Indian Incense
- Thread starter Oudiferous
- Start date
I did try it along with the Blue Lotus and the Nepal Musk. If you are looking for Agarwood chips like smell then keep looking because this is not the product. I have also tried the Agarwood sticks from the connoisseur to the same result. All those sticks suffer from what all Indian Sticks of Incense that I have tried being overwhelming with floral notes and perfume oils soaked around charcoal or whatever other non smelling compound used for a base. The smell gets to be cloy and bordering on the chemical. I am not sure if this is a cultural tendency or just simply market demands but I have yet to come across an Indian Incense stick that presents Oud as it's primary features. I think I know of a friend that tried their Absolute and I believe their impression was positive. I'll have check on my notes that I took.
Thank you sharing your impressions, Masstika. I have not come across any Indian incense that did not reek of synthetics, chemicals, and harsh aromas. The spiritual organization I participate has been using Pure Incense's "Yellow Rose" and "Sandalwood" for over 20 years now. However, many people feel that these incense are toxic, and often use Japanese alternatives. Nonetheless, I was put in charge of researching the best possible incense to use ongoing, and in particular, was asked to research the best rose incense.
While the Japanese incense are very high quality and certainly pure, they are also low smoke and tend to be light, from my experience. Whereas, Indian Incense are more robust, smokey, and the blend with masala and so on gives it a character that works well in Hindu worship.
So I don't know. I feel skeptical about the charcoal that Pure Incense is using, because it is probably toxic, and the reason that the Yellow Rose in particular carries such a harsh aroma. Also, if no one had told me, I never would have guessed it was rose incense all this time. The blend is so diluted with other ingredients that the rose note is nearly lost aside from a harsh powderiness amidst the smokiness that you can pick up on.
Relative to Agarwood incense, I've ordered some of Scented Mountain's 12" sticks, along with their highest grade sticks. I was just curious if Pure Incense were offering Agarwood incense that were of any quality at all. And if there are any Indian incense companies that are actually pure and natural, and not using chemicals, synthetics, or toxic charcoal.
While the Japanese incense are very high quality and certainly pure, they are also low smoke and tend to be light, from my experience. Whereas, Indian Incense are more robust, smokey, and the blend with masala and so on gives it a character that works well in Hindu worship.
So I don't know. I feel skeptical about the charcoal that Pure Incense is using, because it is probably toxic, and the reason that the Yellow Rose in particular carries such a harsh aroma. Also, if no one had told me, I never would have guessed it was rose incense all this time. The blend is so diluted with other ingredients that the rose note is nearly lost aside from a harsh powderiness amidst the smokiness that you can pick up on.
Relative to Agarwood incense, I've ordered some of Scented Mountain's 12" sticks, along with their highest grade sticks. I was just curious if Pure Incense were offering Agarwood incense that were of any quality at all. And if there are any Indian incense companies that are actually pure and natural, and not using chemicals, synthetics, or toxic charcoal.
Let me preface this by saying I am no expert in judging Indian Incense sticks and I am not a big fan of them in particular but the the lesson I learned from burning what looked like an almost (2) identical Nag Champa sticks is that quality of Ingredients matters most. One was called Nagchampa.com
when you open the box and you put your nose near by you get a very synthetic like smell of vanilic floral tones that hit the back of the throat and almost causing a gag like reaction. When burned,IMHO I feel that there is very little nag champa in there and it all obscured by the smoke (from the Bamboo core?). The after-burn smell is chemically sweet/ powdery floral. The second stick is the Omnagchamp.com
which when pulled out of the sleeve it let this spring like fresh scent in the air with notes of fresh cut vertiver with a hint of peppermint. Burns clean with a scent profile matching that earl morning mist of first day of spring. I quite enjoyed it because I found it's sweetness bearable and not so cloying like others.
Another issue I have been dealing with for the past couple of weeks with the Scented Mountains top Aloeswood Incense stick is quality control. The (2) boxes I recently ordered contained many sticks that would go out almost constantly and would require re lighting up. It is as if they run out of burning material or the paste is not consistent through out the stick. I never experienced this issue with them in my previous orders but I did notice that their Scent distribution through the stick is not consistent; you would get a lot of scent and then it would fade away for a little bit and then it comes back again. I also had mixed feelings about their Emperor's Agarwood sticks. On one hand it is a great way to scent a room quickly and effectively with minimum efforts and instant gratification. No Charcoal and Ash to set up or waiting time for the electrical plate to heat up but what you gain in convenience you lose in complexity and depth of the scent. It is dry and spicy, could be a bit like a scorched mud plastered wall in hot arid oasis. the sweetness that is there is fleeting like desert showers that brings the smell of wet earth. I am hoping with time that the quality of the Agarwood will improve, maybe by allowing the resin to formulate and mature longer.
when you open the box and you put your nose near by you get a very synthetic like smell of vanilic floral tones that hit the back of the throat and almost causing a gag like reaction. When burned,IMHO I feel that there is very little nag champa in there and it all obscured by the smoke (from the Bamboo core?). The after-burn smell is chemically sweet/ powdery floral. The second stick is the Omnagchamp.com
which when pulled out of the sleeve it let this spring like fresh scent in the air with notes of fresh cut vertiver with a hint of peppermint. Burns clean with a scent profile matching that earl morning mist of first day of spring. I quite enjoyed it because I found it's sweetness bearable and not so cloying like others. Another issue I have been dealing with for the past couple of weeks with the Scented Mountains top Aloeswood Incense stick is quality control. The (2) boxes I recently ordered contained many sticks that would go out almost constantly and would require re lighting up. It is as if they run out of burning material or the paste is not consistent through out the stick. I never experienced this issue with them in my previous orders but I did notice that their Scent distribution through the stick is not consistent; you would get a lot of scent and then it would fade away for a little bit and then it comes back again. I also had mixed feelings about their Emperor's Agarwood sticks. On one hand it is a great way to scent a room quickly and effectively with minimum efforts and instant gratification. No Charcoal and Ash to set up or waiting time for the electrical plate to heat up but what you gain in convenience you lose in complexity and depth of the scent. It is dry and spicy, could be a bit like a scorched mud plastered wall in hot arid oasis. the sweetness that is there is fleeting like desert showers that brings the smell of wet earth. I am hoping with time that the quality of the Agarwood will improve, maybe by allowing the resin to formulate and mature longer.