Shroff Channabasappa / Akash Ganga, Champa Dry, Jasmine, Mogra, Natural, Natural Loban

November 3, 2009 at 12:39 pm (Incense, India, Shroff Channabasappa)

Shroff Channabasappa Part 1
Shroff Channabasappa Part 2
Shroff Channabasappa Part 3
Shroff Channabasappa Part 4
Shroff Channabasappa Part 5

This installment in the ever-growing Shroff Channabasappa catalog brings us back to the now-called Dry Masala group that all the incenses in the first four write ups are part of. There were about eleven new scents added in the last restocking, so this covers the larger “half” of  them with the remainder to be written up next. There aren’t any particular similarities among the six in question here, rather we have three overt florals and three more traditional Indian blends. Many of these seems to revisit earlier territory with a completely different focus and like in most of my Shroff installments I almost found that my opinion of a scent would rise considerably under review. In this case both the Mogra and Natural Loban really opened up for me.

The first scent in question here, Akash Ganga, acts, perhaps, as a transition from the previous semi-wets to the drys as it’s the only incense in the dry category where I’ve seen a yellow box. It make me wonder if perhaps Akash Ganga fell somewhere between the semi-wets and drys as it certainly is a thick stick with a very similar coloring to the durbars. To my nose it’s almost like a variation on the Desert or Vrindavan Flower scents you tend to find in various other catalogs, except as is often the case with Shroff, this is an incense on an entirely new level. It holds some similarities with the Semi-Wet Pearl incense mentioned in the previous installment, although only fleetingly, as this is a much drier incense. On one hand you get a dry sandalwood floral, but woven through this base is sweet wine or raisin-like notes that really lift the bouquet. It adds up to a surprisingly complex incense with both dry masala and durbar-like characteristics as well as a wood, spice and floral mix that plays along the three. [As of 11/3, this aroma is completely sold out at Essence, speaking quite well of its popularity, I'd assume it should be back in stock in the near future - I sure hope so, as I'm running out quite fast now.]

Also transitional on a theoretical sense, is Shroff’s Champa Dry. This is an incense nothing like any champa incense you’ve tried before, it’s certainly not a durbar or wet masala by any stretch, it doesn’t seem to have much in the way of any overt halmaddi hints like we’re used to in champas and it’s also quite different than, say, the Primo or Triloka versions which seem to be mostly oil on base versions. But, of course, Shroff seem to have a singular vision where floral incenses are concerned and this one seems to follow the pattern of having a heavy perfume on top of a natural masala base that seems strong while keeping an earthy tone to the feel. It’s almost indulgently sweet, but not as rich or vanilla-like as the durbars are, while retaining an unusual musky tone beneath. It seems to actually have more in common with the Jasmine and Mogra incenses in this batch than it does with other incenses of its style. Quite unusual and intriguing.

As mentioned, the Jasmine is quite similar to the previous Champa and almost completely unlike the Jasmine 1940 scent. This one strikes me as a pure and earthy Jasmine scent, perhaps in a way almost too sweet and even sweltery in its mix of what seem like natural jasmine oils and even materials.  For a Shroff scent this is actually a very static incense with little in the way of complex layers but it certainly seems to get jasmine in a way few imported incenses do, without using the charcoal and oil method and giving the impression one is in a field of flowers rather than in an essential oil bar.

Of the three florals in this write up, I’d probably give the gold to the Mogra, which is quite simply an amazing incense, one that gets the wavery almost mirage like exotic and eastern vibe of the plant itself that while many oil and charcoal sticks actually do approximate fairly well, they never do with this sort of earthiness and clarity. For one thing, while it has similarities it’s not quite as sweet as the Champa Dry or Jamine, almost as if the sweetness ends with a very dry finish. It really is just perfectly pitched and distinct in its own way from any number of other florals, Shroff yet again just getting the finer tones of these scents down perfectly.

Natural is something of a bizarre incense, especially transitioning from two florals. This has a very gravelley, rough and ready sort of feel that reminds me of lower quality lobans, but it’s totally different in that it seems to have a very strong sandalwood oil as part of the bouquet that at least partially lifts this out from what could have been something of an unfriendly masala. It reminds me slightly of saffron sandalwood mixes or even Chandan sandalwood incenses due to the quality of the oil and the slight spicy overtones and one does get the impression this contains some benzoin, like lobans.

