Anand vs. Nandita: Saffron Sandal
These two samples were sent to me from India by my friend Silver.
Both brands are widely available here and easy to obtain. At my go-to shop for common incense sticks, Ephra World, a 15g pack of Anand costs €2.45, while Nandita (also 15g) is only €1.95.
Top: Anand, bottom: Nandita; the sticks are indistinguishable in appearance.
In both brands, the masala is the same colour throughout (it isn’t coated with a coloured layer of powder), but it appears dyed. It’s hard, but clearly contains some kind of perfume or oil. I’m not sure whether to classify them as masala, dry masala, or dipped incense, so I’ve put them into all three categories.
Anand – Saffron Sandal
Anand was on my ‘blacklist’ for a while, the list of brands I generally avoid. That came about after I read several negative reviews (on Reddit’s r/Incense). I decided to focus on more promising brands.
Silver has now gifted me samples of five different Anand varieties. Perhaps these will change my mind.
In raw form, the sticks smell a bit like shoe polish, only sweeter, almost a little caramel-like.
Even while burning, the scent sometimes still reminds me of shoe polish, but in a strangely attractive way.
Saffron Sandal is quite typical for what I know from sticks of this genre, only here I feel that the aroma relies more on oils than the dry masalas I reviewed recently.
To me, these Saffron Sandal don’t quite have the true masala incense stick scent; they seem more like a simple wood base with perfume.
The aroma is warm, spicy, with a saffron-like mild hotness and a somewhat leathery tartness. There’s also a distinct scent, like the one produced when ironing, mixed with a hint of firecrackers.
Furthermore, it has a soft, almost creamy sweetness, which nicely rounds off the scent.
I’m surprised that I like this fragrance; I actually find it very inviting and cosy.
Anand – Saffron Sandal has also been reviewed on Incense in The Wind.
Nandita – Saffron Sandal
I haven’t had good experiences with Nandita so far, even though the brand seems quite popular, and their products often get good reviews from Steve. However, our tastes tend to differ significantly in many cases.
These Saffron Sandal sticks smell less interesting or pleasant in raw form than Anand’s. Their scent is more reminiscent of solvents than specifically of shoe polish, and is as well less sweet or even almost sour.
When burning, the aroma of Nandita is woodier and somewhat sharper in terms of spice.
The volatile and tart aspect that I associate with shoe polish is completely absent, though the ironing scent and the firecrackers show up.
The sweetness is a little more restrained, but still strong enough to round off the fragrance pleasantly.
Conclusion
Initially, I thought I preferred Anand, but that impression evolved.
The room where I burn the stick influences the scent. When I’m comparing two incenses, I place the second one in the hallway and for both, this part of our house seems to emphasise the rather negative characteristics of the fragrance.
Overall, I find the scent of the Nandita sticks a bit flatter; at times, I perceive it as slightly scratchy, yet simultaneously rounder, which is confusing.
The Anand version strikes me as a bit more interesting and lively.
Despite these differences, I’m almost convinced that these are essentially the same sticks from one manufacturer, only showing batch variations. So, these reviews might as well serve as a guideline for what to expect from both brands.
Furthermore, Silver mentioned to me, that she’s come across Vedic Vaani incense sticks, which were identical to these as well.