Balaji Red incense sticks

I bought Balaji Red from Amazon.in but it isn’t available there anymore. I generally don’t like purchasing from Amazon and order directly from manufacturers whenever possible. But Balaji Red was not even listed on Balaji’s own official website! I also wrote an email to Balaji but received no response. However, Balaji Red is now available for purchase on their website for Rs. 72 for a 50 gms box.

It seems to be a charcoal based extruded incense with vermillion red dusting coating it. The fragrance is extremely complex and unlike any other incense I’ve ever tried before. For that reason alone, I’d recommend anyone interested in Indian incense to give this a try.

I could neither find any official fragrance description of the product that came from the manufacturer nor could I find many reviews from consumers. It’s a very strong, heady scent that lingers for several hours but it does not have the alcoholic note that usually gives me headaches. At first, I thought it might be red sandalwood incense but I was wrong. It’s a very sweet, milky fragrance with a little bit of rose and vanilla mixed in. I also get some fragrance that I associate with kumkum powder but maybe I am only imagining it because of the colour. There’s also a faint metallic note to it that I associate with the smell of iron in blood or the smell of rust and tiny bit of pungency like red chilli powder. My description is all over the place but that’s why I am genuinely curious to know what other people think of this one.

I like the creaminess but it’s a tad too milky and sweet for my taste. I wouldn’t mind burning it once in a while but burning it regularly will be very overwhelming, maybe even nauseating.

My rating for Balaji Red incense:

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.