bic – Panchavati

Panchavati was a gift from Steve. Back when we were swapping samples, I asked him if he could send me any dhoops he liked, as I hadn’t tried any before.
Panchavati is one of Steve’s favourites; you can find his review here.

This is the 11cm long version of Panchavati, there’s also a 5cm one. This variant contains 10 sticks. The sticks are extruded, sometimes quite bent, and often stick together. However, they can be easily separated. I find prices from €0.95 to about €1.30; so they are quite cheap.

The back says: “Panchavati Perfumed Dhoop Sticks are made from famous Herbs, Resinoids, Sandalwood and other best quality Indian perfumes.”

Panchavati is very sweet, in a way I find smeary and cloying. The scent seems heavy and dense, but very soft. I sense something that reminds me once again of the smell that occurs when ironing, which I usually associate with saffron. Sometimes I’ve also picked up a hint of the hot spice that would fit.
I find a certain parallel to Sri Sai Flora, but without the ‘toilet puck scent’ that these have for me. Panchavati smells definitely floral, but I can’t quite place it. The most concrete clue is a slightly indolic note that matches jasmine, which Steve mentions in his review. This resonates as well with the fact that I very often dislike jasmine incense sticks.
Although the overall scent is very soft, I find a pungent note in it. On some days, I’ve perceived this as slightly green or herbaceous, but the impression seems to come and go as it pleases.
The aftersmell is roughly somewhere between a Nag Champa and Sri Sai Flora.

Panchavati is not my thing, but for anyone who likes this type of scent, it’s certainly a welcome bargain.