Sifcon Earl Grey & Lotus Flower Incense Cones

Cheap perfumed cones from my local hardware shop. It's bit old ladies knickers - a sort of old fashioned stodgy rose. Not great. And a bit smokey.


Date: Aug 2020   Score: 24

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Sifcon International

Lotus

Sifcon Green Tea & Bergamot Incense Cones

Cheap and cheerful incense cones imported by Sifcon with no brand name. These are decent sized perfumed cones which have a pleasantly sweet Earl Grey tea aroma to them. Quite green and relaxing. OK for modest everyday use.


Date: Aug 2020   Score: 29

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Sifcon International

Goloka Patchouli Dhoop Cones

These are lovely. Soft, gentle, fragrant, and seductively patchouli. This is so patchouli. Sweet and sticky and earthy and green. All the things I like about patchouli. I like these.


Date: Aug 2020   Score: 40/50

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Goloka

Pick Your Perfect Patchouli

Top Ten incense cones

Sifcon Sacred Wisdom Amber Incense Cones with Holder

Another local hardware shop purchase for £1. This one is not as good as the jasmine. It says amber, but the scent is more toward sandalwood and sawdust. It's quite sweet and has woody elements. It presents as a fairly bog standard cheap sandalwood cone. Meh. Best used in the toilet.

We've used these in the toilet for a little while now, and find that very often the main aroma drifting out of the room is cigarette smoke. Not nice!


Date: Aug 2020  Score:  28

***

Sifcon International

Sifcon Divine Temple Jasmine Incense Cones with Holder

Bought for £1 from my local hardware shop, this is another good value product from Sifcon. Attractively packaged with a free mirrored holder. Initially I felt the scent to be a little too minerally, with a vague marine quality, but then I noticed the jasmine, and that settled with me. The scent lingers pleasantly for a long time afterwards. A distinct jasmine scent. Not quite fresh, a little bit artificial, with that mineral quality, but nevertheless very pleasant. For an everyday incense this is excellent value for money. It perks up the room and really cleanses it. Great for mornings.

We've used these in the toilet for a little while now, and find that very often the main aroma drifting out of the room is cigarette smoke. Not nice!  Score marked down.


Date: Aug 2020  Score:  25

***

Sifcon International

Best jasmine incense

HEM Champa Flower

A second sample of HEM's Champa Flower has turned up. Champa is a flower in the champa group, which includes frangipani as well as magnolia champaca, which is traditionally used in Nag Champa. It seems that HEM are interested in attracting an audience in the West for those who like masala incense - particularly those who like Satya incense and Satya's best selling Nag Champa. 

The stick is made from a fragrant charcoal paste hand-rolled onto a machine-cut bamboo splint, and then coated in a nurva (woody powder) to prevent the sticks from gluing together as they dry. The paste is hard, dry, and crumbly. The scent on the stick is very attractive and compelling. It is a balance between creamy sandalwood and frangipane cake (sweet almond, orange water and jasmine). There's also an element of good quality gentleman's cologne. Quite yummy for someone like me who likes both woody scents and sweet scents, and if there is to be fruit, then something citric and sharp like a cologne is ideal. Yes. Lovely. Nobody would think this is by HEM. 

The aroma on the burn is warm and compelling, with an emphasis more on the woody than the floral or fruity. It's solid job masala, with no off notes, and informs the room with a welcoming, reassuring, mildly sensual, and decidedly attractive scent. I like it. And I certainly like it way more than I did in 2020. It happens. Sometimes the experience is the same, other times, like this, the experience is markedly different. 

Date: Feb 2023    Score: 38

Another sample of masala/natural incense from HEM (I reviewed their Anubhuti earlier this year [2020] in April). It's decent enough, and does contain some halmaddi, but doesn't quite lift off. Nothing wrong with it - it's great as an everyday incense to cleanse and lift a room, but it's not transcendental - it's too ordinary and generic for that. I'm OK with it, but I've actually had some perfumed incense from HEM that I liked more than this masala incense.


Date: Lockdown July 2020   Score:  28

***

HEM Corporation

Best of Champa

Satya (Mumbai) Eastern Tantra

This is a very attractive traditional style masala incense made by bad boy Nagraj Setty. It is warm and seductive with hints of orange blossom, cedar sandalwood, and fresh leather. Very compelling. This is currently my go to incense as it is damned attractive and easy going. Very flexible it can be burned at any time of day for any purpose. Damn good.


Date: Lockdown July 2020  Score: 35

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Satya (Shrinivas Sugandhalaya)