Bangalore Incense Store Jaygee's Heena

 

Bangalore Incense Store was set up in 2008 by Jaygee Mavalur as an outlet for his Jaygee Industries incense company. He also sells incense under the brand name Gurugee. Jaygee's family have been involved in incense making for 60 years over three generations. 

Heena is another name for henna, a red powder dye made from the leaves of the Henna Tree (Lawsonia inermis), which is used to colour the hair, and to create intricate and beautiful temporary tattoos. This powder is bitter, and does not make a good scent. However, the flower of the Henna Tree does have an attractive scent, considered to be sweet, delicate, and floral, with suggestions of tea. Oils made from the flowers are occasionally used in perfumes and incense. 

The sticks are machine extruded from what appears to be a wood paste with a light coating of finishing powder. The paste is dry but crumbly, like a biscuit. There is a gentle and attractive fragrance, slightly floral in the direction of jasmine - waxy white with citric nips. There are some mild petrol or terpene notes, edging toward tar. There is a gentle spice, and a soft sandalwood base. On the whole, the sticks don't look inviting, and the scent is just moderately acceptable: pleasant but not quite attractive.  

On lighting there is a clean flame, no black smoke, and then the stick settles into a moderate burn with a moderate diffusion and a moderate amount of grey smoke. The diffusion is very soft and gentle. Too much so for my taste, though people's mileage does differ, and there's a lot of people who like soft and gentle. If you like Chinese or Japanese incense, then this may be more your bag than mine. The scent is in the henna ball park, and is moderately attractive with spicy florals over a softly musky sandalwood base. I like it, and I may like it more given time, but it doesn't rock my world on this first experience. Though it cradles it enough, yes, to be happy to burn again.  Moderate, professional, well crafted, gentle, pleasant fragrance, no off-notes. It reminds me a little of  Nitraj. 

Available from Bangalore Incense at 50g for £1.07 ($1.41, 125 Rupees). Bangalore Incense ships internationally. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 31

***

   

Henna

Vrindavan Bazaar Goverdhan

 

Sold in the holy city of Vrindavan by Vrindavan Bazaar, who ship internationally under the name Hare Krshna Exports (not to be confused with Hare Krishna Das). There is uncertainty as to who makes the incense, or where. The sticks vary in production method and quality, so it is possible (likely?) that they are made by more than one operator. I've not yet found an incense maker in Vrindavan, though there is another outlet in the nearby town of Govardham - which sells incense and dhoop which it says it manufactures itself: Govardhan Wasi. There may be others. This Vrindavan incense is named after the town of Goverdhan because the local hill, Govardhan Hill, is where Krishna wandered with his brother. 

The charcoal paste has been machine extruded onto a smooth machine-cut bamboo splint, and then rolled thinly into a fragrant finishing powder. I've just reviewed some white label sticks made in Mumbai by the Incense Collective for the Nitiraj brand: Purple Champa and Laxmi, both of which were made in the same way. It is of course possible that these sticks were made by the Incense Collective, or some other white label maker, such as HMS or VNS, both in Pune. Who knows. Somebody knows. Who cares. Somebody cares. I'm curious, and slightly frustrated, but it is what it is. 

Scent on the stick is sandalwood, honey, and vanilla/benzoin. There's a mild cool volatility, and a faint sense of resin and rubber oil. It is an engaging, light, and attractive scent which leans toward being commercial, though also has a homely "incense" or "masala" quality which gives it some warmth. 

The scent on the burn is soft and attractive. Similar in many ways to the incense houses in Pune and to Incense Collective (previously Fair Trade).  There's a benzoin quality - vanilla and resin, with sandalwood, and a general sense of "incense". It is a delightful incense without being particularly special. Well made, somewhat well behaved, attractive, and - at a reasonably decent level - quite run of the mill for Indian masala incense. I like it. I'm not blown away, but this is a bloody good incense to have around the house, and is cheap as chips if you buy direct from Vrindavan. 

