Yamuna's Incense Timeless Splendours

Yamuna's Incense in Kaunas, Lithuania's second largest city, is a recent start up - a marriage of Indian and Lithuanian cultures. Yamuna tells me that "Yamuna’s Incense is conceptualized in Lithuania, most of the fragrances are inspired and created by me and the incense is manufactured in India. We use some local ingredients, for instance Baltic amber oil, spruce resin, sage, thyme, etc". Yamuna incense is well-made modern-aroma room-freshener incense, which sits well with me, and is part of a growing trend along with Smells Like Spells of Lithuania and  Oneironaut in London, of Europeans creating/ordering fragrances for incense made in India or Nepal.  

The sticks are smoothly hand rolled - at first sight they appear extruded because they are so even and consistent, though the twists from hand-rolling can be seen on the ends near the stick. There are little sparkles in the paste, such as are sometimes found on incense made in Pune, especially by Haridas Madhavdas (HMS). The scent on the stick is attractively volatile - rising boldly to greet and embrace. Old timber, sweet tobacco, frozen orange juice, stale pipe smoke, vintage claret, and a sense of sweet, manly outdoors. It's a compelling aroma. The blub says: "Smoky. Leathery. Enchanting.", and I find that acceptable. The profile is based on oud from Laos which is described as "smoky-sweet, with ... syrupy wood and dried fruit", which fits this cold-throw fragrance very well. 

The scent on the burn is gentle, well balanced, and beautifully fragrant. There's woods, and fruits, sweetness and some sharpness, so nothing cloys or irritates. The scents from the stick come together harmoniously and deliciously. There is something playful and delicious about a fragrance that is both sharp and sweet - like a well made lemonade. There is honey here, soaked into the wood. It's like orange blossom honey on fresh wholemeal bread. Its gorgeous. I love this. I truly do. 

Available starting at €14 plus shipping from Yamuna's Incense in Lithuania. If ordering outside the EU, ask Yamuna to check custom regulations carefully, otherwise you'll have to pay a fine. 

Date: Oct 2026   Score:  48/50

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Yamuna's Incense

Oud explored

Amayah of Delhi

Amayah is a brand name of Floria, a wellness and home-fragrance company founded in 2017 in New Delhi. The cones are loosely wrapped in brown paper and popped inside a simple cardboard box. There is minimal information, though I do note the wording says "Packed and Marketed by Floria", which suggests that the company doesn't make the cones themselves. They may be made in Delhi, or may be made anywhere in India. If you come upon them on Amazon or in your local incense shop, avoid them. Spend your money on something more worthwhile and of better value. 

Reviews

Amayah Eucalyptus Dhoop Cones (P)
Oct 2026 - Score: 19

  

Amayah Nagchampa Dhoop Cones (P)
Oct 2026 - Score: 17

Reviews: 2

High score: 19

Low score: 17

Average: 18

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Incense in India

Amayah Nagchampa Dhoop Cones

Soapy fragrance on the cone. leaning more toward sandalwood than nag champa. Touches of purple florals - violets mostly. Mild volatility. 

Cones are made of wood paste, so when burned there is more of a scent of ash and smouldering paper than there is of nag champa or anything close to an attractive scent. 

I bought these out of curiosity because they are sold by a Delhi company, and there is a rustic earthiness in the packaging, but they are bargain basement shit. The sort of stuff that gives perfumed incense a bad name. Very little effort has been made to produce even half decent incense. The folks involved in this are just after money, and should be ashamed of themselves. They do not deliver on the promise or the price. 

That said, I've had worse. But these are a waste of money.  

Date: Oct 2026   Score: 17/50  

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Amayah of Delhi

Amayah Eucalyptus Dhoop Cones

Amayah is a brand name of Floria, a wellness and home-fragrance company founded in 2017 in New Delhi. As Delhi is one of the places we are visiting in India, and I know very little about incense from Delhi, I was curious, so I added these cones to an Amazon order. 

