Hari Om Ganesh Arti Dhoop Bathi

 

Second review - scroll down for earlier

There is a note on the pack which says "Beware of Imitation". I think that's cute given that Hari Om do imitate other brands, and that they have only been going since 1990, yet the styling of the pack is of a much older incense. These are masala sticks - a hand rolled paste (or "dough") which has been covered in a fragrant powder. There's a sambrani/loban scent to the powder - part benzoin (resin and vanilla), part mineral/chalk, part floral, and quite light and cleansing. There's a bit of talc to the accord as well. It's attractive and pleasant, though fairly familiar - so more Bon Jovi than Springsteen, or Tori Amos than Kate Bush. 

The scent on the burn is resinous, slightly woody, slightly mineral, light touches of floral, a faint awareness of vanilla. The overall impression is resin, slightly rough and dry, rather like sambrani. It hovers between the style of Bangalore and the style of Pondicherry, incorporating elements of both.  I like it. Is it heavenly? Oooh. Perhaps. When I reviewed it in 2021, I tipped it just over into heavenly. I think this time I'm placing it just below, at the top end of my Decent range. 

Date: Dec 2025   Score: 39

First review

Hari Om sent me some samples a while ago for review, and this was one that I missed. It is a crude masala-powder-on-charcoal incense stick which Hari Om call a "Dhoop Bathi".. Names for different incenses in India do sometimes puzzle and amuse me. "Dhoop" I understand to be incense sticks or cones without a bamboo core made from natural ingredients, yet this has a bamboo core. The "Bathi" part I understand to mean stick. So I assume that "Dhoop Bathi" is, in a sense, another name for "masala" or "natural" incense because it is made from a masala (powdered mix of ingredients) of natural ingredients. I'm not sure if there is actually an official term for what in the West we usually term "masala", while in India it is usually (but not always) termed "natural", and can sometimes - as here - be termed dhoop. It's like the way that brewers use terms like "Premium Lager" or "Lager Beer" or "Export Lager" or "Pilsner" or "Pils" or "Craft Lager" to mean roughly the same thing, and then use "IPA" to mean a variety of things ranging from an everyday low hopped session bitter, to an alpha acid hop heavy strong beer, and to use "Porter", "Strong Mild", "Stout", etc, to mean roughly the same thing, while "Saison" can mean a variety of beers of differing strengths and composition and flavour. Such is life and the world of commerce.

This is a pleasant incense. On the stick there is a gentle, sweet vanilla and sandalwood scent drifting toward flowery, with some butter popcorn and salt. Rather nice, but stopping a few yards short of heavenly. On burning it is again quite gentle, but not wimpy. The incense does inform the room and make itself known, but it is not assertive; though it does have a certain amount of halmaddi which tends to be slightly prickly (for me).  On this occasion the halmaddi approaches prickly, but then eases back so it becomes a warm and almost comforting lambs wool experience - not quite a scent, more of a sort of memory of a closeness to lambs wool. I like this. It's a decent quality masala - above everyday, but not quite heavenly. It burns very well. If there was a known UK brand name to this, like Happy Hari, or Temple of Incense, then it would sell at a decent price and be appreciated. It's a shame that, other than existing well known Indian brands like Satya, most people are cautious about buying Indian brands, preferring Western brands. I suppose it partly comes down to marketing, and partly due to a lack of confidence in knowing what brands will work. In our family we are comfortable with trying out new brands for all sorts of goods, and enjoy doing taste tests. In our experience, we often prefer the supermarket own brands to the market leading brands, or - at least, when there isn't a huge difference in taste and quality - don't see the value in paying extra for the brand name. Other people (and I think this is the majority of people) feel more reassured in buying the known name, and are happy paying the extra for that reassurance. You pays your money and makes your choice - risk it for a biscuit, or play safe pay extra and don't be disappointed.  

Date: Oct 2021   Score: 40 

***

Hari Om Fragrance

R. Expo / Song Of India Sweetness

 

A dry thin dhoop, the sort they make in Japan and Tibet, by R. Expo / Song Of India, an Indian company based in Noida,  a new city just outside of Delhi. They started out in 1932 as an independent business called Mathur Perfumery Works hand-making traditional incense, then branched out in 1972 to create a sales outlet in America. 

The dhoop style of incense is the original style of blended incense made in India, which was then copied by neighbouring Asian countries; India, however, developed the bamboo core incense which proved popular, so few dhoops, especially dry dhoops are still made in India. Those that are still made  tend to be rather good. This one, however, is rather too much like the Tibetan and Japanese incenses, especially Tibetan. It is fairly herbal, and as such a little crude and a bit smoky. Imagine burning some dried herbs, and dried lavender, and that's roughly what you have here. There's some spice, some grass, a little similar to marijuana grass, and at base some woodsy notes, hovering between cedar and sandalwood. It's not unattractive, but doesn't really pull together, and is just a little too earthy for me. It's not a hopeless incense - indeed, I can imagine folks who like Japanese and Tibetan incense liking it, but it's not for me. I prefer my incense to be softer, more refined, more balanced, less harsh, less blunt and earthy. It's fairly sombre. It reminds me of Sifcon's earthy and simple Cinnamon Cedarwood, though that was quite magical, vibrant and sexy, while this is rough and smoky. Like the difference between Sean Connery's Bond, and a pee-stained drunk in  a pub. 

