Happy Hari Incense: A small selection of reviews!

Happy Hari - Nag Champa GOLD!!!, Meena Supreme, Dharana Sutra, and Queen of Lotus

NAG CHAMPA GOLD!!!

This is what Nag Champa should smell like. I haven't smelled anything like this since Fred Soll's natural Nag Champa, and that has a charcoal base rather than a masala base like this one seems to (correct me if I'm wrong, Paul). It's smooth, sweet, and spicy. The gold dust gives it a beautiful sheen that you never see in incense. Incense isn't usually made to be pretty, but this one is. It makes you want to roll the stick across your skin for the beautiful golden sheen it gives. Yes, I did this on my arm. I rolled a stick up and down the side of my arm and it sparkled and glittered beautifully in the light, like real gold would have. It's almost like a combo of incense and make up.

The smell is so smooth…it reminds me of what little I can remember of the original blue box Nag Champa, but so much more. The sticks are thin, but oh-so-fragrant! I'm really glad I ordered two packages instead of just the one I was considering. I'm also glad I told Corey (who I ordered from at Absolute Bliss) that I wanted the old version of Nag Champa GOLD rather than the new version, which I hear doesn't contain the delightful gold dust (correct me if I'm wrong)!

All in all, this is the best Nag Champa you can find on the market nowadays, especially if you're sensitive to charcoal. You can find this at Absolute Bliss (which I've linked a few times) and Happy Hari's Official site. You can also find it at Happy Hari's Etsy shop. All of Nag Champa GOLD!!!s packages are 15 grams, but you can easily order more. Paul, the owner of Happy Hari, is an awesome guy and will surely help you out if you wanted to order say, 40 grams of Nag Champa GOLD!!! I ordered 30 grams, and it was worth it.

MEENA SUPREME

I am burning a stick of this now (my 2nd one so far) so I can tell you pretty well how it smells and how the scent changes. It starts with a slightly tangy floral/citrus note, kind of frankincense-y. I don't know if it contains frankincense (I have no idea what the ingredients are!) but it definitely has the floral-sweet of a really good Oman frankincense. At first, I am reminded of burning rare green frankincense mixed with rose petals on a heater or charcoal. Slowly, the floral-citrus fades, leaving mostly a sweet floral scent. The sweet floral scent remains with the stick the longest. It burns softly, slowly, and the heady, romantic scent fills the room. It also seems to have a small touch of Oud, spices, and a slight champa-like scent near the end of the stick, which gives it a nice woody touch. This incense has been sometimes described as erotic, and I agree with that choice of description. It is very romantic, and I did use a stick of this to help, er, set the mood with my fiance. He has no sense of smell, so I don't know if it worked on him, but I definitely felt something. This is a great incense to burn during a wedding (like Dharana Sutra) or simply for some enjoyment during a nice date or romantic interlude.

The incense is made in what's called the fluxo style, it is thick, soft, and long-burning. The stick is colored a pale gold/yellow and has a thin bamboo center. This is definitely NOT charcoal and it is very definitely hand-rolled and made with love (and for love). My stick has been burning for over 30 minutes so far, and it's around half done. I have 20 grams of Meena Supreme and I expect it to give me around 10 hours of sweet, romantic delight. You can find this scent at Happy Hari's official site, Essence of the Ages (I do not know how much longer), and Corey's Absolute Bliss site.

If you're buying incense and want something long-lasting, well-made, and well-priced, do not hesitate! Meena Supreme will give you everything you're looking for. However, it is strong, so if you are very sensitive, work up to this one with Queen of Lotus or a Sutra scent! These are made by the same person and will prepare you for the strength of Meena Supreme! The price varies, but you can get 10 grams for around $3-4. It is around a dollar cheaper when ordered from the official site, however. With the converter I used, it's around $2.19 for 10 grams. I ordered 20 grams, and it still isn't enough, so I would suggest ordering more than just the 10 gram pack! You won't regret it. Thanks to the sellers and makers of the delightful Meena Supreme!

DHARANA SUTRA

VERY rosy, but not overwhelming like Silver Rose. Has a slight spiciness to it, but overall, it's just a very good rose-scented incense with, oddly, an oud-like scent lurking deep within. Smells like a really nice rose air freshener spray, but without the chemical scent. The stick is thin and looks like charcoal, but is likely a masala. Oddly, it smells…pink. Yes, pink. I don't know how a color can smell, but that's what this smells like. Pink. Just like Mallica, and there is some similarity between the two. It's a great incense to burn on Valentine's Day or any other romantic holiday. It's a strong scent, but still not overwhelming, and it's great if you want/need a strong-smelling, delicious incense to suffuse your office, meditation area, or just home in general.

This Sutra scent has a very…happy smell, I guess you could say. It's a joyful scent. The beautiful rose-flavor is something I have smelled several times at a nice wedding and several times when I was vacationing in India. It's a scent you could find near temples or at a personal shrine. A beautiful scent to honor the gods with!

The stick is black with with pink flecks up and down the stick. It's really pretty to look at in addition to smell. This is probably one of the most unique, delightful Sutras, and my review would probably be more detailed, but I only had one stick to sample. Still, if one stick can make this strong of an impression, I can only imagine how I'd feel about it with a full pack. This incense is sold on Etsy and at HappyHari's official site. It's $3.41 for a pack of 6-7 sticks (10 grams) and a full pack should burn for around 3+ hours. The single sample stick I had burned for over 40 minutes, so it likely depends on how thick the stick is.

QUEEN OF LOTUS

This is superb and smells like beautiful, expensive hand cream! Or face cream, or very nice shampoo. I really want to rub this incense all over my face. This is sweet, tangy, and oh-so-very smooth. There is a hint of Lotus (the soft, floral scent) but the Lotus takes second fiddle to whatever scent is creating the amazing cream smell. The stick is very thick, soft, and definitely hand-rolled. It's so fresh that sometimes little bits of powder will stick in the bottom of the package when you're removing it. This really should be a must try for everyone. Happy Hari's definitely went out of their way to make this something special, and I cannot WAIT to try Emperor of Amber (a stick SO thick you only get one per pack)!

You get 4 sticks per pack, and each pack is in a nice, well-protected plastic bag. Easy to reseal, easy to keep fresh. It can be purchased at Etsy, Happy Hari's official site, and Absolute Bliss. You may occasionally find it on eBay, but it's rare. Happy Hari's Etsy shop. where you can find pretty much everything, and products are already converted to USD. At Etsy, you can choose the amount you want. 10 grams is 4 sticks, I believe, so 100 grams would be 40 sticks. This is a VERY good buy. These thick, luscious sticks will last you at least two hours per stick. In the future, I definitely plan to buy more than 10 grams. I hate to say this, but I do believe this incense may be even better than Pure-Incense's Blue Lotus!

Do yourself a favor, if you love Indian incense, get Queen of Lotus! I purchased this without even trying a sample first, and was not disappointed!

To purchase, you can find all of these at Happy Hari's Etsy site, as well as his official site. I prefer the Etsy site due to the ease of payment and how you can save things in your cart for as long as you want, provide you have an account. These were all bought at Absolute Bliss, however, which provides fast shipping, excellent customer service, and many free samples! The Dharana Sutra was actually a free sample, and one of the best!

Here is Happy Hari's Etsy site!

Absolute Bliss, run by the amazing Corey!

Happy Hari's Official Site (new version)