The Natural Loban, however, is as different from regular lobans as the Natural is, but in a completely different direction. Where many lobans are rough, inexpensive and earthy, this version is almost ethereal and airy, as different from the Singapore Loban as the Jasmine is from the Jasmine 1940. The Natural Loban is almost like a stylized, perfumed loban with the top note refined to a lemony finish. That would be enough to make an excellent incense but with clarity this stick pops with white wine notes, green and leafy subtleties and a menthol or evergreen-like freshness that is terribly impressive as if the stick was using the finest benzoin one could imagine, as different from regular frankincense as the Hougary chunks are from what you might find at an herbal store. I’ve actually been disinclined to many lobans from previous experience but this is one that should win anyone over, yet another gold star on what’s becoming a rather full Shroff recommended list.

Next up, and at the very least, some write ups on the rest of the latest Dry Masala imports: Paneer, Poona Amber, Rose Masala, Rosy Sandal and Sandal; the Masala Base florals and hopefully a lot more to come from this premier Indian incense company.

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Shroff Channabasappa / Soft (Semi-Dry) Masala Incenses / Champa, Jungle Prince, Moonlight, Musk Flora, Pearl, Vanilla

July 29, 2009 at 11:33 am (Incense, India, Shroff Channabasappa)

Shroff Channabasappa Part 1
Shroff Channabasappa Part 2
Shroff Channabasappa Part 3
Shroff Channabasappa Part 4

The flood of Shroff Channabasappa incenses appears to be well underway as 24 new incenses have finally reached the shores of the States including a total of 13 in two new categories. One of these categories is that of the Soft (Semi-Dry) Masalas which is, perhaps, Shroff’s entry into the worlds inhabited by Nag Champa and other durbars. To the touch, all of these incenses are slightly wet and perhaps a touch more fragrant and intense than the incenses in other lines. I can’t say whether or not this is the presence of halmaddi or something similar in these incenses, but it would not surprise me at all if there was a small amount in there keeping these damp.

There are six incenses in this line and all of them are world class incenses, immediately rivaling and in many ways surpassing the champas and durbars offered by other companies. Because we’re dealing with a company here whose unique take on incense, due to many old oil and incense recipes, is basically not found anywhere else, they’re almost all unique in Indian incense, something many discovered through their regular masala line and its dozen or more classics (you can read about these in the links at the start of this article). These aromas are all well rounded, without any bitter or off notes, in fact even in their Masala Base line, which are largely charcoal and oil incenses, the relative dearth of offputting scents is particularly low for the style. But with the Soft Masala line we’re talking Shroff at their most potent, pungent and powerful, indeed just the fresh sticks of a few of these incenses could scent a small circle around a stick. In the 100g yellow boxes the aroma pops immediately with the removal of the top.

So it’s perhaps fitting to start with the line’s Champa. Champas, of course, are among the world’s most famous incenses, indeed the Shrinivas Sugandhalaya blue box Nag Champa may be the world’s best selling incense. However as is well known among those who’ve explored Indian incense to some extent, the most popular is not always the best and due to wholesale changes in champa ingredients many of the bulk companies have made changes that have virtually harmed the aroma they had become famous for. So it’s quite fortunate that some of these smaller companies, like Shroff, have created new Champas and in this case we’re possibly talking about one of the finest champas on the market, one at least as good as Bam Champa, Raj Laxmi Champa, the Shantimalai red box series, Goloka Nag Champa and at least a dozen others. It’s also quite different than these, given that so much of Shroff’s work tends to be with the perfume oils. Shroff’s Champa is almost mercurial as a result, with a floral (likely a plumeria mix of some sort) oil on top that shifts and changes depending on one’s attention. But what becomes apparent with use is that unlike many new reformulations, this Champa really does have some elements that resemble the rich scents of a decade past and older. By my fourth and fifth stick, wafts of what smelled like halmaddi would curl out and evoke deja vu, as well as the common vanilla and sandalwood accompaniment found in the midst of the floral intensity. So with each use it’s like looking at a gem from a different angle and only in doing so does one see the magnificence of the creation, truly a Champa that well lives up to the Shroff name.

