Strike a match and consider lighting not a scented candle, but a stick of incense. At home, nothing is quite so ceremonious as sparking up a sprig of copal resin from the London-based brand Earl of East. Measuring around 25cm each, these weighty sticks crafted from the aromatic copal tree release clouds of smoke, creating a scented haze that is so atmospheric you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in the sauna of an upmarket spa.

The copal incense “smells like a church”, according to Earl of East’s co-founder Niko Dafkos, of the light yet musky scent akin to frankincense. Instantly evocative, and with warming undertones oft-peppered with spicy notes, these ecclesiastical smells are ideal to burn in winter — close your eyes and you’ll be transported from a cold, urban apartment to a more otherworldly space. So draw the drapes and pick up that novel — staying at home has never felt so escapist.

Dafkos likes to light his while watching Netflix. And he isn’t the only one to reframe this ancient religious ritual, which in the west has latterly been associated with Seventies hippies and funky-smelling vintage shops. Gucci recently unveiled its own range of vivid fuchsia sticks that give off wisps of coloured vapour and, with their notes of leather, tomato leaf and basil, are designed to mimic the scents found in artisanal workshops and Italian gardens. Available at Matches Fashion and Farfetch, a pack of 25 retails for ￡55.