Shroff – Mysore Sandal

The purchase of these incense sticks was based on a bit of a mix-up – a happy accident as it turned out…

I apologize for the bad photo; I forgot to make a better one before I tore the packaging.

Bought at Padma Store, as a 25g roll (22 sticks) for €3.95, which is around 18ct per stick. Back then, in March 2022, I snagged the last 2 rolls. They are now back in stock, but only in 50g packs for €7.95.

The mix-up: At the very beginning of 2022 I had my very first incense exchange and in the process I received a few sticks of “Mysore Sandal” that had no brand name on them. We had previously discussed what we would like, and both Shroff and Pure Incense were in discussion. At some point along the way, my brain made the wrong connection, and I was absolutely convinced that these Mysore Sandal were Shroff.
Shortly afterwards, I ordered 2 rolls of the Mysore Sandal from Padma – one for Max, my admin here and one for me – because we were both so excited.

Well. Initially, the disappointment was huge because Shroff – Mysore Sandal (which is Dry Masala) is thoroughly different from Pure Incense.
I found it to be super smoky in aroma, and dry, downright harsh. 🙁 I had already given my role to Max because he thought the scent was okay. However, I had two sticks of Mysore Sandal included in the Shroff Dry Masala sampler set that I had also purchased.
We burned them more often at his place and after the fourth or fifth time, they suddenly started to smell entirely different. At first, I thought it might be another one of those cases where in his flat, a scent smells entirely different from how it does in mine. I wondered if it could be the weather. Or do the samples smell different from the ones out of the rolls? – When the second roll went back to my place, I finally realized that it was my perception that had thoroughly changed.
I had heard and experienced to a lesser extent that incense can have a “learning curve”, but this was the first time the change was so drastic. Since then, every time I burn them, I find them a little better! I now count them as one of my favourite sandalwood incense sticks, and they are definitely the best sandalwood Dry Masala I have had so far.
Shroff – Mysore Sandal have a full-bodied, but natural, not overpowering sandalwood scent that is sweet, woody-soft, very round and “enveloping”. I no longer find the smell to be scratchy in any way, although of course it is still a somewhat smokey smell.
It’s perhaps a bit like having to get used to new glasses or something similar: at first, it’s strange and disturbing, you constantly pay attention to it because you’re (still) consciously aware of it, and it feels different from what you’re used to, but after a while it is simply rendered out of consciousness.

Rating: 4.3

A quick note about the samples vs. the rolls: Yes, they smell slightly different, there are definitely batch differences, but I had to compare them directly to be sure.
I consider this to be a sign that it is a natural product because the raw materials are subject to natural fluctuations and are not a quality defect.