SOTD
- Thread starter Kruger
- Start date
I want to approach this post with caution. It occurred to me to muse about my SOTD here, jotting down the thought processes that go into evaluating an oil's progression from freshly distilled to semi-cured to fully cured to starting to mature and so on, especially the side-by-sides that take place, the contrast smelling & comparing it to forebears of similar DNA. Such posts always carry the risk of coming off as commercially motivated. I don't like reading them myself when I come across them, so if anyone has even the slightest pause in reading what I have to say here, your speaking up and letting me know is nothing short of an act of kindness. To muse or not to muse, that is the question! 
So, what I've got on my right wrist is the newest version of Kyara LTD, closely (wishfully) following in the footsteps of Kyara LTD V2, an oil I have shared with a few of you. The marriage of Hainan/Nha Trang/Cambodian wood with proper kyara shavings from Cambodia and Hainan kinam tree skins is so synergistic it creates an altogether new scent. The sharp pot notes still very much present in the brew remind me of a hybrid between Taiwanese camphor, Texas cedar and Tonga sandalwood I daydreamt about at one point or other in my mind's nostril. On my left wrist is Nha Trang LTD.
You see, before smelling them side-by-side I could've sworn Kyara LTD V3 was a worthy successor of Nha Trang. I thought we'd somehow magically done it again and hit the jackpot. Among dozens of Vietnamese batches that we've done, Nha Trang LTD is the only one that ever turned out smelling the way it does. And since distillation is not an exact science but rather an art, we too don't know exactly HOW we did it. We've distilled higher grade batches than Nha Trang, which is about 25% sinking; batches that contained upwards of 50% – all the way up to 90-100% sinking Nha Trang wood; in 2007, 2009, up till 2011. Though they smell like what they smell like, they don't smell like Nha Trang LTD!
Now that I go back and forth between them, sniffing out the different notes from top to bottom, I can clearly see that I was dead wrong. Nha Trang is the obvious winner, despite the kinam components of its ambitious cousin. The blue incredibilities which I thought were clearly here are now punctuated by unmistakable Hainan notes… Not a bad thing; just not Nha Trang.
And now for some rooibos and my morning read....
So, what I've got on my right wrist is the newest version of Kyara LTD, closely (wishfully) following in the footsteps of Kyara LTD V2, an oil I have shared with a few of you. The marriage of Hainan/Nha Trang/Cambodian wood with proper kyara shavings from Cambodia and Hainan kinam tree skins is so synergistic it creates an altogether new scent. The sharp pot notes still very much present in the brew remind me of a hybrid between Taiwanese camphor, Texas cedar and Tonga sandalwood I daydreamt about at one point or other in my mind's nostril. On my left wrist is Nha Trang LTD.
You see, before smelling them side-by-side I could've sworn Kyara LTD V3 was a worthy successor of Nha Trang. I thought we'd somehow magically done it again and hit the jackpot. Among dozens of Vietnamese batches that we've done, Nha Trang LTD is the only one that ever turned out smelling the way it does. And since distillation is not an exact science but rather an art, we too don't know exactly HOW we did it. We've distilled higher grade batches than Nha Trang, which is about 25% sinking; batches that contained upwards of 50% – all the way up to 90-100% sinking Nha Trang wood; in 2007, 2009, up till 2011. Though they smell like what they smell like, they don't smell like Nha Trang LTD!
Now that I go back and forth between them, sniffing out the different notes from top to bottom, I can clearly see that I was dead wrong. Nha Trang is the obvious winner, despite the kinam components of its ambitious cousin. The blue incredibilities which I thought were clearly here are now punctuated by unmistakable Hainan notes… Not a bad thing; just not Nha Trang.
And now for some rooibos and my morning read....
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Great read Ensar. Thank you for the candid comments. This has been an incredibly busy weekend for me so I apologize about my absence. Right now I fell like I am going to fall asleep, despite it only being 6:45pm. I went pretty deep in the well on my 10k race this morning and have been running around all day doing other things.
People’s Sultan throughout the weekend, with alternate swipes of Zaks new Kalakassi. What a treat to have such satisfying ouds to make the days a richer experience.
People’s Sultan throughout the weekend, with alternate swipes of Zaks new Kalakassi. What a treat to have such satisfying ouds to make the days a richer experience.
Today some Viet Zephyr by IO on the wrist. I’m glad that I am re-visiting these IO oils from when I first started my ventures into Artisan Oud. This is an oil about contrast. Bitter woodiness and leather, but such sweetness with floral nectars, citrus, spice, and sweet mint. This is a beauty...I now understand the passion some have for Viet distillations
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I've recently been re-exploring my stashes of Japanese incense from my last mega-buy 5 years ago.
Needless to say, your post scares me a bit, as I've been burning through stuff quite quickly. Obviously you've been keeping up to speed on recent editions from houses in Japan. Are there any, in your opinion that have maintained their formulations or quality that you'd care to mention?
If I'm able, I may grab some of KZ's sticks the next time they're available. Perhaps @Rasoul S can sound the alarm if he hears something is available before anyone else
Needless to say, your post scares me a bit, as I've been burning through stuff quite quickly. Obviously you've been keeping up to speed on recent editions from houses in Japan. Are there any, in your opinion that have maintained their formulations or quality that you'd care to mention?
