I will open up this review by stating simply that I love sandalwood.  It is one of those fragrances that is just the right combination of spicy and woody with a touch of earthiness that makes me adore it in (almost) all of its variants.  For example it is well known by now that I am a big fan of Genieco’s Gonesh Extra Rich Sandalwood.  I like that version because it is thick and earthy and not necessarily because it is an exact version of sandalwood.  I like the slightly different character.

Which brings me to Morning Star by Nippon-Kodo and their sandalwood.  Right out of the box the scent is just about perfect.  Spicy, wooody and with the faintest hint of earthiness to make the scent full bodied and warm.  I was enjoying the scent of the stick so much that I hesitated to put it in the included ceramic burner and light it.  I was afraid that the wonderful scent would change too much in character and diminish my enjoyment.

I shouldn’t have worried.  When lit the stick still displays all of the character and aroma of the unlit stick, but with slightly more intensity.  Morning Star incense is of a lower smoke producing variety and the scents are always delicate and never choking.  Unlike some Indian or Tibetan incense sticks.  As I said earlier I am a big fan of Gonesh Extra Rich Sandalwood, but even I have to admit that the smoke output is pretty high.  Not so with Morning Star.  I thoroughly believe that Morning Star is an incense that can be enjoyed by people who have an aversion (for whatever reason) to incense.

So, this is a winner in my book and one that I will definitely use again and again.  The inclusion of a small, square ceramic burner in each box is a nice touch, although I found the hole to be a bit too large and allowed the stick to lean.  So I would suggest putting the stick upright in a small bowl of sand instead.

You can pick up some for yourself here.