Monsoon Incense – Monsoon Sandalwood

This pack was part of a generous selection of samples that Eugene Andrushchenko, owner of the Bhagwan and Monsoon Incense brands, sent me in mid-2024. In the meantime, I’ve bought myself several more packs of them.

A 15g pack contains approximately 10 sticks and costs €2.50; €0.25 per piece. They’re 8″ (approximately 20.5cm) long and burn for 40-45 minutes.

When I received the samples, the brand was still called Good Incense. Inspired by Monsoon Sandalwood, Eugene later renamed it to Monsoon Incense.

The description ‘A soft and woody sandal with an aqua note.’ made me fear the worst. With the keyword “aqua”, I think of a reasonably pleasant shower gel or men’s deodorant at best, and at worst of “ocean fresh” toilet cleaner and similar products. Vedika – Aqua Fresh certainly contributed significantly to this.

Contrary to my expectation (or fear), Monsoon Sandalwood smell exceptionally promising straight from the pack.

The scent is fascinating; a beguiling sandalwood sweetness mixes with an indeeed watery freshness that evokes associations with spring water or morning dew. I’ve only encountered a comparable smell once before, and that was in ultra-thin agarwood sticks (Cambodia Pursat Kynam) that my friend Povilas had given me. I would never have expected such a scent from incense sticks!

This incredible duet of watery freshness and the warm, woody notes of sandalwood has absolutely captivated me. I’m deeply fascinated and head over heels in love. 😀
Monsoon Sandalwood are amongst my all-time top favourites!

Monsoon Sandalwood has also been reviewed on ORS.