Shroff: Mogra, Jasmin 1940
All these samples come from Padma Store. The old Mogra was part of the Shroff Dry Masala sampler I bought in 2021, and the other two were sent to me by Ashok, the owner, at the end of 2023.
Mogra, now found in the shop’s Soft Masala category, currently costs €7.95 for a 50g pack. The burning time is 70 minutes. Indiaroma also offers them now (at the same price).
Jasmin 1940 (Dry Masala) cost the same, but only burn for 50 minutes.
That’s the Mogra sticks from the old Shroff Dry Masala sampler from Padma Store. Ashok now lists the current batch in the Soft Masala category.
This is how the current Mogra looks like.
Mogra
Mogra is one of those jasmine scents that remind me of nutmeg, which is rather an unpleasant smell for me. However, the note remains significantly below the threshold at which it starts to smell like cat pee to me. It also diminishes quickly and is almost gone after a few minutes.
The scent is floral, but not immediately identifiable as jasmine for me; it’s only with time that I discover the somewhat green freshness which I associate with jasmine.
This is mainly because there is a good amount of amber-like, balsamic sweetness in Mogra, accompanied by a musky note; not exactly animalic, but distinctly spicy.
The better the smoke can dissipate, the more clarity the jasmine gets, and the floral aspect in general, comes to the fore.
The new Mogra is more potent. The floral aspect is stronger pronounced, it appears brighter, fresher. However, I smell less of the balsamic sweetness in this stick. Still, basically, it’s still the same scent.
From my point of view, Mogra has a quite distinct Shroff character, which I like. Although it’s not a variety I would buy myself, if I received it as a gift, I would certainly be happy, even though I’m not a fan of jasmine.
Jasmin 1940
Jasmin 1940 also have a quite typical Shroff character, especially within the Dry Masalas.
The scent is much lighter than that of Mogra. It is rather heady and bright.
There is a pleasant balance of floral sweetness and woody softness, underlined with some spicy notes, including that of “ironed fabric”, which I associate with saffron.
With time, a kind of acidity appears, which I also perceived to a small extent on the raw stick. It makes the scent appear even fresher.
Also with these, I’m not sure if I could have easily identified the floral scent as jasmine without context; knowing the name, I think I can smell it.
Jasmin 1940 has a friendly, light-hearted character. An unobtrusive summer scent.