Content

2026-07-18 15:12:37 -05:00
parent bcd17b7ab7
commit e85e51402d
12 changed files with 206 additions and 14 deletions
@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+---
+title: "A First Look at Bhagwan Incense"
+description: "Taking a look at Bhagwan Incense and the brand's Absolute Oudh, Oudh, Oudh Majestic, Royal Oudh, Royal Mysore Sandalwood, and Sandalwood Origins sticks."
+date: 2026-07-18
+tags:
+  - Incense
+  - Incense Review
+synopsis: "Taking a look at Bhagwan Incense and the brand's Absolute Oudh, Oudh, Oudh Majestic, Royal Oudh, Royal Mysore Sandalwood, and Sandalwood Origins sticks."
+imageURL: /img/a-first-look-at-bhagwan/lighting-a-stick-of-bhagwan-absolute-oudh.webp
+imageAlt: "A close up of a stick of incense being lit with a flame on a wick. The end of the stick appears wet with oil from the heat."
+mastodon_id: "116942744227037345"
+---
+When Eugene of [Bhagwan Incense](https://bhagwan-incense.com/) first reached out offering samples I was hesitant to accept them; my experiences with Indian style incense at that point had been less than stellar. After Irene of rauchfahne.de sent me some very nice Indian sticks, however, my mind was  opened, and I found myself keen to see what Bhagwan has to offer.
+
+Being an exporter rather than a manufacturer, Bhagwan's product range is fairly broad, spanning from classic sandalwood sticks to modern fragrances like guava. Today I'll start with my thoughts on some of those classic incense fragrances: agarwood and sandalwood.
+
+## Agarwood
+
+### Absolute Oudh
+
+Absolute Oudh is sweet, spicy, woody, and "masculine." Baking spice notes
+almost remind me of a Japanese sweet agarwood stick, but the sweetness is
+really ramped up here and there's no camphor lift. There is a vanillic aspect
+to this stick, which, coupled with the sweetness, evokes benzoin. There is also
+something of a Play-Doh note, a touch of anise in the room, and an accord
+reminiscent of cola. Amidst all of the sweetness and spice, there is an
+agarwood je ne sais quoi - that earthy, sticky fragrance that is close to
+impossible to describe unless you've smelled it. Buried in this fragrance is
+something rather true to life. While Absolute Oudh is certainly not in the same
+category as a single-origin agarwood-plus-binder stick, it is a pleasant,
+well-composed stick with a recognizable agarwood character.
+
+### Oudh
+
+The unlit stick is very sweet, woody, creamy, and spicy. For some reason this
+is a very nostalgic fragrance for me. Despite how luscious and creamy the unlit
+stick smelled, the character of the fragrance in the burn is lighter, with
+notes of smoke, roasting coffee, light spice, vanilla, coumarin, dried fruit,
+and blonde tobacco. It's one of the more genteel oud fragrances from Bhagwan
+that I've sampled. Up close, there is a whisper of a dry, sour, woody note that
+reminds me of low grade agarwood, but without the acrid note that comes with
+real wood. If I hadn't read "Oudh" on the packaging, however, I probably
+wouldn't have guessed that this was intended to be an agarwood stick. That
+said, I like this fragrance a lot more than most of the low-grade
+agarwood-forward senkō in my collection.
+
+[![A looped series of images showing a stick of incense bursting into flame before settling down with a smoking ember.](/img/a-first-look-at-bhagwan/bhagwan-incense-absolute-oud-lighting-loop.webp " Lighting a stick of Absolute Oudh. Thanks to [this person](https://krita-artists.org/t/making-looping-animated-webp-files/9647) for the animated webp tutorial.")](/img/a-first-look-at-bhagwan/bhagwan-incense-absolute-oud-lighting-loop.webp)
+
+### Oudh Majestic
+
+The fragrance of the unlit stick is interesting. It strikes me as
+gourmand—sweet and vanillic, with baking spice, banana custard, and white musk
+notes. When lit, the fragrance is light and sweet, with notes of turbinado
+sugar, vanilla, a floral aspect, and a grassy, cinnamon-coumarin warmth. I like
+this fragrance a lot, but I'm really not even being reminded of agarwood. This stick was also reviewed on [rauchfahne.de](https://blog.rauchfahne.de/en/2024/10/05/bhagwan-oudh-majestic-en/) and [ORS](https://olfactoryrescueservice.wordpress.com/2023/11/10/bhagwan-incense-balsamic-amber-frank-rose-garden-of-eden-oudh-majestic-woody-champa-notes-on-other-fragrances/).
