Kesar Dhoop Sticks

Floral agarbatti smells like a shop. Kesar dhoop smells like the inside of a temple — warmer, heavier, closer to the ground. It's the difference between a fragrance and an atmosphere.

These are thick saffron dhoop sticks with no bamboo core, so what you smell is the dhoop itself and nothing underneath it. They burn slowly: two sticks will carry a whole evening, which means the jar lasts far longer than the stick count suggests.

Use it for

• Evening aarti and the shaam ka diya
• Thursdays, Saturdays and vrat days when the puja runs longer
• Guests — kesar is the one people comment on
• Anyone who finds ordinary agarbatti too sweet or too sharp

Good to know

• Bamboo-free; slower and cleaner burning than stick agarbatti
• Comes in a screw-top jar, so the fragrance doesn't leak into the cupboard
• Use a dhoop stand or a steel plate — these are thicker than agarbatti
• Store the jar closed and away from direct sun