Incense in The Wind: Nag Champa

Saturday 30 May 2015

Nag Champa

An essence from the flower of the champak tree
is a key ingredient in Nag Champa

Nag Champa is not a brand name, it is a scent which belongs to the champa group of floral Indian incense, in this instance using the scent from the flower of the magnolia champaca, or champak tree, from where it gets the "Champa" part of the name. The "Nag" part comes from an Indian name for the flower. In Sanskrit, "naga" means snake or cobra, and some part of the plant is supposed to resemble a snake. As well as essence of champaca, Nag Champa contains sandalwood as a base ingredient, and individual makers will then add other ingredients. In traditional masala incense the tree resin halmaddi will be used as a binder.

Nag Champa is associated with quality, and Shinivas Sugandhalaya's product in a blue box, is the world's best selling and most popular incense. Most incense manufacturers will have a Nag Champa as part of their range, but the quality will vary considerably, as will the actual aroma. Some incense enthusiasts feel that the halmaddi resin is an essential ingredient in Nag Champa, though this is not the case. Halmaddi is a traditional binder in Indian incense manufacture, as is sandalwood powder, and will add its aromatic qualities to any incense in which it is used, but halmaddi is also used in other fragrances. Enthusiasts may prefer Nag Champa made with halmaddi, but it is not an essential or distinctive ingredient, any more than it would be in Mogra (jasmine) or Chandan (sandalwood) fragrances.

Champa when used alone appears to refer to plumeria or frangipani, a fragrant flowering shrub, rather than the champaca of Nag Champa, which is a plant in the magnolia family, so I assume the Nag part of the name signifies that it is champaca rather than frangipani.

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