Incienso de Santa Fe - Alder Natural Wood Incense Bricks with Holder, 100 Count - Made in the USA

I like a little incense when I'm relaxing with a book or meditating but I am really sensitive to most scents. Cone incense gets put out after about 1/4 of the cone because it is so strong & smoky, stick incense is usually about the same. I think part of why the various incense is so overpowering is because my 'me' space is very small - about 4' x 5'. It doesn't take much to fill that up. But these little Alder wood sticks? These are AWESOME! They are small so I don't worry about staying until they are done or dripping water on them like I do the charcoal. They usually burn 15-20 minutes and the scent lasts well enough that if I want to sit for an hour, I don't need to burn a second one. The scent is what gets me though, there are no perfumes or fillers so it doesn't smell like a chemical fire. All I get is clean, light smoke. It's like being at a campfire but not sitting in the path of smoke. The little sticks are not smokeless. There was a little tendril spiraling up but the small room didn't get overly smoky (unlike commercial cone incense that smoked so much I had to put it out and open a window). Later in the evening there is still a pleasant wood smoke scent hanging about. I liked it so much, I just put 2 more scents in my cart.

Plenty of aroma, and makes me feel at peace, and grounded while buring.

A very nice box of incense. The Alder came properly sealed and undamaged. We’ve used this incense for decades but never purchased from Amazon before. Strangely, the Hickory we bought çame opened, somewhat crushed (both the box and its contents) and smelled awful when lit. It also burns in about a minute, whereas the Alder burns slowly and smells like the familiar product.

I know there are a variety of opinions on these bricks. Here's mine. I originally tried the Alder Wood scent from a sampler pack. It seemed to be one of two(the other being Mesquite) that did not put out more smoke than I would like. So, since I like being able to "put a log on the fire :)" whenever I wish, I ordered some more. They have not disappointed. While they are a little difficult to get started, they smell just like a wood fire, which is something I miss in this home with a gaslog fireplace. I have since ordered more, and this inobtrusive scent remains a favorite. I recommend using a refillable lighter to fire these up. They don't take just a little effort; they are simply hard to light. Try to get all four corners going before you release the flame, too, or they tend to go out. I intend to get some regular lighter fluid and use the Zippo I have from my smoking days. I have also used charcoal tablets to burn these, and they work well, if burning the bricks faster and with more smoke than I would like. Both methods work well. I also recommend using the metal tongs available in most grocery stores or food service stores (and here on Amazon.com) to hold the bricks while lighting or rearranging lit bricks. I believe other reviewers have recommended them previously, and I'm in complete agreement that it makes the process far easier. All in all, I love this incense, but I do wish it was easier to light.

As soon as it arrived and I opened the box I could smell the sierra Nevada mountains. What a beautiful scent. Clean. Beautiful scent. Really. I'll be buying a few more boxes of these. It says it comes with a holder. Mine did not. However I have holders from other incense boxes that work just fine. Great quality.

I had the variety pack from another site before. It was wonderful, including Alderwood! But this came in a box filled with crumbling blocks with little scent. Before they were tight, smooth and heavily fragrant. I went to their home site and it looks like they have new boxes, so I may have been sent old stock. Regardless, I was ripped off.

This is excellent quality. I discovered this when I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort in Albuquerque. They use several varieties of this wood incense in common areas to give the scent of wood fireplaces, since all their fireplaces are gas. They used primarily pinon pine and cedar. For two days I was trying to figure out which fireplace was the wood burning one. This lights best using a butane lighter for about a minute on one end. Then you toss it into a bowl filled with sand or other sturdy incense burner. It burns for maybe 15 minutes and smells exactly like the indicated wood variety (since it is made of real, compressed sawdust of that type). Just like a wood burning fireplace, the scent lingers in a room for a couple days thereafter. A side benefit is that the carbon particles from the smoke will neutralize other odors (cooking, stale house, etc.), not just mask odors. Alder is similar in scent to oak, which is milder than hickory, but not as pungent as pine. There are several varieties you can combine or alternate for your own preference. I suggest the sampler pack from the same manufacturer if you haven't tried this before. Awesome product.

Some of the Incienso De Santa Fe wood incense bricks, such as pinon and even cedar, smell a bit smoky, which is fine sometimes. But I like this Alder Wood best - it has a nice, bright, clear wood scent that coordinates well with a stick of Kayuragi cherry blossom incense. It's like the difference between being out in the woods and smelling the scent of the living trees in the mist or after the rain, and burning wood in a fireplace. I prefer the former, fresher wood scent.

It looks like all 40 pieces are there, but it is hard to tell because the incense got exposes to humidity and started crumbling. Big pile of dust left over after pulling out the incense pieces.

Please do not purchase this product, there is absolutely no fragrance at all, I was looking for mild fragrance, however, there is zero fragrance, money wasted.