MORNING STARNippon Kodo Incense, Lavender, 0.32 Pound

This is one of my favorite brands with lavender as a neutral gentle scent. Local shops sell smaller batches I’d buy from if we didn’t use it almost everyday multiple times a day.The scent is smokey and gently floral, not overwhelming perfume as some tend to be. The sticks are short and so is the burn time, however it’s more than enough to encompass a space in its scent. We use full sticks in the living room instead of commercial air fresheners or candles. Instead of using aerosol sprays for the bathrooms or gel deodorants we use a smaller incense holder and a broken stick, a small bathroom only needs 1/3 of the original length, that burns in a few minutes and leaves no strong odors or chemicals in the air. So even if some arrive broken or become broken they’re well used.

The sticks come in a wonderfully sturdy box compared to most incenses and with a small light blue flowered ceramic square for burning the incense in for those who don't have a vertical burner. Obviously if you use the small square, it doesn't catch any ash, so be sure to place it on a safe surface. Note that you will likely need to burn them upright as they tend to stop burning at any section where they're leaning on something. These are Japanese in style, so they have no stick and at most there's only a tiny stub left when it's done burning. Be prepared for the size though: these are about half the size of most incense. Despite that, they do burn for a half hour+, so they aren't cheating you, don't worry. (A note to those having issues on short burning time: Try to ignite as little of the tip as possible. These light very easily and you actually want these to smolder. Not burn to the ground.)Something you should keep in mind when purchasing incense is the country of production. Incense from and found commonly in the western hemisphere tends to be very strong, especially in comparison to a country like Japan which favors subtlety. As such, if you're used to buying Gonesh, Hem, and Satya products, you might find Nippon Kodo's to be a little weak. That being said, it will never overpower those with strong noses or trigger anybody's allergies or headaches, which is wonderful if you share a household.This particular scent is a little different from most lavender scents out there. While it is floral, and reminiscent of lavender buds, it took me snuffing through my lavender bush to place it. If you ask me, it smells more of the lavender leaves and wood, less of the actual flowers. Then again, this may be because it is a bit subtle. Who knows. Either way, it is a lovely lavender fragrance, just not a strong one, so make note of that. If you think it may bug you, lavender is a classic scent and there are plenty more takes on it out there.

Like smell is nice :)

I was looking online for incense sticks, since I used to burn them frequently in the past and was searching for an alternative/supplement for air fresheners. I found these - my former favorite! - and immediately purchased them. They smell exactly like I remember, with no overpowering smoky/burning smell and a nice, if understated, lavender scent that lingers not overly long after a burn.The one drawback for me with these is their short length (and subsequent short burn time, roughly 20 minutes) and lack of wood at the end that results in burns on the included incense holder and a leftover chunk of scent stick that I've yet to find a use for. This also makes it difficult to insert into what I would consider a "usual" holder, as incense holders are frequently made with a thin wooden end in mind.The included incense holder is very small, as a note, and will not catch any falling ash. Those looking to purchase this item should take that into account - a secondary, larger holder or even a dish or ash tray would suffice to place these on top of to catch ash.Overall, I'm very likely to buy these again as a staple in my collection of scents and sticks!

These are much smaller than your typical incense stick, but for the price they are totally worth it. They are about half the length of a typical incense stick. I plan to buy more scents and would buy this one again.The smell is strongly lavender and the scent will easily fill a small to medium room. It's not unpleasantly strong, but I prefer not to sit right next to it as it burns either.It's not too smokey, doesn't smell like smoke or burning, and because it's the Japanese style incense there is no stick left behind, it burns to the very end, very little of the length is wasted. I'd recommend using a ceramic or metal burner since it does burn down to the base. A wooden holder might scorch.This incense does come with a little tiny holder, but it won't catch the ash because its so small. I prefer something with a little less cleanup, but it's nice that it came with it!

Love the scent

Smell nice, too small and expensive