Bimal – Shree Vitthal Flora
Shree Vitthal was a sample sent to me by Steve in early 2023. He ordered it from an eBay shop in England; £3.46 (about 4€) for a 50g pack with 9″ (~ 23cm) long sticks.
Shree Vitthal is a strongly perfumed Masala. The scent is very floral, but a bit vague. It smells like ‘white flowers’; a perfumey scent that some might label as cheap.
Although I’ve been storing the stick in a glassine sleeve for over a year now, the scent is still very potent. I don’t find it unpleasant, but if burned in the same room, the scent can become a bit overwhelming over time.
Steve mentions some rather odd notes in his review (wax furniture polish and mouthwash), at least on the raw sticks, but I don’t pick up on that. Furthermore, he doesn’t describe the scent as floral. So, perhaps the storage has done Shree Vitthal some good, even though the paper absorbed quite a bit of oil from the stick — or maybe even because of it?
The afterscent is a more subdued version of the scent while burning.
Shree Vitthal isn’t really my thing, but those who like intense floral scents reminiscent of perfume might enjoy it.
I found this Shree Vitthal to be kind of similar to the Pushkar incenses. I was curious and excited about the Flora incense style when I first encountered it, especially when packaged in large glossy expensive looking boxes. But over time I have come to regard it as rather crude. I don’t dislike it. I like brash, bold, heady incense. But at this point in my journey of incense discovery I find I am most comfortable with incense that is neither too loud and abrasive nor too quiet and shy. And that may be because I am a middle of the road sort of person. I am neither left wing nor right wing – I sort hover around the centre. I don’t like jazz or heavy metal – I like the pop rock in between. I’m not a fan of John Coltrane or Black Sabbath – my delight is Cream, who incorporate elements of both!