Bhagwan – Magical Vetiver
This packet was part of a selection of new samples that Eugene Andrushchenko from Bhagwan Incense sent me in mid-2024.
The price is currently €3.95. A 15g packet should contain approximately 5 sticks. Based on this, the price per stick is €0.79. The burning time is given as approximately 45 minutes.
Magical Vetiver are for lovers of intense fragrances. I have to leave several windows open so that the smell remains at a pleasant level for me.
The smell has a slightly soapy component that particularly reminds me of bath water; perhaps I once had a bath oil with vetiver?
Most often, a soapy note in incense sticks is a no-go for me, but there are a few examples where it works out for me. Magical Vetiver are one of them, just as Cycle – Parampara or Hari Om – Panchamukhi. (I never reviewed the latter because they’ve not been available for at least 10 years.)
I’d always suspected that there was some patchouli oil in Panchamukhi, but it could quite well be vetiver oil too. Both have an earthy and a fresh side, and I find this quality in Magical Vetiver.
Another similarity to Panchamukhi is the resinousness that I find in Magical Vetiver. It contributes a little to the freshness of the fragrance, or at least emphasises it. Primarily, though, it gives the smell somewhat more substance and body.
The freshness is in a certain way green and vaguely citrusy, just as herbs like verbena smell citrusy. However, it’s only an occasionally appearing, delicate top note.
The earthy component in Magical Vetiver is the most prominent, which brings depth into the blend and acts like a pleasant counterpoint to the freshness. Along with this, every so often a woodsy note will emerge, building on the earthiness.
Woven into this composition, I find a rather subtle and vaguely vanilla-like sweetness.
The after-smell is lovely, with a little more sweetness than when burning. It’s extremely long-lasting; I could sense the smell in the room where the stick burned for a good two days.
I like Magical Vetiver. I like that its sweetness is restrained, taking the back seat. It’s an interesting, multilayered and well-rounded fragrance. I just wish the sticks weren’t quite as potent and perhaps a little less smoky.