches of patchouli or more accurately cannabis resin. It smells natural. This is close in style to a Japanese incense. As the stick burns the scent does become more noticeable. I like it. A relaxed, laid back fragrance reminiscent of a legendary black hashish that was common in the UK in the Seventies, and had the nickname of Pakki Black. 

This is one of the most gentle and laid back incenses I've had that I've actually enjoyed. 

Vinason's Gugul sticks are available from VNS at 47 rupees (40p) for 50g. (If you live outside India, to buy from VNS contact Shreyas Sugandhi at vns@vnsons.com). 

Date: Dec 2025  Score: 37

***

Vithaldas Narayandas & Sons
Vinasons

Jeomra's Stabchen Natur Pur Amber

 

An "amber" stick from Raeucherwelt.de, which I got in the "Nature & Pure" sample set for €27.90.  These are resin-on-a-stick style incenses made on a small scale by Georg Huber (Jeomra) in Germany. Amber is not a genuine natural scent as such - it is more an idea of a scent, and Huber is open and honest enough to deal with that in his description on the website: "the name "Amber" doesn't refer to amber itself, nor to ambergris, ... but rather to a scent image". Lower grade incenses and perfumes will use synthetics, or natural blends, while decent perfumes and better quality incenses will use labdanum, a resin extracted from gum rockrose, a flowering shrub native to Spain and Portugal. Huber blends labdanum (sourced from Portugal) with balsam of Peru from South America, Siam benzoin from Vietnam, along with unspecified "essential oils". The combustibles in the paste are a mix of sandalwood dust powder (known as "balloon dust" because it is so fine) and beech wood charcoal, and the stick is finished with a sprinkling of the sandalwood powder. 

There is a candy sweet scent on the stick - a pleasant, chalky, sweet vanilla scent. It's perhaps a tad too sweet for my taste, but I do like the cool mineral quality of the scent, and the faint dusty wood aspect, which takes a little of the edge off the sweetness, though I'd welcome more balance toward the wood.  I like it, it is a rather inviting scent; though I could like it more with a tad extra wood or musk or "amber. 

The scent on the burn starts off quite resinous and dark with scorched sugar strands intermingled. There is an attractive mineral quality, which I tend to find when burning benzoin. I'm not getting a sense of what I normally associate with an amber fragrance, this - for me - is more like a benzoin fragrance, which feels like it's burning a tad too hot and so is getting scorched.  I absolutely loved Huber's Frankincense & Rose, so I am pre-disposed to enjoying this, but it's not working for me. It's OK. I like the resinous element, and the mineral quality, but the burning aspect is intruding too far, and preventing me from fully engaging with the overall fragrance. Sometimes it takes a few burns to really get into an incense. I'll be trying again next year. But for now this has disappointed me a little. 

Date: Dec 2025   Score: 27

***

Amber

Reviewed in Germany

Vinason's (VNS) Amber Kasturi

 

Amber and kasturi (musk) are these days scents created in-house rather than natural. Though amber is best known as the tree resin used for jewellery, and the resin has been and still is used as a scent (though some doubt the provenance of amber essence or oil), scents named "amber" more commonly came from ambergris, digestive waste expelled by the sperm whale. As ambergris is very rare and very expensive, and there are ethical concerns around the harvesting of it, it is not going to be found in any incense, and only very rarely in perfume. A common natural substitute for amber/ambergris in perfume is the plant labdanum, though synthetics and/or blends of essential oils are more commonly used in incense. Musk traditionally came from musk deer; though with a ban on the killing of musk deer in place, legal musk (harvested from naturally dead deer) is rare and generally considered dubious. Musk Mallow (or Ambrette) is a natural substitute used in some perfumes, though musk synthetics have been around since the 19th century, and are more widely used in perfumes and incense. The older musk synthetics are rarely used these days due to health and environment concerns, though modern musk synthetics are seen as safe. So, these perfumed-charcoal sticks by VNS are not going to contain amber or musk, and are likely to contain modern synthetics, though the musk and amber fragrances could be derived from a blend of natural and synthetic scents. 

The packaging and the scent on the stick are, for me, very nostalgic. This is old-school style incense. This is the sort of stuff that was commonly sold in the UK in the early Seventies. It wasn't until the late Seventies that Satya started exporting to the West (some may have been brought in by hand from visitors to India, especially the hippy tourists, but even Satya say that it was the late Seventies when Nag Champa became popular in the West). In the early Seventies we had perfumed Indian incense or the American Krishna Movement Spiritual Sky, but we didn't have Nag Champa. That would come later. 

The scent on the stick is more floral than musk, and has some jasmine aspects. There's some berry fruits, a touch of citric, a sense of "incense" (generally woody resin), and some paint cleaner. It's attractive enough, but the main appeal is the nostalgia.  The scent on the burn is a little deeper than that on the stick, and is closer to the expected scents of amber and musk, though not quite on target. It generally was not much liked in the household, though I found it acceptable, perhaps because of the nostalgic associations. 

Vinason's Amber Kasturi sticks are available from VNS at 55 rupees (45p) for 50g. (If you live outside India, to buy from VNS contact Shreyas Sugandhi at vns@vnsons.com).  A sample pack of 8 different VNS perfumed-charcoal sticks is available from Padma Store for 12 Euros plus shipping. 

