My Favorite Incense Sticks of All Time

Scents of burnt sandalwood and Himalayan flowers are an everyday occurrence in many regions of the world. In addition to everyday use, incense is often seen as a form of oblation or religious offering.

I would like to share with you some of my personal favorite imported incense sticks:

Shoyeido: Beckoning Spring

Shoyeido Beckoning Spring is a wonderful Japanese incense stick which smells primarily of florals, agarwood, and camphor. It is light on the wood, but it is quite pleasant and is definitely one of my favorite incense sticks of all time.

Shoyeido: Translucent Path

Shoyeido Translucent Path is a very expensive incense stick, but it has some of the highest quality kyara agarwood available in incense form. It has a very deep and complex scent, with a very ‘blue’ vibe. Apparently it is no longer made.

Nandi: Divine Flora

Made In: Bangalore: India

Manufacturer: Nandi Agarbatti – B.V Aswathaiah & Bros

Nandi Divine Flora is a brilliant fragrance and quite popular throughout the world. This is a traditional Indian durbar incense, comprised of rich exotic spices, with an accompanying floral sweetness. Most will notice clove and cinnamon at the top of the nose. Honey and vanilla compliment the classic scent of Himalayan flowers. I find the fragrance to be entrancing in nature and I could burn this everyday without any issue.

Anand: Flora Fluxo

Made In: India

Manufacturer: Anand Agarbathi

Anand Flora Fluxo is of a very different floral statute. Strong and complex in nature, with noticeable scents of sandalwood, lavender, vetivert, and vanilla. This is one of my favorite incense sticks to burn while meditating as the aroma is powerful and clean. This incense has a somewhat rich oil content.

Unfortunately, they seem to have changed their formulation, because they don’t seem to smell quite the same anymore.

Shanthimalai: Nag Champa

Made In: Tamil Nadu, India

Manufacturer: Shanthimalai Handicrafts Development Society

Shanthimalai Nag Champa is a subperb nag champa incense stick made by Shanthimalai, a charitable organization based in India. They help impoverished women and widows by providing them aid and teaching them skills that they can use to take care of themselves. It just so happens that they also make one of the most highly regarded nag champa incense sticks in the world. Their red box nag champa is considered to be akin to older varieties, such as those that were available in the 60’s and 70’s. A deep floral scent of champa and sandalwood.

These smell absolutely divine and I would recommend them to anyone.

Darshan: Gokula Flora

Made In: India

Manufacturer: Darshan International

Darshan Gokula Flora holds an enchanting scent of oriental flowers, sandalwood and regional ingredients. I find this incense to be slightly musky in nature, with some resin content, and perhaps even a touch of mint. Darshan International has been crafting incense for over 3 decades and they have a reputation for quality. The term ‘Darshan’ is Sanskrit for ‘sight’ or vision’.