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Nag Champa
Post by Maro on Sep 29th, 2006, 7:32pm

Hi Everyone, this is Maro and I am from Minnesota and as you may have quessed am a Nag Champa lover. I also have ordered incense from IncenseGuru and am getting ready to order more but just have a question about the smell of my favorite incense on the planet. Has anyone else noticed that it does not smell as sweet or mellow anymore? To me it still smells the same until you burn it and I notice that there is something different. Sometimes I swear it smells like tar burning or something. Please don't tell me that they are messing with it and it won't be the same anymore. I still order it but am beginning to wonder. I also am going to try the Shivranjani, have been hearing good things about that. If anyone out there can enlighten me about the Nag please reply....Maro
Re: Nag Champa
Post by IncenseGuru on Oct 1st, 2006, 9:42pm

Mario,

I wrote a piece in our newsletter back in Dec 05 about this subject. Here is a copy of it:

Some of our customers comment about Satya Nag Champa smelling different then they remember. What has happened? First, let’s point out that there has been two price increases in the last 6 months from Shrinivas and rumor has it, one more will take place later this year. Shrinivas has increased prices anywhere from 20 to 30 percent recently and more will be coming. So what has attributed to these increases and why does Satya Nag Champa smell different? There are a few possible reasons for this.

1. The recipe has changed, we have been told from reliable sources that this has actually been going on the past 7 years or so, but more dramatically the last 6 months. One of the key ingredients in Nag Champa is Halmaddi. This substance is what gives Nag Champa and many other incenses their unique bouquet. The problem is that Halmaddi is also one of the most expensive ingredients used in these incenses. Sources have also said that Halmaddi is becoming more scarce in India, thus the pricing keeps going up along with the high demand. Due to this, it is rumored that Shrinivas has been reducing the amount of Halmaddi along with increasing the price of this popular incense. Shrinivas in the largest producer of incense using Halmaddi along with also being the number one selling brand of incense: Satya Nag Champa.

2. Are you buying real Nag Champa? This is always the first question that many users ask themselves when they notice a change in their favorite scent. There are knockoffs out there, but we believe that they are few. One thing to consider, age of Nag Champa’s can very greatly. If a local store has purchased from a distributor that has had inventory for a long time, then the store has it in their inventory for months, this batch will be different when compared to newer and fresh stock. Keep in mind too, if it’s too cheap or too good of a deal, it might not be authentic. Shrinivas also switched to a silver holographic seal on all Nag Champa boxes 15g and above mid 2005 (including Superhit), if you are seeing the old blue label, it is older product. We have seen Nag Champa up to 2 and 3 years old on eBay and other sites. Trust your dealer that buys direct and supports a wide variety of Shrinivas products. Knowledgeable dealers also know real from fake and don’t always buy on lowest price.

3. Free samples are included in most boxes of Satya Nag Champa since 2005, these include Satya Superhit and Satya Natural (these are their next best sellers) This does not change the aroma of Nag, but some users find that this aroma may give the illusion that it smells different. Once that samples are removed and the Nag can air out a bit, this after aroma will leave. These few samples cannot change how Nag Champa smells when it is burning.

4. Last but not least, natural ingredients are seasonal and do change. So aromas that are based on natural ingredients do smell different from time to time. Just as that apple your purchased one month was sweet and juicy, the next month it may be completely different.

So does this make Satya Nag Champa not as good as it used to be? Not really, it’s just different. Many users are still burning this incense, many are still discovering it for the first time and love it.. For those that have burned it for years and feel that it’s not quite what it used to be or just don’t like it, there are alternatives. Shanthimalai Nag Champa (also known as Red Nag) is very much what Satya Nag Champa was 10 years ago, it is very rich. Goloka Nag Champa (also known as Gold Nag) is a bit lighter and more earthly. We feel that these are the best two alternates to hardcore Nag Champa fans. Both of these brands have consistency and we have had no reports or experience of them smelling different from batch to batch. Shanthimalai and Goloka also contribute to good causes to help women and children in India. We will continue to support all of these Nag Champa’s in our store and encourage you to try new incenses

I hope this helps clarify some things on Nag Champa, remember, there are alternatives to the original, in my opinion, these are better. We will be introducing some new Nags to our customers next year as well. If you purchase Nag Champa from us and would like to try samples of other Nag’s, just ask us in an email after you place a new order and we’ll send you something new to try!.