Jungle Prince moves this soft masala base into more exotic, woodier directions and is a strange, mysterious scent that is very difficult to parse into its subelements. It shares in common with Moonlight and Pearl a very intense perfume oil that really comes out of the box at you. There are slight top hints of lavender and bergamot mixed in but the primary oil seems to be of a woody type, perhaps a mix of sandalwood, cedarwood and what may be a slight touch of oud oil, as the combination evokes a fecund, almost animal-like scent to it that creeps around the edges like a tiger peering from tall grass. The closest stick on the market to Jungle Prince is possibly Mystic Temple’s Precious Forest in that they both share a heavily woody, almost cologne-like and masculine feel to their bouquets. Overall it’s unusual, exotic and befitting its name both regal and feral.

Moonlight is also resplendent with fine oils and in this case it’s almost eye-stingingly fruity in a way that’s quite rare to be this successful on an incense. I’ll have to credit our reader Hamid for noticing the orange blossom top note on this, as when it was brought to my attention, it made this incense almost terribly obvious, and I could smell both the stinging citrus tint of freshly squeezed juice along with the type of orangepeel smell you get in a fruit bread. To some extent, however, it doesn’t stop at orange peel, I also notice some slight hints of strawberry especially in terms of the way strawberries smell in the heat in a patch, but this all works underneath the orange. And of course, like all soft masala types there’s the usual vanilla and intensity, and in fact that very intensity in the oil almost distills the orange scent into a liqueur like Grand Marnier and the combination with the vanilla also evokes those orange creme popsicles. Truly it’s difficult to compare this incense to anything else and I would probably not have blinked had it been called Orange Champa as it could very well be one, except for the slight spice content in the base that also evokes hints of spice tea.

Musk Flora in comparison to the rest of the line is probably the quietest and least oil rich of the incenses in this batch, and it’s not at all far from Blue Pearl’s Musk Champa, especially in the formulation it was, say, 10 years ago. In this case the musk is typically dusky and herbal, without the overwhelming power an animalistic musk carries and as a result it helps to create a mysterious note on what is basically a rather standard, vanilla, sandalwood and spice base. It’s hard to call any of Shroff’s soft masalas typically champa-like, but this one’s perhaps the closest, with only a hint of the perfume to make it obviously Shroff.

Pearl is the true gem in this grouping, and it’s not only the most powerful and penetrating of all the incenses in this series but it could be the most complex. It took me a few sticks to notice what in retrospect is a rather obvious French lavender oil as a large part of the bouquet, but to this day, even burning this in handfuls, I keep noticing all sorts of different notes, perhaps in the way that even though a pearl is white it can reflect an almost rainbow like refraction of light at its edges. Recently a stick of this evoked for me the lost and missed Mystic Temple scent Ascension which was like their opium-like Transcendence except with hints of licorice or anise, both of which are very lightly present in this stick. It also has the normal center of vanilla, honey and sandalwood at heart but compared to the rest of the line it’s also perhaps the sweetest in the center and would appeal to those who like their incenses friendly, if it was only for the fleetingly wicked and wild herbal note that flecks through the bouquet. This could be a part of just how potent the lavender oil is here, although it evokes almost sage-like characteristics at times, and it certainly appeals to the side of me that likes a friendly incense with a thread of adventure in it. I honestly can’t get enough of this one, and while your own favorite could differ wildly in this line, this remains my current pick, it’s truly one of the best Indian incenses I have in stock.

The final incense of the six, Vanilla, is perhaps the easiest to talk about as it does what it says on the stick. Champas of this sort already have vanilla as part of the note and of course there is the friendly and common durbar mix of vanilla and amber, but this goes even beyond that to a point where the vanilla oil or extract being used is almost like it is in a bottle, it’s so potent that it has herbal notes that you wouldn’t ever witness in the vanilla we tend to be familiar with from ice cream and other confectionaries. But like the aforementioned vanilla amber durbars, this stick is at least as powerful and long burning, marking an aroma you’re not likely to be able to get away from for a while. And unlike most of the other incenses here, the only truly obvious subnote in this incense is the everpresent sandalwood and as such it’s n0t ultimately complex as a whole.

