Gangotrri – The Great Indian Amber
These samples were part of a generous parcel that my friend Silver sent me from India at the beginning of 2024. The picture of the packaging was also provided by her – thanks!
Gangotrri are an Indian premium brand whose prices are remarkably high for Indian standards. The M.R.P. (maximum retail price) for a pack with 20 sticks is ₹1100. That corresponds to about €11.80 and would be quite expensive even here. In the West, though, Gangotrri aren’t available.
Silver bought them at Acharya for ₹760, but they’re no longer available there.
In Gangotrri‘s shop, they’re still in stock, though. The burning time is given as at least one hour and 15 minutes.
The 9″ long sticks are extruded and seem to be based mainly on charcoal.
I’m not a hundred percent sure whether they’re dipped incense sticks. The oils could’ve been incorporated into the wet dough instead. Though, the sticks feel very oily, even the bare part of the bamboo, which speaks for the former.
Gangotrri write: “We use floral oils, resigns, spices, roots, sandalwood essence, and little bit of high quality molecules to make the fragrance to spread and retain for a longer period.”
The raw scent is captivating; a soft, ambery sweetness, slightly floral and fruity, accompanied by a volatile, somewhat minty freshness.
Upon lighting, the sticks produce a sooty flame; you have to blow them out and re-light them two or three times until an ember is established.
The fragrance of the burning sticks is very similar to the raw scent and of moderate strength.
It’s a gentle, lovely amber fragrance that feels light and rich at the same time. It’s a perfume-like fragrance that’s very pleasant and beguiling.
The composition is complemented by a saltiness that’s occasionally popping up. This note is remarkably subtle, but still has a strong influence on the overall character of the fragrance.
With the first stick, I perceived a slightly oudhy note in the fragrance, which I don’t notice today. Perhaps because I had burned some oudh sticks earlier today.
To a certain degree, I can relate to Silver’s association with cigar tobacco, but don’t find any real smokiness in the smell. If anything, it’s like the smell of an unlit cigar for me.
However, I have to say that I feel a slight scratching in my throat when I’ve had a stick burning for a while; I notice it from about halfway through.
The fragrance of The Great Indian Amber is quite good, but I’m not thoroughly convinced by the general quality of the incense sticks.
Besides The Great Indian Amber, I also got The Amber Oudh from Silver; these seem to have been discontinued, though, and I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about them, which is why I’m forgoing a review.
The raw scent was very alcohol-like volatile, and that was still noticeable in the burning sticks.