Mysore Sugandhi – Chandan Dhoop

I was keen to explore Dhoop incense sticks, which is why I added these finger-thick Dry Dhoops to my order from Rymer at the end of 2023. The box cost €2.46. It contains 16 Dhoops, 4 cm long and about 1.3 cm in diameter, carefully packed with some padding.

The raw scent of Chandan Dhoop is a bit strange. It smells oddly perfumed and old-fashioned in a way. I detect a hint of a wintergreen-like freshness, which is generally familiar to me from Indian incense, but not from any chandan or sandalwood scents.

It takes quite a while to get these chonkers going, but once the edge of the upper rim glows evenly, the Dhoop burns down reliably.
The smell while burning takes some getting used to. It’s very creamy, but again not in a way I associate with sandalwood. The scent of the burning sticks smells oddly perfumed and old-fashioned as well.
Initially, as long as the cylinder has not yet fully ignited in the middle, I find the scent a bit more pleasant, but once the ember fills the centre and becomes more intense, the scent changes for the worse. It then smells kinda hot and burnt, a bit like an electric fan heater in the bathroom drawing in perfumed air.

The way they burn is also strange: At first, they smoke heavily, then it looks for a while as if the ember has gone out because the smoke is basically gone. From there on, it alternates between light smoke and only flickering heat visible until the ember reaches the lower end. Then a final, thick cloud of smoke rises.
The ash is oddly strong and stable enough to touch and lift. However, one should only do so when the ember inside is completely extinguished, which is staying alive for a long time.

“Mysore Sugandhi Dhoop Factory
Under The Patronage of H. H. The Maharaja of Mysore”

Chandan Dhoop isn’t for me, and I think the Maharaja of Mysore would prefer something else as well.

Note about Rymer:

Although the ordering process was somewhat complicated, I really wanted to order from Rymer because I’m really impressed with their range. Not only when it comes to incense sticks but also loose incense.
The shop’s system only allows orders within the Czech Republic and Slovakia, so I asked if they would also ship to other EU countries, which they were happy to do upon request.
Michael Rymer, the owner, was very helpful and responsive throughout the process (in English). I was told to enter my real address in the note field at checkout and select the Czech Republic and 54401 as the postal code to complete the order.
Payment options include bank transfer and a few others – no PayPal.
A while after receiving the automated invoice, I was sent a second invoice with the actual shipping costs. Originally, shipping was supposed to cost €20 – which I found quite high but accepted nonetheless. Later, Mr. Rymer sent me another email informing me that it had cost less than expected and offered me a €6 refund. So, the actual shipping costs were €14, which was roughly what I had expected.
He could have just said nothing and kept the money, but he didn’t, and I think that’s very decent.