Ramakrishna’s vs. Milo’s Temple: Agar Wood
These are Ramakrishna’s and Milo’s Temple samples that I received from Steve (Incense in The Wind). He ordered the Ramakrishna’s from GoaBay. Milo’s Temple is sold via Etsy, it’s a UK-based brand.
Ramakrishna’s
Agar Wood is not unlike the Arabian Oudh I had from Bhagwan, though perhaps not quite as rich.
It has a balsamic, oudh-like woody aroma with a special freshness that lingers.
The scent also has some powdery, rather dry components, strongly connected to the woody aspect. At times, this woody note reminds me a bit of pinewood.
Occasionally, I catch a very faint tart note, giving the scent a slightly soapy touch, but it’s really very subtle.
The balsamic and mildly sweet element comes out especially well when the smoke mixes with fresh air, but it generally balances well with the dry aspect.
Milo’s Temple
This Agar Wood smells remarkably similar to that from Ramakrishna’s. I don’t think I could distinguish them if taken separately.
When compared side by side, slight differences can be noticed, but essentially, only a few of the scent components are weighted differently. I find Milo’s Temple a bit fresher, though it also has a little more of that soap-like tartness.
Summary
The differences I smell between the Agar Wood sticks from these two brands I attribute to batch variation. I suspect the same manufacturer is behind both. They also look identical.
It’s quite possible that Bhagwan sources from this supplier as well. Arabian Oudh is definitely newer than these two samples, which would explain why they smell richer.
Agar Wood (regardless of the brand) is a pleasant oudh incense that you might want to pick up if the opportunity arises.