Comparing Vetiver Sticks (Part 1)
A while ago, I embarked on a quest to try various vetiver incense sticks, in hopes of finding the perfect one (for me). This is the first chapter of a long, still ongoing journey.
Aromasutra – Vetiver
These incense sticks are rebranded, originally belonging to the Herbal Incense line by Mereville. I already reviewed them last year. I’m mentioning them here again because I find the comparison to other incense sticks made in Auroville, Pondicherry interesting.
In this list, they are the weakest for me, or the ones with the most plump character.
However, it’s interesting that I actually smell a certain sweetness in them, when directly compared to the sticks from Faircense, while I had complained about a lack thereof in the previous review.
Pema of Tibet – Faircense – Vetiver
This line of Dry Masala incense sticks is made in Auroville for Pema of Tibet. There is a main article with more detailed information about Faircense, which you can find here.
Vetiver, with the subtitle Tropical Forest, has a very natural, woody-smoky scent with an earthy aroma and the typical spiciness of vetiver, which is somewhat pungent but not unpleasant. The scent also has a very subtle, rooty sweetness, and you can feel a hint of the freshness of vetiver.
In direct comparison, I found the sweetness in the Aromasutra – Vetiver mentioned above more noticeable, but the Faircense ones make a slightly more defined, less crude impression. Overall, they are relatively mild.
I like the natural character of these sticks and that the vetiver is clearly recognizable, but I would wish for a bit more of the freshness.
For the background, I find them very pleasant, and I’ll soon have finished the pack, but I wouldn’t buy them a second time for their usual price of almost 5€.
Mereville – Vetiver
This (opened) pack was sent to me by my friend Silver from India, but the Fair Trade line of the Mereville Trust is also quite common here. In addition to the WFTO logo, these incense sticks also bear the IRFA ethical standard icon. A pack contains 10 sticks and costs about 3€.
Although much darker than the Faircense sticks, these also look like Masala. However, a volatile note is noticeable in the raw scent, and the sticks appear slightly moist or oily. I suspect it is a kind of hybrid-Masala, meaning that the Masala sticks are additionally dipped in some form of perfume after rolling and drying.
This perfume also shows when lighting the stick, in the form of a hungry, sooty flame.
Above, the lighter, very natural-looking Faircense, below the perfumed Vetiver by Mereville.
Mereville – Vetiver has a much greater portion of the freshness of vetiver, but is still quite restrained in terms of scent volume.
Unfortunately, I also find some of the volatile, alcoholic note from the raw scent in their smell. What’s missing is the earthy, spicy note of vetiver roots. Scent-wise, these sticks have more in common with dipped incense than with Masala, and not necessarily of the high-quality kind. The solvent-like note increasingly reminds me of cleaning products.
Even though the scent itself is almost weak, I find it, or rather the smoke, unpleasant whenever I do notice it.
To be continued.