+
+### Royal Oudh
+
+The unlit stick smells sweet, tart, and earthy, with notes of dried plum, white
+musk, and spikenard. In the burn, the fragrance leans more eathy, mineral,
+woody, and spicy, with metallic sandalwood and clove notes alongside damp soil
+and dried fruit. The combined effect is a rich, complex fragrance that is, for
+me, *somewhat* evocative of warming kynam on heater. This sweet, fruity, spicy,
+and earthy scent is something I imagine might be really pleasant on a rainy
+afternoon. This stick was also reviewed on [ORS](https://olfactoryrescueservice.wordpress.com/2024/11/12/bhagwan-incense-amber-oudh-assam-agarwood-imperial-oudh-oudh-rose-royal-oudh/).
+
+## Sandalwood
+
+### Royal Mysore Sandalwood
+
+Buttery sandalwood on the stick, with fruity and white floral notes. The
+fragrance is much louder and more complex than putting sandalwood chips on a
+burner, but the sandalwood note is lactonic, warm, and woody with that
+distinctive metallic note that I often notice from S. album. Compared to
+heating sandalwood chips, the stick is much more lively, with a distinctive
+fruitiness[^1] coming through in the burn. This isn't something I've noticed
+from wood chips, but maybe this is a common feature of certain sandalwood oils,
+or sandalwood accords? In any case, I wouldn't call this a strictly one-note
+sandalwood fragrance; unlike, say, Shunkohdo's Sarasoju, it definitely has some
+additional complexity. It is very pleasant though, and I would say that if you
+are looking for a vivacious and moderately bright composition with a fairly
+true to life sandalwood core, you can't go wrong with this. This stick was also reviewed on [ORS](https://olfactoryrescueservice.wordpress.com/2024/12/06/bhagwan-incense-imperial-sandalwood-royal-mysore-sandalwood-royal-sandalwood-sandalwood-origins/).
+
+### Sandalwood Origins
+
+The fragrance on the unlit stick is very perfumey. Another nostalgic scent,
+this one brings me right back to visiting Earthbound Trading Co. in the mall
+years ago. It's vanillic, floral, and woody, with a bright, soapy, white-musk
+note. The stick starts off very buttery, with some burning-oil off-notes up
+close that mostly disappear in the room. It's far sweeter than Royal Mysore
+Sandalwood, with a marked vanilla note. The floral fragrance from the unlit
+stick becomes somewhat subtle in the burn, with the very bright, soapy
+fragrance from the unlit stick transforming into something much more mellow.
+This is closer to a single-note stick; it reminds me of the super lactonic
+sandalwood note from Fred Soll's Frankincense and Sandalwood. I personally
+prefer this one over Royal Mysore Sandalwood as—in my opinion—it's closer to
+the wood itself. This stick was also reviewed on [ORS](https://olfactoryrescueservice.wordpress.com/2024/12/06/bhagwan-incense-imperial-sandalwood-royal-mysore-sandalwood-royal-sandalwood-sandalwood-origins/).
+
+## Conclusion & Brand Impressions
+### Accuracy Vs. Composition
+I was once warming sandalwood on an incense heater, when my Indian
+houseguest—accustomed to agarbatti—mentioned that the genuine article didn't
+smell at all like sandalwood to her. If you're coming from the world of
+higher-end East Asian incense, or you're expecting natural, single-note wood
+fragrances, you may be similarly confused when lighting up one of these sticks
+from Bhagwan. They are each compositions, fairly far removed from the fragrance
+of the woods they are named after. This is not a knock; it's completely par for
+the course in the world of Indian incense. But I think it's worth mentioning
+that you're not going to be able to learn what actual woods smell like from
+these sticks. That said, the compositions are killer.
+
+### Strength
+If you're used to gentle Japanese sticks, you're in for a shock with Bhagwan.
+Not one stick I have tried so far could be described as remotely quiet. In the
+past, I've counted this as an unequivocal downside, but things have changed for
+me in that regard. I'm learning to modulate ventilation to make these sticks
+manageable. If, like me, you have a sensitive nose, you may want to burn them
+in front of an open window, in an adjacent room, and/or with lots of fans going
+to keep the fragrance from concentrating too much in one area. While I'm
+getting used to these workarounds, I still wish Bhagwan offered minis that
+produced a more manageable amount of fragrance. In addition, I sometimes like
+to burn a variety of sticks throughout the day, but that's tough when one stick
+is powerful enough to linger for up to multiple days (looking at you, *Guava*).