Available at £1.08 for 20gm from Vrindavan Bazaar. They ship internationally at reasonable rates. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 38

***

   

Vrindavan Bazaar

Nitiraj (Fair Trade/Incense Collective) Laxmi

 

The goddess Laxmi is occasionally invoked in incense titles; and those Laxmi titled incenses I've tried have tended to be sweet and floral. And this Nitiraj branded incense follows the trend by also being sweet and floral.  Nitiraj branded incenses are made by the Mumbai based white label incense company Incense Collective, previously known as Fair Trade Incense Works, and are distributed in North America by Kheops International, in Australia by KO Shop Distributors, and  in the UK by Namaste. Fair Trade's incense tends to be machine extruded, professionally made, well behaved, and made to a budget. They tend to be acceptable, though lacking in interest or character. Gentle, safe, commercial. 

I like the scent on the stick. It is a pleasant blend of sandalwood and floral with some sweet caramel and a little sparkle of benzoin or vanilla. It smells more like a feminine body spray than an Indian incense - warm musk, a restrained hint of patchouli, and delicate late summer florals. Very likeable. Not sophisticated - just a pleasant, low cost, everyday young woman's body spray. And, yeah, there are soapy elements to the scent. 

The scent on the burn is very gentle - so gentle as to be almost unnoticeable. This is a scent for people who prefer quiet, understated, clean and safe incense. Perhaps more inclined toward Japanese than Indian, but are looking to explore what India has to offer. It does have the "incense" accord - touches of frankincense or mystikal - which puts people in touch with what India has to offer, without being too heady or wild or bold. A safe yet pleasant bet. I'm OK with this. It doesn't rock my world, and it is a tad expensive at the regular price of £5, but is quite a pleasant and acceptable burn. Essentially this incense smells like Teen Spirit, but it doesn't Smell Like Teen Spirit. I tend to prefer Nirvana over Mennen, but there is a place in my heart for a safe and pleasant  moment of teen or Laxmi spirit.  

Widely available from many regular incense outlets, such as $4.25 plus postage from Exotic Incense; £4.95 including postage from Incense Atelier on eBay; £3.98 "special offer" plus postage (£9.99) from Sacred Incense. [When I first posted this, it was pointed out that the Incense Atelier price included postage, while Sacred Incense did not. So I have corrected that. If buying amounts less than 10, then Incense Atelier works out a better deal; when buying more than 10, Sacred Incense works out the better deal, though only as long as the special offer is on.] 

Date: Nov 2025    Score: 31

***

Fair Trade Incense Works

Nitiraj (Fair Trade/Incense Collective) Purple Champa

  

Nitiraj is one of the brands made by the Incense Collective (formally Fair Trade Incense), a white label company who make incense for own brand incense dealers. Nitiraj is a brand name that originated in the UK with a then British distributor, Bombay Incense. [2025: Bombay Incense was run by members of the family who own Incense Collective, including Nitrin Bulsara, who, along with his brother Raj, gave their name to the Nitraj brand]  Rights to the distribution of the brand have been sold to a number of dealers, though I think the incense is still made in Mumbai by Fair Trade/Incense Collective - it is typical of Fair Trade. 

The charcoal paste has been machine extruded onto plain bamboo splints, and then rolled in a thin covering of fragrant melnoorva/masala powder. The scent on the stick is sweet and pleasant - light delicate florals, powdery caster sugar, caramel, and vanilla or benzoin are the main scent notes. It is an appealing and commercial fragrance accord.  There is an underlying woody or resinous note that adds some interest, though it is very faint. A quirky off-note is dried baby sick (it's actually quite cute, and is faint enough not to be unpleasant, but to add to the overall attraction of the accord).

