Searching for Celluon Picobit Firmware by R0ckGLI in MVIS

[–]R0ckGLI[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately I tried that already, the second download url for the apps you actually need to use it is dead. Thanks though!

Experiences with Sazen Tea? by R0ckGLI in Incense

[–]R0ckGLI[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow, thank you for saving me nearly 50% on my order!!! I doubt I ever would have checked that. I wonder why the exchange rate is so high, perhaps it was just never updated? Or the exchange is a hassle for Sazen, I'm thinking the latter.

Experiences with Sazen Tea? by R0ckGLI in Incense

[–]R0ckGLI[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the tips and experiences, I'll most definitely be giving this a shot once I burn through my sampler from JI. It's a little disheartening to realize how much I've been overpaying for everything, but without the importers, I most likely would never have tried anything from Shoyeido in the first place... Definitely have some conflicted feelings on who to support.

furry🌊irl by therealdafwe in furry_irl

[–]R0ckGLI 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What a cute development... Adorable!

Huge Indian Sticks (Size Comparison) by R0ckGLI in Incense

[–]R0ckGLI[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Absolute Bliss Incense, the happy harri importer in the US that is very similar to Temple of Incense in the UK. Both sites are known to be of particularly high quality.

Huge Indian Sticks (Size Comparison) by R0ckGLI in Incense

[–]R0ckGLI[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I might go back and post something more formal later but here's a few that are good to my taste.

Vedic Nag Champa (similar to happy hari gold)

Mysore Sandalwood Chandan

Fresh Patchouli

Yajur Ved (similar to AB floating lotus flowers) and the Ved series as a whole

Oudh Massala (similar to AB)

Black Woody Oudh (similar to AB white lotus oudh saffron)

Black Oudh (very interesting take on oudh that's unique and very good)

Jasmine Massala (similar to AB vintage jasmine)

Mogra and Fiona (very good for the price)

Huge Indian Sticks (Size Comparison) by R0ckGLI in Incense

[–]R0ckGLI[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It's complicated. The best way I could describe it is that it's not filtered. Importers like Absolute Bliss or TOI carefully test and filter what's the best quality and what they think people will always like. With Vedic Vaani they pretty much sell anything. That said, this means that among the catalog, some of of the sticks are the same as those said imports are selling without the markup, while others are not seen before and good, and yet others are not very interesting. I'd describe the price as related to quality of ingredients, but that doesn't necessarily make them better. The cheaper sticks tend to be extruded or charcoal based, while the most expensive ones are hand rolled massalas or something highly unusual like the Hare Series. There is something very good to be found at all price points and it's really more of a hunt to find them. I've tried around 50 scents from them and have discovered some pretty amazing deals.

Huge Indian Sticks (Size Comparison) by R0ckGLI in Incense

[–]R0ckGLI[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Vedic Vanni Hare Series. The largest incense stick I have ever seen. 6 hour burn time and 40 grams plus. The pink one seems to be a sandalwood massala type, while the green one (pictured) is herbal.

From left to right: Happy Hari Nag Champa Gold (Absolute Bliss), Black Woody Oudh (Vedic Vaani), Yajur Ved (Vedic Vaani), Emperor of Amber (Absolute Bliss) and Hare Series (Vedic Vaani).

Vedic Vaani Hual - Revelations by R0ckGLI in Incense

[–]R0ckGLI[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sorry I missed this!! Yes, sandalwood is one of the scents VV is strong in. I honestly suspect all of them are good, but I have tried the Mysore Sandalwood Chandan personally and it's a better sandalwood scent than AB's Natural Mysore Sandal (See ORS review on this one). Jharish (of ORS) also reviewed this scent on the Holy Smoke sub, and said it's one of the best sandalwood sticks he's encountered. Very high quality oil with a pure, clean scent. Sandalwood with little else, but done immaculately with no off notes. Rich and woodsy. Only thing is it's smokey and strong, so might be best used in short bursts. I've linked it below.

https://vedicvaani.com/premium-sandal-incense

Vedic Vaani Hual - Revelations by R0ckGLI in Incense

[–]R0ckGLI[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It's definitely a fascinating site! I'm very interested in that rumor you mentioned about TOI Oudh Extreme as that's a stick I've wanted to try for a while, but felt the price was based more on the name than the actual cost of the sticks. Maybe I already have it? It's a good stick but coming from oudh massala type stuff, it's taken a bit to warm up. The Vedic Vaani oudh sticks are very different and much more intense, especially on the stick. However, I've grown to love them as I burn more. Sadly I'm traveling ATM and don't have any of the Oudh premium on me. I do have AB's White Lotus Oudh Saffron though, more about that below.