PS: Our personal favorite is Raj Laxmi in a champa based product. It is sweet and wonderful and never has that "burning tar" aroma that some have noticed from time to time.
Re: Nag Champa
Post by Maro on Oct 2nd, 2006, 4:04pm

Thanks for the info guys. I will be ordering shortly. Am putting a order together now. When that Nag Premium comes in please let us know. I will order for sure.........Later
Re: Nag Champa
Post by Agarbathie on Oct 3rd, 2006, 11:25pm

I kind of wonder if the new "Nag Supreme" is actually the old stuff making a comeback.
Haven't noticed a tarry smell from any of the Satya I've burned lately, but every nose is different. It does smell like there's a bit more Sandalwood in it these days. Not a bad thing in my book, but some other people might not like it.
Can't wait to try the new stuff, though. There seems to be a trend in India for incense companies to come up with much bolder varieties of their most popular scents. (A nice smelling arms race??!! )

Namaste!

-Robert
Re: Nag Champa: The X File Report.
Post by Agarbathie on Oct 5th, 2006, 8:08pm

Out of curiosity, and my own supply running dangerously low. I purchased some of the 2006 labeled Nag. The store also had some from 2005.
If for some reason, you haven't seen a bulk box of Satya Sai Baba, it has a "header card" with a small portrait of the Sai Baba and shows which year's "edition" it is.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the bag inside and pulled out a stick, is that the colour seemed different, with some darker splotches amongst the usual "dun" hue.
A sniff test: The stick smelled noticeably sweeter than I'm accustomed to, unlit. Okay. Chalk it up to being so tightly bundled with the Super Hit that came inside. Or..................
Once lit, I immediately noticed the difference. No tarry smell (thankfully!) but it seemed that the fragrance was a lot sweeter, much like "Gold Nag". In fact, if I were blindfolded or never saw the box, I would swear up and down that it actually WAS "Gold Nag"! Very odd, indeed.
Remember "New" Coke that tasted just like Pepsi? Could the same thing be happening with Sai Baba and then the Supreme would be sort of like "Coke Classic"?
Attention Sculley and Mulder! Naw. Just get me a gas chromatography machine and a couple of vintage battis.
The truth is out there.

Namaste!

-Robert
Re: Nag Champa
Post by Grambo42 on Dec 7th, 2006, 10:15pm

Has anyone bought a kilo of nag champa yet from incense guru yet? im just curious because i have purchased from incense guru before and i was very satisfied but, im interested in purchasing alot of nag champa but i dont want it to be dried out im confused any suggestions. btw my name is Graham

Thanks for the advice

Re: Nag Champa
Post by Agarbathie on Dec 9th, 2006, 11:35pm

Hi Graham!
I've not bought a kilo of nag at one time, but since it's a masala-based incense, the drying out thing shouldn't be much of a problem. If you burn a LOT of sticks, then it definitely won't be one at all. Masalas can also improve with age, if kept in relatively mild conditions. (Not too dry or too hot, etc.)
Hope this helps!

Namaste!

Robert
Re: Nag Champa
Post by IncenseGuru on Dec 11th, 2006, 09:11am

Graham,

In fact Graham, you'll find our Nag to be very moist and fresh. We never have our inventory in stock for long and we purchase directly from India twice a year. I'll be writing a piece in the next few weeks about "how to store" incense properly. Hint: it has to do with heat and sunlight.
Re: Nag Champa
Post by Grambo42 on Dec 13th, 2006, 8:14pm

Yes i trust you on the fact that your incense is fresh because i have ordered from you guys before and i was delighted to see how fresh the product was As for the nag champa goes do you know the exact composition of it i know it is a mixture of flowers,gums,resins,oils among other rare ingredients but does anyone have any idea about how it is made also. i was reading above that halmaddi flower is a larger part of the composition but what else is in it? thanks for your time and effort btw does anyone here have a aim screename, mine is timetorun420.
Re: Nag Champa
Post by Agarbathie on Dec 14th, 2006, 01:03am

There are exact formulations for several different Nag Champas, but they're proprietary and harder to get than the recipe for Coca-Cola. Lol!
But seriously.....Halmaddi is a sweet smelling tree sap that works as a binder and fragrance agent in many masala sticks.
Actual Nag Champa flowers have an almost "Jasminey" smell. One kind of funny thing to note, is that besides it's use in perfumery, Nag Champa trees provide a wonderful service to India Rail. They use the wood to make the ties inbetween the steel rails. Apparently it has just the right strength and flexibility!

Namaste!

Robert
Re: Nag Champa
Post by Grambo42 on Dec 14th, 2006, 5:13pm

Has anyone tried Super hit or Satya natural from Satya before? also what is the difference between nag champa and these two variants? are they more fragrant? Incenseguru why dont you except money orders anymore this is the only way i can pay for my order can you make an exception this time.
Re: Nag Champa
Post by IncenseGuru on Dec 15th, 2006, 11:28am

Grambo,

Robert is correct, most exotic incenses are family protected secrets and we don't know what’s in them exactly. We can only guess, my description of "mixture of flowers, gums, resins, oils among other rare ingredients" is the best fair description I can give it. One of the rare substances is Halmaddi. I have heard many things over the years and since they are only opinions, I don’t express them because there is no fact in it, and I have heard some real good ones too!