It's a pleasant scent on the burn. Light touches of vanilla and lilac or lotus interwoven with resinous notes which perfumers would call "incense" and which most incense burners would find familiar as the basic masala scent - which would be informed by a resin such as benzoin or frankincense or resin fixative such as halmaddi. It's nice. There's not a lot going on, which I have found with other Fair Trade products, but it is nice. Professionally made with an eye on appealing to a Western market, though, for me, lacking in character or style, and fairly meagre (or careful or judicious) with the fragrant ingredients. There's nothing in here to offend (unless beige offends you), but there's equally nothing in here that would excite or interest someone who is familiar with Indian incense.  The scent is gentle and clean and safe with little in the way of chaos, so would have a wide appeal, especially among those who want an Indian incense, but are made nervous by the real thing. 

This Purple Champa comes from a set related to colours. The set is either being redesigned or being discontinued, as stocks are low, sold out, or discounted in various outlets. I couldn't find any stocks in a quick look in the US. In the UK they are available reduced from £5 to £3 from the main distributor Namaste; or on a multi-buy deal which reduces the price from £3.25 down to £2.60 if buying four or more from the Incense Atelier on eBay. 

Date: Nov 2025    Score: 28

***

Fair Trade Incense Works

Best of Champa

Reviewed in USA

Temple of Incense Big Cleanse

 

A chunky and resinous stick in the currently very popular and trending "resin-on-a-stick" style which appears to have originated with Fred Soll. Attractive and commercial sweet coconut scent on the stick, like a coconut scented shampoo or ice-cream. More like the the coconut ice-cream actually, as it is sweet and gourmandy rather than soapy. There's resins and some vanilla or benzoin notes. Overall an attractive and appealing perfumed smell. For a resin style stick, it disappointingly doesn't smell as natural or resinous as the others I've had.    

  

Available from ToI at £12 for a box of 12 sticks

Blurb: "Big cleanse incense sticks do exactly that, cleanse your home to a whole new level. Made from camphor, benzoin, frankincense and a mix of sacred woods and oils that are created especially to ‘BIG CLEANSE’ your home." 

There is an immediate resin hit on the burn, a little vague as to character, but distinctly resinous. A bit smoky, and a tad crude compared to other resin sticks I've had, but nevertheless attractive in a simplistic way. As the burn settles, the off notes fade, and there is a general resinous vibe, leaning toward frankincense - warm, gently citric, a mild woody sweetness. I'd like a bit more oomph, and if we're to burn resin on a stick, with the opportunity to blend, rather than burn resin direct on charcoal or a burner, then I'd like some interesting elements to enhance and contrast and develop a story, or just to give more pleasure. I like this, but it does underwhelm given that it is a resin on a stick, with all the opportunities that offers. Jeomra in Germany show what can be done with this style: Weihrauch Rose (Frankincense & Rose) is an awesome resin-on-a-stick. Pure Yemen Frankincense Incense Sticks are brilliant. New Age in California do attractive and very natural sticks, such as New Age Black Copal. And there's a number of companies in South America who are really stepping out with this style, such as Inca Aromas White Breu. Indian makers are giving the style a go, such as whoever made this, and Banjara. It's an interesting style, and worth looking into. This is an OK stick, and if you like it, it's worth checking some of the others. And if you didn't like it, don't dismiss the style, as you may find that some of the others are more to your taste.  

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 33

***

Temple of Incense

Reviewed in USA

Temple of Incense Bombay Blues

 

All the Temple of Incense sticks I've had have been pleasantly perfumed on the stick, most have been modestly dusted, and some have been extruded, such as this one. This stick is gently perfumed - quite herby, grassy, faintly resinous, intriguingly elusive; possibly the most interesting and sophisticated of the scent fragrances I've yet encountered from ToI. Generally they tend to be quite up front, sweet, and commercial - immediately likeable. This one doesn't quite have that immediate appeal, but instead has the more lasting and satisfying (for me) attraction of a fragrance that doesn't blurt everything out at once, but unfolds in a quiet, subtle, and interesting manner.  Over time the vanilla comes through, but in a benzoin manner rather than straight vanilla; though the herbaceous qualities are still present, hovering between a fresh lawn on a spring morning, glistening with dew, and a bag of home-grown marijuana. There's also milk chocolate and mint. The nature of the scent puts me in mind of some incenses by Naturveda, a Pondicherry based incense house. Indeed, thinking back, there was a Pondicherry quality to some of the other ToI incenses I've reviewed recently, some burned - a dry, twiggy quality, with the sense of re-used resin. 