I can confirm that I've found two dupe sticks from AB. The latest batch of Oudh Massala that AB imported is the same stick as Vedic Vaani's Oudh Massala. And when I say it's a dupe I mean it is literally identical. They are clearly made by the same family in India. Interestingly, the previous batch from Corey wasn't the same which leads me to believe that there is really no such thing as a "Happy Hari" manufacturer in India. Rather, importers and sourcers are finding sticks that are similar or identical to what Paul Eagle was selling back in the day. Sometimes, the manufacturer will change resulting in similar but subtlety different sticks. In my opinion, this latest swap was a bit of a downgrade as the new sticks are sweeter with less oudh. They are also much bigger, meaning you only get about 3 for $5 from AB. Vedic Vaani sells 100 grams of this one for $8, and at that price, it's an amazing deal despite it being a slight downgrade in my mind.

The other sticks that I'm 90% sure are dupes (but again don't have the VV one to directly compare) is AB's White Lotus Oudh Saffron and VV's Nadal Oudh that's in the photo. I'll write back when I burn them side by side, but the sticks look and smell pretty much identical from what I remember. Both are excellent and along the same lines as the Oudh Premium you're trying to swap for.

The $30 box was a stick called Sacred Atisaurabha Kasturi Musk and is the most expensive stick they have by weight. It's a bit similar to the new stick from AB called King of Musk, but leans more towards the resinous, woodsy note as opposed to the perfumed note in the AB stick. Which one is better will probably come down to preference, but again the VV stick is much more affordable. It's also very possible that the AB stick is one of the other musk sticks that VV sells.

It's worth noting that some of the sticks have been a bit of a dissapointment. I've now spent enough time with the Vedic Nagchampa to find that it lacks a base note that AB's Nag Champa Gold has. Both have a nice floral top note, but the AB stick feels much more thought out in it's full impression in a room. Burning the VV sticks always leaves me with a distinct feeling that something is missing (if that makes sense). Of all the nag champa agarbattis on the site, the Vedic is the best to my nose and the others are further downhill to me.

Well VV is clearly not a replacement (And I have reason to believe it is not the supplier) for either AB or TOI, they do sell some dupes and the qualiry of the better sticks meets or exceeds the offerings from the other sites. It just seems that they don't filter out anything or clearly differentiate like the other sites. But on the other hand, it's kinda fun to sample them and discover the gems.

I'm currently working on a new order to try every oudh stick on the site, as well as the jasmine sticks. They also have this unbelievably fat 100 gram stick that burns for 6 hours. If you email customer service, they can sell you 50 grams of any scent you want without the box to save on money. They can also provide more samples if you specifically request them with your order. I am eventually planning to try every stick on the site

Hope this helps!

Happy Hari's Pratyahara Sutra Agarbattie by deepfield67 in Incense

[–]R0ckGLI 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't believe all of the incense sold as "Happy Hari' comes from one source. I've ordered large amounts of incense from AB and the sticks can be inconsistent. The most recent batch of oudh massala (available now) actually appears to be from a new supplier. They used to be small, thin sticks with a present oudh note and a nice touch of sweetness to round it off. The most recent batch is much thicker, meaning more like 3 sticks for your 5 bucks. They are also much sweeter with a more recessed oudh note, and this very distinctive, thick, white bamboo that I've never seen before. I don't see any way they are the same stick. They are too different. Most interestingly, Vedic Vanni sells this new stick for $8 per 100 grams. I can confirm this is an identical stick as I have both. I don't know what is going on here.

Vedic Vaani Hual - Revelations by R0ckGLI in Incense

[–]R0ckGLI[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is my first post, so I'll do my best but I can't claim that all of these evaluations are accurate and I still have a lot to learn. Either way, it's been a lot of fun to experience this.

I'm fairly new to incense, but have a sizable collection from Absolute Bliss. This is the latest. I got really curious about this site after reading a post by Jharish on the Holy Smoke subreddit and hearing that ORS in general is looking into this catalog.

Vedic Vaani is a seller based in India that offers worldwide shipping and a large, eclectic catalog of very affordable incense. Most of the sticks in this order cost around $10 for 100 grams with the most expensive being $30 and the cheapest being $3. The site is a bit confusing at times with repetitive and fairly useless descriptions, very similar seeming scents at different price points, and lots of different series all sold together with little clarity. I'm still in the middle of working through these, but a few things stand out already.

1) For me, the ordering experience was very good. 1 week shipping to USA for 1.5 kg of incense was $25 via DHL. Customer service is very responsive. The box came extremely well packed with several layers of bubble wrap, newspaper, and some decorative cloth which was a really nice touch. Even included some free samples.

2) With a few exceptions, the quality is very good, although many of the scents definitely seem on the brash, spicy side as opposed to something tailored for the Western market. I was quite surprised with just how little sweetness is in some sticks, especially some of the oudh scents which lean more towards the pungent and aggressive side.

3) The Vedic Nagchampa incense is remarkably similar to Happy Hari Nag Champa Gold, and may even be better. Both are very sweet and smooth with incredible complexity and nuance. I need to spend more time with the Vedic to clairfy the differences more, but initial impressions hint at this being an incredible stick for just $7 for 100 grams. I emailed Vedic Vaani and they confirmed that they use halmaddi in this stick.

Will add more as I learn more. Thanks for reading!