A. S. Agarbathi Works Ayurvedic Agarwood

Second review - scroll down for earlier

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

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

***

The best agarwood incense

AS Agarbathi Works of Bangalore