Monsoon Incense – Oudh

This pack was part of a generous selection of samples sent to me by Eugene Andrushchenko, owner of the brands Bhagwan and Monsoon Incense, in mid-2024. At that time, the brand was still called Good Incense.

A 15g pack contains approximately 8 sticks and costs €2.95, which comes to €0.37 per stick. They are 9″ (about 23cm) long and burn for 40–45 minutes.

These Oudh sticks smell as if they embody the base model of oudh scent. Nevertheless, I don’t find them particularly generic. That’s because most ‘oudh’ scents among the affordable and widespread incense sticks have a considerably more washed-out scent profile than these.

Oudh have everything you’d expect from a basic, single-note oudh fragrance. They inherit a robust scent; resinously tart, in the unmistakable oudh way, accompanied by deep, woody and warm aromas and a subdued, balsamic sweetness.
In addition, I find a hint of an animalic quality in them, as well as a slightly cologne-like character.
The raw smell is somewhat soapy.

Oudh are like a straightforward sample piece for oudh fragrances: solid, but without much uniqueness.

There’s a review of Oudh on ORS as well.