  

Available from ToI at £10 for a box of 20 sticks
or from Exotic Incense for $13.50.

The ToI blurb is: "Bombay Blues incense sticks are best for relaxation. They’re very grounding, especially for those times of contentment and contemplation. The sun is setting and there’s finally a little space to think. Super zen, super chilled. Soft, dry with a sweet note. Light patchouli, geranium, khus and a lift of mint."  Khus is vetiver, which is used in perfume and incense as a fixative, though has a woody, earthy, musky quality of its own. I've only occasionally seen it named as an ingredient - though it may be used fairly frequently for its fragrance, but not identified as such because it has qualities akin to patchouli and amber and musk and woods. When I have seen it named, it has been in incenses, such as this Bombay Blues, aimed at the Western market. 

The fragrance on the burn is pleasant though modest. I find it very likeable and, as the blurb says, relaxing. For me it presents as a soft benzoin incense, touched with gentle woods and florals, that don't quite come into the open, but soften and enhance the benzoin. There's a lot to like about this Bombay Blues, and I suspect it's one that I would like even more with repeat burnings. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 36

***

Temple of Incense

Reviewed in USA

Temple of Incense Coconut Dream

 

Coconut potentially would be a pleasant ingredient in an incense fragrance mix, though as a mono-scent I've not had many really positive experiences - Fumino Coconut has been the one I enjoyed the most. Sadly, as with Temple of Incense, we don't know who made it - other than  "a team of expert ladies at our third-generation family factory in Bangalore". 

The scent on the stick of this Coconut Dream is quite promising. It is woody, dry, quite gourmand, with a vanilla and coconut sweetness. There's not a lot going on, but it is attractive. I pulled out a stick of Fumino Coconut, and the scent on the stick is fascinating. A little perfumed, yes, with some off-notes, but there is a lot going on, which tends to catch my interest - especially with scents just escaping definition: magic, swirling, mists of scent. I like those. But, fair do, the Coconut Dream scent is more conventional and acceptable, and will have the wider appeal. 

  

Available from ToI at £10 for a box of 20 sticks
or from Exotic Incense for $13.50.

Blurb says: "Proper coconutty fragrance for those tropical island feels. Coconut Dream incense sticks are fruity and nutty, with a silky vanilla-like sweetness – just how you’d expect them to be." 

The scent on the burn is woody with coconut awareness, but more raspy wood than coconut. It's OK, but a little simple. There's not a lot going on, and I find it a little dry for my taste, leaning in the direction of Pondicherry style incense, where it feels a little twiggy with a sense of reused residue waste.  This is not to my taste. It's not bad, and it will serve as an OK room freshener, but there's not a lot here to get me interested or excited. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 26

***

Temple of Incense

Reviewed in USA

Coconut incense

Temple of Incense Bengal Beauty

 

Very neat and rounded charcoal paste on a lavender tinted bamboo splint. It appears to be extruded, and then hand rolled in the finishing powder. Delicate scent on the stick, a blend of sandalwood, herbs, and vanilla, with some caramel, mint, and light florals in the mix. Attractive. 

   

Available from ToI at £10 for a box of 20 sticks
or from Exotic Incense for $13.50.

The blurb says: "This blend has a rich, warm, and exotic aroma. The deep animalic musk of kasturi combines with the earthy, woody smokiness of khus, creating a grounding base. Vanilla adds a creamy sweetness, while rose brings a fresh, slightly spicy floral touch. Amber ties everything together with its warm, resinous, and slightly powdery depth, making the overall scent luxurious, sensual, and mysterious." 

