Flourish – Saffron Musk

My friend Silver from India sent me these samples. At the Indian Flourish webshop, a 50g pack costs ₹220 (about €2.30). They’re 9″ long sticks. Flourish can occasionally be found with worldwide eBay sellers. I haven’t found a German source.

Saffron Musk are definitely at the more extreme end of the spectrum of saffron incense sticks, and that’s not just in terms of potency.
It’s an intense, oil-laden fragrance with a relatively volatile character, which also matches the sooty flame when lighting.

I don’t find any sweetness in the smell, but rather a good portion of saffron spice. The smell is very tart, sometimes almost bitter and densely packed with the challenging aspects of saffron: I smell an iodine-like, medicinal smell paired with a somewhat leathery note and the firecrackers I often mention with saffron.
On some days, I’ve found the smell a bit soapy. It could be due to temperature; in any case, higher temperatures (of at least 20°C) seem to suit the fragrance better.

Saffron Musk aren’t for gentle souls. ;P

I’ll pass on the remaining sticks to my two saffron-loving incense friends. Let’s see what they have to say about them.