The Indian Connection Nag Champa Gold

It didn't take that long. Somebody appears to have made an arrangement with the family company who made Happy Hari's Nag Champa Gold, and it's back. It is imported by the trade only company The Indian Connection. It looks like if you want Nag Champa Gold, you are going to have to go into your local incense supplier and ask them to buy it from The Indian Connection. I picked up mine from The Loft Ladder in Southampton.

We did a side by side comparison test. The Happy Hari was the winner, though the similarities were noted, and one of us felt that the differences, for her, were not significant. She liked them both. Happy Hari Gold was sweeter. To be fair, it was sweeter than when I last burned it. I think that aging may have something to do with that. In essence, this is as close to the original as you are going to get. It is soft, sweet, and easy going.

The two Golds side by side
The original Happy Hari at the top

Score: 35

Nag Champa

A. S. Agarbathi Works Ayurvedic Agarwood

Third review  - scroll down for earlier

In 2017 I called this "proper job masala" as it has a delightful scent, and presents as traditional masala (it has a coating of dusty melnoorva powder - sometimes called "masala powder"). However, since 2017 I've been learning more, observing more, experiencing more, researching more, and thinking more. Back in 2017 I was still fairly naive, and gathering  the bulk of my information from the internet, mainly blogs and forums - which themselves were fairly ignorant back then, mainly making assumptions. Blogs and forums these days are much better, particularly Reddit.Incense with its shared knowledge, some of which is first class, and Irene/SamsaSpoon's questing Rauchfahne blog, where she asks questions rather than make assumptions, or pretend to know, and her blog comes across as fiercely honest and intelligent.

Anyway, what I have learned since 2017 is that most "masala" incense these days uses "perfume"  - fragrance oils composed of natural and/or synthetic aromatic compounds. I have been studying perfume, and I'm now aware that as regards olfactory appreciation, quality is not measured by synthetic v natural, as some natural fragrances are difficult or impossible to capture, or perform poorly when extracted, so synthetics are widely used. The most expensive and admired perfumes are a blend of synthetics and naturals. What matters more than synthetic v natural, is the amount of fragrance oils used - or the purity. In the perfume world the highest concentration of fragrance is called "parfum", this passes down through Eau de toilette to Eau fraiche (or body mist) - which contains the lowest (and therefore usually the cheapest) concentration of fragrance compounds.  The amount of perfume used in an incense will generally determine the power/clarity of the fragrance (and the price). Other factors help - such as the binding material, burning material (charcoal is the purest), the carrier (which is used to dilute the perfume), and the fixative (which disperses the scent and allows it to linger); but without an appropriate dose of aromatic compounds (perfume/fragrance oil or dried natural ingredients)  the quality of the binders or fixatives won't amount to much.  It is unlikely that using a lot of fixative (usually some form of gum or resin, such as benzoin, frankincense, gum Arabic, or halmaddi) will overcome using a thin perfume or equivalent of Eau fraiche - though Japanese and Thai incense houses appear to specialise in using delicate amounts of fragrance ingredients, and can be very successful. In Indian incense, which is used frequently every day rather than in discreet limited moments of concentration, what is generally appreciated is a heady scent that manages to disperse around the house and linger poetically for some time.  

I've digressed a bit. A quick summary: Since 2017 I've learned that most Indian incense uses perfume as the main fragrance ingredient, so there could be little difference between a masala and a perfumed incense, other than presentation. Between a basic charcoal coated stick dipped in a fragrance oil, and a proper masala stick in which finely ground natural aromatic resins and plants and blended in a paste with fine quality binders and fixatives, there is a spectrum of incense. In the middle there are sticks made of paste containing fragrance oils which could be marketed as either masala or perfumed. This is one such stick. 

What strikes me today is the volatility of the perfume on the stick. I bought this pack in 2021, so this stick is around three years old, and still emits a powerful scent. The volatility indicates that the fragrance is a perfume (an essential oil or synthetic - I think it's not possible to tell the difference just on the scent); I like that it still smells fresh. Though, to be fair, I've just burned a ten year old perfumed incense, Mahendra Arora, which also smelled fresh on the stick (somewhat less so on the burn). Masala and perfumed incense can both be made with skill, care, and decent binders and fixatives which will ensure they project their scent for years to come. 

The scent on the stick is more floral than woody. Moderately sweet. Touches of citric. Leans toward damask rose.  The woods start coming though: beechwood - nutty and sweet; cedarwood - camphor and mineral; and the agarwood - dark, sexy, musky, fruity. Mmmmm. 

