Various Indian Incense Reviews

I will review a selection of some Indian-style incense I've had the pleasure of burning lately. These ARE NOT your $400 japanese high quality pure agarwood scents, so please go away if you're an incense snob who refuses to burn anything but pure expensive incense. A few of these are also CHARCOAL scents, so go away if you hate charcoal incense as well. I like high quality japanese incense as well as the next incense snob, but I ALSO happen to love well-made charcoal incense, masalas, and just very well-made Indian incense. Anyway, on to the incense! Most of these can be found at Absolute Bliss Imported Incense, but if they cannot, I will provide a link to where you CAN find them.

- HM Silver Sandalwood/Extra Special Sandalwood -

One of my favorite scents ever, this is pure bliss in stick form. It is sweet, woody, and well-made. There are actually several different types of this sandalwood, each with it's own special scent. Each one is great, but one or two stand out above the others. This is made by HM and Sons, a company with a long history of making superb incense. They also make Pure-Incense's Absolute and Connoisseur Sandalwood scents, as well as the very similar Black Sandalwood Absolute. The differences between Silver and the Pure Incense versions (except Connoisseur) is negligible. They all have the same sweet, woody goodness that I love. The Extra Special HM Sandal (sold by Absolute Bliss) and the Connoisseur Sandalwood (sold by Essence of the Ages) smell in all honesty almost the same. The price is even similar. You can get 100 grams of Extra Special from Absolute Bliss for around $55 (this is WITH shipping) and at EoTA for $68 (with shipping, excluding the free shipping if you spend over $85). The one from AB is $13 cheaper, and you will get 12 sticks per pack, so it will end up actually being OVER 100 grams. Depending on your preferences, this is a superb scent with a lot of purchasing options.

- HM Agarwood -

Very similar to HM Sandalwood, but a little more woody and less vanilla-sweetness. I can't honestly say this smells like Japanese agarwood, because there is a huge difference between japanese and Indian agarwood. It honestly doesn't smell like pure Indian agarwood either, but the oil in it definitely has some real agarwood somewhere, even if it is just from the stick being soaked in essential oil or something. It's there, and it adds a special something to this stick that makes it preferable to some people over the sandalwood. There is also a Pure Incense version of this, but I have not tried it so I cannot make a comparison. I can only review the HM Agarwood I purchased from AB, and I love it. If Pure Incense's version is at least somewhat similar, then I'm sure that's equally good. You can purchase this for the exact same price as Extra Special Sandal from AB. $5 a pack, $55 for 100g.

- HM Mallica and Pink Sayli -

These two incenses are, to put it in a single word: pink. Yes, PINK! These smell pink. For both of these, the 'pink' floral smell is soft, smooth, and relaxing. I'll do Mallica first, since it was the one I tried first.

Mallica

Not too sweet, a very soft vanillaish masala scent. To me, this smells like a warm bubble bath with creamy body wash, flower petals, and spring air. The stick isn't very thick, but it's definitely not charcoal-based and the bamboo is barely noticeable. If you're the kind of person who likes to feel the stick, it feels like it's dry and has a too-thick bamboo core, but that's definitely not the way it smells. This is an amazing incense, and I wish I would have had more than one stick to sample, but still, I'm glad Corey chose to send THIS stick for me to sample. When I order from HM&S again, I'll be sure to place an order for this so I can give a more detailed review. One stick isn't enough to allow me to detect all the strange ingredients that make this stick so…oddly sweet and creamy smelling. The stick itself, and the rolled incense around the stick, is a nice pink color very fitting with the scent and name. This incense, most of all, smells pink. Pink! Try a stick, and you'll think 'wow, that smells pink!' as well.

Pink Sayli

Much like Mallica, soft, floral, and airy. To my nose, this isn't noticeably too much different than Mallica, except in makeup and texture. There is a less-noticeable vanilla scent to this one, with the florals being stronger. Still, this is not a strong, heady incense. It smells like a spring garden just beginning to bloom, a rosy-pink greenhouse with a touch of honeysuckle and vanilla to give it that something extra that makes it just a tad better than Mallica. The version I'm reviewing is the Connossieur (I can't spell that) version, not the Absolute version. I have a feeling that the Absolute version would be just like Mallica. This too smells 'pink' and will bring to mind flower shops on Valentine's day and, for me, a beautiful bouquet of carnations. Yes, I think Pink Sayli smells a bit like a stronger smelling carnation, at least during parts of the burn. I'm burning this as I type this, the scent changing with almost every second as the stick burns down. The stick itself is, like Mallica, thinner than you would think, very pink, and a bit dry. It does have the 'fuzz' on the stick like the fresh-rolled incense from Happy Hari, however.

Overall

These are both truly amazing incenses. HM&S produces quality products, Primo or Pure-Incense line. When trying both, you will definitely find a counterpart to the other, even if the name is totally different. I certainly didn't expect Pink Sayli to be an almost-clone of Mallica when I opened the box today, but, boy am I glad it was! I was disappointed when I learned how amazing Mallica was, but hadn't ordered a pack. As for vendors and price, you can find Mallica at various incense sites that sell Primo, specifically Absolute Bliss (where I got mine) and the official Primo website. Absolute Bliss sells them 12 sticks per pack at around $5, and the official Primo site sells a 125 gram pack for $20 or if you REALLY must never run out of this superb incense, 500 grams for $60!

