SOTD
- Thread starter Kruger
- Start date
agar aura filipina no 1:
i cracked the code! for me at least. the unique note i as banging my head to put a name to is tarragon/savory combo but one that is confected like is used to flavour honey!
since this oil is pretty much a scary replica of the scent of the wood itself (so much so that it comes across as an extract as opposed to disttilation) the same unique note i percevied in the wood is the same note i mentioned above.
basically if au luong is a celebration of zesty notes, kekasihku: bitter notes, royal malinau: sweet spices namely cinnamon, the filipina is celebration of aroamtic herbs but not in a density and darkness one finds in filaria but rather airy in quality like that of malinau in particular (perhaps a touch depper) or borneo in general.
i cracked the code! for me at least. the unique note i as banging my head to put a name to is tarragon/savory combo but one that is confected like is used to flavour honey!
since this oil is pretty much a scary replica of the scent of the wood itself (so much so that it comes across as an extract as opposed to disttilation) the same unique note i percevied in the wood is the same note i mentioned above.
basically if au luong is a celebration of zesty notes, kekasihku: bitter notes, royal malinau: sweet spices namely cinnamon, the filipina is celebration of aroamtic herbs but not in a density and darkness one finds in filaria but rather airy in quality like that of malinau in particular (perhaps a touch depper) or borneo in general.
@Rasoul S Very interesting observations. Not familiar with what you are referring to though.
Today is another day of People's sultan. A very good, totally guilt free wear. I am expecting this one to mellow some of the sharper Trat notes as it ages. I am getting some more of the blue green delectable notes from my sample vial more then the bottle.
Today is another day of People's sultan. A very good, totally guilt free wear. I am expecting this one to mellow some of the sharper Trat notes as it ages. I am getting some more of the blue green delectable notes from my sample vial more then the bottle.
great sign of more blue green note in sample than the larger vial. it is in most cases a sign of what is to come with age. btw no oil should be worn with guilt. i know you know what i mean. we would be guilty if we dont wear it and dont appreciate its beauty. art needs to be engaged to be art. without an audience the artists effort is a moot point if you ask me. on that note i put my words into action and added a second generous swipe of the filipina no 1! why not. celebrate today!
My Oud of the day is my last drop of Celebes by IO. I am really crushed to see this go. I never thought I would be so attached to a “green” Oud, but here I am. When I wear it, it conjures up memories of my morning runs in Okinawa surrounded by dense, spicy, camphorous jungle. I feel so in touch with nature. A masterpiece by IO
Borneo 3000 early in the day which I accidentally picked up thinking it was the 2000. No complains about that Oud ever!
Borneo 2000 for the afternoon. Ahh I think my day is complete!
Only if my brother didn’t take my Borneo 4000 and use it all up could’ve had the 4 combo. 2k,3k,4k, and 5k. Ahhh it’s all good.
Borneo 2000 for the afternoon. Ahh I think my day is complete!
Only if my brother didn’t take my Borneo 4000 and use it all up could’ve had the 4 combo. 2k,3k,4k, and 5k. Ahhh it’s all good.
Khmer Xtreme has been a multiple swipe o' the day. I have developed a major crush on non tutti frutti smelling Camodi oils. Fortunately there has been a wave of these coming out as of late. From the KSK's, Kanzen from Taha, to one of my favorites, Chiem Po Chai, from Ensar. These oils are different but share an almost Vietnamese oud style quality. The xtreme fits right into this category. It has zero point zero fruit notes and a ton of burning, animalic, bitter, almost barnlike at times richness. This oil has some balls, and big ones at that. This one is in your face and you love it for that. I cannot stop sniffing this one at all.
My SOTD for almost 3 weeks now... straight agarwood incense. I have barely used any oils during this time (or even heated straight agarwood). 
I think its time someone came out and said it: as much as many of us love[d] Japanese incense from some of the leading brands, their quality is absolutely terrible now. Its been going downhill for the past 5 years steadily, but now its absolutely abominable. Sticks carry the same product name, but instead of beautiful compositions, most of spew clouds of Black Agar (the aroma chemical).
About 6 months ago, I got fed up and started making my own cones and sticks and have been playing with different percentages of agarwood-makko-charcoal. Messy business (and the stick extruder, even my mechanical pump one, is a tough job), but its a delight when you get to burn a successful batch!
Just recently, I got to try a bunch of Kyarazen's sticks (thanks @Oud_Learner!), and they are marvelous (my favorite: his Mysore and Ceylon sticks). I was in fact talking to Oud_Learner about some of the stuff I discovered, namely the placement of sticks relative to the individual and the optimum angles for burning the sticks. Turns out, Kyarazen has an article on that already too!
Although I haven't tried upside-down burning for really high end sticks, what I did discover was that I favor flat burning in a coffin-style box (lined with ash) to burning them upright. The combination of a wider circumference of non-combustive heat exposed to the oleoresin (because of lying flat) + staggered burn rate from the underlying ash layer = simply the best and easiest replacement for a low-heat wood chip heating session, which requires more time and attention.
After a Hainan Special K burn session today and then having had about 5 lb of mango, rambutan and mangosteen, I can confidently say that the aroma in my space is my favorite: I love the smell of Special K woods, and I love the aroma of fully (and properly) ripened mango!
(and I'd distill the skin of local Mangga Susu if only it gave oil)
I think its time someone came out and said it: as much as many of us love[d] Japanese incense from some of the leading brands, their quality is absolutely terrible now. Its been going downhill for the past 5 years steadily, but now its absolutely abominable. Sticks carry the same product name, but instead of beautiful compositions, most of spew clouds of Black Agar (the aroma chemical).
