Nikhil’s – Masala Sandalwood Premium

This is one of the Nikhil’s samples I got sent from Silver.

I have reviewed sticks called Sandal Premium sold at Ephra World; they call them ‘Sandal Premium Masala‘, but the word ‘masala’ is not actually mentioned on the pack.
The sticks pictured next to the pack of Sandal Premium look like mine in the picture below and not like the sticks that actually were in said box of Sandal Premium.

In contrast to Germany, Masala Sandalwood Premium seem to be available in the US. I see prices of e.g. $2.49 for a 15g box.

The sticks look like dry masala at first glance; however, they’re not hard. Scraping off the thick wood powder coating reveals a coal-black inside.
I measured a burn time of about 35 minutes.

Masala Sandalwood Premium don’t really smell ‘premium’, but worlds better than the Sandal Premium mentioned above. They actually smell like masala incense sticks, with a robust wood note of the base that has a certain similarity to Sandalwood from Goloka, as it has a rather earthy, almost sour smell.

With time, a very attractive sweetness comes in as well. For me, it’s not a pure and authentic sandalwood sweetness, but the fragrance is nonetheless appealing.
I’m reminded of Mysore Sandal Bathi; very affordable ‘sandalwood’ incense sticks with a peculiar old-fashioned smell, in which a lovely, sweet note comes through now and again. Like these, the fragrance of Masala Sandalwood Premium isn’t consistent; the sweetness comes and goes, which on one hand seems like a quality defect, but on the other hand has an interesting effect: it gives the fragrance a certain dynamic.

Sometimes, a perfumy note comes through that doesn’t quite sit well with me. I think that Mysore Sugandhi – Chandan Dhoop must have smelled similar to this.

I find that Masala Sandalwood Premium haven’t actually earned the ‘Premium’ in the name, but they’re attractive in a simple way.