Manmohak Oudh

These incense sticks are commonly assigned to Cycle Brand, but actually Manmohak is the trademark, which, however, belongs like Cycle (and Flute) to N. Ranga Rao & Sons.

I bought them for €3.25 (Ephra). The box has 15 sticks of 23cm length, so it’s 22ct each. A weight is not specified. They burn for almost an hour. The sticks come sealed in a pouch inside the box, unfortunately it’s not a resealable one.

Raw, the sticks smell very strange: like a marriage of Magenbrot and soap. It reminds me of Garnier’s spice soap.
When lit, the smell of soap disappears mostly, but the Magenbrot remains. I also smell a distinct animalic note, which I smelled clearer, the more time I spent with them. This might come from cow dung supposedly contained in some Cycle incense sticks. But don’t let this discourage you; sometimes it’s a certain amount of niff that makes a scent interesting.
The smell is complex. It has a fresh aspect that I can’t place, and I keep getting a resinous note that I initially thought was frankincense, but now I’m no longer sure.
The Magenbrot smell is composed of a confectionery sweetness and bitter-spicy components that predominate. Mace has a very specific smell that I find a bit soapy, and it is a classic Magenbrot spice.
Due to the spicy, but also fresh portion of the scent, my perception constantly switches between warm and cool, which is something that agarwood (the source material for Oud) can do to me. However, I am unable to judge whether Manmohak Oudh actually contains any real Oud.
What I can say is that I really like these incense sticks.
They are not for every day and definitely not for the background. They are potent and demand the attention of those present with their very independent character.
The after-smell is very long-lasting.
Rating: 3.4