Mystic Yoga Nag Champa - 15 grams
Nag Champa isn't a single brand but a fragrance family from India's agarbatti tradition: a paste of sandalwood, resin and the champa flower (Magnolia champaca), rolled onto a bamboo stick and dried. The style originated in temples and monasteries in South India, where the champa flower was used as an offering flower and perfume long before it found its way into incense sticks. Mystic Yoga follows that traditional recipe, resulting in a sweet, warm scent with a woody undertone.
Nag Champa was originally bound with halmaddi, a sticky resin from the Ailanthus malabarica tree that retains moisture and makes the sticks smoulder slowly. Because halmaddi has become scarcer and more expensive over the past few decades, most modern makers, including this line, now use other tree resins as a binder. The characteristic sweet, woody scent of sandalwood and champa flower stays intact, which makes Mystic Yoga well suited to meditation and relaxation spaces.
Use
Place the stick upright in an incense holder with an ash catcher. Light the tip, let it burn for a few seconds and then blow out the flame; the stick will keep smouldering and release its scent. Make sure the room is ventilated and set the holder on a heat-resistant, stable surface, away from curtains or other flammable material.
Storage
Store the sticks in the sealed pack, in a dry spot out of direct sunlight. Moisture and heat degrade the resin, which makes the scent fade faster and the stick burn less evenly. This keeps the aroma at its most intense for longest.
Alongside Mystic Yoga, Dutch-Smart also carries Nirvana, Natural and Natural Agarbatti incense, each with its own scent nuance within the same Indian tradition.
