Bhagwan – Mystical Pinewood

This pack comes from my order at Bhagwan Incense in September 2023. I received them as samples from Eugene, the owner.
The boxes of all varieties contain 15g, but since they come from different sources and their nature varies greatly, the number of sticks per box fluctuates. Mystical Pinewood are very thick, so the 15g pack contained 6 incense sticks. A pack costs €4.95, which makes it €0.83 per stick.

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.

For me, Mystical Pinewood clearly contains a note of pine needle oil, even though the description text from the Bhagwan shop only mentions the resin of ‘Himalayan pine’, which I suspect is Pinus wallichiani. The sweetness of the scent inherits a certain tartness, like honeydew honey. Additionally, Mystical Pinewood seems to contain a myrrh, as I detect a specific earthy and balsamic note that I typically associate only with resins (or gums) from the genus Commiphora. I would be very surprised if these sticks were not from the same manufacturer as Royal Myrrh.
But that’s not the only earthy note I find. From the beginning, I thought to smelling some patchouli, perhaps because the scent also carries a slightly minty freshness.
For a forest theme, the sweetness of the scent is almost a bit too prominent, but by no means does it dominate the composition. Curiously, in combination with one or more of the other ingredients, it creates an association with Kyphi (an Ancient Egypt temple incense) for me.
There is a fascinating parallel to Royal Myrrh: for those, I wrote that their scent conjured up images of bodies of water. With Mystical Pinewood, it is the combination of the balsamic aspect with the freshness that evokes impressions of rainwater or dew on fallen leaves in my mind’s eye.
For me, the scent comes across best in somewhat cooler weather.

My first note on Mystical Pinewood says, “like Vijayshree – Nag Forest, but done right” and I stand by that. If you know and like those, Mystical Pinewood could be a genuine upgrade for you – but beware: it’s quite possible that you might not give Nag Forest the time of day afterwards.