Auroshikha: Mira Amber, Orange Blossom, Sandal Flora and Musk Flora
I’ve known the Auroshikha brand from “back in the day”. Back when I discovered incense sticks as a teenager and the market did not yet offer access to such a wide range as now, they were almost ubiquitous. At the time I thought some of them were okay, but I soon found that there were better ones. (For example, the legendary Satya – Nag Champa in the blue box and later Holy Smokes – the brand by BERK, which I have long considered to be THE top shelf incense. But I’ll get to that another time.)
The first two, in the marbled paper packaging, are dipped incense.
I bought them when I was trying out the Mother’s Incense sampler pack. I wanted to compare them to the charcoal-based sticks from Mother’s, which supposedly aren’t dipped.
Originally, I thought that both Mother’s and Auroshikha were made at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry because the Mother’s brand was named after “The Mother” Mirra Alfrassa, and because they both use that pretty marbled paper. In fact, they have some connection, but I haven’t figured out what that is yet. In any case, they are both produced in Pondicherry, but only Auroshikha is produced by the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, which gives young women work and uses the proceeds to support a free school.
NEROLI INCENSE (Fleur d’Oranger) is settled between the delicious orange blossom scent of the Mother’s Mira line and the neroli scent I know from essential oils. So it’s a very floral, sweet, fruity-orange scent, mixed with the peculiar, dry note of neroli.
(For those who haven’t read the Mother’s post: Neroli and orange blossom oil are both extracted from the bitter orange flower, but using different methods that result in different scent profiles.)
They are definitely more potent than Mother’s. You can smell the coal base quite strongly, I always perceive it as a sooty smell. I also smelled that with the Mother’s, but not quite as intense.
In cooler air, I found NEROLI to be a little flatter and less fruity than in warmer weather.
Unfortunately, I also discovered that I don’t tolerate these Auroshikha sticks well. When I used them inside the house, I noticed my nose getting clogged; I could feel my nasal mucous membranes swelling. , That hadn’t happened before, with other brands. It was fine outside, and I used up the pack there.
I can’t stand pure neroli smell, but blended like that, I found the smell quite nice and if I could tolerate those sticks, I would probably rate them in the upper 2 range.
I suppose anyone who is sensitive should definitely stay away from these, but anyone else who likes neroli could give them a try.
AMBER INCENSE (Mira Amber) – (Not to be confused with the Mira line from Mother’s) unfortunately has the same unpleasant effect.
Its aroma is very sweet and somewhat odd. Raw, they smell molasses-like and almost medicinal, somewhat like cough syrup. When lit, the smell is very thick and perfumey. A very sweet smell that I find kinda smeary or oily.
A second attempt outside didn’t really change the impression. It smells like a cheap “attar” (perfume oil) like you occasionally find in head shops.
There are probably people who like this smell, my teenage self might have liked it, now I find it very overpowering now. Rating: 1 range.
I bought the other two backs sometime in early 2021. They are Masala incense sticks. Although they cost the same as the ones above, they contain fewer sticks. Unfortunately, I forgot to count.
I bought all of them in my trusted Asian store: Jovi’s Asian store in Braunau am Inn.
To me, Sandal Flora smells neither of sandalwood nor flowers, but perhaps the “Flora” in the name refers to “Flora Incense”.
Its smell is quite dry, rather “serious”, almost tart. They have woody and spicy notes. One note could be nutmeg. I also notice what I call an “ironing smell,” which I have come to associate with saffron.
When diluted sufficiently, they become sweeter, but it’s again more of a smeary sweetness.
Overall, however, they are rather subtle and unobtrusive.
Still, they’re not my cup of tea. Rating: 2.4
Musk Flora is more to my taste. The scent powdery-soft and yet very aromatic and spicy. It’s a deep, dark smell with a distinct musky character. Over time, an interesting resinous note emerges, adding a balsamic aspect to the sweet softness of the fragrance.
They’re not for every day, but I really like them.
Rating: 3.7
I would have liked to buy some more of these, but it seems as if the line is no longer produced.
What I have to say about both of them is that they burn remarkably slowly.