Let's talk Oud: a detailed discourse on the various aspects of this substance we love

[Taha]

@m.arif: I would have, but its highly inconvenient to take the waterproof casing out of the bag, open it up, get the phone out and switch it on, every time a tree is spotted. Not only does it slow down the team, but the motivation for snapping photos of teens isn't really high. We need some mama and grandmama trees to get the cameras clicking.

@Alex: ha! I guess wifey must have trekked all the jungles of Sarawak. The coverage is that good.

I have some sad news...
I broke off and separated from the team, and I headed back this afternoon. I am now writing in a nicely air-conditioned room. Ahhhh....
Things got a bit hairy today. Actually more than just 'a bit'.
Earlier this morning, as our team slowly moved towards the target jungle, a team of Prabawan natives showed up out of nowhere. They got quite aggressive and wanted to tie up all the foreigners in the team and take them back to the chief of the clan to decide our fate. Pa'wan, our Penan boatsman and guide, tried to reason with the Prabawan guys, and so did Jamal (who can speak a ton of dialects, and also speaks Chinese! He's part Chinese btw). They succeeded, and Pa'wan said our team should get out of this place asap before they changed their mind, which we did. Except... one guy went back to town, instead of trekking on.

By the way, previously I had expressed my concerns about the Penan people, but they're actually VERY nice, VERY sweet, and you know.. they'd fit right in if they were in Port Townsend, Washington (my in-laws are from there) or Eugene, Oregon. They're basically a bunch of sweet, tree-hugging hippies. The real deal.

So the issue is that this region is split between the rather hostile Prabawans and the gentle Penans. But both tribes are scattered throughout the region. I'm sorry but I just can't take this sort of risk. Some customers have been asking me why I've been part of the hunting treks lately, and the answer is simple: I'd get an extra 10% share in the profit (so far, its been around 5.5% for me.. the hunters get the largest share, as should be the case). But putting my life on the line, I just can't do it. So I'm out. I now have to rely on the team to hunt on their own, and my support will now just be financial.

Tomorrow morning, Pa'wan will take the team to go meet the Penan chief, who (we expect/hope) will assign a hunter or two from the tribe to join (and most importantly: look after) our team. As long as we have a Prabawan or Penan guy on our team, we're good.
Oh, and the Prabawan folks denied us entry into the jungle. If you'll recall from an earlier post of mine, in Sarawak you not only need government approval but also tribal approval, to cut down agarwood trees. I hope the meeting with the Penan chief goes well, and we receive his blessing (and a hunter or two from him as well).

I had never heard of the Prabawan tribe before, so after I got back to my room I tried to read up on them on the internet. Was I surprised to find there's no mention of them at all! How bizarre.

Any how, so the bad news is I won't be there to take photos and videos, but the good news is that the rest of the team hasn't given up and is trekking on.

 

[m.arif]

@Taha I didn't know that the situation was like that. I bet an anthropologist would be delighted to join your expeditions Taha ! A new tribe, unknown to the academic world of sociologists, that'd be something ! Glad to hear that you're back.

People only see the big numbers when in agarwood transactions, but they don't realize that honest vendors in the industry aren't making that big of a margin. A $200 oud could very well be overpriced if their cost price is $25. That's 700% profit ! (well this is subjective..but just to put things into perspective..)

 

[RobertOne]

Just caught up with the thread and WOW.

And now here's a fun little challenge: if anyone has any qualms with Ensar's prices, I invite you to come visit me in Kuala Lumpur. I will allow you to use any of my 3 copper and 2 steel setups at the distillation facility free of charge, accommodation and food is on me (I happen to own a restaurant in Pahang too, btw), all you have to do is track down the cheapest genuine wild wood that you can find. And cook it. If you are able to make it cost less than what Ensar charges and smell half as good, I will reimburse you fully for the wood and plane ticket as well.
Heck, I'll even offer to buy the batch from you, with the industry standard 40% profit on top for you.

You realise that this could be the basis for an adventure holiday where people pay you for the pleasure?

