Monsoon Incense: Sambrani From Heaven, Sambrani
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. At that time, the brand was still called Good Incense.
A 15g pack should contain 8-9 sticks and costs €2.50 (€0.28 per piece).
Sambrani was on offer when I stocked up on Monsoon Sandalwood at the beginning of this year, and I ordered it along with them. Meanwhile, the overall price has dropped from €2.95 to just €1.50. One pack contains approximately 14 sticks; at the new price, that’s about €0.11 per stick.
The sticks of both varieties are 8″ (approximately 20.5cm) long; their burning time is stated as 40-45 minutes.
Sambrani From Heaven
Sambrani From Heaven are hard, extruded sticks that are dusted with resin powder. The inside is dark brown and appears like a mixture of wood, charcoal and a moderate amount of resin.
Sambrani From Heaven have a relatively clear, vanilla-sweet benzoin note, mixed with quite a dry resin smell that makes me think of frankincense or perhaps dammar. The combination reminds me a little of “Three Kings” mixtures, which however also contain myrrh alongside frankincense and benzoin, which I can’t detect here.
With plenty of fresh air, I find the scent relatively pleasant; however, the sticks have a tendency to develop a somewhat harsh, almost sooty note that I find disturbing.
Mike and Steve seem to appreciate Sambrani From Heaven significantly more than I.
Sambrani
These sticks are notably varying in their diameter; the thinnest weighed only 0.9g, others had 1.8g.
The description sounds really appealing and interesting: ‘A powerful herbal, menthol, mineral, floral, and vanilla scent.’
What I smell, however, is only a very dry, woody resin smell, not unlike that of the Weihrauch [Frankincense] variety from Faircense, although those smell even more crude than Sambrani.
It’s a tart scent that clearly smells of frankincense, but without showing the character of any particular frankincense variety. If I embrace it, it smells of ancient church walls that have absorbed frankincense vapour over countless decades. For some people, that’s certainly an attractive smell.
With that name, I would have expected more of a sweet smell, but “sambrani” is used in India for many resins, including frankincense. I’ll pass the sticks on to someone who might appreciate this “church smell” more than I do.
It seems Mike found Sambrani particularly unpleasant, here‘s his review.