Try the Satya sampler, this will give you a good idea what the whole line of Shrinivas is all about and it will only cost you $4.99. Superhit and Natural are their #2 and #3 best sellers behind Sai Baba Nag Champa.

The reason we don’t accept Money Orders anymore is quite simple. 9 out of 10 people that have purchased from us in the past will not complete a transaction by sending in payment. This becomes a problem in sending reminders, canceling orders, no communication from buyers and worst of all, holds inventory that other people want to purchase now. It is just too time restrictive for us and keeps us from giving our paying customers the best service and quickest shipping that is possible. We even tried a electronic check program but had too many fraudulent accounts entered.

We have a few customers that are on a Money Order program with us. Just email us and we can make arrangements with you also. We do have electronic checks through PayPal which has worked out great, you just need to sign up for a account and wait 3 – 5 days for check processing. (that’s assuming you have a checking account)
Re: Nag Champa
Post by sheryldiane on Jan 13th, 2007, 04:26am

on Dec 14th, 2006, 5:13pm, Grambo42 wrote:
Has anyone tried Super hit or Satya natural from Satya before? also what is the difference between nag champa and these two variants? are they more fragrant? Incenseguru why dont you except money orders anymore this is the only way i can pay for my order can you make an exception this time.


Yes, I have tried both. They both have a beautiful aroma and very similar to Champa. The Super Hit is little more like Champa. If you like Champa, you willl like both, especially the Super Hit. I love 'em both but I often think I like the Super Hit is even better than Champa. Depends on my mood I guess. It's nice to have the variety. All the Satyas are wonderful actually. They all have a very similar scent, masala based, and it's great to have em all around when you want something you know you like but want a little variety. Go ahead, order them...you'll be glad you did. I only buy incense from India as I find it to be the best. Satya brand is my favorite. This is the best place on the net to order. Been a customer for 5 or more years.

Sheryl
Re: Nag Champa
Post by Agarbathie on Jan 14th, 2007, 9:52pm

Here's kind of a general overview. (Some noses may dissagree.)
Super Hit: Very strong notes of Vanilla and Bergamot. Very sweet smelling.
Fantasy: Similar to Super Hit, with some added fruit aromas. Banana and Mango, possibly.
Natural: Slightly less sweet than Super Hit, but very close in composition. Maybe an extra touch of Vetivert?
Narmada (discontinued ) Closest to Natural, but with a very subtle, lingering scent.
Supreme: It's supposed to be a little more sombre than the others, but it's a pretty close match to Fantasy.
Although I like Satya's masala sticks, I enjoy their charcoal based fragrances much more. They had a floral assortment sometime back with Frangiapani, Mogra (Jasmine) Waterlilly. etc, that was completely mind warping!
Since the Satya products are so ubiquitous in the west, they offer a good jumping off point to trying more exotic incense. Once you get hooked on some of the more "Desi"
(Native) aromas, there's almost no going back. Unfortunately, sometimes that requires plane tickets and a passport (or a snail-mail pal in India) to experience.
The great thing about Incense Guru, is a lot of these scents are available without a 15 hour plane trip, that will leave you with the worst jet-lag ever! India is not only hours ahead of standard time here in the States, but an additional half-hour as well.

Namaste!

Robert
Re: Nag Champa
Post by Agarbathie on Jan 26th, 2007, 1:00pm

This kind of relates to the Guru's storage post, as well.
I've had a box of the "Gold Nag" (Goloka) sitting in the "incense drawer" for well over a year. I wasn't necessarily the biggest fan of these particular sticks, but the aging process has certainly helped them mature into something exceptionally lovely. The sweeter elements have mellowed considerably and the actual Nag Champa flower fragrance has come to the fore. It's aged like a fine wine!
Goes to show that Masalas' can go on to improve when you keep them around for awhile.

Namaste

Robert
Re: Nag Champa
Post by guitarguy49237 on Jul 30th, 2007, 4:46pm

I've noticed the same "tarry" aroma on my latest box of Nag Champa.

Has anyone noticed this with the Parmeshwari by the same manufacturer? The Green box Parm was amazing but the Blue box is VERY Tarry. I'm trying an experiment- I'm laying out my new Parm in the sun in low humidity to make it a bit "stale" as I think perhaps my first box (green) was indeed stale. Stale or not it sure was lovely.

Any input will be appreciated.



Incense Guru is the BEST retailer in the USA hands-down!

Re: Nag Champa
Post by IncenseLover on Aug 18th, 2007, 4:48pm

I found some information about Nag Champa and posted it here.

Be sure to take the poll!
Re: Nag Champa
Post by Agarbathie on Sep 21st, 2007, 12:56am

Another old Hippie bachelor with a good smelling house, here!
Welcome to the club!

