Ah, the controversial and thrilling condenser issue..... 
There are indeed a few generalizations that can be made, but when you add some more factors into the equation, it gets more complicated.
For example: in general, upright vertical condensers with a short biosteam travel path from the pot, will generally result in oils that are very airy/camphoraceous (like Ceylon 1). Such oils will in general be very clean right out of the collection flask, especially if hooked up to a copper pot.
Its crucial for oils cooked using such condensers to be cured asap and then sealed in a vacuum or near-vacuum state. I prefer Argon (an exaggerated vacuum environment), because it speeds up what is, to me, the most important thing: allowing the top notes to grow 'hooks' to latch on to the heart and base layers of the scent. If the oil is not given sufficient time to marinate in itself, it will score low in longevity.
Argon is not really a must nor is storing in a vacuum state, but they certainly help a lot. I deliberately keep several oils (some oud oils, some sandalwood oils) that are something like a mere 0.5ml housed in huge 250ml bottles, under an Argon blanket, just to show visitors how the oil develops Herculean longevity and projection with this simple method.
Its for this reason that I usually like to age such oils (e.g. Royal Chen Xiang, Berkilau etc in the past) for a minimum of 8 months under Argon before releasing them. However, sometimes (against my will) I am forced to release some oils before they're ready (e.g. Ceylon No.2). There won't be anything 'wrong' with them, its just that they will get stronger over the next 3-4 months. Therefore, so long as the bottle is full/almost full, that strengthening will occur naturally.
(the same, however, cannot be said for 0.15g in a sample vial which is something like 95% air)
Now I'll throw a wrench into what I just stated: Adam's Old School Vietnam and my Chamkeila employed not only upright vertical condensers, but in fact the oil collector itself was vertically aligned, immediately above the pot and immediately below the condenser (i.e. ZERO horizontal travel for the biosteam). Admittedly, Chamkeila underwent the Argon supercharging but Old School Vietnam didn't.
So why are these two ouds so oomphy? (Okay for Chamkeila it was the Argon, so let's focus on Old School Vietnam)
Here's another wrench: Lao Chen Xiang did NOT employ a vertical condenser, it was downward-facing steel in both cases. And yet, Lao Chen Xiang's top notes are more airy (in fact frosty), likewise Ukupan Kayu (airy top notes). For these, a stainless steel 'shotgun' condenser was employed.
In general, a shotgun condenser hooked up to a swan neck pipe will eradicate a lot of top notes. The absence of (or usually relatively less) top notes will typically give the illusion of a deeper / more base-note heavy oil.
And yet for all of these, the very same phenomenon was observed: when the oils were fresh, they didn't last long. And yet after the Argon compression (and m.arif can surely attest to this), Lao Chen Xiang as an example went from lasting about 5 minutes (at least on my skin, and probably around the same on m.arif the first time he tried it) to a whopping 24+ hours.
How about an even bigger wrench? Sasora and Kachin were distilled in traditional steel Indian-style pots, with traditional steel (Indian-style) serpentine coil condensers (!!!). And yet.. once again, lots of airy top notes.
And if I told you how a few of my unreleased Indian ouds were distilled, and what type of condensers were employed for each of them, you'll be ready to throw in the towel if you tried to guess.
Final wrench: My Rakoku Jinkoh and Adam's Old School Royal Burma distillation employed upright Alihn glass condensers. And yet, these two oils were brawnier, louder, and longer lasting than many ouds. Virtually no airy or frosty top notes. Oh, and wait till you receive your Kehebatan sample, @Oud_Learner.. I'm curious to see what your guess will be.
For me personally, the types of condensers that I am aware of and have worked with can be summarized into 4 main categories. If you count them individually based on construction, material, orientation etc, it would be far more. But overall, I'd lump them all under 4 large umbrellas.
With each of these, I have derived polar opposite results.
So what can we take away from all of this...?
Well, I threw in the wrenches deliberately.
You see, its true that certain types of condensers will more easily facilitate certain scent profiles. However, there are soooo many other factors which play a far bigger role in shaping the scent profile that (to me at least) the type of condenser is usually the second lowest item in my checklist.
For me, the quality of the raw material is the first priority. Then the soak. Then the temperature curves. Everything else can be worked around.
So let's take the soak as an example. I like to soak the wood, irrespective of whether I want a barny or animalic or clean oil, for about 2 weeks prior to distillation (sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less). The type of water, ground vs mineral vs river vs rain water, that I use will affect the 'flavor' of the oil. The duration of the soak will effect the next step (yield boosting, resin-conversion step). The method of soaking will affect not only how long I'm able to soak for but in fact how long of a soak would then be most optimal (Adam's cold soak and hot soak are adaptations of my own method which I'd rather not reveal, but here's a hint: placing a bag full of veggies in a pot of water vs under a running tap vs steamed, will affect the veggies differently).
What determines each of these parameters? Simple: the most salient features of the WOOD which I want popping in the oil (could be spice, fruit, greenness, woodiness, animalics...). I will then tie that into some of the other variables, such as pot material and condenser type, based on the result I want to achieve.