The scent on the burn is warm and attractive - some benzoin, some mineral, some light musk, closer in style to amber. A little dry. Good stuff which is quite familiar and everyday. Burn enough Indian incense, and you will encounter this accord a few times. It works. More Pune in style than Bangalore, but I have come upon this accord made in various parts of India. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 32

***

Temple of Incense

Reviewed in USA

Incense Houses of Pune

 

Pune (previously Poona) is a large city in Western India, a little south east of Mumbai, and a fair bit north of Goa. It is a thriving, busy city, with lots of modern industry. It was controlled and owned by the British, and was the summer capital of the Bombay province.  There is a charm and beauty to much of the architecture in the old regions. 

It is home to some of the most distinctive incense houses in India, whose sticks are frequently used by own brand sellers in both India and the West. Brands such as ToI, Happy Hari, Absolute Bliss, Gokula, Pure,  Primo, Prasad, Bhagwan, Blue Pearl, etc. 

The incense houses

Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi
Pune, India

Haridas Madhavdas Sugandhi of Pune (HMS) have a long established presence as an Indian incense house, though are best known in the West as the supplier for a number of own brand importers such as TOI, Happy Hari, Primo, Gokula, Bhagwan, etc. They are also recognised for their heavy use of vanilla crystals to strengthen and prolong the incense scent, which tends to give most of their incenses a  sweet vanilla base. 

Incenses: 7
Top score: 44

Low score: 26

Average: 34

*****

DBS of Pune

Reviews: 3 
Top score: 48
Bottom score: 30

Average: 39

*****

Vithaldas Narayandas & Sons
Vinasons of Pune, India

Reviews: 15

Highest score: 47

Lowest score: 23

Average: 37

***

Incense by Country

Temple of Incense Dancing Sufi

 

I love the name. Very evocative, and it seems to suit the sweet vanilla, delicate florals, and soft muskiness of fragrance on the stick. It is a sultry, magical, exotic, and shimmering sort of scent. Very attractive and commercial. The almost outrageous sweetness contained and balanced by the caramel and wood base notes. It is a tad too sweet and girly for my taste, but I am still drawn in and entertained. 

Available from ToI at £10 for a box of 20 sticks
or from Exotic Incense for $13.50. 

The scent on the burn starts with the weight on the base notes, so loses a lot of the allure of the scent on the stick. It does add some spice, however I don't find that a compensation - indeed it pushes me away a little. The burn scent is quite dry and sombre, compared to the joy, lightness, and delicate sweetness  of the scent on the stick. Gradually, as the scent evolves and develops the top notes start to come in, though without the distinct range and balance of the scent on the stick. Its now like a woody patchouli, a masala scent, what in perfume quarters tends to be called "incense" - a familiar and somewhat generic scent. Pleasing, yes, though too everyday to get excited. As the accord develops further the vanilla comes in and wakes it up, and then the floral notes come in, and I feel more settled. Yes, an interesting and alluring scent. It reminds me a little of the original Happy Hari Yoga Sutra range, particularly the Niyama Sutra, which continues to be available from the same source at Padma Store as Niyama Sutra, via Corey of Absolute Bliss who, though Paul Eagle had passed on his sources, took a while to match the right source with the right name - he wondered at first if these Yoga sticks were from the same source (they were not). 

I think it is possible, maybe even likely, that these sticks are from the same source. But then, over the years I have been doing this blog I have found that a number of Indian incenses are similar to each other - this may be because the makers are following the same fragrance ideas, or because they copy each other. All manufacturers, be it beer, baked beans, or beef-burgers, copy each other, so the copying is not unique to Indian incense makers. But it does exist, so it is useful to be aware of it. This stick is similar to the sticks sold in Vrindavan, which bear a resemblance to sticks sold in Pushkar, and to sticks made in Pune by HMS, or DBS, or VNS. 

