Bhagwan: Opium, Hari Leela, Wood Blossom

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Opium

I usually avoid the Opium fragrance genre, as I have never encountered Opium incense sticks that I liked. In fact, I usually find them unpleasant. Not even Mother’s – one of my favourite brands – has managed to change that.
Unfortunately, Bhagwan doesn’t achieve that either, but their Opium is at least the first one of the genre which didn’t make me feel the urge to immediately extinguish them again.
Opium have a similar pungent note to what I found in Bhagwan – Orange Blossom, and orange blossom is actually mentioned as an ingredient in the description of Opium. When diluted well, it has a tangy and fruity appearance.
The scent is primarily tart, fresh and floral. When I tried them for the first time in October last year, I found the smell bitter and decided not to bring them out again until it was warmer, and I could have windows open while burning.
Now, I find a woody component in it and some vanilla is present, but not prominent. Over time, I also notice a slightly powdery aspect to the scent.

For me, Opium has a perfume smell that has a certain complexity, but unfortunately, it just doesn’t suit my taste. Mike (ORS) mentions it briefly in one of his Bhagwan reviews and sounds rather intrigued by it; I have also seen one or two fans of this fragrance on r/Incense.

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Hari Leela

“Hari Leela” seems to be quite a popular name for incense sticks, I got samples from my friend Silver who bought Hari Leela from Vrindavan Bazaar, but they smell entirely different.
The Hari Leela from Pure seem similar to me, though. The description of both mentions the flower of the Bakul or Bakula tree. I got a sample of the Pure variant from the Absolute line during my first incense exchange (2022). I wasn’t very impressed with them either. However, there is a review of Bhagwan – Hari Leela by Steve, who likes it very much.

The raw incense sticks smell quite tempting; Here I am struck by a heady, sweet, and lush floral bouquet, but as soon as I light a stick, the smell seems strangely dull. I have to give the scent an unusual amount of space to open up to me, but even then, it remains relatively flat.
Primarily, I smell vanilla and a heavy, intense sweetness that reminds me of cake cream. Almost as if hidden in an intermediate dimension, an idea of ​​the bouquet that I smell on the raw sticks floats above that. I notice it most clearly when two-thirds of the stick has already burned down.

I wonder if I just can’t smell Bakula properly. There are certain smells and tastes that some people cannot perceive or perceive differently due to genetic characteristics. The best-known example is probably coriander, whose leaves taste like soap to some. My mother can’t smell nor taste woodruff.

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Wood Blossom

Wood Blossom is also sweet and vanilla-heavy. Its floral aspect is tangy and slightly fruity, and reminds me a little of Opium and Orange Blossom. At least in the raw smell, I find it slightly pungent, like both of those. It is a bright, cheerful and lively floral scent.
I don’t find Wood Blossom to be particularly woody, but it has a strong warmth that blends with the rich, creamy sweetness.
If there is good ventilation, the floral character predominates and I find the scent quite pleasant; otherwise, the sweetness builds up too much for me and becomes cloying. I find this scent to be perfume-like as well and like the other two, Wood Blossom is not really my cup of tea.

I discovered that Eugene’s other incense line, Good Incense, also has a variety called Wood Blossom. Their description corresponds well with how I perceive the aroma of this Bhagwan edition. They look different, but likewise look like they could have been produced by HMS. Maybe Bhagwan – Wood Blossom is the more potent variant? In any case, in the description they are described as a “limited edition”.