What is Nag Champa?

Nag Champa is the most recognized incense fragrance in the world: sweet, floral, and slightly resinous, with a character nothing else quite matches. It is a traditional Indian masala incense, meaning the aromatic paste is hand-rolled around a thin bamboo stick rather than dipped in fragrance oil.

What gives Nag Champa its scent

The signature comes from two ingredients. Champaka (Magnolia champaca) is an Indian tree with intensely fragrant flowers that supply the sweet floral top. Halmaddi, an aromatic tree resin tapped in India, gives the fragrance its soft, slightly damp resinous depth. Blended into the masala paste with other aromatics, the two produce the unmistakable Nag Champa profile that made the fragrance a fixture of Indian temples and ashrams before it traveled worldwide. The famous blue-box version from Satya of Bangalore is the original, and other Indian makers roll their own variations on the theme.

Burning characteristics

Each hand-rolled stick burns for roughly 30 to 45 minutes depending on conditions. Masala incense produces fuller, more aromatic smoke than thin Japanese-style sticks, so burn it in a ventilated room, in a proper holder, on a surface that can take a little ash.

Related incense

• Nag Champa Dhoop Cones — the same fragrance in stickless cone form.
• Satya Incense — the Bangalore maker's other scents.
• Super Hit Incense — Satya's brighter orange-box cousin.

Format & sizes

Nag Champa incense sticks are sold in 10 g, 15 g, and 40 g packets. We make no health or therapeutic claims.

Storage

Keep packets closed and dry; masala incense holds its fragrance well when stored away from heat and humidity.

Nag Champa at a glance

Type

Indian masala (hand-rolled) incense sticks

Key aromatics

Champaka flower (Magnolia champaca) and halmaddi resin

Aroma

Sweet, floral, slightly resinous

Burn time

30 to 45 minutes per stick

Sizes

10 g, 15 g, 40 g packets