Bhagwan: Oudh Masala, Arabian Oudh

Oudh Masala

For a while, Eugene sold two versions of this scent (here‘s his blog entry on it). Now, in October, Eugene will once again travel to India, and he’s going to procure an earlier recipe version of Oudh Masala, which he likes better. This version will finally replace the one currently sold in the shop.
This review refers to the current variant that is still available in the Bhagwan line-up. He describes the scent as follows: “A pure work of art, a harmonious ensemble of precious agarwood, pinewood, mint, and some distant hints of leather and tobacco.”

I ordered Oudh Masala hoping they would smell like the Padma Store sample of Happy Hari – Oudh Masala, which is also mentioned in the description. Unfortunately, they are significantly different. (Later, I had to find out that the regular packs sold at Padma Store also smell different from the single stick in the sample set. But more on that in a bit.)

The raw smell of the sticks is menthol-like and earthy-musty, which in combination reminds me a bit of tea tree oil. The minty note has disappeared since I let the sticks air out, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
When lit, the scent is very typically oudh-y. It is the kind of oudh note that I occasionally catch in (men’s) perfumes, although Oudh Masala doesn’t have a cologne smell as I have found in other incense sticks of the Oudh genre.
The scent is only slightly sweet. The sweetness has something balsamic about it, but overall the smell seems quite dry to me. It is a powdery woodiness combined with the deep, dark notes of oudh, which are so uniquely spicy-aromatic that one must know the smell to understand what is meant.
Character-wise, I find the scent calm and composed. It exudes a kind of prudent seriousness that can be quite soothing and grounding.

I think airing out has done these sticks good as well. The difference is not as significant as I feel it is with Arabian Oudh, but I like them better now too.
In general, with Oudh Masala, I have the impression that the scent quickly becomes overpowering. They smell very interesting and pleasant for a few minutes, but then I perceive the smell as increasingly dull and find it almost stuffy at some point. I suspect it is the dry aspect that causes this. The after-smell, on the other hand, is very interesting and pleasant.
I also observed that the effect is temperature-dependent. Cooler summer weather seems to suit the scent the best.

Arabian Oudh

Before airing them out, I liked Arabian Oudh less than Oudh Masala. They had a strange, obtrusive note that was both slightly alcoholic and sour. Max described it as ‘ferment-y’, which I find quite fitting. They also had a bit of the cologne-like smell that I don’t particularly like in incense sticks.
Now, after airing out, I find the scent much rounder and well-balanced. It no longer smells perfumey, though one could still compare it to an attar.

Arabian Oudh is sweeter than Oudh Masala. I find its scent richer, rounder, and somewhat livelier.
Its fragrance is also relatively dark, deep, and slightly earthy, but much more balsamic than Oudh Masala, though a certain powdery dryness is also present. I find this dryness to be better balanced in Arabian Oudh.
The specific oudh character is spicy. I find slight hints of Magenbrot spices like mace in it, which are further enhanced by the sweetness. At the same time, the scent also offers something fresh and cooling, in a way that I’ve only found in oudh or agarwood incenses.
Interestingly, both Max and I occasionally find a slight coniferous scent in Arabian Oudh, even though only Oudh Masala‘s description mentions pine.
Arabian Oudh is very potent as well, and benefits from plenty of fresh air. It’s around 20°C today, which seems to suit the scent nicely.

I now like Arabian Oudh. When I have a stick burning in the background, the scent makes me lift my nose and sniff for it every now and then because the fascinating oudh aroma inevitably draws my attention.
However, I don’t think I would repurchase it.