Temple of Incense Desert Sage

I'm looking into botanicals, and I have a piece of white sage from the garden of Irene of Rauchfahne. I look around to find a commercial white sage incense with which to compare, and the first I lay my hands on is this Desert Sage from Temple of Incense. They are known for being very commercial and sweet, so perhaps not the most appropriate choice. And it also appears that they no longer make it. But hey ho, here we go.  

Quite a dry paste - appears to be wood paste with little to no charcoal. The tip is marked with a light blue or turquoise paint. Candy sweet fruit aroma on the stick. Quite childish but fun. A sort of powdery perfumed note lingers - a modern clean synthetic, fairly floral like roses. I find it likeable, but there are few sage characteristics that I'm picking up.  

Large flame and black smoke on lighting up - something that tends to happen with sticks that use a lot of oils and/or DGP (dipropylene glycol). It's not a bad or good sign, it just indicates that there are flammables that are not being completely consumed. Soft grey smoke, which I always enjoy. The scent is not heavy or smoky. It's quite pleasant - it has sweet spots, though on the whole is a neutral to dry accord. It's a basic perfumed stick with a selection of attractive and appealing oils. I like it. If someone likes perfumed sticks for room freshening then this is fine. If someone wants something more interesting or serious, then this is likely to disappoint. If someone wants something like a cleansing sage aroma, then this is exactly not that at all. Quite the opposite. This doesn't feel cleansing - it feels sticky and sweet and naughty, like eating one of those children's birthday cakes they sell in supermarkets. I like something sweet and naughty now and again - and I like playful and attractive room fresheners, so I'm cool with this. I like it. 

I see from a comment on Reddit that it was marketed as "Desert sage is a perfect incense stick for therapies and treatments. Bright with green sage, eucalyptus, mint, rosewood, cedar and pine." That kinda makes sense as to why I wasn't picking up white sage, but doesn't explain the sweet fruity notes. Ho hum. 

Date: Jun 2026   Score: 32/50

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Temple of Incense

White Sage

Reviewed in USA

Discussed on Reddit in 2022

Note: It is not revealed where Temple of Incense source the incense for their brand; however, it has been noted that a number of the incenses are similar to those made by HMS of Pune.