I'll stress that it's not an offensive incense - indeed, it works well on its own terms as a down to earth, honest, natural concoction, but it's simply not what I want when I burn incense.  


Date: Oct 2021    Score: 20 

***

R. Expo / Song Of India

Nikhil's Sugandha

 

Second review - scroll down for earlier

Slight change in packet design (previous packet, though reviewed in 2021, was 2017), and the addition of the word masala in the subtitle: Natural Masala incense Sticks. There is no great consistency in the use of the terms "masala" and "natural" - they appear to refer to the same thing: a decent quality incense which mainly follows the traditional method of folding the fragrance ingredients into the paste rather than adding them externally, and which uses natural ingredients. These days I find that many incenses which say they are masala or natural will be using synthetic scents, and which more often that not will have fragrant oils added externally. I do, albeit casually, note that incense sold domestically (within India) is more likely to use the term "natural", while incense aimed for export will more likely use the term "masala". I think the West is more familiar with the term masala. 

The scent on the stick is fresh and glorious, and falls within what I would personally identify  as a "masala incense". It's floral, fruity, and woody. A classic incense accord.  I think all Indian incenses which use the name "Sugandha" (which means fragrance) are based on the classic Aravinda Sugandha Shringar. They tend to use the same somewhat swirly semi-gothic text, and a similar 1950s packet design.  That Sugandha is claimed to be the first incense blend. Previously incenses had been single scent. It was Sugandha that took that bold step forward in creating a new scent, a new accord. If that is true, then it is likely to be the most influential and important incense sold, as this is such a classic accord. Nag Champa appears to be based on this accord - and Satya's Nag Champa came after Sugandha Shringar.  

The scent on the burn leans heavily on perfume, and presents more as a perfumed incense than a masala. It's more floral on the burn than on the stick. There is the warm wool scent/feel I associate with halmaddi, along with some prickles in my nose and the back of my throat, though I am currently wondering if this is a reaction to terpenes in some essential oils rather than just halmaddi. This is a reasonably heady and assertive incense. The accord is delightful - floral, uplifting, sunny, colourful. Powdery, candy sweet, and lovable, if a tad over-bearing and possibly cloying. However, yes, I like this.  

Regular 15 stick pack available for 75p from Popat in the UK, or $1.95 from Incense Guru in USA.  

Date: March 2025    Score: 39

First review

This is a decent quality natural or masala incense from Nikhil which appears to only be available from Popat Stores (currently 75p for 15 sticks) in the UK, though there are a number of outlets in the US, including Walmart and IncenseOnTheWay. I was sent these in 2017, and am only now getting round to reviewing them. Out of the packet they smell fresh and wonderful. One of the advantages of traditional masala incense is that the resins and oils are folded into the paste, and so retain their scent for longer than incenses which apply oils or perfumes to the outside of the stick - which is quicker, easier, and cheaper to do, but which allows the scents to evaporate.  

I like these. There's a certain amount of halmaddi in here [2025 note - or it may be the presence of terpenes from the oils that I am picking up; I'm not quite sure], but not so much as it bothers me, just enough to add a woolly warmth. It's a delicious sweet incense with distinct spicy wood notes hinting at cedarwood and dark pine, with some white sandalwood underneath, and then - higher up, some lavender and some sharper, fresher pine, and then some florals. This is so good it approaches the more heavenly incenses, though is perhaps more of a top end everyday incense, for when I might fancy the richer, warmer, more comforting notes of a masala style incense. 

It is cleansing with some mineral awareness and a bit of ozone, yet warm and almost seductive. Not a morning or evening scent, but something in between - something to liven up an afternoon, and give a gentle warmth and sparkle to the house. 

I wondered what Sugandha could refer to, and speculated that it might refer to Queen Sugandha who was briefly a ruler of Kashmir in the 10th century, or that it might be an alternative spelling  of sugandhi - the Indian sarsaparilla.  However, it turns out that sugandh simply means fragrance.

Date: Oct 2021   Score: 39

***

Nikhil's Products of Bangalore

Balaji Passon Natural Incense Sticks Rose

Pungent scent on the stick of a fragrant oil - quite volatile. A mix of floral and fruit, slightly acidic, definitely citric - tinges of oranges. A hint of the whiff of pee or ammonia. Some stone mineral and sea shore. Faint shoe polish. The whole is mildly interesting and attractive, but not necessarily wonderful, though it does hold a promise. It's kind of like meeting a potentially seductive older woman wearing a lot of cheap perfume to overpower the smell of her pee stained knickers in a Mediterranean  orange grove. 

