40 Balsam Sticks and Holder - Paine's Fir Balsam Incense

The bf loves them. Prefers the pine, then the Cedar, over any of the scented incense

I’ve purchased these balsam particular incense sticks several times now. They really smell like balsam burning in a fireplace. For me, they are a must have/purchase during the winter months (and I live in Florida)

Very pleased with purchase and loveThe scent of Balsam during holiday season.Thank you for having this product !

I usually buy the Balsam Fir scent from Incense of the West, but thought I would try other vendors for comparison. As usual my order arrived tout suite from Amazon. I had no trouble starting or keeping the little log lit, a problem noted in several reviews, but the odor was so bad that I put out the first stick about a third of the way through, and threw the rest in the trash. The smell was distinctly of burning rubber, and an hour later the smell still permeates my house. I note from Paines literature that their incense is made from Christmas tree clippings. Perhaps this particular batch had some bad trees in it, but until I smell a good batch at someone else's house I won't be buying Paine's again.

I made the mistake of lighting one and waiting for magic to happen. Unfortunately, lighting it on fire can overpower the delicate fragrance! It did go out (even when I had it on a slant instead of straight up on the holder).From other reviews, that seems to work for some. For me, the smokiness overtook the delicate fragrance of Balsam Fir.This is what I ended up doing:I did find that lots of heat can burn the wood without releasing the aromas. Unfortunately I had to learn that through experiment as the box doesn't really have any indications on proper usage. I found that using a charcoal and crumbling a little bit of it right on the hot coal will release a small amount of smoke that can easily fill a small room. Repeat as necessary.If I used an entire charcoal disk, it would get too hot and burn right through the scent. If I broke the disk into halves or quarters, I could crumble just a bit of it and it would be a better combo of heat and smoke.For a large area, you can crumble half of a stick onto half or a whole charcoal.All in all, it's not a bad smell but does take practice in burning it properly. I'm sure that 40 of these logs will last quite a long time

I like the smell but my wife does not <groan>.

Not entirely pleasant or unpleasant - a combination of campfire, burnt coffee, tree resin. We're getting used to it, but I was expecting something that smells like a fresh pine tree.

If you light these, it is good, but very strong and there is a burnt smell. However, when you use an electric burner you get only the magic of the Fir balsam smell, and not the burnt smell.....when used with an electric burner, they are fabulous!