As for Pink Sayli, Essence of the Ages sells it for around $9 for the Conno version, about 9 sticks per pack, and the Absolute version (which was NOT reviewed by me) for around $15 for 40+ sticks. The official Pure-Incense website has all kinds of combinations and variety packs, and they're priced in pounds. I would have to convert the currency to give an accurate price, but I think I'm close in saying the prices at the official website are very close to the EotA prices, maybe a bit more due to pounds being worth more than dollars.

I do recommend that people with sensitive noses try BOTH. If your nose isn't super sensitive (like mine) I would suggest going for the Mallica, since to me it smells so similar it's barely noticeable. Perhaps others will come along and give me a detailed description on just what I'm missing with Pink Sayli, but in my eyes, Mallica is the winner here. Primo beats Pure-Incense with this version, for me!

- HEM The Moon -

Yes, this is charcoal, and it is dipped. This does NOT detract from the amazing scent, however. The Moon is light, ethereal, and has a just smells 'silver', like the real moon. There are other scents in the Celestial line, but this one is the real gem. The Sun smells like dishwater, but this one is amazing. Oddly, it has a lovely milk and honey scent mixed with an unusual mix of florals I can't identify that give it a scent reminiscent of standing underneath the moonlight. This scent evokes a feeling of standing in an open field, dew-covered grass beneath bare feet, and a full moon looming overhead. The soft, buttery ethereal scent works well for meditation or just enjoying a good scent while reading or relaxing.

The Moon is a long, charcoal stick that smells like burning wood when first lit, but quickly gives way to the true light smell you're looking for. The stick burns quite awhile, and is a great incense to use daily if you want a cheap quality incense. It's black, as is most charcoal incense, and dipped in a hard-to-define floral perfume. Absolutely none of the "dipped" and "charcoal" descriptions should prevent you from trying this great scent.

It is very cheap and very economical. It can be found from various sellers on eBay and Amazon. Incense Warehouse has all packs very cheap. You can get an eight stick pack for a mere $.95 and a box of six 20 packs for around $7, which is the way I went. For such a great scent, you simply cannot pass up 120+ sticks for only $7. A lot of places refuse to carry such incense as HEM, but I suggest they at least look at the Moon. HEM's other scents leave a lot to be desired, but the Moon is a classic and a true beauty, evoking moonlight, relaxation, and calm nights.

- Fred Soll's Honey Amber -

This incense is thick and resinous, VERY sticky (well, it is honey!), and has an amazing, smooth, soft smell. It is charcoal with thick, sticky resin rolled around the stick, and the charcoal is undetectable while burning (to me). The stick will occasionally go out after being lit due to how heavy and thick the resin is, but once it starts burning this only happens once in awhile. As Fred's site advises, these burn much better in the horizontal position and go out more if they are burned in a vertical or upside down position (like a white bottle turned into an incense burner). The amber scent mixes deliciously with the sticky honey and gives off a warm, toasty smell that will make your entire room feel warm, no matter how cold it is. The honey scent is also quite noticeable. It's resinous, mixes beautifully with the amber, and is so sweet you might get hungry burning this stick!

There is no powdery scent like most amber incenses give off, nor does it smell at all like perfume. This smells like real amber resin mixed with real honey. This is a true piece of art, and the most amazing sweet stick I've ever burned. It is NOT the best amber stick I've burned, but it is way up there, and definitely the best honey-sweet stick I've ever had.

This incense burns long (up to 3 hours!) and can fill the room after only 15 minutes of burning. The way I burn it is to let it smolder for 10-15 minutes, then put it out. The scent is so strong the entire room is suffused after a short time. Once the scent fades, I relight it and continue the cycle. A 20 pack can last months, which is a good thing, since these are more expensive than most types of resin-sticks.

Honey Amber is well worth the price. You can find it on various websites. Essence of the Ages, Amazon, eBay, and other incense retailers. The newest scents are found on eBay first, most of the time. Occasionally Amazon. Fred's official site sells Honey Amber in various forms. You can purchase a single sample stick for $1.50, a pack of 10 for $13, and a full pack of 20 for $17. You get free shipping for any order over $50, and if you want, you can indeed place an order entirely made up of samples of each of the scents sold. For one pack of Honey Amber alone from Fred's official site, however, it will be $23 exactly. You can find it cheaper on eBay, sold by the same people who operate the official site. The owners at Fred Soll are amazing and will work with you on whatever you need. Joy Soll (Fred's wife) is very kind and will even send you a sample to try if you contact her.


All of Fred's incense is made by Fred, managed by Joy, and packaged by a small amount of people. A lot of hard work, love, and care goes into this amazing incense, and Honey Amber is definitely one that has to take some of the most work I can imagine. The pure amber alone must take ages to find and mix in such a good, strong quality and quantity! There is a LOT of amber on a single stick. If you love incense, I definitely suggest you at least try a sample of this one! This IS an Indian style incense, but it is completely made in America!