Goloka – Vrindavan Flower

This 100g box comes from my last order at Ephra World Shop in 2022. I bought them because my friend Silver (who lives in India) likes them quite a bit, and we rarely have the opportunity to compare our impressions of incense sticks.
Many incenses are produced solely for the Western market and are not available in India. In return, incense intended for the domestic market rarely makes its way to us. Vrindavan Flower is one of the exceptions.
At Ephra, they cost €6.95. They are quite thin sticks, weighing just under a gram, with a burning time of 25–35 minutes. Approximate price per stick: 6ct. In this Indian shop, they cost ₹199 (about €2.25). You can also see a picture of another packaging design that is available.

Contrary to what the picture on the box suggests, Vrindavan Flower hardly smell floral to me and are not sweet either. Occasionally, I think I can detect a delicate floral note, but primarily the scent is tart-herbal and camphorous, almost bitter. Silver told me that Vrindavan Flower contain camphor, but it took me a while to actually recognize it. It’s not the typical ‘Vick Vaporub’ camphor scent that most people might be familiar with. Nor is it the wintergreen-like tone I know from other Indian incense sticks that are supposed to contain camphor. Combined with the herbal character, the scent reminds me of thyme or ajwain, with a slightly soapy tint.
Additionally, I find something powdery in it, as well as a subtle, dry and woody note.

The scent is not unpleasant to me, but it is not something I want to fragrance my home with.
I find Vrindavan Flower bear a clarifying, purifying quality. If you want to create an “atmospheric reset” in a room, these incense sticks seem like a suitable medium for it. In sufficiently large spaces, I could also imagine them being used for meditation.