+
+### Ingredients & Transparency
+One thing I really would like to see improve is the way the "vegan" designation
+is used on the website. Descriptions often contain two points: "free
+from animal-derived ingredients," and "vegan incense sticks unless honey is
+mentioned in the description." This can be confusing, especially when honey or
+propolis notes are then mentioned in the description. The customer is left to
+wonder whether these are just notes, or reflect the inclusion of animal
+secretions in the product. As a vegan, clarity and confidence when making a
+purchasing decision is paramount.
+
+On ingredients, Bhagwan's
+[website claims](https://bhagwan-incense.com/our-story/) that the brand offers "only premium masala incense made using pure raw halmaddi, sandalwood powder,
+essential oils and attars," and continues: "if a supplier starts using chemical
+ingredients, we stop offering their incense." This may well be a reflection of
+my own ignorance, but I don't know how it is possible to offer some of the
+fragrances in Bhagwan's catalog without synthetics. The strength, clarity, and
+staying power of some of these fragrances[^2] is truly remarkable, and they are
+clearly fairly precise, complex, and professional compositions without the
+'muddiness' that you would expect from naturals—each containing thousands of
+fragrance molecules. To be clear: I don't care if the incense I burn contains
+synthetics. I'm under no illusion that Tennendo's *Kyara* or *Sumire* is made
+with ground-up herbs and spices[^3]. I guess what I'm saying here is that these
+sticks are, in my opinion, perhaps *suspiciously good* to meet the description on the website, such that I do wonder just how much of a handle
+Bhagwan has on what is actually going into them. But, then again, I'm
+just some guy with a blog.
+
+### Conclusion
+To be clear: the compositional nature and strength of these sticks are not marks against them; they're simply hallmarks of this style of incense. And if you can get past that (or if—like many—you *prefer* it), I think it's hard to go wrong with any of the sticks I've written about above. While Indian incense has a bit of a reputation problem here in the U.S.A., this incense is in an entirely different league than the bamboo-cored sticks you're likely to find in a US supermarket or gas station. For me, the sticks have been a nice change of pace from my (predominantly Japanese) incense collection, and I've been enjoying them quite a lot. It only makes sense that there should be something quite special about the work of a people who have had access to an abundance of aromatics for millennia, and it's nice to discover brands that seem to be doing a good job of curating what reaches our shores.
+
+[^1]:  The fruit note reminds me of the Supreme Sandalwood Science fragrance
+from Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements.
+
+[^2]: Not to mention the color of the melnoorva / powder on some of the sticks.
+
+[^3]: "But Nathan, some of these chemicals are endocrine disrupt…" Cool, but
+I'm not freebasing them. I think I'll be okay.
@@ -12,8 +12,6 @@ tags:
 imageURL: /img/seitan.webp
 imageAlt: Two wee logs of seitan wrapped tightly in cheesecloth and kitchen twine on a piece of foil next top a pair of kitchen tongs.
 ---
-[![Two wee logs of seitan wrapped tightly in cheesecloth and kitchen twine on a piece of foil next top a pair of kitchen tongs.](/img/seitan.webp "Some homemade seitan, originally posted on [my pixelfed account](https://pixelfed.social/p/nathanu/395090346005279712).")](/img/seitan.webp)
-

 Seitan: carnists tremble at the sight of it, and sadly, due to the difficulty in its culinary execution, so do many of my fellow leaf-loving, tofu-eating, [nooch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_yeast)-sprinkling vegans. Little known in the west, seitan is a food comprised almost entirely of wheat gluten that was invented hundreds of years ago by Buddhist monks as a protein-rich meat substitute. While fundamentally a simple dough of wheat gluten and water, then steamed or simmered, seitan is notoriously tricky to get right. Even here in Chicago where there are a wealth of vegan restaurants, some of which have been operating for decades, there is a dearth of good seitan; too chewy, not chewy enough, spongy, and flavorless seitan is endemic to the western vegan foodservice canon. Now, I'm no expert, but I've certainly picked up a few tricks over the years, and I prefer my seitan to just about any restaurant here in Chicago, with a single exception, *but I'll spill that tea at the end*.

@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@ includeTOC: true
 ---
 ## 2026
 ### July
+* 2026-07-18
+	* Updated [/me](/me) to include [GoToSocial](https://blether.nathanupchurch.com/@nathan).