Date: Dec 2025   Score: 25

***

Vithaldas Narayandas & Sons
Vinasons

Musk

Amber

Reviewed in USA

Discussed on Reddit

Vinason's (VNS) Frankincense

 

Frankincense is a popular mono-scent for incense sticks, though is also popular when blended with myrrh or other ingredients. This Frankincense is not a pure mono-scent, on the stick there's a masala scent blended in, which has sandalwood and lambs wool (which I associate with halmaddi) elements, along with vanilla/benzoin notes. It's a clean and pleasant fragrance on the stick - not too heavy, not too exciting, not too sophisticated. It's moderate, it's modest. it's nice. 

The fragrance on the burn has more energy and life. It presents stronger and with more vibrancy, and resin notes come to the fore with greater clarity. This does now perform like a frankincense incense, though sweetened by vanilla/benzoin, and softened by pale sandalwood. It is attractive - resinous and woody, though quite soft, and with a delicate sweetness that contrasts with and highlights the resin. I think it is nicely done. There are some great pure resin incense sticks, such as those made by Jeomra in Germany, by IBN in Oman,  and by Pure Yemen in Yemen. This VNS Frankincense is not as pure as those; it presents more like Mount Athos frankincense, which has been blended with other sweet ingredients. And, perhaps to a lesser extent, it also presents like Prinknash Abbey resin blends. I like the way the frankincense has been blended with the sweeter elements and given depth by the woody elements. Yeah, this is very nice. It works for me. 

Vinason's Frankincense sticks are available from VNS at 25 rupees (85p) for 20g. (If you live outside India, to buy from VNS contact Shreyas Sugandhi at vns@vnsons.com).  A sample pack of 35 different VNS masala incense sticks is available from Padma Store for 25 Euros plus shipping. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score:  38

***

Vithaldas Narayandas & Sons
Vinasons

Frankincense

Reviewed in USA

Vrindavan Bazaar Patchouli

 

Incense from Vrindavan Bazaar may be variable and inconsistent, but is generally of a decent standard, and is certainly excellent value. These patchouli sticks are hand-rolled charcoal paste onto a plain machine-cut bamboo splint, and then lightly coated in brown finishing powder which has some sparkly glitter in it. The scent on the stick is earthy, musty, musky, with a faint awareness of mint. It gives the general impression of incense - masala incense. I like it. It doesn't excite me, but it's decent enough. It does the job. I'm happy. 

When lit there is a fair amount of black smoke, but this goes when the flame is blown out. The scent is fairly modest, and remains within the scope of the scent on the stick. It doesn't really develop on from that. It's nice, but  too unassuming to really engage my interest. There is some gentle benzoin (or vanilla), a mineral note, and the general sense of masala incense flavoured lightly with earthy, musky notes that could be patchouli. Gradually the smoky sense of woody masala incense builds up and becomes a little overbearing. There's little sense of patchouli at this stage, just a generic woody incense. In the end I'm a little disappointed. 

Available at £1.08 for 20gm from Vrindavan Bazaar. They ship internationally at reasonable rates. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 24

***

   

Vrindavan Bazaar

Patchouli

Vrindavan Bazaar Jasmine

I'm not a lover of jasmine incense. And these rather ordinary machine-extruded perfumed sticks  have not improved my attitude toward the style. 

To be fair they are not bad as jasmine scented incense sticks go, but there's nothing here to interest me. I am likely to avoid jasmine incense in future; while there have been individual jasmine incenses I've liked, the bulk of them I have not. If I get sent some as samples, fair enough, but I'm not going to select jasmine myself. 

Available at £1.08 for 20gm from Vrindavan Bazaar. They ship internationally at reasonable rates. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 26

***

   

Vrindavan Bazaar

Best jasmine incense

Vrindavan Bazaar Lavender Natural

 

Machine extruded with a dry, clean finish (no powder) onto plain machine-cut bamboo splints. There is a somewhat volatile room freshener lavender scent. There's so much ice in the fumes that it's hard to get at the lavender and enjoy it. It propels more as perfume than a natural herb, though the fragrance could still be a natural essential oil. I do find moments where it does present as a herby lavender. But, yeah, overall just a tad too volatile and perfumed to make me feel positive. And it's also a fairly simple scent. I like lavender, but when it comes to burning incense, my taste inclines more toward intelligently and interestingly constructed accords that are a delight to experience, rather than a simple imitation (however "natural") of something I can bring in from my own garden, or which I can dribble a few drops of essential oil. That's not to say I am against lavender or other mono-scent incenses - it's just that I prefer more thoughtful fragrance accords, so when I encounter a mono-scent I'm not so excited. And even less so when it presents more as a cheap room freshener than earthy incense. 

There's a fair amount of black smoke when lighting up the stick, but when the flame is blown out it all settles down into a quiet and steady burn with gentle grey smoke. The scent on the burn is still a bit perfumed, a bit icy, and a bit sweet for my taste, without the earthy elements that make lavender so cleansing and interesting.  It's OK, a decent aroma, and no serious off notes. But it's no more than an average room freshener. A little underwhelming for a Vrindavan incense. 

After burning it a couple more times, I find I actually like it as a simple pleasant perfumed room freshener. I'd be quite happy to buy this again at the price. 

Available at £1.08 for 20gm from Vrindavan Bazaar. They ship internationally at reasonable rates. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 31

***

   

Vrindavan Bazaar

Best of Lavender