I can just imagine myself, Kesiro, Bhanny and the rest of us who would be well up for it on the forum, trekking into the jungle as porters being driven by Taha, who would select the logs, then in the factory by Adam who would sternly oversee our chopping, powdering and soaking of the wood, then Ensar would mercilessly chain us to the stills for the distillation.

How about that for a true Gaharu Oud?

I am really not sure if I am joking or not.

Hmmmm.

 

[MEKWT]

Just caught up with the thread and WOW.

You realise that this could be the basis for an adventure holiday where people pay you for the pleasure?

I can just imagine myself, Kesiro, Bhanny and the rest of us who would be well up for it on the forum, trekking into the jungle as porters being driven by Taha, who would select the logs, then in the factory by Adam who would sternly oversee our chopping, powdering and soaking of the wood, then Ensar would mercilessly chain us to the stills for the distillation.

How about that for a true Gaharu Oud?

I am really not sure if I am joking or not.

Hmmmm.

Its only a 5 hour flight for me. Let me know.

 

[bhanny]

Just caught up with the thread and WOW.

You realise that this could be the basis for an adventure holiday where people pay you for the pleasure?

I can just imagine myself, Kesiro, Bhanny and the rest of us who would be well up for it on the forum, trekking into the jungle as porters being driven by Taha, who would select the logs, then in the factory by Adam who would sternly oversee our chopping, powdering and soaking of the wood, then Ensar would mercilessly chain us to the stills for the distillation.

How about that for a true Gaharu Oud?

I am really not sure if I am joking or not.

Hmmmm.

Love it. I'm in. Sort of like a new reality show for ouddies.

 

[bhanny]

@Taha. Sorry to hear, but thank God you are all safe.

 

[Taha]

Ha! @RobertOne, MEKWT, bhanny, you wish! I'm gonna assume you'd all qualify as "European" as well, and so I'd round you all up and ship you off to the jungle.
You at the distillery? Yeah, right. Keep dreaming. Work those calluses up so you can wield your axe like a champ in the jungle!

@bhanny, ouff yeah thank God, actually I just got off the phone with Jamal after a 24 hour period of silence which was really freaking me out after that earlier encounter. So they're all safe and alive, and best of all the hunting already started earlier today (and yep, once again they have phone reception, albeit not too great).

@m.arif, lol yes, I suppose so. I wish I could have shared more on agarwood here (photos, videos etc), but hey, I got to learn some new stuff about the natives of Borneo. Oh, and I found out that tribe is called Berawan, not Prabawan. I guess since the Malay pronounciation of the first 'e' is shortened, and it was followed by a rolling 'r', I heard the name wrong.
Incidentally, after Googling Berawan it turns out that they are indeed a very tiny tribe and very little is known about them, even by their neighbors. They're generally considered very hostile, aggressive and warrior-like, and they actually drove out their Tring-tribe neighbors from the region. Now its just Berawans and Penans there. And the Penan wizards have pretty long whiskers, so I guess they're there to stay.
Any way, it was all just too much for me. I don't like to disrespect any culture even if I disagree with it and especially if I'm a guest in their land, but.. I just had to leave. m.arif, you probably know what I'm talking about.

In another post I might post some more insights on the pricing factor, as well as the state of agarwood affairs in Cambodia right now (straight from the horse's mouth).
Right now, I'm just so relieved the team is okay and the hunting has started. I can sleep tonight.
I should be back in KL tomorrow/Sunday. And maybe (if the team can confirm there are no Berawans in the region), I can try to find an alternate route to the target jungle and head back there to join the team. I still really want to capture a bunch of videos so you can all see what its like in there. And most importantly: capture the process of tree felling, stripping, chopping up and carving.

 

[kesiro]

You realise that this could be the basis for an adventure holiday where people pay you for the pleasure?

I can just imagine myself, Kesiro, Bhanny and the rest of us who would be well up for it on the forum, trekking into the jungle as porters being driven by Taha, who would select the logs, then in the factory by Adam who would sternly oversee our chopping, powdering and soaking of the wood, then Ensar would mercilessly chain us to the stills for the distillation.

How about that for a true Gaharu Oud?

I am really not sure if I am joking or not.