If I'm able, I may grab some of KZ's sticks the next time they're available. Perhaps @Rasoul S can sound the alarm if he hears something is available before anyone else
i will however leave you with this: wu shuang ge out of china makes incense sticks that put almost all japanese to shame (in my view of course). funny thing is the aesthetic of their incenses are more japanese than the japanese incenses. their offerings are all super stripped and minimal kyara or soil wood or rare hainan and hong kong material. the scents are very very very minimal and straight up. lets called it a cross between monkoh and lowish temp soradaki scent. what i love about their incenses is the singular note ala sashimi and that the listener finds one of 5 to 10 whiffs to be magical and then almost smell nothing but just smoke (high quality smoke) and then again baaam another catch of a precise note and then it fades again to come back...
these are not complex scents but their minimalism is a sight to behold. their hainan stick is great intro but the strongest quality price ratio to me is the nine life times ($120ish for 5 grams). the other top dogs are also incredible like flagship incenses ("baiyun", "as it is") that are more like $250+ for 5 gram.
pls note they all have the same signature a bitter and very very slightly sweet honey note. the different grades then display other minor nuances and or the strength of the good stuff.
lastly what i also really love about their incenses is the thin-ness of the sticks and the encouraged upright burning. it burns cooler and slower and more aromatic.
New batch of Kalakassi from Zak at Agarwood Assam. It has the Kalakassi zing and is just a wonderful value. As far as new production, pure, traditional Hindi Oud oils, I think Zak and his dad are in a league of their own in the p/q department. No question there are some more expensive and when oils from Ensar which are a pinnacle of Hindi oud, yunus, nuh , isa come to mind. Their unreal profiles and quality certainly justify their higher prices, but in the gram/$ category, Zaks oils just leave me scratching my head as to how he does it.
After a sit down blind scenting of over coiple dozen Chinese and Indian (two places I have not worn an oud oil from on me for months due to a strong aversion) I found one that I actually enjoyed. Just one. And the winner is
Table drum
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EO 2005 Assam
Most harmonious and delicately put together Hindi to date. More importantly it missing the stuff that I find ruin this genre for me: that very sour red fruit notes, those to my nose horrible fermented stuff and lastly the barn in fecal matter sort of way. Here barn is clean and subdued. And oooh Assam 05 has none of that weird out of place sweet lemon cake note. God I hate that!
As for Chinese, no winners. while I very much appreciated ensar Hainan , not quite enough to wana wear it. Also the shareef ceen came close.
Table drum
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.
.
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EO 2005 Assam
Most harmonious and delicately put together Hindi to date. More importantly it missing the stuff that I find ruin this genre for me: that very sour red fruit notes, those to my nose horrible fermented stuff and lastly the barn in fecal matter sort of way. Here barn is clean and subdued. And oooh Assam 05 has none of that weird out of place sweet lemon cake note. God I hate that!
As for Chinese, no winners. while I very much appreciated ensar Hainan , not quite enough to wana wear it. Also the shareef ceen came close.
But I needed more afterall. Very pleasant that Assam 05 but not mind tingling or therapeutic.
So kinam rouge or royal guallam?
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Blind picked royal guallam.
DNA of an aged malinau like Borneo 50k meets the dark but airy kinamantan structure then the scent goes no where but best of Vietnam that mildly medicinal,beautiful bittersweet note that kinam buzz that yelllow oil Kyara and hunt cooling menthol. Wow. Wow. Wow. This oil isgooooood. Special k good. Some would surely say evrn better cause of more complexity. Anyways I digress. Taha’s new wanmei is closest thing to this oil to my nose to date. Is not it. But close enough to have a somewhat meaningful comparison. Let’s hope age will do it well.
So kinam rouge or royal guallam?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Blind picked royal guallam.
DNA of an aged malinau like Borneo 50k meets the dark but airy kinamantan structure then the scent goes no where but best of Vietnam that mildly medicinal,beautiful bittersweet note that kinam buzz that yelllow oil Kyara and hunt cooling menthol. Wow. Wow. Wow. This oil isgooooood. Special k good. Some would surely say evrn better cause of more complexity. Anyways I digress. Taha’s new wanmei is closest thing to this oil to my nose to date. Is not it. But close enough to have a somewhat meaningful comparison. Let’s hope age will do it well.
Royal Bhutan. Lets just say I am not too happy Ensar sent me a sample of this. To say I was floored at the first sniff is no exaggeration. This is a deep, dark, velvety yet crisp Hindi profile which is just so awesome to experience. There is a richness to this oil, this round heart note characteristic, which is so addictive, and seems to be inherent in most oils Ensar is offering.
I am going to need some counseling I think.
To say I was floored at the first sniff is no exaggeration. This is a deep, dark, velvety yet crisp Hindi profile which is just so awesome to experience. There is a richness to this oil, this round heart note characteristic, which is so addictive, and seems to be inherent in most oils Ensar is offering. I am going to need some counseling I think.
