Why we avoid terms like “temple-grade”

From time to time, you may come across incense described as “temple-grade”.

It’s a phrase that sounds reassuring — suggestive of something rarefied, traditional, perhaps even sacred.

In practice, it isn’t a term you would encounter in India. Incense there is not classified in this way.

What matters instead is far more straightforward: the materials used, the balance of the blend, and the care taken in making it. Some are exceptional, many are ordinary, and most sit somewhere in between — just as you would expect in any long-standing craft tradition.

Phrases like “temple-grade” tend to emerge elsewhere, they are predominantly Western advertising constructions. They offer a kind of shorthand — a way of signalling quality quickly — but they can also blur more than they clarify. In practice, incense used in temples is rarely defined by any notion of “grade”. The incense may be simple, even modest. The significance lies less in the object itself, and more in the act of offering.

For this reason, we prefer to describe incense a little more plainly.

When possible, we note whether a stick is a traditional masala blend, where the fragrance is worked into the base, or a dipped charcoal variety, where scent is added afterwards. We pay attention to how a blend feels in use — whether it is soft or assertive, dry or resinous, simple or layered.

These are modest distinctions, but they are real ones.

Incense has a long and varied history, shaped by region, material, and individual makers. It doesn’t need much embellishment. In our experience, it speaks most clearly when allowed to remain close to what it is.