Goloka – ORGANICA – Sandalwood

Price per box of 15g: €1.85 (at Ephra World Shop). There are approx. 12 sticks included, which makes around 15ct/piece.

Goloka – ORGANICA – Sandalwood is very different from Chandan (the Indian name for sandalwood) made by the same brand. Essentially, they sit at opposite ends of the spectrum that sandalwood has to offer.
The smell, although clearly sandalwood, is not creamy or milky, not intensely sweet, as is often the case with “Chandan” called incenses. Instead, it is deep and has a special tartness that sometimes shows a sour characteristic.
Stephen, writing for ORS, repeatedly uses the term “salty” in context to sandalwood, and that’s what I kept thinking about with these incense sticks. I wonder if he uses this term for what I mean in the case of sandalwood with “sour”.
The scent profile of these incense sticks appears dry, but at the same time earthy and moist. It’s a rather unique kind of muskiness that’s neither powdery nor animalistic. In English, I often read the term “musty” in this context. I think that sounds gross – it seems inappropriate – but at the same time it expresses the idea of ​​“earthy” and “moist”. I wish there was a better word for it (both in German and English).

At the beginning I wasn’t particularly found of these incense sticks, that was mid-2022. I liked them ok, but had rated them in the lower 2 range. I had put them in my tin of outdoor incense sticks and used them occasionally. In between, I got to know a few other sandalwood incense sticks, including Japanese ones.
I don’t know if it was because of that or if I just needed to spend some time with them, but I do like them now.
They seem more serious, more “adult” perhaps, than the sweet Chandan. There is an underlying sweetness, but it is part of the woody note and doesn’t stand on its own like with others. For me, they exude a certain calm, a sedateness that I sometimes find very pleasant.

Rating: 3.0