This is a dry masala from Shroff that I purchased directly from their office/warehouse in 2022. It’s yellow-green in colour and I can also see small fibers on the incense. I believe the coarseness of the grind is an indication of the presence of real, dried ingredients rather than liquid fragrances or oils.
The unlit stick is dominated by the aroma of rose that reminds me of rose fragranced soaps from my childhood. The smell on the incense is not soapy per se but it’s the freshness that makes me associate it with soap. I have a feeling there’s also some vetiver root in it that gives it the ‘fresh’ quality. The bottom of the bamboo stick is coloured with a watery red/pink dye and some specks of this dye can also be found on the incense itself. It doesn’t put me off but it is obviously not made with the precision and meticulousness of Japanese incense.
I must admit that at first, I did not like the smell of the incense (or any of the other dry masalas from Shroff) when lit. The smokey notes were too overpowering and the subtleties of the ingredients themselves were lost on me. With every subsequent burn, however, I have come to appreciate and love the delicacy of the profile.
Underneath the smell of smoke is a soft and sweet rosewater. The main body comprises sandalwood and herbal notes that I can’t detail further. It could be the vetiver that I was getting on the raw stick but the quality of freshness is no longer present on the burn.
Over the last few months, I have begun to like and even fall in love with dry masala incense – Mostly because it is rare to find an incense without any kind of liquid fragrance, be it perfumes or essential oils. The smokey smell also makes it feel more like incense and less like a perfume or room freshener.
My rating for Shroff’s Amber Rose incense:
A whiff of Ambrosia 
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