It took me perhaps 7 or 8 sticks of each of these, at the very least, to even start to get comfortable to really discuss these incenses in depth as, except for the vanilla, they’re all astonishingly complex, aromatic creations among the finest in Indian incense and perhaps at the apex of incense art as a whole. When I heard these were to be released by Shroff and based on my other experiences I made the decision, rather than just trying a smaller sample or package, to go for a largest batch I could buy, and haven’t regretted the decision since the second stick of each one. It’s almost if at first they’re too powerful to get your nose around, but once you sit down and let them speak to you, it’s a divine language indeed. And as is always with Shroff the prices are ridiculously inexpensive for the quality you get, so if you’re inclined to Indian incense, you won’t want to miss any of these.

39 Comments

Shroff Channabasappa / Dashanga (Burning Powder), Frank Incense, Guggal Bathi, Green Durbar, Parrot Green Durbar

May 26, 2009 at 11:13 am (Incense, India, Shroff Channabasappa)

Shroff Channabasappa Part 1
Shroff Channabasappa Part 2
Shroff Channabasappa Part 3

Often, just when you think you’ve finished a project, you end up finding you’re only half way through or less. In Shroff Channabasappa’s case, I’m hoping that now I’ve finished reviewing the 20 blends that have been imported into the US that I’ll find out I’m not finished reviewing them after all because of a new batch making its way over. This is a company that offers a high quality product at a ridiculously low price and is often one of the best buys in incense as a result. In fact Shroff may just about ruin other Indian incenses for you once you become familiar with their products.

However, it looks in many ways that I’ve saved, perhaps, my least favorite incenses among that first 20 until last in at least four cases here, so I’m pleased to reference Nancy’s latest top 10 as a counterweight to a couple of the reviews here. It demonstrates at least that Shroff probably has an incense or two for everyone’s tastes and in no ways should my reviews here prevent anyone from trying the lot if they get a chance. That is, my feelings on these are probably more related to the ingredients involved than to the craft.

Dashanga is definitely the black sheep in this first group, being the only powder in a group of sticks. It’s also not nearly as potent an aroma, close only to the most earthy ambers and other resin/dry blends in the Shroff line up. Dashanga’s ingredients volatize in a completely different way whether you use the powder on a heater or charcoal making the incense very different depending on how you use it. It’s perhaps most effective on a heater as the powder burns very quickly on charcoal, losing a lot of its subtleties. On charcoal you do get an impression of sandalwood and benzoin , with both sweet and earthy qualities but one must keep the heat to a minimum to prevent the floral qualities from being completely lost. On a heater these qualities come through in bunches, a multitude of floral aromatics, certainly rose on the top, as well as a talcum powder, leather, and butter in the mix. Perhaps the main criticism is it isn’t as distinct in its aroma as many of the sticks are making it a tough one to remember after the fact.

We’re generally very spoiled with frankincense in an age where we get an abundance of imported Hougary Frankincense as well as high quality frankincense sticks from Tennendo, Minorien and Shoyeido. If it weren’t for these I might give Shroff’s Frank Incense higher marks as it does indeed hit the right frankincense notes, it just does so in a less resinous and more perfumed/masala like way that strikes me as not being quite as superior as the abovementioned frankincenses. In this case there’s obvious sandalwood aroma (which I suppose makes the Minorien version perhaps the closest in a way) and due to the woodiness it’s not far from Shroff’s own Singapore Loban. Along with the ambers and the below Guggal Bathi, it remains one of the line’s driest incenses and, of course, it remains eminently affordable, although at least in this case I can’t see it as a particularly superior masala compared to others in, say, the Mystic Temple or Incense from India line. But that probably speaks more to how great frankincense is in any form.

As a contrast, I’m not nearly as fond of guggal gum. I’ve occasionally seen it referred to as an alternative or even “false” myrrh due to both aroma and the closeness of the two different plants on their respective family tree. Both gums can vary widely in quality and my experience with guggal is you really need a high quality gum for it to be even enjoyable. Shroff’s Guggal Bathi does indeed get the better quality aroma down in a stick, but even at this quality it’s not a scent I personally relate to, with high quality myrrh being a close but much more enjoyable experience. With that said, it’s something of a simple stick and close to the Frank Incense and Singapore Loban sticks in being a masala delivery method for its particular resin with all of these incenses sharing qualities of sandalwood and benzoin in the mix. I’d again reference Nancy’s latest (May) top 10 list for a more positive take than I can give on this one.