I don't have any Happy Hari close to hand to compare, though from looking at my notes I am getting more vanilla, more sweetness, more delicate florals from this than from the Happy Hari - but that could be as much down to batch variation and age as anything else. However, if people are curious they could get some of the Happy Hari Niyama Sutra from Padma Store for 4.24 Euros, and do their own comparison, and see if they have a preference. The cost is around the same as the Dancing Sufi, weight for weight. 

I like this. I like it a lot. I haven't scored it as high as the Happy Hari, and that may due to a number of factors. I'll be interested in doing a side by side comparison in the future. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 38

***

Temple of Incense

Reviewed in USA

Huss Neudorfer Raucherkerzen Weihnachtsduft (Christmas Scent)

 

Huss' Neudorfer range mostly have the same image and wording on the front - the scent is named on the back of the packet. This one is Weihnachtsduft -Christmas Scent. It is similar to Carl Jager Weihnachts-Duft - same appearance (though the Carl Jager is a smidgeon smaller, and has the magical gold flakes), and a similar scent on the cone (though the Carl Jager is much more attractive and interesting with candy, spicy, sweet, honeyed tones), with a similar scent on the burn (frankincense and coal fire). 

I like these cones, though they do burn quickly, and a moment's distraction, and the cone is gone. Finished. The scent is  coal fire and frankincense and fir and Christmas. It is warm, sharp, evocative, resinous, and very attractive. It is actually quite close in nature to Carl Jager Weihnachts-Duft. I think I prefer the Carl Jager (if just for the gold flakes!), though I would need to do a blind taste test to see if there is a difference. 

Available direct from Huss for 2.90 Euros + shipping. 

Date: Oct 2025   Score: 34

***

Huss Incense

Carl Jager

 

Carl Jager are a fourth generation German incense maker, founded in 1897.  

Reviews

   

Carl Jager Weihnachts-Duft 
Nov 2025 - Score: 35

  

Carl Jager Echte Wiehrauchkerzen Rot (PM)
Nov 2025 - Score: 33

   

Carl Jager Echte Weihrauchkerzen Schwarz (P)
Nov 2025 - Score: 27

Reviews: 3  
High score: 35
Low score: 27 
Average: 

***

The Best Incense Makers

Incense Around the World

Carl Jager Weihnachts-Duft

 

German cones are fun. There's no artifice about them, they are what they are  - familiar fun scents, usually with a Christmas theme. Carl Jagar is no different in that respect, and this  Weihnachts-Duft is their "Christmas Scent", and the five cones come in a waxed paper envelope decorated with a cute child-like Christmas illustration of three children dressed as the three wise men.

It is the story of the Three Wise Men that started the tradition of making incense cones in Germany. The three wise men brought gifts of frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus. In the German mining community, according to the Carl Jager website, the 11th and 12th century workers would anoint themselves with the smoke from home made frankincense cones to spiritually protect themselves from harm when working in the mine. I love these cultural traditions which continue in echoes to the present day. Like the bonfires at Halloween are an echo of the ritual bonfires that occurred during the Celtic festival of Samhain, held on the same date in the calendar.   

The cones are small and dark, and very firm, with a pleasant sweet, almost candy scent, touched with dark berry fruits. There are gold flakes in the cone - which is likely to be a reference to the gold that the three wise men brought.  The scent on the burn is delightful. A little spicy in a resinous way with warm fir, and then the musky, earthy sweetness of woods and resins comes forward. There's frankincense and possibly myrrh; and some coal fire smoke. The spicy fir top notes are now gone, and the dark woody resins and coal dust grows stronger.  There is a moment in the scent journey with these Carl Jager cones where the top notes are beautifully balanced with the base notes, but then  the base notes start to dominate, the balance is gone, and the experience becomes more ordinary until, near the end, it becomes a little scorched and muddled. 

