So I have a problem.
Not oud (that's a given), but coffee. If I had a physician, he'd probably tell me to lay off the coffee for my own good. And I'd probably tell him I'd rather pop some tums to neutralize the acidity instead.
I source single-origin green beans, roast them at home, grind them, and pressure-extract the espresso to get the best cup possible.
My wife thinks I'm crazy. Then again, she doesn't mind Starbucks coffee, so how can I take her seriously?
But isn't that how it is?
Take oud, sandalwood, coffee, tea, wine, or chocolate. MOST folks can't differentiate between a good specimen and bad. And then you have the weirdos who not only can, but they make outlandish claims like "ah, very nice.. roasting the coffee beans to Full City tamed the apricot notes, enriched the caramel, and brought out the cacao nicely."
Huh? Apricots? Caramel, cacao? Yeah right, those posers are just trying to impress us with made-up notes..... right? My wife certainly thinks so.
There's a lot more accessible knowledge on oud today then there was a decade ago. And yet there's much more (far more), that's still a mystery.
What complicates it further is that much of the knowledge is tainted. Often times its not deliberate, but rather this happens because there is too much of a disconnect between the actual source and (many times even) the Oud vendor, let alone the end user.
What I would like is to start a dialogue, and go over some issues, concerns, and facts that only folks with hands-on experience are aware of. There are a handful of vendors who I know have gone knee-deep in oud, and I would greatly appreciate their participation in this discussion. A dialogue on all things oud... the hunt, the pains, the cheating, the wood, the oil, plantation initiatives, distillation.. everything. In a manner that yields TRUE knowledge, instead of a mishmash of facts strung together.
I find that most connoisseur communities have far more 'true' collective knowledge than oud (after all coffee beans are way cheaper than agarwood, so experiments that yield valid/true conclusions, hence knowledge, are easier/cheaper).
Van Gogh, Gainsborough, and Rembrandt were masters in their own right. And yet their philosophies (thus their works) are starkly different.
I am pretty sure (rather, I know) that we will see some differences of opinion about what constitutes "Good Oud". And that's fine (hint: this is directed at vendors!); this is about increasing the awareness of the end users, so feel free to share your honest thoughts and don't get offended if another artisan disagrees with you. If anything, this disagreement I think will further deepen the community's appreciation of differing aspects/'signatures' in the products, between one vendor and another.
It would be great if end users could voice their opinions, concerns, preferences (and complaints!) as well. After all, the jury comprises of the end users. And it is the opinions of the end users that will shape what is brought to the market.
Request to vendors: no advertising please, but feel free to use product examples to prove a legitimate point.
Not oud (that's a given), but coffee. If I had a physician, he'd probably tell me to lay off the coffee for my own good. And I'd probably tell him I'd rather pop some tums to neutralize the acidity instead.
I source single-origin green beans, roast them at home, grind them, and pressure-extract the espresso to get the best cup possible.
My wife thinks I'm crazy. Then again, she doesn't mind Starbucks coffee, so how can I take her seriously?
But isn't that how it is?
Take oud, sandalwood, coffee, tea, wine, or chocolate. MOST folks can't differentiate between a good specimen and bad. And then you have the weirdos who not only can, but they make outlandish claims like "ah, very nice.. roasting the coffee beans to Full City tamed the apricot notes, enriched the caramel, and brought out the cacao nicely."
Huh? Apricots? Caramel, cacao? Yeah right, those posers are just trying to impress us with made-up notes..... right? My wife certainly thinks so.
There's a lot more accessible knowledge on oud today then there was a decade ago. And yet there's much more (far more), that's still a mystery.
What complicates it further is that much of the knowledge is tainted. Often times its not deliberate, but rather this happens because there is too much of a disconnect between the actual source and (many times even) the Oud vendor, let alone the end user.
What I would like is to start a dialogue, and go over some issues, concerns, and facts that only folks with hands-on experience are aware of. There are a handful of vendors who I know have gone knee-deep in oud, and I would greatly appreciate their participation in this discussion. A dialogue on all things oud... the hunt, the pains, the cheating, the wood, the oil, plantation initiatives, distillation.. everything. In a manner that yields TRUE knowledge, instead of a mishmash of facts strung together.
I find that most connoisseur communities have far more 'true' collective knowledge than oud (after all coffee beans are way cheaper than agarwood, so experiments that yield valid/true conclusions, hence knowledge, are easier/cheaper).
Van Gogh, Gainsborough, and Rembrandt were masters in their own right. And yet their philosophies (thus their works) are starkly different.
I am pretty sure (rather, I know) that we will see some differences of opinion about what constitutes "Good Oud". And that's fine (hint: this is directed at vendors!); this is about increasing the awareness of the end users, so feel free to share your honest thoughts and don't get offended if another artisan disagrees with you. If anything, this disagreement I think will further deepen the community's appreciation of differing aspects/'signatures' in the products, between one vendor and another.
It would be great if end users could voice their opinions, concerns, preferences (and complaints!) as well. After all, the jury comprises of the end users. And it is the opinions of the end users that will shape what is brought to the market.
Request to vendors: no advertising please, but feel free to use product examples to prove a legitimate point.