Hmmmm.

LOL! You know, if I still didn't have 3 kids in the house and a busy practice to run, I'd be there. And Taha, I am as euro as they come. Born and raised in Europe (left when I was 10), so I can blend... Hahaha!

"Oud Survivor" - Watch as middle aged men try to fight their demons after spending thousands of dollars on strange oils from Southeast Asia. We take them from their cushy lives where exercise is primarily the act of using either arm to swipe a plastic stick to various parts of their bodies, and throw them into snake infested jungles with wild savage tribes for a chance to find the fabled Agarwood tree. Who will win? Who will end up in the fetal position in an institution? Yes! Drama, excitement, danger, sanity, or lack thereof! This show will have it all. Premier season starts in the fall.

 

[5MeO]

Ahahahaha! Who would win indeed?

Mandeel al Mandeel of (Basenotes and Ouddict fame) would, most likely in short order, be decapitated by enraged members of a local tribe after accusing them of being agarwood plantation owners..

Bhanny would probably be eaten by wild animals after falling into a delirious stupor caused by soaking his clothing in several of Ensar's sultan series oils..

I would fair poorly, for more reasons than I could possibly list here..

I've got my money on Joyoud - not sure exactly why, it's more just a gut feeling - I think he comes out on top in this scenario..

 

[Joyoud]

Hi friends,
I'm here !! Somebody mentioned my name ?
Ok 5MeO I'm ready , Definitely ready (please make it happen in the winter months so I can escape this ...... Canadian weather).
And I will do anything for Oud (and believe me when I say ANYTHING)..........!!!

 

[kesiro]

Ahahahaha! Who would win indeed?

Mandeel al Mandeel of (Basenotes and Ouddict fame) would, most likely in short order, be decapitated by enraged members of a local tribe after accusing them of being agarwood plantation owners..

Bhanny would probably be eaten by wild animals after falling into a delirious stupor caused by soaking his clothing in several of Ensar's sultan series oils..

I would fair poorly, for more reasons than I could possibly list here..

I've got my money on Joyoud - not sure exactly why, it's more just a gut feeling - I think he comes out on top in this scenario..

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Just from a personal note, I want to let you guys all know how much I enjoy and appreciate you all. The lighthearted fun really exemplifies how great you all are and how great this forum is. We are share a similar passion with this crazy elixir called oud, but share our experiences here is a very casual, unstuffy, un-arrogant environment. The way it should be IMHO.

Cheers to you all my friends,

Phil

 

[Taha]

@kesiro, awesome! Make sure to avoid the sun for a month or two just so the natives can be very sure.
Your Oud Survivor depiction was hilarious. I could imagine our delicate western team of oud lovers curled up like shrimps on the jungle floor.

I have mixed feelings about 5MeO coming along. I think we would need him to keep our spirits high. But I would worry about the tribesmen not quite getting his sense of humor, given his track record in this regard.
(I can think of at LEAST 3 times where 5MeO was joking about something, and folks took it seriously)

So, I'm sorry 5MeO but in case you were considering coming along, the most participation I could offer/allow you is looking after the boat after the team disembarks and heads into the jungle.

Now, a word about the Cambodian situation-
Sath is an agarwood hunter who primarily hunts IN Cambodia (this is the first time he's hunting for me in Malaysia). Name any jungle in Cambodia, and he's been there. I had a long list of questions for him, with the intention of not just benefiting from it myself but for sharing with you guys as well. I'll summarize the points below.
- the average market value of a present-day agarwood harvest in Cambodia is about $250.
- it takes on average 2-3 months for a 'decent hunt' trip there (the same as here in Semenanjung i.e. peninsular Malaysia)... except, 'decent' is defined as the point above. In Malaysia these days, its defined as harvested wood of $1,000 market value.
- considering these dismal facts and figures, its for this reason that the majority of Cambodian hunters operate outside of Cambodia (and the same applies to Vietnamese, and for the same reason).
- sadly, Cambodian hunters have also adopted the "slash and leave" method, which is usually more common in Indonesia. i.e. instead of targeting GOOD trees assessed by visual indicators, they now chop down anything that's agarwood and just hope it will unexpectedly and sense-defyingly yield something awesome.
- every now and then, and VERY rarely, that does happen. e.g. sinking grade wood will be found. This alone, for Cambodia, is a BIG deal (for King Koh Kong, it was a tree like this that was used). Merely reaching sinking-grade (if even only for a tiny portion of the harvest) is considered awesome. As far as I am able to tell, this happens something like only once a year. And please keep in mind *ALL* of my hunters are Cambodian, and they reside in Cambodia unless they are hunting or cleaning/carving wood here in Malaysia —*yes, that includes Sath, Mab, Sarith, Nasirt, A'Thean, and the entire gang. So I have a propensity for believing what these hunters tell me, instead of relying on what traders (with a vested interest in selling stock labeled 'Cambodian') have to say.
- it is for the above reason that the would-be next-generation is getting wiped out at a faster rate than the proliferation of saplings.

