Olfactory Rescue Service

In this group of Pure-Incense sticks, I’ll be tackling the back five of the incenses that come in two forms, the Absolute and Connoisseur lines. Some of the Connoisseur packages also say Double Absolute, so one might be safe in guessing that the top line doubles the relevant oil or ingredients from the Absolute and that’s actually not a bad gauge to go by, it really does seem in many cases (although there will be two exceptions in this group) that the Connoisseurs are twice as intense or strong as the Absolutes.

For this back five, we have three sticks that are very common in the Indian masala world: Frankincense, Jasmine and Sandalwood. These are the incense archetypes one might find in any Indian incense range from Mystic Temple to Triloka to Primo to Incense from India, however, it’s easy to say that while the Absolute version of these three scents is quite comparative to similar incenses found in these other lines, the Connoissuer Pure-Incense line introduces these scents at, perhaps, their finest. Unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot more to say about them that I haven’t mentioned in a previous review or two. On the other hand both the Parijata and Rosewood sticks here are quite unique to Pure-Incense and present variations on other incense woods.

In both the Connoisseur and Absolute forms, Pure-Incense Frankincense is the most common masala form of the scent, one that carries the aroma of the resin quite a ways from its natural state, embedding it in a charcoal, vanilla and sandalwood base and thus transmuting the resin’s qualities into something different, a masala that seems to work more with a resin extraction than the resin itself. The combination of the perfume elements and the base end up creating something of a third note that varies depending on which company creates it, but ends up being something like a confectionary, anything from cocoa powder to caramel to nougat. It’s a noticeable element that one won’t find at all in frankincense resin per se, so it’s important one sets one’s preconceptions aside if you’re coming from a pure resin perspective or perhaps even the sort of frankincense you might find in Minorien or Tennendo lines. In the Connoisseur version this frankincense oil note or the combination of ingredients that make it up is refined to a very high degree thus surpassing any of the masalas that vary from the Absolute version and hail from different companies. At this oil strength the scent is sublime and the strength of the aromatics give it a scent like some fine cognac or wine which really sets it apart from other Indian masalas, making this, perhaps, the best Indian frankincense you can buy that isn’t a champa or durbar style. If you’re familiar with the style based on one of the above companies’ offerings then I’d advise to skip the Absolute and move right onto the Connoissuer, however if you’re not at all familiar with this style than you’re likely safe with either one.

Likewise, there’s a similar comparison when it comes to Pure-Incense’s Jasmine charcoal. In fact of all the sticks that cross from the Absolute to the Connoisseur, I’d say the least amount of aromatic difference exists between the two jasmines. This is the typical jasmine essential oil on charcoal base that you’ll see from many of the above-listed companies and as such it varies very little from one to another. Unfortunately as pretty as the essential oils seem to be on these sticks, the charcoal bases in nearly all cases often compete or overwhelm the oil, no doubt due to the pretty, ethereal and gentle scent of the jasmine. The combination creates a combined note that while not terribly offputting isn’t nearly as distinct a jasmine note as you might find in the Shroff catalog. Even the sparkly fixative used to bind the oil doesn’t seem to help with the dissipation and this characteristic makes it fairly difficult to tell, after some aging, that the Connoisseur version contains a stronger dose of the oil, in comparison it only seems vaguely more intense. Perhaps fresh off the batch it might be more impressive, but again I think this reflects more of the weakness of oil on charcoal scents than it does on the oil itself.

Parijata (nychanthes arbotristis) is another of India’s aromatic flowering trees and appears to be the scent the incense matches up with, but not having actually experienced the aroma of the tree itself, the scent of it seems to me to be almost a variation of sandalwood and a mighty fine one at that. The only other parijata I’ve examples is the Krishna store version and it’s a completely different incense to either Pure-Incense version here. To my nose the Parijata incense here is almost like a chandan sandalwood stick pepped up with light fruity elements, for some reason I always seem to get hints of apple with this one or perhaps citrus in the mix, not to mention an unusual floral subnote. It’s a really attractive incense at the Absolute level and only slightly more intense at the Connoisseur version, the difference obviously the amount of oil being used. And the oil in the Connoisseur version seems to impart an even woodier quality with hints of, perhaps, saffron in the background – really beautiful stuff.

The Rosewood appears to be one of Pure-Incense’s newest catalog entries and like Parijata is a tree in its own right, although I believe what we’re seeing in incense form is something different as the rosewood trees appear to be named as such for their wood colorings rather than aromatic qualities, that is, except for Brazilian rosewood from which an essential oil is distilled. Just about every rosewood incense I’ve sampled has been quite different, so I’ve never been able to guess at what could be the standard, however it’s not difficult to think of Pure-Incense’s two versions as among the best I’ve tried. Even at the Absolute version this is a floral incense that’s as sweet as a durbar and suffice it to say, this doesn’t appear to be a mixture of, say, rose and sandalwood. The rose or floral element that dominates the incense has hints of ripe or even tart cherries and one can detect behind this powerful scent a rather mild wood backing. At the Connoisseur strength these elements turn even more elegant with the tarter elements of the top floral oil mellowed out a slight amount and perhaps a bit more in the way of a woody character. I’ve really yet to get into either deeply but found both really impressive and in this case even at the Absolute level there’s quite a bit of potency at work here. Only the Pink Sayli could be described as prettier.