Here's the problem: each of these factors will affect each of the other factors, and they will in turn also be affected by the other variables (such as pot material, temperature curves, and condenser material+orientation).
In other words: at least the way that I utilize soaking, it makes the distillation all the more difficult to control, because everything becomes more sensitive to changes in parameters.
And that brings me to my punch line, the reason why I threw so many wrenches in: the condenser can certainly play an important role, however if the distiller desires (and more importantly: is in control), then almost any type of genre and any type of scent can be achieved, with any type of condenser.
One of the things that gets me soooo excited about Ensar's Sultan Series oils is the fact that I can clearly tell he was in charge. Even aside from the usual things that are commonly brought up (pots, condensers, soaking) there are so many other variables. And they all interact with each other not in an additional but rather multiplicative manner. In other words: one change in this stage will affect another thing in a later stage, and when you have a whole lot of variables, you have a whole lot of possibilities exponentially affecting each other. Ensar then had to grab the reigns of each and every one of these variables, and lead the aroma towards the aim he desired.
And so, for me these Sultan oils are like a Rubik's Cube. I can try to guess some of his variables, but then each twist affects the bigger picture, and each subsequent twist affects it more.
@Oud_Learner, I will now relent and indulge your curiosity.
IN GENERAL:
- upright (especially glass) condensers will facilitate an airy aroma (and the opposite can be achieved)
- shotgun steel or copper condensers will facilitate an oomphy aroma (and the opposite can be achieved)
- horizontal pipe condensers will facilitate a silky aroma (and the opposite can be achieved)
- drum-coil condensers will facilitate a dark aroma (and the opposite can be achieved).
If the distiller is skilled, he/she will shape the aroma instead of letting the condenser (or the pot, or copper or steel or glass or whatever) shape the aroma.
Final food for thought:
There are some variables that I have NOT ONCE seen mentioned anywhere, by anyone. I have smelled the effects of some of these unmentioned variables in some of Ensar's oils, particularly his Kinamilicious ones.
They have nothing to do with soaking, steam vs hydro, pot material, condenser material/length/orientation, temperature curves, or any of the usual stuff that's commonly brought up.
For Ketenangan, as example, the test batch is radically different from the full-scale batch. It smells like a classic Sumbawa oud (whoever visits me, please remind me to show it to you).
So why does Ketenangan, from the exact same wood, smell so much like purple kinam powder? The answer lies in NONE of these variables, nor any variables I've seen mentioned or discussed anywhere.
Maybe... some things are better left a mystery, makes it more fun.
I hope I answered your question @Oud_Learner, but I also hope after reading this you realize its more than just a simple equation of copper, steel, and glass.
There are indeed a few generalizations that can be made, but when you add some more factors into the equation, it gets more complicated.
For example: in general, upright vertical condensers with a short biosteam travel path from the pot, will generally result in oils that are very airy/camphoraceous (like Ceylon 1). Such oils will in general be very clean right out of the collection flask, especially if hooked up to a copper pot.
Its crucial for oils cooked using such condensers to be cured asap and then sealed in a vacuum or near-vacuum state. I prefer Argon (an exaggerated vacuum environment), because it speeds up what is, to me, the most important thing: allowing the top notes to grow 'hooks' to latch on to the heart and base layers of the scent. If the oil is not given sufficient time to marinate in itself, it will score low in longevity.
Argon is not really a must nor is storing in a vacuum state, but they certainly help a lot. I deliberately keep several oils (some oud oils, some sandalwood oils) that are something like a mere 0.5ml housed in huge 250ml bottles, under an Argon blanket, just to show visitors how the oil develops Herculean longevity and projection with this simple method.
Its for this reason that I usually like to age such oils (e.g. Royal Chen Xiang, Berkilau etc in the past) for a minimum of 8 months under Argon before releasing them. However, sometimes (against my will) I am forced to release some oils before they're ready (e.g. Ceylon No.2). There won't be anything 'wrong' with them, its just that they will get stronger over the next 3-4 months. Therefore, so long as the bottle is full/almost full, that strengthening will occur naturally.
(the same, however, cannot be said for 0.15g in a sample vial which is something like 95% air)
Now I'll throw a wrench into what I just stated: Adam's Old School Vietnam and my Chamkeila employed not only upright vertical condensers, but in fact the oil collector itself was vertically aligned, immediately above the pot and immediately below the condenser (i.e. ZERO horizontal travel for the biosteam). Admittedly, Chamkeila underwent the Argon supercharging but Old School Vietnam didn't.
So why are these two ouds so oomphy? (Okay for Chamkeila it was the Argon, so let's focus on Old School Vietnam)
Here's another wrench: Lao Chen Xiang did NOT employ a vertical condenser, it was downward-facing steel in both cases. And yet, Lao Chen Xiang's top notes are more airy (in fact frosty), likewise Ukupan Kayu (airy top notes). For these, a stainless steel 'shotgun' condenser was employed.
In general, a shotgun condenser hooked up to a swan neck pipe will eradicate a lot of top notes. The absence of (or usually relatively less) top notes will typically give the illusion of a deeper / more base-note heavy oil.