In short: if something is claimed to be Cambodian, doubt the news 19 times and then consider considering it the 20th time.

Now here are some more facts and figures which I think most people don't think about. I have to, because I have to factor in variable costs of different types, and yes it does depress me. I won't blame you if you find this shocking and depressing as well:
- the average weight of a tree is about 2.25 tons.
- the average weight of incense-grade wood collected from a successfully harvested tree is about 300g (only about 0.13%!!!!!!!!).
- the average weight of wood suitable for making high end oils is about 6kg.
- the average weight of wood suitable for making standard-grade oils is about 200kg.
- now keep in mind, EVEN if the hunting trek was not successful, there were still fixed expenses incurred (to give you an idea: my recent Sarawak Borneo treks have set me back RM55,675.97 (around $12,400 USD). And let's not forget: not a single splinter of wood harvested yet.

I'll let you ponder the above facts and figures, and then YOU make your own conclusions.
I'm pretty sure after you're done the number crunching, most (if not all) of you will start to share my suspicion of the majoirty of claims of oud oils that are being sold as 'wild'.

I will part with one last morsel of food for thought: if perchance we get half a kilo of Double Super, and 2 kilos of Super grade wood, I would just break even. To cover the costs of logistics + labour for finishing the wood, make that a kilo of DS and 2.5 kilos of Super. I break even, and have no bread to put on the table for months of hard work.
Think about that.

Yesterday, I was asked for a discount.

 

[bhanny]

Ha!!! You guys are awesome. I'd most definitely be quickly intoxicated with a triple swipe of Sultans or Kinams, making easy prey for whatever large predator wanders by. Or even an easy victim or our own version of Lord of the Flies. 5MeO, you are hilarious my friend.

 

[m.arif]

Aha. I'll just enjoy the humor at a personal level. Good to know that oud addiction does not impair one's funny bones

@Taha Being harmed by things you can't see or no doctor can detect is definitely enough to make anyone pull out! Sorry medical practitioners if this doesn't make sense..These do happen in this part of the world.

@Taha With all what you wrote..I'm beginning to wonder what is incense grade mean to all the other suppliers that sell them..If you remember there was A grade wood(or was it something else?) to you Taha but the seller said it was double super. Well more of this discussion in the "Sinking grade wood?" thread if I recall correctly. Still great wood. Authentic wild Malaysian. But hey, makes me wonder about the incense grade oils being sold nowadays...are they really the 0.13% you mention in a tree? Hmm..

Yikes. I'm guessing he got the discount offer w the condition of asking it from your hunters? These guys really need to go hunt man. Now all this made me feel like not selling ANY of the wood I got from you Taha.

 

[bhanny]

@Taha. Dang man. That is depressing. What a sad state we are in.

 

[Taha]

@bhanny, you can probably see now why I brought along a few Ensar Oud's with me. The ironic thing is that smelling a high grade oud oil does transport you to 'the jungle'... but in a very different way. Somehow, the bugs, snakes, scorpions and humidity aren't in the picture.

@m.arif, actually I didn't even bother with that.
Click. Block. Delete. Khalas.