+* 2026-07-17
+	* Updated [/incense](/incense).
 * 2026-07-10
 	* Updated [/links](/links).
 * 2026-07-02
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ Incense making is hard. While parts of the world with strong incense cultures en
 ### Articles
 * [*A New Incense Bibliography Part 1*: History & Art, Incense Apprentice](https://incenseapprentice.substack.com/p/a-new-incense-bibliography-part-1)
 * [*A New Incense Bibliography Part 2*: Worldwide Incense Traditions, Incense Apprentice](https://incenseapprentice.substack.com/p/a-new-incense-bibliography-part-2)
+* [*Agarwood - The Hidden History of Scented Wood*, Eric Hansen](https://www.mermadearts.com/i/agarwood-the-hidden-history-of-scented-wood)
 * [*An Introduction to Japanese Incense*, Tezumi](https://www.tezumi.com/blogs/tezumi-insights/an-introduction-to-japanese-incense)
 * [Ancient Chinese kneaded incense recipes translated from Zhou Jiaxuan's *History of Incense* (香乘 / xiāng shèng)](https://web.archive.org/web/20230216230731/https://talesofincense.com/scent-materia/)
 * [*Bakhour (Turaren Wuta) In Nigeria*, Dr Ruqayya Abba Tofa](https://www.fragrantica.com/news/Bakhour-Turaren-Wuta-In-Nigeria-21456.html)
@@ -70,27 +71,36 @@ Incense making is hard. While parts of the world with strong incense cultures en
 * See the [incense, fragrance, and perfumery section of my blogroll](/blogroll/#incense-fragrance-and-perfumery) for a list of blogs with writing on incense and related topics.

 ## Videos on Incense and Related Topics
-* [Baikundo's incense-stick making process (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbQ8sNcQdcg)
+### History
+* [The Frankincense Trail](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2056414/)—Kate Humble follows the ancient frankincense trade route from Oman to Palestine. I have linked to the IMDB page, but this documentary series is well worth sailing the high seas for.
+### Ingredients / About
 * [Business Insider's *So Expensive*: Agarwood (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVupYzrCjmM)
 * [Business Insider's *So Expensive*: Bulgarian Rose Oil (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26pEG7Ghgpg)
 * [Business Insider's *So Expensive*: Ceylon Cinnamon (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzOcZlmeaH0)
 * [Business Insider's *So Expensive*: Frankincense And Myrrh (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LMioQGsFFw)
 * [Business Insider's *So Expensive*: Jasmine Oil (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt16uOqImI0)
 * [Business Insider's *So Expensive*: Sandalwood (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPRpWg_wU0A)
-* [*Fragrant China* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m96m2WPGDJA&list=PLJeSQ7Rl5tC-bgdowqRLjFyAVowKYkOK-)
-* [*Incense Making in Hong Kong* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzzvi6Cqqu8)
-* [*Introduction to Japanese Incense | Types and Styles* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6G-azPGMcA)
-* [*Japanese incense made with a waterwheel* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy8nnTPQ5M0)
-* [*Nag Champa - A Documentary Film* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN3wLhZFXmQ)
-* [New China TV: *Traditional incense-making helps Tibetan villagers live better life* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDqGwKNCLfc)—a short look at traditional Tibetan incense making.
-* [*Sacred Tibetan Incense* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWEg7FtBLKw)
+### Ingredients / Convervation
 * [*Saving the scent that may soon disappear from Earth* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqqzdI0wVQc)—a documentary on New Caledonian sandalwood.
 * [*Scent From Heaven* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv69pYSm2oo)—a documentary from Al Jazeera on agarwood.
-* [Shoyeido Factory Works (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQRxB4Gz-JM)
-* [The Frankincense Trail](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2056414/)—Kate Humble follows the ancient frankincense trade route from Oman to Palestine. I have linked to the IMDB page, but this documentary series is well worth sailing the high seas for.
-* [*The Scent of Heaven: Inside Vietnam’s Incense Village* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy8pDpIH31g)
+### Introductory
+* [*Introduction to Japanese Incense | Types and Styles* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6G-azPGMcA)
+### People & Culture
+* [*Da Ching Incense Making Factory* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1fzySbNUiA)
+* [*Explore 500 years of Tibetan incense making at Tashi Lhunpo Monastery* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj0sy-RmubQ)
+* [*Fragrant China* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m96m2WPGDJA&list=PLJeSQ7Rl5tC-bgdowqRLjFyAVowKYkOK-)
+* [*In the Heart of Shambhala Ep.2: Tibetan incense-making* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ3Xtt0Z794)
+* [New China TV: *Traditional incense-making helps Tibetan villagers live better life* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDqGwKNCLfc)—a short look at traditional Tibetan incense making.