I like the rough and ready packaging. The cones are loosely wrapped in brown paper and popped inside a simple cardboard box. There is minimal information, though I do note the wording says "Packed and Marketed by Floria", which suggests that the company doesn't make the cones themselves. They may be made in Delhi, or may be made anywhere in India.

They are large, firm, wood paste based cones, hand moulded, and dipped in a basic eucalyptus scent - most likely Eucalyptol, which can be extracted from a selection of herbs or cheaply    synthesised. The scent on the cone is a pleasant though unremarkable camphor. The scent when burned, because wood paste has been used, is smouldering paper. 

The end result is an everyday bargain basement cone that does less than it should. 

Date: Oct 2026   Score: 19/50  

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Amayah of Delhi

Ranga Rao Cycle Brand Darbari

We've had a lot of building work in the house over the past few months. Lots of dust and disturbance. Not a great time for incense. But this pack has been my go-to everyday incense. It's pleasant yet discrete. It was a gift from Julian of  The Incense Atelier. It's a "posh" incense. Big luxury box, with two different scents - Red and Blue. There's a lot of packaging and marketing. Cycle say it's an incense for special occasions, though I think more money has gone into the packaging than the incense itself. 

The blurb is worth quoting in full: 

Product Description

Crafted in honour of our founder, Sri. N. Ranga Rao, Darbari signifies our unwavering commitment to excellence, tradition, and the art of creating original fragrances. Mysuru agarbathi has long graced the royal courts, temples and the homes of our people, elevating our senses while fostering a connection with the divine. 

Experience the Darbari pack, featuring two exceptional fragrances that are great for festive occasions and milestones in your life.

RED Pack 

Immerse yourself in a floral, fresh symphony created from this exceptional blend of Roses, Jasmine, Hyacinth and Honeysuckle. Enhanced by subtle woody ambering musk notes, this fragrance promises an enchanting olfactory experience. 

Transform your special occasions into extraordinary moments of luxury with Darbari. 

BLUE Pack

Indulge your senses with this vibrant fragrance that captures the essence of the royal Mysore Sandalwood. Enriched with an intense touch of animalic musk notes, it radiates an allure that evokes the majestic heritage of Mysuru.

Create a captivating atmosphere during weddings, festive gatherings, and special occasions, leaving a lasting impression on your guests.

Much promise and styling there. Both incenses are decent, well made, hand-rolled masala incense of the sort most of us have come to expect from Ranga Rao's flagship Cycle brand. And both have an attractive cold throw fragrance on the stick, supported by a mild and acceptable fragrance on the burn. .

The cold throw scent on the Red is perhaps a little volatile for my taste - a little too crisp, sharp, and icy. There's an attractive cherry tinged fruit, and some smoky and earthy dark notes, slightly damp and primeval, to add depth, though on the whole it inclines a little more to a chemical home fragrance aroma than something clean, wholesome, and natural. The burn is more subtle and less sharp, though there is still a feel of a synthetic household fragrance rather than something natural. There's a sense of cherry-flavoured throat-sweets. Not a bad thing - I find it quite attractive, but just to give a sense of the impression given by the incense. The fragrance is quite mild, and gives a background ambiance to the room rather than dominating. So this isn't something I would use to cover up smells, or to make dramatic impression, or get an impact from the scent. This is an incense to burn to give a gentle, attractive, background aroma to a room to give some depth and colour and warmth. I find it doesn't intrude. it's like having a small vase of fresh flowers in the corner of the room. And sometimes gentle and subtle is just what I want. Long burning, bright, summery, softly sweet with more fruit than floral notes, though floral is present. Red is the colour of the scent, for sure. I find it overall very attractive, though would not regard it as something special. Burn it at a wedding? Yeah, why not. 

