Yogi & Yogini – Yoga – Namaste (Nag Champa)
Yogi & Yogini is a trademark of Mani Bhadra BV, which belongs to Phoenix Import, a wholesaler based in the Netherlands. They are produced by the Natural Incense Company, which in turn belongs to Fiore D’Oriente. Fiore also has a Yoga line with an almost identical packaging design. I assume these are the same incense sticks, but packaged and sold as “private label“.
The sticks are 23cm long and burn well over an hour. A pack contains 10 sticks, or 20g, and typically costs between 4 and 6€. I purchased this pack second-hand.
Namaste is not a particularly classical entry into the Nag Champa genre, but it is clearly recognizable as such. It is less creamy than Nag Champa usually is, and the woody base scent is not very prominent. Instead, Namaste has a distinctly fruity and tangy character, leaning towards citrus fruits, sometimes with a rather slightly herbal tone, reminiscent of lemongrass.
The incense sticks take a while to fully unfold their scent. Initially, the smell can be a bit tart or even scratchy, reminding me of Nag Champa Gold (Happy Hari) to a certain degree. Later, the tart note becomes part of the fruity to herbaceous aspect.
The sweetness is balsamic and honey-like, a recurring element of this manufacturer, but in Namaste, it is moderate and only occasionally comes to the fore, adding some variety to the scent. When the sweetness is particularly noticeable, the fragrance is very captivating, while overall the composition feels fresh and invigorating.
Namaste is not my favourite Nag Champa, but its distinctive character provides a pleasant variation.
I’ve just read this “In 1988, Fiore d’Oriente was founded in partnership with a group of families in India to produce the best incense and provide customers with a pure and all-natural product. By now, this incense even has an Ecocert certification.” https://www.phoeniximport.com/en/4/3258/incense-marco-polos-treasures-kampuram-30-g.aspx
That makes it sound as though F d’O and NIC are in partnership, rather than F d’O just being a customer.
https://www.padmastore.de/raeucherstaebchen-indien/fiore-d-oriente/
This is where I got my information from. Scroll to the bottom, it’s the very last sentence.
Thanks for sending me the samples. I liked the sticks. I found them a reasonably decent but unadventurous Nag Champa. The kind of stick that a private label producer would make for a customer who simply asked for a Nag Champa scent.
I think the relationship between the Natural Incense Company and Fiore d’Oriente is obscure. We’ve talked about this previously. My current thinking is that they are separate. The sign outside the factory says Natural Incense Company. And on their website they say they are a private label producer. So my current assumption is that Fiore d’Oriente is a customer. However, it is possible that the Natural Incense Company was set up and owned by Fiore d’Oriente, and they are OK with making incense for other European distributors.
After our last conversation I sent an email, but didn’t get a response. I’ll try again!
You’re welcome, Steve.
I think it’s notable that quality ingredients went into it, but beyond that, I agree with you. It’s nice, but nothing to write home about. I think I placed them somewhere in the mid-range in my Nag Champa tier-list.