Nitiraj Original 25 grams

Nitiraj Original was the first blend the house made, in 1978 for the European market, and it is still the one most people mean when they say Nitiraj. Fragrant oils, forest herbs and spices in a masala base, which simply means spice, and which is why the stick stays soft to the touch instead of drying hard like a dipped stick.

It is the everyday stick. Not devotional, not seasonal, nothing to match it to. Burn it for meditation, for yoga, or to get the smell of the day out of a room.

What You Are Getting

Twenty-five grams, roughly twenty-two sticks. The standard box, and the one to buy if you burn incense most days.

How to Burn It

Each stick burns for about an hour and the scent stays in the room for a good while after. Set it in a holder that catches ash, light the tip, let it flame for a few seconds, then blow it out and leave it to smolder.

These are made by hand from natural material in small runs, so the same blend can smell a little different from one box to the next. That is the nature of the thing rather than a fault.

Pair It With

Also in 12 grams to try and 100 grams if you already know. The devotional blends sit alongside it: Chandra, Buddha, Shiva. A masala stick drops soft ash, so it wants a holder with a channel or a tray rather than a spike on a saucer. The Mango Wood Tree of Life ash catcher and the carved soapstone leaf both do the job. More in incense holders.