Harmony (L&L Grooming) nag champa
Nag champa incense can be a bold and bewildering masala of scents that will charge a room with its bouquet for hours. Several varieties are commonly sold, each highlighting a special spice or wood or flower. Two notes, though, are never left out of the mix: sandalwood and plumeria. Originally from Central America, the plumeria tree is now grown all over the tropics for its sweet, abundant flowers. In Hawaii commercial plumeria orchards supply the needs of the lei makers, but it’s just as common to find a tree on temple grounds or in a cemetery where its ambrosial fragrance adds to the tranquillity. I’m coming to the end of this sample of Harmony, and I’m going to miss its slick protection, but I’m secure in the scent – two golden plumerias bloom year round just outside my front door.