Finally, Pure-Incense also has the classic Sandalwood oil masala in both Absolute and Connoisseur versions and as one might have experienced if one has dealt with better grades of sandalwood, the Connoisseur is the real treasure here with a really high quality sandalwood oil at the center that does exhibit elements of the heartwood. While the oil is at a strength level that it perhaps obscures certain aspects of the wood itself, I tend to like to think of this as a different experience overall and there’s a real almost antique-like side aroma that comes out of high quality oil at this strength. At the Absolute level we’re almost dealing as much with the vanilla base and thus more of a vanilla sandalwood mix than something purely woody. At this strength it’s a scent that’s almost a dime a dozen, one that can be found in nearly every Indian incense line. The Pure-Incense Absolute version does indeed hold up quite well in comparison to similar scents from other companies, but only the Connoisseur level is truly special here.

Anyway that takes the Pure-Incense overview through the Connoisseur line and thus the next few installments will get into the Absolute only lines. At this point one will notice in many cases that the Absolute versions are at strength levels more comparable to the Connoisseurs in some cases, likely due to more inexpensive ingredients making it possible. Next up I intend to cover some of the Absolute champas and Vrindavan scents, many of which I find the most pleasant in the Absolute line.

British distributor Pure-Incense (available in the US) are responsible for two of the finest Indian incense lines available in the Western market, in fact they’re probably the only company that delievers a product on the same level with a similar large and diverse catalog as Shroff Channabasappa. Not only do Pure-Incense distribute fine versions of the most common variants in Indian incense but the company raises the bar by adding a wide variety of combinations and new forms. And ultimately its finest achievement is their Connoisseur line, a higher quality level of Indian incense than found in their regular line. Here there are oils to bewitch and enchant even the most ardent Indian incense skeptics, scents whose level of aroma move into the level of memory, nostalgia and sheer mastery of scent.

The base of both incenses is created from a mixture of charcoal, vanilla and sandalwood. The ingredients of this base can not be stressed enough as it has an impact on the aromas, particularly in Pure-Incense’s Absolute line. The base contents are reduced for the Connoisseur line, perhaps in an opposite manner to the way some Tibetan companies create grades by adding juniper wood to thin down content for cheaper versions. It’s particularly important to note here, however, as the presence of vanilla is very noticeable at the Absolute level, to the point where it becomes part of the overt aroma. At the Connoisseur level the base is far less apparent. In incenses where the charcoal content is at its most overt, generally in the more floral types, the Connoisseur level is particularly impressive. However, there’s no question that in either range there are some very high quality oils at work and in all cases I believe these to be natural and pure and it makes all the difference in the world.

Pure-Incense’s Agarwoood is impressive in both ranges and it’s a very different incense depending on which version one purchases. In the Absolute range it’s not a particularly complex incense and actually resembles a number of other woodier incenses in the range, somewhere between the cedarwood, sandalwood and Golden Champa. But make no question, even at this level there’s a distinct agarwood oil in the mix. The deciding factor as it is with all these incenses is that with the heavier vanilla content the Absolute Agarwood is a sweeter incense, with slight hints of cocoa, honey and floral oil in the mix. The Connoisseur version is a revelation, to date the finest Indian agarwood available in the Western market. With the reduced base and much stronger oud oil presence, this becomes a much woodier and complex incense. The company’s claim of “camphor-like” is much pronounced here although it is only one impressive note in a bounty of woody subaromas all of which reflect rather well the intricacy of good agarwood, however unlike Japanese agarwoods all this seems to be done on an oil level. While the honey and vanilla scents from the absolute only work on a sublime level, added are hints of root beer/sasparilla, tea, maple and a very slight spice. Overall a truly world class incense and be sure not to start with it and move backward to the Absolute.

The Absolute Blue Lotus is one of the many in the range where the vanilla is so obvious as to be a co-note rather than a side aroma. In this case the melding is quite pleasant, giving the light Blue Lotus oil a more polished and subtle feel. The perfume is hard to describe, very feminine and unique, but it’s only at Connoissuer strength where the concentration moves into areas that are heady and magickal. Here you have a reduction of vanilla and an increase in the perfume oil and it’s profoundly mystical and gorgeous at this range, an instant winner in my book. Lotus is such a variable aroma that in incense it’s very difficult to find a standard (perhaps the closest would be the Blue Pearl Lotus, but that’s definitely not a Blue Lotus per se), but in this Connoissuer version it’s more than just a charcoal and perfume, almost as if there is some unknown new base notes at work that enhance the whole. Pure-Incense describes this as ethereal and really it’s hard to find another incense that so earns the description.

