Satya Sai Baba Nag Champa.  Golden Nag Champa.  Shanthimalai Nag Champa. Goloka Nag Champa.  These are the heavy hitters in the nag champa category and each one has its own die-hard fans.  Some will defend Satya against all comers, others will swear that Golden Nag Champa is the best ever created and so on with each side making valid (and not so valid) points.  Although they will never agree on which is truly the best, they will agree that nag champa is one incense scent that is worthy of spirited discussion.

Made from the champa flower, halmaddi, sandalwood and other ingredients, nag champa is an incense that is both earthy and sweet while being woody with lighter notes of vanilla or nutmeg.  There isn’t another scent like it and none so distinctive or tied so strongly to India and Hippies. Bob Dylan burns it at his concerts, as do The Grateful Dead, Third Eye Blind and The Black Crowes among others.  It is referenced in rock songs and poetry and occupies a mystical part of the incense spectrum.

With that I present Goloka Nag Champa from the Goloka Seva Trust.  The second best selling nag champa in the world, right after Satya Sai Baba Nag Champa.  It occupies that spot for several good reasons and not the least of them being that this is an excellent nag champa.  It is everything you would want and expect in a nag champa, just slightly muskier and a bit less floral than other sticks.  To me, that equates to being a bit flat, but don’t think for one moment there are any glaring flaws with this stick.  Far from it.  It is just a personal preference of mine to have some sort of crisp or clean note on the top.

You can buy it here and support a truly wonderful cause at the same time.  100% of the proceeds go to charity to benefit children and women.