The burn is a little disappointing after experiencing the scent on the stick. But this is common with perfumed sticks - the heat of the burn alters the balance of the fragrance, as the top notes are consumed very quickly - sometimes (depending on the blend and the fixatives) the top notes are not really noticed at all. The burn tends to favour the release of the slower, heavier, base aroma compounds, though will confuse those scents with the scent of the smoke, which is composed of the flammable ingredients, the wood and tree bark powders, the charcoal powder, and the bamboo, and which tend to be deeper scents themselves. Generally there is a warmth from these deeper notes, and that is true here. The fragrance is moderate - not light, but certainly not heady. It is woody and rounded, though has acidic peaks with a moderate sweetness. It is pleasant and attractive, though doesn't really engage my interest or emotions. It diffuses moderately, and lingers moderately, so overall doesn't make a great impression.  I like this, though not as much as I did last time I reviewed in 2018. 

Date: Oct 2024  Score: 37 

Average all three reviews: 37 

Second review

I've been burning a bunch of the incense I've imported for sale on my newly opened shop on  eBay,  and I just wanted to get a perspective on some other incense, so opened my drawer and pulled out the first thing I touched, which was some basic everyday perfumed stuff from SAC, which had lost some of its fragrance through evaporation. So I needed something a bit better as contrast. I originally reviewed this Agarwood last year, and had been burning it on and off recently. Being a proper job masala, the fragrance doesn't evaporate. I'm not sure if it improves or even changes over time, but in my experience masala incense tends to hold up well, while perfumed incense fades and fades....

This Agarwood by A.S. Agarbathi Works has a lovely sweet woody aroma. I'm not sure I would entirely pin it down to agarwood as there are creamy notes of sandalwood and crisp golden citric cedarwood, but woody it is without a doubt. And it has honey in there. And halmaddi. Though not aggressive or sharp halmaddi, but a rounded, sweet, balsamic halmaddi. There is the earthy warmth and  fresh night air excitement of a camp fire, and the nostalgic evocation of a Seventies music festival. Burning damp wood, and the smoke from joss sticks and joints drifting in the night air. I'm really enjoying this. It's not top end heavenly. Its range is limited and sort of predictable. There's no depths, no range, and no soaring heights of excitement and delusion. But it's a bloody solid job masala, and certainly an incense I want to burn again and again, so this is moving up to nudge into the bottom end of my Heavenly department.


Date: Oct 2018   Score: 40

Average all three reviews: 37 

First review

I like agarwood. I picked this up in The Loft Ladder in Southampton. It is a proper job masala incense made by A. S. Agarbathi Works of Bangalore, who were founded in 1978.   They are members of the All India Agarbathi Manufacturers Association, which I have been intending to write about for some time.

Pleasant candy sweetness on the stick, with notes of beeswax and rose petals. As is often the case with masala incense containing halmaddi, the aroma on burning is different, with prickly warm wool dominating. There is also some honey notes, and some woody notes. The woody notes lean toward agarwood, but also contain beechwood, and I think it is the beechwood that comes more to the fore. It is a very attractive, fairly masculine scent. As with many of the best proper job masala, the scent continues to inform the room for around 24 hours afterwards.

I like this. It doesn't lift or transcend me, but is a solid proper job masala incense that should have a wide appeal.


Date: Dec 2017  Score: 33

Average all three reviews: 37 

***

The best agarwood incense

AS Agarbathi Works of Bangalore

(Ancient Wisdom) Golden Tree Nag Champa Temple Blend

The aroma on the sticks is quite nostalgic - reminds me of my hippy days. This is a proper job masala, but not the best. On burning it comes over as a bit crude and hot and sharp. If it burned how it smells on the stick this would be great, but as it is, it's a bit crude and limited.


Date: May 2019   Score: 28

Picked this up in a local Southampton hippy shop, The Loft Ladder, upstairs at Marlands.  There's nothing about who makes it on the box, but I found out that Golden Tree Nag Champa is brand name of UK distributor  Ancient Wisdom. It's a masala incense with some prickly woolly halmaddi in the ingredients - but not so much that it irritates me unduly.  On the stick there's a candy shop aroma - really sweet and jammy, quite lovely. It's somewhat more woody when burning - but fairly thin and acidic. It says there are eleven different ingredients including frankincense and amber; and I don't doubt that, but it's mostly an acidic fairly vinegary note that dominates. Some musty sandalwood underneath, but not quality sandalwood. It's a little bit sawdusty. Some damp beech wood. It's OK, but just a little too sharp for me. If it burned like it smells on the stick, or if it had a more prominent frankincense and amber aroma, I would like it a lot more. As it is, it's not a failure, but it's not one to really excite me.  Decent job though.


