Bhagwan – Royal Sandalwood

Initially, Royal Sandalwood was part of my first order at Bhagwan Incense. However, since there were difficulties with the delivery of this variety, I had agreed with Eugene, the owner, that he would send them to me as soon as he had them in stock again. Eventually, they came with his most recent package to me.
Royal Sandalwood costs €5.95. The 15g pack contains 5 thick sticks, each 9″ or 23cm long. That makes each stick €1.19. The burn time is specified as 40-45 minutes.

Disclosure: Due to my history and friendly relationship with Eugene, the owner of Bhagwan Incense, I would like to point out that I cannot write reviews of this brand with complete impartiality. I write a lot of the Bhagwan reviews based on samples that were given to me – these are labelled accordingly.
All reviews are unpaid and reflect my honest opinion, but you are welcome to consider them as advertising.

Royal Sandalwood has a rich, dense sandalwood scent. Especially in the first few moments after lighting, I notice an interesting, masculine sweat note in the scent, but it soon fades into the general potency of the fragrance.
With Royal Sandalwood, the emphasis is slightly more on the woody and buttery-soft notes that sandalwood has to offer, but the typical sweetness is also present. I find that this gives it a somewhat calm character, but it also adds to the heaviness of the scent.
With these sticks, it’s more than enough for me to let a third of a stick burn, or even less, which also offsets the not-so-small price per stick.
As long as the stick is still burning, I detect a powdery-dry note, which only disappears in high air dilution or in the after-smell. When the smoke has the chance to waft through the house and unfold, I find it particularly beautiful.
The after-smell is long-lasting, and I find it even more pleasant than the scent while burning. In both cases, it feels like that the fragrance only truly opens up then, revealing its intoxicating sandalwood character fully. The incomparable sandalwood sweetness gradually comes out more and more, leaving behind its enchanting aura.

For those seeking potent, oil-rich sandalwood sticks with a well-balanced fragrance profile, Bhagwan – Royal Sandalwood is surely a good choice.