Bhagwan – Royal Frankincense

I received Royal Frankincense as a sample from Eugene, the owner of Bhagwan Incense, with my order in September 2023.
The boxes of all varieties contain 15g, but since they come from different sources and their style varies greatly, the number of sticks contained differs a lot. Royal Frankincense are remarkably thick; the 15g in the package corresponded to only 6 incense sticks. A pack costs €4.95, making the unit price €0.83. The burning time is 40-45 minutes.

Disclosure: Due to my history and friendly relationship with Eugene, the owner of Bhagwan Incense, I would like to point out that I cannot write reviews of this brand with complete impartiality. I write a lot of the Bhagwan reviews based on samples that were given to me – these are labelled accordingly.
All reviews are unpaid and reflect my honest opinion, but you are welcome to consider them as advertising.

Even the raw sticks have an extremely intriguing, pleasant smell: frankincense-like spicy, tart, dark, but also slightly sweet and with a hint of citrusy freshness.
When lit, the sticks show a sooty flame, which I would attribute to a high amount of (essential) oils in this case. The amount of smoke is, considering the thickness of the sticks, quite moderate. The scent of Royal Frankincense is very close to the raw smell of the sticks but more intense and complex.
The frankincense character is clearly defined and pronounced. The oily-resinous note reminds me of Boswellia papyrifera. It is soft in a balsamic way, gentle, yet has a tart aspect; there’s something vigorous about it.
Equally suitable for this type of frankincense is the spicy component of the scent, which in the case of Royal Frankincense makes me think of warm spices like cardamom. This blends with a honey-like sweetness, which at the same time forms a bridge to a fine, heady, and zesty freshness, that my friend Max aptly described as orange.
The scent is dense, powerful, and reverent, and I find it deeply soothing.

Royal Frankincense are characterful incense sticks with an impressive fragrance.
I can imagine them well for forms of mental contemplation, although the scent may be too intense for some for this purpose. However, the mood they create feels perfectly appropriate, and lovers of Frankincense scents should also enjoy these incense sticks quite a bit.