Date: Dec 2017  Score: 30

***

Halmaddi

Ancient Wisdom

Hari Om Divine Incense Gulab

A hugely floral bouquet of heady rose perfume. Quite dreamy and old-fashioned. There's an awareness of chemicals in the construction, but that seems quite acceptable as that is so common in these old fashioned perfume-dipped rose perfumes. They are all generally quite strong and heady, and are quite likely to divide opinion. If I'm in the mood, I quite like them, and this one is jolly good, retaining its fresh impact nearly a year after being opened.

Date: July 2018  Score: 31

A fairly floral and attractive everyday perfume-dipped rose incense. Gulab means rose, and this has the essence of roses scent that the older generation like. It is a little old fashioned and stuffy, but not offensive. I'm not hugely attracted to floral scents, rose in particular, but this works well enough. There's nothing off or offensive about it - indeed, it seems a clean scent. It is, though, a little too neutral, bringing no divine joy, and not creating any sort of mood. It perfumes the air though, and does it well.

It put me in mind of Swarna Gulab by Moksh, so I burned a stick of each and invited my family to compare them. They found them very similar, with the Moksh being the more subtle and interesting, and the Hari Om being the more direct. It's each to their own, and opinions will vary, but I also found them very similar.

Date: Oct 2017  Score: 29

***

Hari Om Fragrance

Top Ten 
Perfume-Dipped Incense

Best rose incense

Hari Om Divine Incense Butmogra

Machine extruded perfume-dipped everyday incense done in the style of Moksh.  Sticks are 9 inches, with 7 inches of synthetic jasmine perfume impregnated charcoal. It is what it is. I was sent a large selection of Hari Om incense to review back in 2017. I found them to be a decent average Indian incense company, aimed mostly at the domestic market, with both masala and perfumed incense. Re-reviews over the years have held their scores, or moved slightly up, though a few have moved down. This is one of those 2017 packs, so is over six years old, yet the perfume mostly still feels fresh, though has lost some strength and impact. The company, who have been going since 1990, appear to be going through some changes or challenges - the website is down, and their shop or premises in Bangalore is shown by Google to be temporarily closed. 

This is a fairly average everyday perfumed incense. It's not a scent to study, but it does the job of cleansing and refreshing the room. It gentles informs and warms the space, giving it something of a floral uplift. An OK room freshener.  If I was scoring this as it is now, I'd mark it as around 25 for  being a bit weak, but taking into account the age, I feel that a score of 29 is appropriate. It is a fairly decent but average jasmine scent. 


Date: Oct 2023   Score: 29 

I like this. It's a perfume-dipped charcoal stick, jasmine scented - one of the most common (or popular) incense sticks. I think there is a reason why jasmine scent works as an everyday scent - it's clean, crisp, and reminiscent of fresh linen sheets. Jasmine incense rarely creates transcendental moments, but also is rarely foul, so it makes an ideal everyday incense.  This is a particularly fine everyday perfume-dipped jasmine incense.  The scent is clean and refined. It is both refreshing and relaxing, like slipping into freshly laundered sheets.

The box is part of Hari Om's Divine Incense series The box designs are similar to Moksh incense - not direct copies, but there is a similarity about them. And the incense quality is about the same.

Date: Oct 2017  Score: 32

This is a useful everyday incense. It has a light, clean, refreshing and uplifting scent. It is ideal for mornings, bringing a spring flowers feel to the house. It is a decent everyday scent, one to keep at hand.

Date: June 2018   Score: 32

***

Hari Om Fragrance

Best jasmine incense

Top Ten 
Perfume-Dipped Incense

Jasmine v Jasmine (a burn off)

Hari Om 12/- Mangala Jyothi 3 in 1 Flora Sticks

We finished off the pack in the outhouse. The sticks give the appearance of masala, though present more as softly perfumed when burned. The sticks are extruded rather than hand rolled. The scent while burning is modest, mildly attractive, and gives a sense of perfume. There is a modestly likeable after scent. These are decent everyday sticks. The "Flora" in the name tends to indicate a masala incense - I am assuming these are perfumed masala. 

