The sticks themselves are very dry and very unlike Durbars and Champas that feel slightly damp to the touch. So I thought that when I applied flame to the tip it would fairly whoosh into flame. That was not the case. In fact it was more like lighting charcoal as no flame ever presented itself to be blown out. Instead the tip glows after a moment or two under a match or lighter and then remains glowing. Very simple and a little surprising.

If my first thought was “delicious” upon initially opening the package then my first thoughts upon smelling the smoke were (strangely) Al Stewarts “Year of The Cat” and a music store I frequented in the late 1970′s that also happened to sell incense and accessories

I was a little suspicious of this particular Nag Champa because in the box it has a very strong scent. Not as powerful as Satya’s Super Hit incense, but quite strong just the same. It was a wonderful surprise to discover that when burned the scent is sweet, alluring and complex