Yep, about 0.13% but please don't forget: this is for a SUCCESSFUL harvest. My mid-late 2015 rate of success was around 30%. Late 2015 and 2016 rate of success has so far been way, way less. So, 0.13% OF 30% is actually even less.
With regard to the other earlier discussion about wood grading, I'm not sure what your question is.

Oh, I realized I didn't even clarify anything yet about whiskers and the 'supernatural' stuff.
So an "Asian looking" fella with whiskers = a sorcerer, to many of the tribes in North East Borneo. So if you fit the profile and the local wizard sees you with whiskers, he'll "test" your powers by casting spells. If you pass, they're impressed. If you fail, oh boy...
As for the tree whisperers, I don't recall if they were Kenyah or Kedayan or some other tribe (I think it was one of these two)... so what the guy did was climb up a tree and whisper something into the leaves. It sounds something like slurping soup, except its exhaling instead of inhaling.
The guy was summoning the tribe.
Next thing you know, the entire tribe is there! I don't have a "natural" explanation for it, and what Jamal told me was that its also a form of sorcery, i.e. "supernatural". By the way, they still have skulls hanging on poles all over the place, some that I saw were clearly children's skulls, and some were alarmingly fresh. The practitioner's powers are supposed to increase by harvesting heads, and the "purer" the victim was, apparently the stronger the powers bequeathed (maybe that explains the kids' skulls?). There's this one dude, the uber wizard, he's supposed to be like 700 years old. Now I personally don't believe that, but he was *very* saggy. Everyone's very scared of him, and the best term I have for the people's relationship/interaction with him is, frankly, 'worship'.
By the way, the Berawan also had open caskets everywhere . The deceased are still considered partially alive for some time (weeks or months I think), and during this period the family of the deceased continues to attend to the corpse. There's no stench though, so maybe they have an embalming system like the ancient Egyptians did.

Any who! So like I said, all of this was a bit much for me. I didn't expect this sort of stuff in Borneo. But it looks like the north west part of the island is really living in a different world, and I don't feel comfortable in that world.

By the way, my hunters are in the jungle area surrounding the massive Lambi forest reserve of Brunei. There's a golden triangle east of the Baram river, north of Tutoh, and west of Melinau. The wood from here is awesome. I mean, staggeringly beautiful. Its generally considered "Brunei wood" even if its not from Brunei itself (actually the majority of Bruneian wood is from jungles around Limbang, Lawas and Marudi... all of which are Sarawakian Malaysia).
During the trek to our target jungle, there were times when we were a stone's throw away from Brunei. The border (and the entire jungle) is guarded by Nepalese Ghurka rangers. I recall someone once scoffed at Ensar for talking about sharpshooters guarding jungles. Well, I can tell you its true. And in an earlier post I even shared a photo of one of the sign posts I saw ("Shot Upon Sighting") that was in the previous jungle we went to (Bukit Lambir).
This protection is at the government level. On top of this, the Penan and Iban are extremely protective of their jungles. They're armed with pump guns, and despite the hippie-like mentality of the Penan, they're the sort of hippies you don't wanna mess with.
As a side note, every morning between 7-11 AM in Bukit Lambir, the sound of gunshots filled the air. Don't worry though, they weren't shooting at us. This is when they hunt for game.

 

[m.arif]

@Taha Aye. Simplest and minimal stress action. Khalas.

Oh I meant the wood I got from Kedah that I showed you. It was sold to me as double super. Yet it's A grade or around there to you (also to other agarwood guys I showed pics to). Point here being, when artisan distillers produce incense grade oils...others may as well claim to also make them..but are they really incense grade as per you guys' standards? The industry sure is getting more ambiguous.

Wow tree whisperers..That's a first! Sounds like a scene from LOTR

 

[Taha]

That Kedah wood is ringing a bell, but I don't recall exactly.

Ah, "incense grade" oils, that's a massive can of Taman Negara caliber worms. You sure you wanna get into that?

 

[Taha]

One of the rivers near the Brunei border.

 

[m.arif]

You mentioned that if it was cleaned more, it could go up to tiger grade or something to that effect.

Well as people say, you gotta get your hands dirty to really get to the root of the issue! But probably not here.