Wisteria incense, Kayuragi, 40 sticks

At a glance

- A floral for anyone usually put off by sweetness, cool and green rather than heady
- Wisteria in early summer, soft on top with a green edge underneath
- 40 sticks, each burning around 25 minutes, low smoke
- Comes with a small incense holder, ready to burn straight away

Most floral incense leans sweet. Wisteria doesn't: soft and floral on top, with a cool, slightly green edge underneath that suggests light rather than warmth, closer to clusters hanging over a garden wall in early summer than a bottled perfume.

Kayuragi is a modern series from Nippon Kodo, a house whose lineage traces to 1575 and the imperial court of Kyoto. The name joins kaori (fragrance) with yuragi (a gentle wavering), the way smoke drifts through a room. Each slim stick is hand-kneaded from aromatic powders, rolled and dried naturally, then burns for around 25 minutes with low, soft smoke.

Forty sticks come in the box, along with a small holder to burn them in.

A floral worth trying if florals have never quite been your thing.