About 6 months ago, I got fed up and started making my own cones and sticks and have been playing with different percentages of agarwood-makko-charcoal. Messy business (and the stick extruder, even my mechanical pump one, is a tough job), but its a delight when you get to burn a successful batch!
Just recently, I got to try a bunch of Kyarazen's sticks (thanks @Oud_Learner!), and they are marvelous (my favorite: his Mysore and Ceylon sticks). I was in fact talking to Oud_Learner about some of the stuff I discovered, namely the placement of sticks relative to the individual and the optimum angles for burning the sticks. Turns out, Kyarazen has an article on that already too!
Although I haven't tried upside-down burning for really high end sticks, what I did discover was that I favor flat burning in a coffin-style box (lined with ash) to burning them upright. The combination of a wider circumference of non-combustive heat exposed to the oleoresin (because of lying flat) + staggered burn rate from the underlying ash layer = simply the best and easiest replacement for a low-heat wood chip heating session, which requires more time and attention.
After a Hainan Special K burn session today and then having had about 5 lb of mango, rambutan and mangosteen, I can confidently say that the aroma in my space is my favorite: I love the smell of Special K woods, and I love the aroma of fully (and properly) ripened mango!
(and I'd distill the skin of local Mangga Susu if only it gave oil)
Perfectly ripe mango is amazing. Too rare here in Colorado though... The late season Keitt mangos are great though, sometimes up to 3 lbs per mango too!
I've got a few samples of popular Japanese agarwood incense and won't be buying any of them. Unless I can get old stock I guess, what I got was not impressive and it is certainly overpriced for what it is. I've been meaning to try Kyarazen's incense so I will give that a shot when I need more.
I've got a few samples of popular Japanese agarwood incense and won't be buying any of them. Unless I can get old stock I guess, what I got was not impressive and it is certainly overpriced for what it is. I've been meaning to try Kyarazen's incense so I will give that a shot when I need more.
ORSL - c'est un pari réussi !
This was a blind buy, and I was apprehensive about it at first as I tend to be weary of "pretty" oils.
Well, I found ORSL to have a very conspicuous woody, incense-y heart and base, which is an excellent added dimension.
Sri Lanka - official welcome to my collection. You have met the standards of my finicky and demanding nose.
This was a blind buy, and I was apprehensive about it at first as I tend to be weary of "pretty" oils.
Well, I found ORSL to have a very conspicuous woody, incense-y heart and base, which is an excellent added dimension.
Sri Lanka - official welcome to my collection. You have met the standards of my finicky and demanding nose.
My SOTD for almost 3 weeks now... straight agarwood incense. I have barely used any oils during this time (or even heated straight agarwood).
I think its time someone came out and said it: as much as many of us love[d] Japanese incense from some of the leading brands, their quality is absolutely terrible now. Its been going downhill for the past 5 years steadily, but now its absolutely abominable. Sticks carry the same product name, but instead of beautiful compositions, most of spew clouds of Black Agar (the aroma chemical).
About 6 months ago, I got fed up and started making my own cones and sticks and have been playing with different percentages of agarwood-makko-charcoal. Messy business (and the stick extruder, even my mechanical pump one, is a tough job), but its a delight when you get to burn a successful batch!
Just recently, I got to try a bunch of Kyarazen's sticks (thanks @Oud_Learner!), and they are marvelous (my favorite: his Mysore and Ceylon sticks). I was in fact talking to Oud_Learner about some of the stuff I discovered, namely the placement of sticks relative to the individual and the optimum angles for burning the sticks. Turns out, Kyarazen has an article on that already too!
Although I haven't tried upside-down burning for really high end sticks, what I did discover was that I favor flat burning in a coffin-style box (lined with ash) to burning them upright. The combination of a wider circumference of non-combustive heat exposed to the oleoresin (because of lying flat) + staggered burn rate from the underlying ash layer = simply the best and easiest replacement for a low-heat wood chip heating session, which requires more time and attention.
After a Hainan Special K burn session today and then having had about 5 lb of mango, rambutan and mangosteen, I can confidently say that the aroma in my space is my favorite: I love the smell of Special K woods, and I love the aroma of fully (and properly) ripened mango!
(and I'd distill the skin of local Mangga Susu if only it gave oil)
I think its time someone came out and said it: as much as many of us love[d] Japanese incense from some of the leading brands, their quality is absolutely terrible now. Its been going downhill for the past 5 years steadily, but now its absolutely abominable. Sticks carry the same product name, but instead of beautiful compositions, most of spew clouds of Black Agar (the aroma chemical).
About 6 months ago, I got fed up and started making my own cones and sticks and have been playing with different percentages of agarwood-makko-charcoal. Messy business (and the stick extruder, even my mechanical pump one, is a tough job), but its a delight when you get to burn a successful batch!
Just recently, I got to try a bunch of Kyarazen's sticks (thanks @Oud_Learner!), and they are marvelous (my favorite: his Mysore and Ceylon sticks). I was in fact talking to Oud_Learner about some of the stuff I discovered, namely the placement of sticks relative to the individual and the optimum angles for burning the sticks. Turns out, Kyarazen has an article on that already too!
Although I haven't tried upside-down burning for really high end sticks, what I did discover was that I favor flat burning in a coffin-style box (lined with ash) to burning them upright. The combination of a wider circumference of non-combustive heat exposed to the oleoresin (because of lying flat) + staggered burn rate from the underlying ash layer = simply the best and easiest replacement for a low-heat wood chip heating session, which requires more time and attention.
After a Hainan Special K burn session today and then having had about 5 lb of mango, rambutan and mangosteen, I can confidently say that the aroma in my space is my favorite: I love the smell of Special K woods, and I love the aroma of fully (and properly) ripened mango!
(and I'd distill the skin of local Mangga Susu if only it gave oil)
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