Peace!

R.A.L.
Re: Nag Champa
Post by Maro on Oct 31st, 2007, 9:26pm

Another sad Blue Nag story. I just got (today) a 100 Grams of Blue Nag and burned a stick just now and it positively, absolutely has NO smell what-so-ever. Right away when I opened the box I could tell that it was different than the last box even. I was going to give them a chance and see if they would stop messing around with it but this is the last straw. No more! Never again will I buy Blue Nag Champa! It is Raj Laxmi all the way!!! If you have not tried the Raj I profoundly suggest you give it a try........Maro
Re: Nag Champa
Post by Maruzilla on Aug 14th, 2008, 01:53am

I've got to say that the Satya Sai Baba Nag Champa (SSBNC for now on for brevity's sake) of today is ~waaaay~ different from what I remember burning outside my dorm door to ward off the encroachment of roach-gas (weeeeed) from my next-door dormmates back in college

That was circa early '90's. Being used to resins and Japanese incense mainly, SSBNC was my first foray into the world of Indian incense. It was so different I think I almost threw it away! I thought something was wrong, it was so sweet... Thank goodness I disciplined my inner snob, did a little research into Indian customs, culture, and of course incense, and held onto that precious box...eventually obtaining more.

Remembering the texture of the old sticks, it was definately an herbal mixture, not dipped.

Last year with a desire to "remember the olden days", I ordered a case of boxes of cones from (I confess) another company. It was definately the authentic stuff, holographic seal and all. The smell was quite strong, a bit different from what I remembered. I fully expected the same scent on burning. My opinion was....

Blech! It smelled like someone had put scented oil on drying-machine lint. Whiff-o! Surely I had to be mistaken. Could it have changed that much?

I took a box out to season for a few weeks outdoor during summer, and another to season on the windowsill indoor (just to see if there happened to be a difference). The result was virtually the same when I finally burned these, too. Most unfortunate. After eyeing the cones, pulverising them and assessing their content based on my limited knowledge as a self-made incense snob, I believe the SSBNC cones are simply oils infused in a base of sawdust--I saw no indication of actual sandalwood, the grain was all wrong (sandlewood powders, these were more like fine splinters). It's hard to voice my disappointment, or disbelief. How could a company let such a good thing flow down the tubes?

The saving grace is that in my last order (first from I.G.), after reading Ron & other's comments on the matter I purchased a box of Shanthimalai Nag Champa (deeper, woodier & good-authentic scent)) and also a Goloka Nag (sweeter & good-real spiced & scents). I can definately affirm that both of these are extremely similar to the SSBNC of my college days. Wonderful Stuff--sweet and rich!

Of course there is the possibility that the formulation of the cones are different than the sticks. After reading the other alarmed responses here though, I'd tend to doubt that. The rhetorical question is, WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED??! I know, we'd all like to know. And if it goes back to "the way it wuz", please, someone let us know!

Glad to be a customer, I appreciate the honesty, advice, tips, and shared information.

Happiness,

Maruzilla
Re: Nag Champa
Post by hippieguy on Aug 18th, 2008, 6:26pm

May I suggest Mothers Fragrances selection of Champa..You could find all 5 here, and all are mellow and sweet..not overpoweing.
Re: Nag Champa
Post by Maruzilla on Aug 21st, 2008, 03:02am

Thanks for the recommend. My order included a sample of the Mother's Lakshmi Nag, and based just on that I have top agree w/u. Wonderful stuff with real depth! I can't wait to purchase more & try the others in the line.

The sample of the Satya Super Sandal wasn't bad, 'though I generally prefer prefer sandalwood powder or dhoop. Pure sandalwood smells great on its own This stuff is like smooth buttered sandalwood on a stick, in a good way. Don't know if its my preference every day long term, but I haven't any complaints. I may have to reconsider SSBNC sticks. Maybe.

Along with all of the other terrific options now on the horizon

Happiness
Maruzilla
Re: Nag Champa
Post by ozbliss on Jan 30th, 2009, 04:41am

Hey I consider this is everyones vasic favourite, & leads us to step into adventure land of "lets try another " which is a good policy
Re: Nag Champa
Post by Asher on Apr 28th, 2009, 8:01pm

Mother's Fragrance - Vishnu Nag Champa is great. I thought that Shanthimalai or Raj Laxmi were the best going but Mother's Vishnu Nag Champa is a whole different ball game. Try some you'll love it.
Re: Nag Champa
Post by justincobley on Jul 7th, 2009, 11:46am

I came across five new orignial fragrances of Nag Champa from satya sai baba shrinivas sugandhalya. I looked for their website and found that it is www.incenz.com. Do you also sell them? I fell in love with the fragrances but they are exclusively distributed by a company in delhi.. r.expo it is.