Jallan – Loban

I received these two sticks from Sascha, who ordered directly from Jallan via their Instagram. However, they now also have a webshop.
Jallan is a relatively young and small company based in Mumbai. They currently employ seven workers who hand-roll the incense sticks.

The sticks shown in the image below have a standard length of 8″ (approximately 20.5 cm), which at Jallan is only the sample size; regular Jallan sticks are extra-long at 12″ (about 30.5 cm) and burn for around one and a half hours.
There are two different packaging types, each including a matching holder: The round tubes contain 60 sticks, while the triangular ones hold 30.

I was only given the prices including shipping costs, meaning a single small pack would come to €20, while the large one with 60 sticks would be €25. However, if you order more, the price drops significantly—two small packs cost only €30, and two large ones €35.
Sascha paid under €40 and tried all the varieties.

This is the last of Jallan‘s varieties.

I found Loban interesting because Shivam Jallan (the company’s founder and owner) told me that it contains ghee (Indian clarified butter). Ghee is frequently used in Pooja rituals and is therefore also often found in ritual incense blends.

It’s often said that soft dhoops are made with ghee. I once talked to Alok Pandey (Malaan Gaudhoop) about the topic of ghee in dhoops a while back. His reaction: “I would highly doubt that ghee is used in commercial incense making because it is very expensive and also serves no fragrance value. In fact, adding that would spoil the batch eventually“.
That last point has always made me sceptical: clarified butter goes rancid eventually.
However, there are a handful of hobbyists in the incense online community who have experimented with homemade dhoop and ghee, and have always reported positive results.

The sticks have a very odd raw smell. Piercingly sour, but also kinda sweet, with a bitter stench in the background. Plus a hint of toilet puck.
Over time the smell has gotten nastier and eventually became seriously repulsive.

At first, I found the smell reasonably interesting still. Funky, but in an aromatic, musk-like way.
The smell had a balsamic sweetness and a softness that was close to the waxy smell of some Nag Champa. I thought I could recognise the ghee in it.
I felt reminded of some dhoops that Steve had sent me.
Even back then I found the smell obtrusive after the stick burned for a while. Moreover, it clings strongly to the room and fabrics.

By the next attempt, I had already noticed a negative change. It started smelling off, and off-notes increased during the burn, like the bitter smell of hot rubber or the fishy-sweetish smell of an electrical fire.
There was also a kind of stable smell, combined with rancid fat.

Even if these sticks smell good when fresh, their shelf life appears to be quite short. I’d rather advise against buying them.