When I was about eight years old I would while away hours in the summertime by sitting in the uppermost branches of an old pine tree and daydreaming.  This would of course terrify my poor mother because the sorts of pine trees we have here in the south are known for falling over due to things like wind, no wind, excessive moisture, too little moisture, birds landing in them, etc.  So I am sure the thing she remembers most is screaming at her eldest child to come down from there this instant.  While the thing I remember most is being covered in wonderfully smelling pine sap.

Nippon-Kodo impressed me tremendously with their cedar wood offering from their Morning Star line.  So I was very eager to relive the thrill of swaying in the breeze dozens of feet in the air as a kid.  Alas, the pine trees in Japan are a different variety than those that grow here in the southern United States.  The unlit stick doesn’t have that sharp, resinous scent that I remember so well.  In fact it is sort of sweet, balsam-like and clean.  The real test is lighting it, so lets get to it!

Well, it is a very good fragrance by anyones measure.  It is slightly sweet, crisp, with balsam notes and a smooth smoky finish.  It does smell a bit like burning pine logs, but it has an odd sour note in the top that plays havoc with the illusion of sitting around a campfire with your friends.  Still, it is an excellent, uplifting scent that would be great for a quick recharge or for scenting the air in a home that has been closed up a bit too long for winter. I wish it had been closer to the scent of the pine trees that I am familiar with, but then perhaps I need to travel more.

Buy a box here and sway gently in the breeze.