Tulasi – Vidwan

This is a small 10g pack of Tulasi – Vidwan, with 15 mini sticks of about 15cm length and a burning time of 25–35 minutes. I bought it from Ephra World in October 2022 for €1.65. These incense sticks are also available in a normal-sized version with 25g, which costs €3.75 and is stated to burn for 35–45 minutes.

Aside from the thoroughly positive reviews in the Ephra Shop, Steve’s review inspired me to buy Vidwan. (And I love the design.)

An interesting detail can be found on the side of the pack: In addition to some frequently encountered statements such as “non-toxic”, “not tested on animals” and “no child labour used” you can also find the statement “alcohol-free”. I suspect this may be important to some Muslim people. Why I’m interested is because that must conversely mean that some incense sticks do contain alcohol. I suspect as a thinner for oils. Does this maybe cause the disinfectant smell that I’ve been noticing on some incense sticks lately?

“Vidwan: Master, Scholar or guru.
Vidwan is a display of mastery in the art of Incense making. A perfect blend of Vanilla, Patchouli & other herbs has been made to create this exclusive incense. Vidvan creates a pleasant natural atmosphere ideal for prayer & meditation.”

The first time I tried Vidwan was in December, so due to the weather, with little fresh air and in an enclosed room. I was overwhelmed by the intensity. I found it very perfumey and overpowering. The smell had (and still has) a pungent quality to me.
On a second attempt, my friend Silver reminded me that Vidwan is supposed to smell like vanilla and patchouli. I searched for both scents in vain, all I found was something I could have forcefully interpreted as fresh and earthy.
I then decided to postpone any further attempts until the summer.

The following June, I took them out again and lit them outside on my balcony. Now, I could smell the patchouli straight away. However, it is an unusual patchouli scent. Even more so than Bhagwan – Patchouli, Vidwan creates an association with my time when I was still out and about in Gothic discos. I think one of my friends at the time smelled like that. Maybe he even used those incense sticks.
Yes, Vidwan smells like it’s 3am in front of a Goth club. La Vanille Noir is in the air.

For me, Vidwan is not herbaceous, but rather spicy, and the earthy part of the patchouli is pronounced strongly and in an unusual way. The freshness and peculiar spice of the scent makes me think rather of clove oil than patchouli, and that is also the aspect of the scent that I find pungent. The smell also has a bit of a sweaty note to me, especially at the beginning.
This deep, extremely heavy and dense scent profile is underscored by a vanilla-like sweetness that also needs a lot of air to reveal itself.
The after smell is spicy, earthy and slightly sweet.

Tulasi – Vidwan are a classic fragrance combination, executed in an unusual fashion. It’s out of the ordinary and won’t be for everyone; But for patchouli lovers (and the black souls out there), who are not averse to intense scents, Vidwan are definitely worth a try.