| We carry several scents by Mandala Arts & Incense | | | | stick. That is my personal preference and belief, your |
| and the packaging of each one is unique and very | | | | experience may differ. |
| attractive. A very heavy, fibrous paper is wrapped | | | | Now, on to the lighting! The sticks themselves are |
| around 14 dhoop style sticks and sealed on both | | | | very dry and very unlike Durbars and Champas that |
| ends with a wax seal. It always seems a shame to | | | | feel slightly damp to the touch. So I thought that |
| break that seal as it was obviously placed there by | | | | when I applied flame to the tip it would fairly whoosh |
| hand with a great deal of care. It seems even more | | | | into flame. That was not the case. In fact it was |
| of a shame when you tear or damage the Bodhi leaf | | | | more like lighting charcoal as no flame ever presented |
| that each packet is decorated with. I have no idea | | | | itself to be blown out. Instead the tip glows after a |
| how they manage to place such a delicate, spidery | | | | moment or two under a match or lighter and then |
| leaf on the packaging in the first place, but it is a | | | | remains glowing. Very simple and a little surprising. |
| very unique and interesting decoration. | | | | The scent of this particular stick is very woody and |
| I mentioned that we carry several scents by Mandala | | | | smoky, yet extremely pleasant. To be honest the |
| Arts & Incense and the main reason I mentioned | | | | first thing that came to my mind upon smelling the |
| that is because this particular scent is the only one | | | | smoke was a campfire. Not a cough inducing |
| that "bleeds" into the paper it is wrapped in. I am not | | | | campfire from pine logs or green, damp wood, but a |
| sure why that is as the sticks themselves are always | | | | campfire from well seasoned oak or hickory. This |
| very dry and the scent never seems affected. I just | | | | would be a wonderful accessory for those of you |
| wanted to give a brief note to the phenomenon in | | | | with a gas fireplace. You could have the flames as |
| case you decided to try it and had questions about | | | | well as the woody, smoky scent that should go along |
| why the packaging seems less pristine than other | | | | with it. |
| scents from the same family. | | | | There is a fair amount of sandalwood in this |
| Inside the wrapping paper a string is wrapped around | | | | formulation and every now and then you can detect |
| the incense stick bundle very tightly. I suggest a little | | | | a very slight note of it. It is a great base scent for |
| extra care in extracting a stick as I have broken | | | | this particular blend as it adds just the right warmth |
| more than one of them in the process. It doesn't | | | | underneath the sharper notes of the rest of the |
| really matter I suppose as they are a dhoop style | | | | herbs and spices. A similar scent would be white |
| incense without a bamboo core and you can just as | | | | cedar, but this stick is not nearly as powerful as |
| easily place the two broken halves upright in sand | | | | cedar. Everyone here agrees that it is a woodsy, |
| and burn them both. However, that does mean | | | | smoky, forest-like scent that has quite a bit of depth |
| double the amount of smoke. | | | | when you concentrate on it. |
| I burn these sticks in a traditional fashion. That is to | | | | I would recommend this scent for those with gas |
| say I insert them vertically into a small bowl of sand. | | | | fireplaces, burning outside on cool fall evenings or |
| I prefer to burn incense this way as I personally | | | | even during a barbecue. I don't think you will be |
| believe it gives a more pure rendition of the scent | | | | disappointed at all with this scent and I am sure you |
| because of the lack of "pre-heating" the next small | | | | can find many more wonderful uses and situations |
| section to be burned as the ember moves along the | | | | where it would fit perfectly. |