Date: May 2023 - Score:  27  

Re-reviewing this Hari Om mixed masala pack, and I'm enjoying it more than I did last year. I think that's perhaps because I'm appreciating masala incense more this year than last, and this is a decent everyday masala incense that is quite pleasant to burn at any time. It is softer than some masala incense aimed at the West, with a softer, more subtle use of halmaddi. The white pack has the least halmaddi, while the green seems to have the most.

Yeah, this is OK.

Date: July 2018   Score:  32

This is part of the 12 Rupee series, but unlike the others this is not perfume dipped, but proper job masala incense. There are three fragrances - all of them marked as "Flora" and then a colour: Purple, Green, and Red. But the packets inside are coloured green, yellow and white. The sticks are colour dyed: green, orange, and the yellow pack is undyed, apart from the tips which are orange. Ha! None of it makes sense - what random, delicious fun!

The green pack has a lot of volatile scent on the stick - quite tickly! There's orange peel and beech wood - very interesting and promising! It burns well - nice and slowly with a decent enough woody scent. I'm not picking up much in the way of floral notes, and the wood scent feels a little cheap and crude - think beech chips rather than cedarwood or agarwood, but is certainly quite acceptable.
   Score; 29

The white pack (orange dyed sticks) appear to be machine made from a masala type paste which had dried hard. The scent on this is not volatile, and is quite  restrained compared to the other two. It has a faint, but pleasant perfume which is a little old fashioned, like Yardley. It's OK.
   Score: 26

The yellow pack like the green has a volatile aroma, quite woody, perfumed, but also slightly fruity. The scent when burned is slightly smoky, and reasonably pleasant, with musky and sandalwood notes. This is an OK everyday room freshener; it's not special, but it's OK, and I'll be happy to burn it to clean up a room and give it some warmth. .
   Score: 29

There is a similarity between this pack and Mahendra Sai Jyoti, which is also a 3 in 1 pack of floral incense, and uses the same name - Jyothi or Jyoti (which means "divine light"). This Hari Om, however, is a better quality pack than the Mahendra.

Date: Oct 2017   Overall score: 28

***

Hari Om Fragrance

Best floral incense

Flora, Fluxo, and Supreme

Hari Om Black Current

Revisiting again as part of a random sampling. Hmmm. The mineral/chemical notes are fairly plain and mildly sharp. And there's a fusty sense of old ladies perfumed knickers. I'm kind of up and down with this incense. It's not exactly terrible, but it's not exactly great either.

Date: Oct 2018   Score: 23

Machine made perfume-dipped charcoal. Spicy slightly sharp rolling tobacco. Lots of top notes, some citric, some benzoin, moth balls, stale rose perfume, etc. I'm not sure this is a misspelling of blackcurrant - there is something sombre and almost spooky about this. Other than the top citric notes, I'm not getting much in the way of fruit or sweetness, though I could be persuaded into thinking there was a sense of warm Ribena present in the mix. There is a mineral quality, such as you get with benzoin. This is a black incense indeed. Kinda interesting.

Date: June 2018   Score:  30

This is sold with the "from the makers of Sai Bhajan" mark on the box, but is not marked as being part of the Premium 12 Rupee series. It is, as with the other 12 Rupee scents, a perfume-dipped charcoal, proving an acceptable everyday incense.  I didn't like it at first, finding the scent a little too much like ready rubbed tobacco - a little crude and serious. Trying it again now I am finding it a little more likeable. I can pick up the fruit notes, which I can be persuaded are reminiscent of blackcurrant (if that is the intention - there is an image of currants or other fruit on the pack, but the spelling is for an energy force such as a tidal current or electric current) , but on the whole this is not a scent that excites or lifts me.


Date: Oct 2017 Score: 20

***

Hari Om Fragrance

Fruit Fragrances
That'll Make You Drool

Hari Om 12/- Lovely

Pleasant floral notes. Mostly unremarkable, but pleasant enough as an everyday perfumed incense. 

Date: Dec 2023    Score: 27    [Average score: 27]

Second review

This has a sharp chemical freshness that is quite uplifting. It's a floral scent - clearly perfume-dipped on charcoal, but it works well enough on its own terms. Not Heavenly, and almost but not quite Decent Stuff, but top end of  Everyday Incense - an acceptably pleasant room freshener. .

Date: June 2018   Score: 29

First review

Decent enough Everyday Incense. These perfume dipped charcoal sticks in the Premium 12 Rupee range are OK. As with the others they "have a from the makers of Sai Bhajan" mark on the box. Some of the 12 Rupee scents really work for me, and given the price, they offer excellent value for money everyday scents - even the least attractive 12/- scents are no worse than the average everyday perfume dipped incense, so would be worth trying out. This one didn't do anything for me - I didn't, a-hem, find it "lovely", but it works fine as a general room freshener.