Shroff’s Green Durbar is my favorite stick in this subgroup and perhaps the definitive aroma of its type. Both Mystic Temple and Incense from India have Green Durbars, however at least in terms of the definition of durbar being more like a champa type incense, only those two are in that classification. That is the Shroff Green Durbar is still a drier masala like most of the incenses reviewed so far, but as such it doesn’t have some of the harsher qualities of modern durbars with a reduced halmaddi content. Green in this case refers to minty, herbal (think patchouli or vetivert), and even lime, all of which makes you wonder if the name or the aroma comes first due to all the connections. Needless to say an aroma like this may not appeal to everyone, but its connection to the primal, verdant and prehistoric always has a great subconscious effect on me. Plus it’s difficult not to smell the Shroff signature on this one.

Parrot Green Durbar, perhaps unfortunately, also brings some of the same mental connections with it and I perhaps hesitate in noting which ones, although anyone who’s cared for a bird probably can guess. The color is definitely a lighter, indeed avian-like, shade and along with the deeper green has gone the more herbal, evergreen and minty like scents of the regular durbar, leaving behind a bit more the lime and a much lighter, almost animal-like scent with hints of lacquer-like resin with it. The animal nature of it, whether its suggestion or part of the mix, definitely restrains my opinion of it, but surely it’s an incense like no other.

So overall, of the five in this batch, perhaps only the Green Durbar can garner a strong recommendation from me, especially when compared to my reviews of the other 15 scents in previous Shroff reviews, most of which I can stand behind wholeheartedly. Although fortunately this is unlikely to be the last you’ll hear about this great company from ORS given the plethora of new scents possibly crossing the Atlantic or Pacific as we speak.

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Shroff Channabasappa / 505 Amber 1882, 707 Amber Bath, Amber Boquet, Amber Floral, Amber Royal

April 7, 2009 at 9:58 am (Incense, Shroff Channabasappa)

Shroff Channabasappa Part 1
Shroff Channabasappa Part 2

Shroff Channabasappa really do have an amazing number of amber incenses. I touched on one of them in the floral group last installment, Amber Rose, and there appears to be at least one more on the way in the next batch that should be arriving to these shores.

Amber is probably one of the most hard to define of all incense types as it varies in both ingredients and scent. Generally speaking it’s a mixture of tree resins, beeswax, essential oils and other powders that probably originally attempted to mimic the smell of the rare sperm whale excretion ambergris and soon after took on a life of its own in a myriad of different ways. With Shroff Channabasappa and many other companies, the main ingredient of amber is benzoin, a common theme that pervades all of the incenses in common here and while all of them vary to some extent in their scent, in all cases there’s a vein of fine benzoin at the middle. In fact I’d go as far to say that in Shroff’s case you’re likely to fine some of the best benzoin scents on the planet in these incenses. The scents are resinous but in true Shroff fashion there’s a perfume or oil work in these incenses that elevate the scents to true works of art. These are ambers that will remind you of no others.

The 505 Amber 1882 is one good example of an amber that gravitates to the more oil-rich side of the aroma. While it’s very traditional in scent, almost a classic amber, the top oil is almost liqueur like in strength. This is a good example of how rich the benzoin content is in Shroff’s incenses, here there’s a combination of the vanilla edges of the resin along with some caramel and clay. The combination gives off something of a gold or coppery vibe to it, a side effect of combining an earth scent with a traditional perfume. A truly excellent blend that improves with use.

707 Amber Bath is a much more muted amber without the more intense oil overtones of the 505. It’s still as benzoin rich at its center and is unquestionably Shroff in its essence, but instead of a liqueur like top scent this is a bit spicier with hints of orange peel and leather mixed in as well as a more overt beeswax scent. In many ways it’s the most traditionally amber of the group, perhaps a good “vanilla” in some ways yet not as spectacular as some of the other amber combinations.

