Tulasi Deepak

I recently purchased a large number of Indian incenses for sampling. I was mainly interested in Mysore Sughandi, hoping to find another hidden Laxmi Dhoop. I also took the opportunity to sample as many different incenses as I could find by Padmini, Nandi, Sarathi and a whole bunch more. I am still making my way through that huge lot, but already I have found one that will be a permanent resident in my incense stash: Tulasi Deepak by Sarathi. "Deepak" is a Hindi and Sanskrit word meaning "little lamp". This incense is aimed at reproducing the smell of a burning oil lamp. This may initially conjure images of choking smoke, but the result is anything but hazy. Deepak exudes a deep, warm, honey-like smell that is completely enveloping. I imagine an amber lamp glowing in some dark corner of an Indian temple. I burned through my sampler pack in a matter of days, and ordered an entire carton for replacement. Unfortunately, I could find no ingredients listing for this incense, either on the package or the internet. I am sure this is the typical perfume-based Indian stick, so the "recipe" is probably a trade secret. Deepak sticks are a little bigger than the small, thin Indian sticks you sometimes find, but not as big as say the dry Indian masalas. Deepak is similar to Nandi Golden Incense (another favorite), and if you are a fan of that brand you will certainly love Deepak, which I find to be even richer and deeper than Nandi Golden.

Laxmi Dhoop

Over the past year or so, a little yellow box of incense from India has become my all-time favorite. This may come as a surprise to so-called "incense connoisseurs" (myself included), who routinely pay hundreds of dollars for a few sticks of exotic Japanese incense. Laxmi Dhoop can be found at $1.09 a box. While I occasionally plunk down more than I like for those Japanese brands, I have yet to find anything that consistently beats Laxmi Dhoop.

Laxmi puts out copious smoke, no let me say that differently, Laxmi will set off your indoor smoke alarm. It is far and away the most prolific smoke-producing incense I have ever tried. It is just for this reason that it will put off all but the most patient incense-loving freaks like myself. I only burn Laxmi on days that I will be around the house for hours at a time, preferably all day. It takes about one hour to fully burn one thick, wet "log". And it is best described as a log, about 2 inches long and a quarter of an inch thick, it is a wet, pliable "goo". Getting a Laxmi log to stand on its end can be challenging. It comes with a cheap stand, no more than a flat piece of metal with a little indentation in the middle on which you try to mold the end of a log. I still have trouble even though I've probably done it a hundred times. Always put it in another vessel as tipping over will eventually occur while burning. Lighting Laxmi is another adventure. Once it catches, let the end burn for a minute or two before extinguishing, otherwise it will soon go out. After you've got everything up and running, you will have thick, dense, hazy room of smoke within several minutes. Ventilation will probably be required. I have several fans going myself, and still visibility across the room is noticeably reduced. The scent is one of spicy lavender. I know, I know, "lavender", it can't be good. Somehow, though, it works, at least for me, and I've tried just about every incense out there in the past 20 years. The scent pervades everything and persists for hours, if not days. If you are used to 5 inch sticks of smokeless Japanese brands, you might as well hang it up now, this will knock you off your feet and out the front door.

Laxmi Dhoop is manufactured by the Mysore Sughandi Dhoop Factory in Bangalore, India. They do not list specific ingredients, only saying: "A world of exotic ingredients goes into the making of our agarbattis - sandalwood, flowers, traditional Indian Herbs, perfumes and spices of all kinds." This website lists the ingredients as: gum benzoin, bergamot and lavender, and accurately describes it as "a very strong, slightly resinous aroma". The manufacturer notes that Laxmi Dhoop is "best for summer use", I suppose because you might want to open the windows to let out some smoke.