Date: Oct 2017  Score: 25

***

Top Ten 
Perfume-Dipped Incense

Hari Om Fragrance

Hari Om 12/- Sandalrol

It's a pleasant, obviously chemical, scent. Slightly better than just a toilet cleaner, but not one of the top everyday scents. There's the hint of sandalwood about it, but there's also a sort of pine and sort of sort scent as well. All of it quite artificial, yet acceptable, with no off notes. But it's not that interesting. It's just a sort of workable everyday scent that betrays its chemical origin, but manages not to offend while doing so.

Date: July 2018  Score:  20

Part of Hari Om's Premium 12 Rupee range with a "from the makers of Sai Bhajan" mark on the box, this is perfume dipped charcoal stick. The scent is quite floral and feels quite chemical, hinting a bit at toilet cleaners. It's a fairly average everyday stick of no particular interest. It works well enough - it's not offensive, and it provides a perfume (which some will like more than me - it's all a matter of taste), but it's not scent that gets my interest. I'll be quite happy, though to burn this as an everyday scent or room freshener.

Date: Oct 2017   Score: 25

***

Hari Om Fragrance

Sandalwood

Hari Om 12/- Tez

Third review - scroll down for earlier

This is I believe currently my highest rated perfumed charcoal incense.  It is an old sample now. Hari Om sent me this back in 2017, over six years ago. And perfumed incense doesn't last as long as masala. Having said that, the fragrance on this one is still fresh and attractive combining fruits and florals and supported by creamy soft woody notes and warm spices. There's wild curry notes blended in white chocolate and herbs. Fascinating. I can see why I gave this such a high score.  I think it has reached the end of its life, though, and that is going to bring the score down. What I'd like is to have a fresh packet to relive the incense when fresh and strong. 

Date: Dec 2023  Score: 33 [Average score: 38] 

Second review

Gosh I do like this Tez. One of the most appealing perfume-dipped incenses I have had for a long time. There's an real old fashioned feel about this - plenty of floral notes, heady roses well supported by sweet musk and sandalwood, yet there are also modern perfume notes flying around with hints of citrus. There is so much going on. A very beguiling and attractive scent. I want more of this. I am now considering if I should be importing this to sell in the UK. I am sure people would love this.

Date: July 2018  Score: 41

First review

I absolutely love this. When I got the box of samples from Hari Om Fragrances, it was the masala incenses that I was really interested in, especially the fat fluxo type as they are proper job masala; but as I'm working my way through the sample box and trying the sticks, it's the machine made perfume dipped charcoal sticks that are really blowing me away. I adore this Tez. The scent is really quite divine. I am not sure what Tez means, or even if that is what the name is (the last letter is a graphic that could be a V) - in Hindi Tez means something like sharp or keen. And I'm not sure what the scent is supposed to be - there are tulip looking flowers on the box design, but what I am getting is musk and vanilla and honey. On the stick there is a pungent chemical note which resembles lemon and Earl Grey tea - it smells like a typical perfume-dipped stick. Pungent, floral, citric, and largely artificial, though not harsh, and with no plastic or alcohol volatiles.  Indeed, quite pleasant, though not divine. But then on burning (and I'm on my fifth stick now, as I just keep burning them one after the other), the aroma is very warm and sensual, with hints of chocolate mixed with the musk. The scent is mildly sharp, and mildly pungent - pleasantly so. It's not aggressive at all. It is a gentle scent that doesn't overpower a room, but does assuredly inform it. You are aware of the scent gently enveloping the room, infusing it with warmth and sensuality. Now and then musk wafts past, and then maybe something floral. There's a surprising amount going on, so the mind is engaged as well as the senses, and this is a scent that teases and encourages further investigation. This is really quite divine, and I really want more of it. It is part of Hari Om's 12 Rupee series (all with a "from the makers of Sai Bhajan" mark on the box), which costs the equivalent of 14p in the UK. A packet of HEM or Tulasi costs on average £1 here, and I'm sure someone could sell this in the UK for around £1 or more, and have some very happy customers.

Date: Sept 2017  Score: 38

***

Hari Om Fragrance

Best floral incense

 Incense Ratings - Top of the Dhoops!

Top Ten 
Perfume-Dipped Incense