And yet for all of these, the very same phenomenon was observed: when the oils were fresh, they didn't last long. And yet after the Argon compression (and m.arif can surely attest to this), Lao Chen Xiang as an example went from lasting about 5 minutes (at least on my skin, and probably around the same on m.arif the first time he tried it) to a whopping 24+ hours.
How about an even bigger wrench? Sasora and Kachin were distilled in traditional steel Indian-style pots, with traditional steel (Indian-style) serpentine coil condensers (!!!). And yet.. once again, lots of airy top notes.
And if I told you how a few of my unreleased Indian ouds were distilled, and what type of condensers were employed for each of them, you'll be ready to throw in the towel if you tried to guess.
Final wrench: My Rakoku Jinkoh and Adam's Old School Royal Burma distillation employed upright Alihn glass condensers. And yet, these two oils were brawnier, louder, and longer lasting than many ouds. Virtually no airy or frosty top notes. Oh, and wait till you receive your Kehebatan sample, @Oud_Learner.. I'm curious to see what your guess will be.
For me personally, the types of condensers that I am aware of and have worked with can be summarized into 4 main categories. If you count them individually based on construction, material, orientation etc, it would be far more. But overall, I'd lump them all under 4 large umbrellas.
With each of these, I have derived polar opposite results.
So what can we take away from all of this...?
Well, I threw in the wrenches deliberately.
You see, its true that certain types of condensers will more easily facilitate certain scent profiles. However, there are soooo many other factors which play a far bigger role in shaping the scent profile that (to me at least) the type of condenser is usually the second lowest item in my checklist.
For me, the quality of the raw material is the first priority. Then the soak. Then the temperature curves. Everything else can be worked around.
So let's take the soak as an example. I like to soak the wood, irrespective of whether I want a barny or animalic or clean oil, for about 2 weeks prior to distillation (sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less). The type of water, ground vs mineral vs river vs rain water, that I use will affect the 'flavor' of the oil. The duration of the soak will effect the next step (yield boosting, resin-conversion step). The method of soaking will affect not only how long I'm able to soak for but in fact how long of a soak would then be most optimal (Adam's cold soak and hot soak are adaptations of my own method which I'd rather not reveal, but here's a hint: placing a bag full of veggies in a pot of water vs under a running tap vs steamed, will affect the veggies differently).
What determines each of these parameters? Simple: the most salient features of the WOOD which I want popping in the oil (could be spice, fruit, greenness, woodiness, animalics...). I will then tie that into some of the other variables, such as pot material and condenser type, based on the result I want to achieve.
Here's the problem: each of these factors will affect each of the other factors, and they will in turn also be affected by the other variables (such as pot material, temperature curves, and condenser material+orientation).
In other words: at least the way that I utilize soaking, it makes the distillation all the more difficult to control, because everything becomes more sensitive to changes in parameters.
And that brings me to my punch line, the reason why I threw so many wrenches in: the condenser can certainly play an important role, however if the distiller desires (and more importantly: is in control), then almost any type of genre and any type of scent can be achieved, with any type of condenser.
One of the things that gets me soooo excited about Ensar's Sultan Series oils is the fact that I can clearly tell he was in charge. Even aside from the usual things that are commonly brought up (pots, condensers, soaking) there are so many other variables. And they all interact with each other not in an additional but rather multiplicative manner. In other words: one change in this stage will affect another thing in a later stage, and when you have a whole lot of variables, you have a whole lot of possibilities exponentially affecting each other. Ensar then had to grab the reigns of each and every one of these variables, and lead the aroma towards the aim he desired.
And so, for me these Sultan oils are like a Rubik's Cube. I can try to guess some of his variables, but then each twist affects the bigger picture, and each subsequent twist affects it more.
@Oud_Learner, I will now relent and indulge your curiosity.
IN GENERAL:
- upright (especially glass) condensers will facilitate an airy aroma (and the opposite can be achieved)
- shotgun steel or copper condensers will facilitate an oomphy aroma (and the opposite can be achieved)
- horizontal pipe condensers will facilitate a silky aroma (and the opposite can be achieved)
- drum-coil condensers will facilitate a dark aroma (and the opposite can be achieved).
If the distiller is skilled, he/she will shape the aroma instead of letting the condenser (or the pot, or copper or steel or glass or whatever) shape the aroma.
Final food for thought:
There are some variables that I have NOT ONCE seen mentioned anywhere, by anyone. I have smelled the effects of some of these unmentioned variables in some of Ensar's oils, particularly his Kinamilicious ones.
They have nothing to do with soaking, steam vs hydro, pot material, condenser material/length/orientation, temperature curves, or any of the usual stuff that's commonly brought up.
For Ketenangan, as example, the test batch is radically different from the full-scale batch. It smells like a classic Sumbawa oud (whoever visits me, please remind me to show it to you).
So why does Ketenangan, from the exact same wood, smell so much like purple kinam powder? The answer lies in NONE of these variables, nor any variables I've seen mentioned or discussed anywhere.
Maybe... some things are better left a mystery, makes it more fun.
I hope I answered your question @Oud_Learner, but I also hope after reading this you realize its more than just a simple equation of copper, steel, and glass.
