Monsoon Incense – Oudh & Cedarwood

This pack was part of a generous selection of samples sent to me by Eugene Andrushchenko, owner of the brands Bhagwan and Monsoon Incense, in mid-2024.
At that time, the brand was still called Good Incense.

A 15g pack contains about 9 sticks and costs €2.50; €0.28 per stick. They’re 8″ (approx. 20.5cm) long and burn for 40-45 minutes.

The description of the shop reads as follows:
“A complex and captivating blend of agarwood and cedarwood with notes of vanilla and rose. This incense is made with the blend of essential oils best known in India as Vraj Bhumi attar, a once secret perfume mix now available to the general public.”

Eugene also mentions that these sticks come from DBS (Damodaras Bhagwandas Sugandhi).

In DBS‘s shop there’s no variety with an identical name, but they do have incense sticks with the name ‘Vraj Bhumi‘; this doesn’t match the description of the fragrance notes, though. Steve has reviewed Agarwood from DBS and suspects it to contain cedarwood oil, among other things.

The fragrance of these sticks is warm, dark and heavy. A woody-dry aroma with a soft character and a rather subtle sweetness that I nevertheless find obtrusive.

The fragrance is oudhy, but I have difficulty picking out the cedarwood. Rose makes sense, though. I think it’s responsible for the fragrance’s cloying effect on me. The sweetness of rose is often too much for me, in generally.

If Oudh & Cedarwood wouldn’t so quickly become overwhelming for me, I’d describe their fragrance as cosy and calming. Oudh & Cedarwood don’t suit my taste, but I can imagine that others might find the fragrance very captivating and pleasant.