Tolu balsam (Myroxylon balsamum) trees grow in the northern part of South America. Primarily Colombia. Supposedly, the best tolu trees grow in the lower delta of the Magdalena River near the city of Santiago de Tolu.
A member of the Fabaceae family, the same as the Peruvian balsam tree, the tolu tree can grow its straight trunk up to 40 feet high. All parts of the tree have an aromatic fragrance and the balsam discharges from V-shaped cuts in the bark and is collected in containers.
The balsam is soft and can be kneaded easily. It can contain small crystals and it hardens over time to to a dark or reddish-brown color. It has been used for centuries for a variety of ailments including coughs, headaches, gout and various stomach ailments.

So with that aside firmly spell checked, lets talk about Satya Sai Baba Nag Champa. Is it worth the hype and number one selling incense spot? Well, yes and no. Make no mistake, it is an excellent nag champa. Perfectly representative of nag champa incense. Warm, earthy, sweet, slightly “moist” smelling and with plenty of character. However, that comes with a big “but”.

The Hem incense company puts forth a very good effort with their Hem Champa. Unfortunately it doesn’t have what it takes to be a serious contender to the current kings of the hill. Don’t get me wrong, I am not dismissing this version of nag champa with the wave of an elitist hand. It is just that what is an acceptable formulation of nag champa has such narrow margins and any scent that strays too far out of them falls by the wayside. This is by popular vote and not my personal opinion.

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 …

Vijayshree Fragrance, the makers of Golden Nag Champa deliver an excellent nag champa. It is everything that a nag champa should be. Including the slightly damp feel of the sticks when first opened. There is a reason that this nag champa consistently ranks right up there with Goloka, Satya and Shanthimalai.

From Shrinivas Sugandhalaya’s Oriental series comes Celestial. A powerful scent that sweeps into the room and takes no prisoners and offers no apologies. Aww, who am I kidding? It is pleasant, enjoyable and absolutely nothing to write home about. Like the others scents in the Oriental series it is built on a base of vanilla and sandalwood and that at the very least gives you a pleasantly warm, sweet, and slightly earthy scent. It just doesn’t do much more than that.

Shrinivas Sugandhalaya is probably best known for the famous and widely loved Satya Sai Baba Nag Champa in the iconic blue box. They do however offer many other scents. Although I have found that it is sometimes a bit hit and miss with those other scents. For instance Satya Patchouli Forest is absolutely wonderful while this offering from the same Oriental collection is a bit generic and plain.

From cheap air fresheners for your car to very expensive perfumes and synthetic versions in a myriad of foods, vanilla is an incredibly popular and versatile scent. It can bring to mind food, romance, comfort, childhood and more. The problem is that lots of people are assaulted with synthetic vanilla fragrances on a day to day basis and so begin to associate a ramped up, overtly strong scent with vanilla.