Amber Boquet is something of a more deluxe floral variation of the scent and closer to both the Amber Flora and Amber Rose in style. Like the 707 this also has a strong perfume on top that might be described as liqueur like, although in certain sticks it seemed like the oil wasn’t quite as infused. This is a similar quality to the Amber Rose in that when you hit one of the strong bathis it really impresses you with its depth. Like most Shroffs, continued use brings out the subtleties and I’ve grown over time to find this one of the best in the entire Shroff line, it even has some slight durbar-like qualities that enhance the richness. Very smooth and seductive.

Amber Floral is similar in ways to both the 707 and Amber Boquet and illustrates the difficulty in trying to separate and describe what are at heart very simialr incenses. All three of these have a strong and richly aromatic benzoin center, yet all three have subtly different perfumes that might all be described as floral in a way. I’d probably put the Floral itself between the earthier 707 and more overtly flowery Boquet, but to some extent its splitting hairs.  Perhaps if once considers this a flora incense in the sense of it having a combination of spicier, herbal and floral scents you might be closer to imagining its scent.

Most Royal Ambers I’ve tried from other companies tend to be charcoals with a rich powdery sort of amber scent that likely comes mostly from oils. The Shroff Amber Royal is quite different and in many ways a lot more traditional than you’d expect, more a cousin of the 505 than the richer, oil infused combinations. It’s got a bit of a classic touch with an obvious benzoin base that tends towards some spicier cinnamon touches and lots of earthiness and clay, with a hint of orange peel and nutmeg mixed in. Like the 505 it doesn’t have the perfume kick that really enhances the floral ambers but it also hints to a longer learning curve that could eventually enhance my estimate of the scent.

Overall I found myself gravitating towards the more overtly oiled ambers in the group, particularly the florals which are all the expertise of the Shroff company. I’ve mentioned the Amber Rose, which is really the classic of this group, but very close are the Boquet and the 505, both of which I found myself warming to increasingly during the evaluation of these incenses. But really, Shroff rarely put a foot wrong and all of these have their pluses. On the other hand given fragrances that are so close there’s no need to rush your way through these and I’d recommend trying one or two first and getting used to those before exploring the other variations.

4 Comments

Shroff Channabasappa / Amber Rose, Indian Flower, Jasmine 1940, Nargis 1931, Sugandhi Bathi

March 5, 2009 at 11:58 am (Incense, Shroff Channabasappa)

Shroff Channabasappa Part 1

Writing about the Shroff Channabasappa line is always a pleasant task. In the 20 incenses I’ve tried so far (with a lot more to come), I think only one of those I wouldn’t describe as being excellent and I may very well reevaluate that opinion before it shows up here on ORS. Many of the rest have quickly improved my impression of them after just a few sticks, particularly including the batch of incenses in this review, all of which could be described as florals. In my experience, Shroff C. are responsible for the most exotic, impressive and genuinely pleasant floral incense agarbathies in the business.

If you’ve ever wondered why dozens of rose, jasmine and other floral incenses bother you, if you’ve found them soapy, bitter or cheap smelling, this is the line to check out. Because even when it comes to their woodier or spicier incenses, Shroff are the apex of incense oils and perfumes. Nearly every single one is a masterpiece of subtlely, sidestepping cliche scents without a mistep. If you’re like me this is a line that can take the scents you avoid in stores and turn them into those that could become your very favorites. One stick could impress you, four or five of each scent are likely to convert you.

Amber Rose isn’t a true floral but it’s one of the classic Shroff C. blends, a highly addictive and beautiful scent that belongs in every masala collection. In fact as I write this, Essence of the Ages is completely sold out of it, which should be a good indication of its demand (and don’t fear, it should be back in stock soon). The amber and rose elements of this stick merge flawlessly, even while showing some diversion. On at least one stick I’ve noticed the amber coming out quite a bit stronger than it does usually, musky and benzoin rich, which I found to be quite amazing. For the most part, however, the rose oil hangs out on the fringes of this incense, never overpowering the scent, but certainly enhancing it in every way. It’s excruciatingly beautiful and masterfully created, an incense that could be weighed down by its elements, but is almost as light as air. So many subtleties and nuances are involved that I’m not sure I can even capture them all yet, which makes this endlessly fascinating.