Hari Leela is a floral mix and charcoal heavy in both its Absolute and Connoisseur ranges, in fact the only major difference as always is the vanilla has an aromatic presence in the Absolute and the oil levels are cranked up in the Connoisseur. The perfume is very mellow in the Absolute version, something like a mix of rose and carnation notes with the overall mix kind of polished and smooth. In the Connoissuer version I seem to sense more hints of jasmine in the mix with the increased oil content, but overall of the almost dozen incenses that share across the two ranges, the  two versions are pretty close for Hari Leela. It should also be mentioned that scent apparently comes from the Bakula tree, so I can only approximate the overall scent by approximating the subnotes. From a more general view this is yet another heady, exotic floral and as it has few analogs outside the range, certainly worth adding to your incense diversity.

Pure-Incense’s Nepal Musk is not only one of the line’s classics, but it’s also one of the finest herbal musks you can find in incense and I say this as someone who finds herbal musks “mostly misses.” The incense actually holds some similarities to the previously mentioned Blue Lotus as if the two just varied by color and vibration, the color here being an obvious green, carrying with that connotation some very earthy notes along with it. Again, the Absolute version has a distinct vanilla presence and while I’ve noted it as being consonant with some of the other styles in the line, here it manages to combine with the oil to give off some odd and intriguing notes of tobacco leaf and mint or menthol, which aren’t nearly as noticeable at the Connoisseur strength. What is obvious at the Connoisseur level is that the oil is at a strength more competitive with the more controversial animalistic strength found in Tibetan incenses and despite what you may feel about the use of real musk, it’s precisely that potent and mindbending strength where you want a musk at, so it should be celebrated that one can find one so potent at an ecologically friendly level. However the musk oil, while not quite so feral, is equally sublime and mixed with the greener notes evoking patchouli and various evergreens, making for a classic and memorable scent. This is one that had me after a stick, a tremendously addictive and complex incense.

If the Blue Lotus and green Nepal Musk nailed their color schemes rather perfectly you’d certainly have to add Pink Sayli to that mix, although the pink quality is really only noticeable in the Connoissuer range (I thought it telling that my Absolute sample had dropped the pink from the label). The Absolute version is practically a charcoal incense with some light pink sprinkling (that tends to fall off quite easily). Sayli is really as pink and sweet as valentine’s day candy hearts, and that association while perhaps lost with the “pink” gets most of it back with the increased vanilla content, making a terribly friendly incense. But in this case you might just want to jump to the Connoisseur level which brings this to the heady strength of the entire line, with the incense stick obvious wreathed through with pink material that’s sugary, sweet, floral and at times slightly berry-like. One might even call this something of a foofy incense if it wasn’t for the strength of the oil being so memory resonant. Extraordinarily feminine, it’s hard to imagine anyone not liking such a friendly, pretty incense. And in the end, based on the other incenses in the catalog, one feels like they can trust this as a perfect rendition of the South Indian flower.

And in fact a good reason for one’s trust in getting things right is Pure-Incense’s Rose incense which had gotten a heavy buzz well before writing this up. Rose incenses are very difficult to get right, or perhaps they are only when using analogs or cheap perfumes to approximate the scent, nearly all of which leave offputting chemical or housecleaner like bitter scents. But not only does Pure-Incense get this right with their charcoal Absolute, they absolutely raise things to an incredibly high standard with their Connoisseur, one of the very best Rose incenses on the market no matter where the origin. Both incenses work because the oil being used actually smells like what one would sense by smelling a large bouquet of roses before or just after they’re picked. It’s refreshing to know that such a lovely smell can be done correctly and while the Absolute certainly has the vanilla element in the mix, the perfume oil is not lost at all, just mellower than the profoundly intense scent of the Connoissuer of which a third of a stick could easily scent one’s general area.

So in many ways of this first six, there’s really not a Connoisseur version you’d want to miss, they are indeed some of the most beautiful and intense incenses you’ll find, and it’s true that you do pay for the increased quality (although if you’re like me you’ll find you’ll want to go for the 100g packages after just a sample). But again, as good as these are I don’t want to detract from the evaluation that the Absolute range really only comes in second place in comparison to the Connoisseurs, when you put many of these up against other incense ranges they still come off as extremely impressive, undoubtedly some of the finest Indian masalas available. If you’ve enjoyed the Shroff range this is undoubtedly the company you’d want to check out next and fortunately I’ll have more in both ranges to discuss over the next several months. High Class A+ work here folks.