Ramakrishna’s – Pure Sandalwood

These two sticks were sent to me directly from India by my friend Silver.

Ramakrishna’s are barely available in Germany, but there are likely some brands under which these sticks are resold. Steve (Incense in The Wind) is even convinced that Ramakrishna’s themselves are only resellers and don’t manufacture the sticks themselves.
The best way to buy Ramakrishna’s is through GoaBay; additionally, there is also a US-based eBay shop, although it is quite expensive. On the Russian platform OZON, Ramakrishna’s are sold under the brand name SHIVAMOON, but the logo and packaging are the same as the original.

The sticks are 8″ long.

Pure Sandalwood strongly reminds me of Royal Sandalwood from Bhagwan. It has a similar powdery-dry note, but is somewhat sweeter and does not seem buttery to me. The type of sweetness makes me suspect that some vanillin is used in the formula. Despite the more noticeable sweetness, I still find the scent very balanced.
In the background, I detect a slightly darker note, musky and a bit earthy.

Here you can see Pure Sandalwood from Ramakrishna’s (above) compared to Royal Sandalwood (below), which are one inch longer and sold by Bhagwan.
Although Pure Sandalwood is shorter, it seems to me that they burn significantly longer.

I should also mention that one of the two samples had a somewhat strange smell on the unlit stick, which was also noticeable when burning. It was a sharp note that seemed musty in a specific way and had a pungent aspect that reminded me of lamp oil.
I attribute this to the fact that these sticks spent some time in the humid climate of Mumbai.
In the second stick, I couldn’t detect any of the unpleasant smell, and based on that, I’ve written this review.

Pure Sandalwood are beautiful sandalwood incense sticks, and it’s a shame they are so difficult to find here. If you have the chance to try them, take it!