Of the five incenses in this review, Indian Flower may actually be the least true floral, as it shares quite a bit of time with elements you might just as easily find in a woodier incense or even a champa. The champa elements are the soft and slightly spicy magnolia-like touches on the top, but there aren’t really any gummy or vanilla notes like there would be in a typical durbar. The floral parts share a lot of time with some heavy sandalwood oil, in fact in retrospect I might have switched this with the Singapore Loban from last week. In another company’s hands this would probably be a lot drier, however here the perfume has an almost liqueur-like aroma to it. It’s quite complex overall with hints of toasted marshmallow keeping it from being too much on the light side.

Jasmine 1940 isn’t much of a true jasmine incense, and as Shroff also does a straight Jasmine, this is probably something of a variation. It’s a brilliant incense though, one that’s started to impress me with more use. It has some similarities with the Red Sandal and Sandal Floral incenses by having a very thick firey red vibe in the mix. Jasmines to my nose tend to be more water element (or lunar) than fire element, so the scent is really in a different place here. In fact the center scent reminds me more of a cherry sandalwood, like oil mixed with that scent you might find in a cherry drink powder like Kool-aid. It could be argued that it overpowers the jasmine florals, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing in this case, reducing the flower to a note. I’ve found this one to be increasingly pleasant with use and currently it’s one of my favorites in the line.

Nargis 1931 moves away from the three above florals by being a much purer scent, in fact this and the Sugandhi Bathi are both sticks that might be mistaken as having charcoal in them since they’re dark brown. However you can see flecked in the sticks herbal elements and I don’t notice any of the off scents I do with charcoals in either one. But what the base does do is exist as a vehicle that allows the perfume to come through without any herbal or woody accompaniment. Nargis, from what I can research, is a Narcissus incense, although to my nose I also recognize this as being somewhat Lotus-like (maybe not quite all the way there but close).  The perfume is very rich and in a way the comparison between it and the Sugandhi Bathi show how Shroff can make very penetrating florals that are completely different but that the western nose might not easily place due to unfamiliarity.

In fact, I’m not quite sure what’s in Sugandhi Bathi as that basically means “fragrant incense.” It’s definitely a similarly styled incense to the Nargis, but completely different in perfume with hints of a dozen different charcoal Indian incenses you’d tried before, but so much better than any of them (I’d name a few but they weren’t the type I’d keep around). There are hints of wood and spice in this one but only as part of the perfume rather than the base. Overall it’s definitely an eastern exotic with a lot of strength and a penetrating complexity, and certainly one of the better florals I’ve been lucky to experience.

Batch 3 will likely contain five more ambers, the 505, the 707, the Bouquet, Floral and Royal variations; batch 4 the Dashanga burning powder, Frank Incense, Green Durbar, Guggal Bathi and Parrot Green Durbar. And apparently that will take us almost half way through the soon to be available line. Many of these are the best bang for the buck in incense.

14 Comments

Shroff Channabasappa / Mysore Sandal, Red Sandal, Sandal Flora, Singapore Loban, White Sandal

February 5, 2009 at 9:39 am (Incense, India, Shroff Channabasappa)

I’m not terribly fond of the Indian dry masala style. There are too many companies who, while often making great incenses in other styles, release scents I find almost difficult to believe anyone would enjoy. Particularly with florals and moderns, many dry masalas end up bitter, funky and weird smelling, speaking of inferior ingredients and off notes rather than pleasant aromas. Shroff Channabasappa are an Indian company that turn this tendency on its head by releasing an almost flawless array of dry masalas that are not only excellent but are as good or better than many wet masalas, champas and durbars. It’s not that dipped, perfumed incenses are necessarily a bad thing, it depends on what you’re dipping them in. And when it comes to pleasant, natural, oil blends there are few companies, if any better than this venerable line, with some of these recipes dating back a century. And not only are they one of the best Indian incense companies around, they’re incredibly affordable, with all 25g packets well under $5 and the 100g packets floating right around that number.