The scent from the burning stick is far from the confusing allure of the scent on the stick. The oil/perfume burns off too quickly so the main scent is of the core material - the scent is more of damp sawdust and old garden waste, dry leaves and mouldy grass. There is some wafts of spice, some woody cedar, but mostly it smells like any old cheap perfumed incense stick. Smokey and inferior.  It is disappointing, not just because it doesn't live up to the promise of the stick, but also because my previous experiences of Balaji incense had been more positive. I'll dig out some other Balaji I have and revisit.

I assume the name Passon is a misspelling of passion - the description is of "a force of emotions and feelings", which is passion. There is a word passon, but it's in the Frulian language, and means pasture, so I don't think it's that. 

Balaji's Passon is a small range including Sandal, Rose , Firdaus, and Heenal scents. This one is the Rose, though, apart from the hint of old ladies knickers and some floral notes, there is no smell of rose in this that I can detect.  Available for 80p for 14 rather thin machine made sticks from Popat Stores, or in a Combo Pack of the whole range with twelve packs for £12, postage included from Indian Bazaar on Amazon. This is more perfumed than natural, so that is how I shall classify it. And is more suited to the outhouse or toilet than the house. 

 

Date: Oct 2021   Score: 19

***

Balaji Agarbatti Company

Best rose incense

Nikhil's Yagnik

An attractive masala incense from Popat Stores for 75p (15 sticks or 15gm), made by Nikhil Products of Bangalore who were founded in 1986.  I thought this was my first Nikhil, but looking at my records I did get sent a Nikhil's Sugandha Natural Incense pack back in 2017, which I have yet to review, so I should dig that out! 

This is standard mainstream masala with the standard "masala" scent - a little bit vanilla, a little bit sweet, a little bit woodsy, some warm wool, some white chocolate. It's quite smooth with very few rough or interesting edges. There's not a lot going on here, but what there is is certainly OK. Few highs or lows, few brilliant spots, but few poor spots. It burns gently and beautifully - informing the room with sweet woodsy scents, some patchouli, a hint of halmaddi, really nice sandalwood, a gentle edible sweetness - it's the woody sweetness that is seducing me. Nothing new or inventive, just a good job well done. Yeah, I'll be happy to get this again, and have this as a standard burn in the house. Nice one. Bargain at 75p! 

It's growing on me......

A "yagnik" is apparently a person who helps someone perform yagna or yajna - a devotion or sacrifice done in front of an open fire (hence the illustration of a fire on the pack). A yagna may be performed at certain key moments in life of a Hindu, such as a wedding. This would be a pleasant incense to burn on such an occasion. Modest, unassuming, but very sweet and attractive. 

Date: Oct 2021   Score: 39 

***

Nikhil's Products of Bangalore

Reviewed in India

Sifcon Patchouli Incense Sticks

  

A standard everyday perfumed charcoal incense imported from India by Sifcon. The box is a traditional six-sided pack, attractively, though modestly decorated in a desi style of intricate floral patterns in dark red and light brown colours. The printing is difficult to read, and there appears to be no indication of who made this - which seems to be a common trait among incense rebranding distributors. The perfume used is jolly good, it is an attractive scent - not quite patchouli, but woody enough to hold the interest. It has a sweetness not unlike frankincense, and on a blind test I would assume this to be a frankincense and myrrh perfumed stick. I like frankincense and myrrh, so I am somewhat drawn to this. 

On the whole I find Sifcon products to be very decent everyday incense. The products rarely fly high, but they are not intending to. They do their job of creating attractive scents for the home very well, and always at an everyday price. Very reliable and good value for money.  

Date: Oct 2021   Score: 31

***

Sifcon International

Pick Your Perfect Patchouli

Tulasi Jasmine Masala Incense

Second review - scroll down for earlier

A masala style incense. A generous amount of soft crumbly charcoal paste hand rolled onto machine cut plain bamboo splints and then coated in tree bark powder. There is a volatile alcohol aroma on the stick, quite sharp, which is the jasmine scent. On the burn the scent is basic woody with whiffs of garden fire and some idea of jasmine in among the general smoke. It's not offensive, but there's little here for me to like. A little harsh. This is now going into the outhouse. 

Date: April 2023    Score: 19  

First review

There's an intense fragrant oil on the stick which gives the jasmine scent, though it's not a natural scent, it's just like the scent you'd get from a jasmine perfumed stick. The scent when burning is fairly modest - there's the rather typical perfumed jasmine incense scent dominating the top notes, mildly sharp, with soapy notes of silky cotton and breezy lemony jasmine, then there are wafts of  "masala" incense - the rootsy, woody, hippy, indefinable suggestion of masala, and sliding down to base notes of sawdust and charcoal. 

All in all this is not a great incense. It's not offensive, and should please those who like the soapy jasmine aroma typical of cheap everyday perfumed incense - it's bright and floral and perks up a room.  But it's not that satisfying for those who are expecting something more solidly masala, and there is something overall lacking about it that it sort of slides down into a rather dull ordinariness. Not an incense to throw away, or consign to the toilet, but damn close. 

Date: Oct 2021    Score: 21

***

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