The cold throw scent on the Blue does have some volatility, though not as sharp or pronounced as the Red. There some cool mint, something leafy, and - as with the Red - a general sense of a household room freshener scent rather than something natural, let alone animalic. The burn scent is not as focused or pleasant as the Red. In general it's an "incense" fragrance - though a little blurry and muddy. It is gentle, though does build up as the stick burns to make its presence known. It is a long burner, like the Red, so needs some ventilation to prevent the room getting too clogged. 

Both sticks are good. Not awesome or special, but decent stuff. Price from Cycle is ₹ 450.00 (around £4), so quite pricy. I've not seen it available in the UK, US, or anywhere else in the West. SamsaSpoon of  Rauchfahne has pointed out that Ephra World sell it for  €19.95. 

Date: Oct 2026   Score: 34/50   

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Ranga Rao

India luxury box incense

Pure Incense Pushkar

Pleasant, sweet, floral, quite commercial. Vanilla is prominent. This is an attractive incense - it would be widely acceptable. I like it, though find it a little too sweet and floral and commercial for my personal taste. I'd like some rough contrast to the sweetness which can become a little cloying. However, when I want to sweeten the house before a visitor, this is the incense I've been using. We've been getting quotes from builders to do work at the back of the house, and I find this brightens and freshens the house, makes it more welcoming. And it doesn't smell like weird "incense" - it smells more acceptably Western, more in line with a modern car freshener.  

Pushkar is a temple town in the northwest of India. Incense is  made in the town, though it is mostly known for what is (incorrectly) termed "Pushkar Temple" incense, which is likely made by an unknown white label house in either Pune or Bangalore. I assume this incense is named Pushkar to reflect the sacred nature of the town and Pushkar Lake, and has no other relationship with the "Pushkar Temple" incense. 

Date: Jul 2026   Score: 35/50 

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Pure Incense

Note: It is not publicly revealed where Adi-Guru sources the incense for the Pure Incense brand; however, the style is sometimes similar to the incenses made by HMS of Pune.

Yamuna's Incense Garden of Eden

Yamuna's Incense in Kaunas, Lithuania's second largest city, is a marriage of Indian and Lithuanian cultures. Yamuna tells me that "Yamuna’s Incense is conceptualized in Lithuania, most of the fragrances are inspired and created by me and the incense is manufactured in India. We use some local ingredients, for instance Baltic amber oil, spruce resin, sage, thyme, etc". 

There are now quite a number of these enterprises around the world - sourcing incense made in India, and giving it a twist via recipe tweaks and/or packaging and marketing to give it a local vibe. Yamuna's Incense fragrances, as with Temple of Incense in the UK and Bhagwan in Europe, are appealing and very commercial, though - as with Oneironaut in London - there is a little twist which gives them a rich and interesting depth. This Garden of Eden is delightful. Modern perfumes combining quite thoughtfully with Indian incense skills to produce something quite compelling. 

The scent on the stick is smooth and oily, like coconut shampoo balanced with some sweet yet earthy and rustic woods. It's a bright, compelling, and quite delicious modern aroma. The scent on the burn has floral and wood aspects. Fairly dry, almost sombre, with touches of the reused resin residue that is a feature of Pondicherry incense - particularly The Mother's; though the floral fragrance that is the heart of the scent profile balances that earthy rusticness to deliver something quite compelling. I wasn't as entranced by this as much as I was by the Spiced Moments, though I have found it compelling, attractive, and very interesting. The description is: "Fruity. Creamy. Seductive. Gardenia fragrance and power in all its beauty. The smell that mesmerizes and breathes life into the soul that longs for beauty and seeks comfort." The gardenia fragrance would be created from modern aroma chemicals, such as gardenol, aldehyde-c18, and musk ketone, while the base would likely contain some reused resin residue which grounds the smooth, coconut sweetness of the floral aroma chemicals. A well structured and quite magnetic scent accord. I really like and admire this. 

Available starting at €14 plus shipping from Yamuna's Incense in Lithuania. If ordering from outside the EU, check your country's customs regulations - I had to pay a fine because the declared value of the package was over £39. 

Date: Jun 2026   Score:  37/50

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Yamuna's Incense