Currently there are as many as 20 different Shroff C. blends available in the US with more to be exported eventually (apparently they also have a durbar line, which is pretty exciting from my perspective). I’ll be splitting this group into four different articles. The current write up will cover (roughly) the sandalwoods, another most of the ambers, a third the florals, and finally what’s left. There really isn’t a single incense in this line I’d consider poor on its own merits, but when you compare them to the state of dry masalas in other companies, they’re basically way out in the lead. They might even make floral lovers out of the woodsperson, with some of the most striking and affordable perfumes to be found in incense.  But for now, it’s time to turn to the sandalwoods…

Mysore Sandal might be the standard sandalwood in the Shroff C. line. The White Sandal is possibly the purest but it’s quite a bit milder. However the Mysore is slightly unusual in that it’s a longer stick than most of the rest of the line. It’s a pretty heavy and somewhat dry sandalwood perfume style and has almost liquor-like tendencies with the aroma. The scent of sandalwood is typically strong for the style, like walking through a forest of ancient trees. What’s kind of odd about the stick is the slighter aromatics, part of which remind me of (dare I say it) peanut butter to some extent. Don’t take that to mean it’s dominant by any means, just that there’s a tint to the perfume that’s kind of unusual for the style. It’s unlikely you’ve tried a sandalwood quite like this one.

Red Sandal is one of the utter triumphs of the incense universe, literally one of the most addictive masalas ever created. It has a similar base sandalwood common to all of the Shroff C. sandals but adds a firey and floral perfume base to the top that is just incredibly bewitching in every way. I literally had trouble keeping my hands of the package for weeks after I received it and not long after went for a 100g batch of it to be sure I wouldn’t run out of this masterpiece too soon. Keep in mind, this isn’t a “red sandalwood” stick in terms of it being a different wood entirely, it’s a sandalwood stick that uses quite a bit of cinnamon and spice along with a neat but smaller floral presence. It’s unforgettable in every way, I can hardly recommend a better incense in this style than this one.

Sandal Flora might be the Red Sandal if you took out most (but not all) of the spice presence. If it wasn’t for the obvious sandalwood oil base Shroff C. uses for these, it could easily fit into the floral group. And like all of the florals this company uses, the perfumes are just gorgeous, never bitter, redolent of the flowers themselves and natural all through the burn. This one in particular definitely has rose on the top, but the type of rose oil that will redefine it for those burnt out on the cheaper synthetic oils often used to mimic this legendary flower. You might even think of this as a rosewood to some extent, although it’s quite a bit better than any incense in that style I can remember. Red Sandal lovers owe it to themselves to give this a try as an interesting variation on a theme.

There are only four true sandalwoods in this line, so I’ve decided to throw Shroff C.’s Singapore Loban into the group, for no other particular reason than that Loban’s also tend to be fairly common in the Indian incense world. Loban is basically benzoin, although from many loban powders and sticks you’d hardly guess. Here it’s obvious, with a strong resinous benzoin presence that might even make Fred Soll proud. Benzoin can be a bit rough as a resin, so to speak, so your mileage will probably vary with what you think of the real deal, but there’s some sugary, spice backing, either as part of the oil or added to the base that helps to balance out the scent quite a bit. That is, where other lobans can be fairly harsh, Shroff C.’s version manages to avoid those notes. There’s even a touch of fruitiness in there, adding to its friendliness.

As mentioned before, the White Sandal is the mildest of the four sandalwood blends here and perhaps the purest. There isn’t a reduction in smoke content per se, but the aroma is definitely milder and airier than the others. Of course this does mean it lacks the heft and perhaps punch of the other sandalwoods, but at the same time I was quite amazed that even with a milder aroma, there were no off notes or bitterness to be associated with it. At times it even approaches the crystalline qualities of a slice of wood on a heater. The oil has some slight lemon, sugar and orange notes to it, but I suspect that’s the quality of the wood at concentrated quantities rather than any additives. It’s mildly reminiscent in its own way of Kyukyodo’s Yumemachi sandalwood.

Overall there’s not really any here that aren’t worth trying and certainly the Red Sandal and possibly the Sandal Flora are must tries. Even if you’ve tried plenty a sandalwood incense, if you haven’t checked out Shroff C., there’s an angle to the wood and a new facet to the perfume that will be enlightening to you. Next installment, I’ll likely cover the floral group: Amber Rose, Indian Flower, Jasmine 1940, Nargis 1931 amd Sugandhi Bathi, all of which are some of the best florals you can buy in incense.

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