On the whole I like these little cones. I pretty much almost love them. And I like the rich history and tradition associated with them. Sometimes a good deal of the pleasure in burning an incense is in being aware of the history, culture, and tradition associated with it. 

Available direct from Carl Jager for 1.70 Euros. Outside of Europe contact the company on mail@jaegers-raeucherkerzen.de to arrange shipping costs. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 35 

***

Carl Jager

Carl Jager Echte Weihrauchkerzen Schwarz

 Echte Weihrauchkerzen Schwarz translates as Original Incense (or Frankincense) Candle Black.  It's original, as it is one of the recipes of the company's founder, Carl Jager, from 1897; candle is the German term for cone, and black as that is the colour.  I've just burned the company's Red, which appears to be the same cone, but with a coating of a delightful fragrant red powder.  I prefer the Red because of the extra fragrance from the powder. This Black cone is a little too simple for my  taste - it just smells of coal burning. Nice, warming, and comforting, but doesn't rock my boat. 

Available for 1.70 Euros from Carl Jager, and at various German online stores.  There are no automatic means to buy online from Carl Jager, but if you make up a list of what you want, and send an email to mail@jaegers-raeucherkerzen.de, they will calculate shipping costs and invoice you. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 27

***

Carl Jager

Carl Jager Echte Weihrauchkerzen Rot

 

I love learning more and more about incense and incense cultures. The culture and history of German cones fascinates me. Some of the better known German incense companies are the longest established incense companies in the world, outside of Japan. The cones are strongly associated with Christmas and with beautifully crafted German Smokers, such as these cuties as well as the more traditional.

Sascha of Indiaroma has directed me to several small German incense makers I'd not been aware of. And Carl Jager is the company he rates highest, so I ordered a bunch of cones, and even some sticks.  This is the first I am trying. Echte Weihrauchkerzen Rot roughly translates as Genuine Incense (or Frankincense) Cone Red. The direct translation is "Incense Candle" as cones are often referred to as candles in Germany. The incense is named "original" as it was one of the original recipes devised by the founder, Carl Jager, over 125 years ago in 1897. Though correspondence with the company, both emails and letters, are signed Carl Jager, the current owner appears to be Ilona Jäger-Schimpf, the great-granddaughter of the founder. She took over in 2014, after the death of her father. So this is a fourth generation incense house.  

The packaging feels wonderfully artisan - a waxed paper pouch with a crude and charming drawing of a German smoker. The wording under the name translates as "Gives a subtly spicy fragrance". There are six small cones, coloured red. There is a sweet, gently spicy scent on the cone. The red colour is from a dusting of powder on the cone, rather similar to the melnoorva/masala powder used on Indian masala incense. 

There is a charming "Christmas scent" when the cone is first lit - a smell of Christmas trees in the frost. Gradually a smell of a coal fire develops, and there's an engaging olfactory picture of a Christmas tree and a roaring coal fire. For such a small cone it packs quite a punch, the fragrance quickly and firmly diffusing around the room. It's a clean and non-aggressive scent, though some of the coal fire elements can catch at the back of my throat. This is not a profound scent. There's no design to it. No  perfumer has been near this. But its simplicity and directness is a large part of its charm, and I am beguiled by it.  Some flaws emerge toward the end - some scorch notes as the heat gets to the wider part of the cone near the base. I find this common in cones. I find that sticks release a more consistent and smoother fragrance. The shape of the cone appears to me to work against it, as tars build up, and drop down into the wide base as the cone burns, so by the end there is too much of the base notes, few top notes, and some flaws emerge. This is common to cones in general, but seems to be particularly noticeable here. That said, I have thoroughly enjoyed this. 

Available for 1.70 Euros from Carl Jager, and at various German online stores.  There are no automatic means to buy online from Carl Jager, but if you make up a list of what you want, and email mail@jaegers-raeucherkerzen.de, they will calculate shipping costs and invoice you. 

Date: Nov 2025   Score: 33

***

   

Carl Jager