First In a Series: The Seven African Powers

Name: The Seven African Powers

Cost: 50 cents for 22 sticks
Verdict: B+

As Xmas approaches lets not forget that two out of three of the original gifts were smells. Frankincense and Myrrh are two sappy resins and the main ingredient of certain high-quality perfumes and incense. In Ancient Rome, Myrrh was worth more than its weight in gold (it can now be found in mouthwash and "gargles"). Although I would like to review these two luxury scents, I don't have the means. But I won't let simple poverty stop me from giving the gift of smell!

I crossed the street to my neighborhood 99 cent store and picked up a box of "The Seven African Powers" incense. The purple bilingual package features an image of Jesus on the cross, surrounded by seven catholic patron saints. A smorgasbord of symbolic imagery is littered at his feet, although I could only make out a few of the more prominent items including a spear, a ladder balanced on air, and a chicken on a pedestal.

The sticks are a brilliant purple color, matching the box. In the bag, they smell soapy, crisp, and clean. Once lit, the burning wood combines with the aromatics to form a surprisingly palatable log-cabin-fireplace meets old-man's-aftershave blend. The ash takes forever to drop and ends up in a Chinese snake banana. It leaves a nice little aftersmell: when I left the room and came back a few minutes later I was pleasantly surprised. It is certainly not of highest quality, but an inoffensive incense is rare in itself and it is a bang for the buck. B+.