+* [*Sacred Tibetan Incense* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWEg7FtBLKw)
 * [*'The Scent of Sakai' 堺の香り - Handmade incense stick craftsman* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4vOPSJYvX4)
+* [*Tibetan Incense Making | 香格里拉藏香制作* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Epjx5PBuEs)
 * [*Turf Peat Incense* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F7Xvdpq-GE)
+### Production
+* [Baikundo's incense-stick making process (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbQ8sNcQdcg)
+* [*Japanese incense made with a waterwheel* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy8nnTPQ5M0)
+* [*Nag Champa - A Documentary Film* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN3wLhZFXmQ)
+* [Shoyeido Factory Works (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQRxB4Gz-JM)
+* [*The Scent of Heaven: Inside Vietnam’s Incense Village* (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy8pDpIH31g)

 ## Reputable Suppliers of Aromatics
 * [Apothecary's Garden (Canada)](https://apothecarysgarden.com/)—Absolutes, Extracts, Herbs, Tinctures, Oils, Resins, Woods
@@ -112,8 +122,16 @@ Incense making is hard. While parts of the world with strong incense cultures en


 ## Studies on Incense and Related Topics
-* [*Key Issues and Challenges in Spice Grinding*, HPramod P. Aradwad, Arun Kumar T V, P.K. Sahoo, Indra Mani (PDF, 3.7 MiB)](/documents/key_issues_and_challenges_in_spice_grinding.pdf)
+### Health
+* [*Reducing Air Pollutant Emissions from Burning Incense with the Addition of Calcium Carbonate*, Chi-Ru Yang, Ta-Chang Lin, Yen-Shun Peng, Sun-Zone Lee, Yih-Feng Chang (PDF, 262.3 KiB)](/documents/Reducing_Air_Pollutant_Emissions_from_Burning_Incense_with_the_Addition_of_Calcium_Carbonate.pdf)
+### Ingredients
 * [*Odor Tenacity of Perfumery Materials*, Hayato Hosokawa and Takayuki Shibamoto (PDF, 158.8 KiB)](/documents/odor_tenacity_of_perfume_materials.pdf)
+* [*The History of Tabu Powder as an Ingredient in Incense Sticks and Mosquito Coils (Machine Translated)*, Hiroaki Fujii (PDF, 1,011.3 KiB)](/documents/The_history_of_tabu_powder_as_an_ingredient_in_incense_sticks_and_mosquito_coils_machine_translated.pdf)
+* [*The History of Tabu Powder as an Ingredient in Incense Sticks and Mosquito Coils (Original Japanese)*, Hiroaki Fujii (PDF, 2.5 MiB)](/documents/The_history_of_tabu_powder_as_an_ingredient_in_incense_sticks_and_mosquito_coils.pdf)
+### Production
+* [*Key Issues and Challenges in Spice Grinding*, HPramod P. Aradwad, Arun Kumar T V, P.K. Sahoo, Indra Mani (PDF, 3.7 MiB)](/documents/key_issues_and_challenges_in_spice_grinding.pdf)
+### Use
+* [*The Scent of Time: A Study of the Use of Fire and Incense for Time Measurement in Oriental Countries*, Silvio A. Bedini (PDF, 6.8MiB)](/documents/scent-of-time.pdf)

 ## Forums / Discussion Boards
 * [Reddit (/r/incense)](https://reddit.com/r/incense)—Unfortunately, this is currently *the* place to discuss incense and incense making on the English-speaking internet. If you would like to avoid a platform that spies on you and uses your writing to train AI, you are welcome to help me bring some life to the following alternative option (currently pretty much only populated by me):
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+title: Violet Tanka
+manufacturer: Daihatsu
+date: 2026-07-15 15:51:48
+time: 5:51 PM
+---
+
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+date: 2026-07-18 10:33:49
+emoji: 🪵
+comment: I love the “oud from Mozambique” line from [Pete & Bas](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GBuTTz1-IQU). I crave more creative flexes in rap lyrics; I'm so bored with Ferraris. But a sapele Boos Block? Now you've got my attention!
+---