What are the agarwood lovers burning?
- Thread starter kooolaid79
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Wow, beautiful chips Oud Learner! Looks like you got some deeply resinated kyara - I have chips that are cut like that - from a couple different sources, one being JD Hawk - not sure if they are the same batch as those or not..
Yunnan 1991 - Chinese wood from Ensar. When I burn this sort of wood I am reminded why kyara is, arguably, over-rated. Now, it isn't that kyara isn't totally wonderful and amazing, it certainly is - however, kyara occupies a very distinct and I would say rather narrow portion of the agarwood scent spectrum, and this spectrum is defined by an ultra-smooth, refined floral woodsy nectar quality - kyara is the royal perfume of the agarwood world.. There are other notes, to be sure, but I know kyara when I smell it. And kyara, as wonderful as it is, simply can't provide the rugged raw medicinal experience of these Yunnan 1991 chips I'm heating today.. Rich, earthy, some bitter, orange, spicy, and sweet notes all coming together in a most soul-stirring and mystical sort of way.. The chips open with a delightful creamy sweetness, and then progress into the earthy bitter and tangy direction..
Very densely resinated - I haven't checked but I would not be surprised if some of these Yunnan 1991 chips are sinking (EDIT - dropped a chip in a glass of water this morning and it sunk right away).. I have found that Ensar doesn't specifically advertise his chips as sinking or non-sinking, but sometimes his chips are indeed sinking grade.. Not sure why this is except to say that my experience with agarwood collecting has taught me that resin density does not always correlate well to aroma quality. I received, for instance, some very fine Vietnamese agarwood from another vendor - I picked up some of the following: Vietnamese double super, Nha Trang triple super, Nha Trang sinking, and Vietnamese king super (the highest grade of agarwood by resin density). Well, the Nha Trang triple super is the clear winner in terms of scent profile, despite being the "lowest grade," followed by the Vietnamese double super and Nha Trang sinking, and then the king super chips last place.. I also have the wild Prachinburi Thai chips from JK/Rising Phoenix - these are ultra lightly resinated, they feel like air when holding them (the pic on the website makes it look like they are black with resin but actually they are so light as to almost look bunk) - these Prachinburi chips though smell fantastic, they are some of my favorite chips of all.. Compare that to some sinking grade Laotian wood I have which I find rather unremarkable.. So basically, it appears to me that Ensar is marketing his chips based on scent profile rather than the grade in terms of resin density, which is what us agarwood connoisseurs really care about...
I have noticed a certain similarity between some Chinese and some Vietnamese agarwoods - these Yunnan 1991 chips share in common certain earthy medicinal notes that some vietnamese chips have - and I see these notes shared also in fine Vietnamese and Chinese oils like Royal Guallam, Kyara LTD, Yunnan Kinam, and Royal Kinam, and then in a whole different presentation in the "sour"/tangy syle Chinese oils like Yunnan '03, China Sayang, Chinese Exclusive, and Hainan 2005.. It is always fascinating to me to heat fine agarwood and imagine what the oil would smell like if distilled from it..
Buying fine agarwoods from Ensar is always a safe bet - I am deeply grateful Ensar that you curate these fine batches of exotic agarwood and make them available - muchos gracias hermano! I have some of the Sumatora 1996 chips on the way
Yunnan 1991 - Chinese wood from Ensar. When I burn this sort of wood I am reminded why kyara is, arguably, over-rated. Now, it isn't that kyara isn't totally wonderful and amazing, it certainly is - however, kyara occupies a very distinct and I would say rather narrow portion of the agarwood scent spectrum, and this spectrum is defined by an ultra-smooth, refined floral woodsy nectar quality - kyara is the royal perfume of the agarwood world.. There are other notes, to be sure, but I know kyara when I smell it. And kyara, as wonderful as it is, simply can't provide the rugged raw medicinal experience of these Yunnan 1991 chips I'm heating today.. Rich, earthy, some bitter, orange, spicy, and sweet notes all coming together in a most soul-stirring and mystical sort of way.. The chips open with a delightful creamy sweetness, and then progress into the earthy bitter and tangy direction..
Very densely resinated - I haven't checked but I would not be surprised if some of these Yunnan 1991 chips are sinking (EDIT - dropped a chip in a glass of water this morning and it sunk right away).. I have found that Ensar doesn't specifically advertise his chips as sinking or non-sinking, but sometimes his chips are indeed sinking grade.. Not sure why this is except to say that my experience with agarwood collecting has taught me that resin density does not always correlate well to aroma quality. I received, for instance, some very fine Vietnamese agarwood from another vendor - I picked up some of the following: Vietnamese double super, Nha Trang triple super, Nha Trang sinking, and Vietnamese king super (the highest grade of agarwood by resin density). Well, the Nha Trang triple super is the clear winner in terms of scent profile, despite being the "lowest grade," followed by the Vietnamese double super and Nha Trang sinking, and then the king super chips last place.. I also have the wild Prachinburi Thai chips from JK/Rising Phoenix - these are ultra lightly resinated, they feel like air when holding them (the pic on the website makes it look like they are black with resin but actually they are so light as to almost look bunk) - these Prachinburi chips though smell fantastic, they are some of my favorite chips of all.. Compare that to some sinking grade Laotian wood I have which I find rather unremarkable.. So basically, it appears to me that Ensar is marketing his chips based on scent profile rather than the grade in terms of resin density, which is what us agarwood connoisseurs really care about...
I have noticed a certain similarity between some Chinese and some Vietnamese agarwoods - these Yunnan 1991 chips share in common certain earthy medicinal notes that some vietnamese chips have - and I see these notes shared also in fine Vietnamese and Chinese oils like Royal Guallam, Kyara LTD, Yunnan Kinam, and Royal Kinam, and then in a whole different presentation in the "sour"/tangy syle Chinese oils like Yunnan '03, China Sayang, Chinese Exclusive, and Hainan 2005.. It is always fascinating to me to heat fine agarwood and imagine what the oil would smell like if distilled from it..
Buying fine agarwoods from Ensar is always a safe bet - I am deeply grateful Ensar that you curate these fine batches of exotic agarwood and make them available - muchos gracias hermano! I have some of the Sumatora 1996 chips on the way
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More eye candy
Got 'em from Adam Hakimi of Oud World on etsy. But for some reason, he closed his account 2 days ago. Just a couple weeks ago he started selling on ebay. He has one listing for "A grade" Malaysian. His ebay ID is agarwoodworld. Taha has met up with him personally, in fact there is a picture of the two of them on Agar Aura's facebook. Looks like Adam visited Taha.
View attachment 738
More eye candy
Got 'em from Adam Hakimi of Oud World on etsy. But for some reason, he closed his account 2 days ago. Just a couple weeks ago he started selling on ebay. He has one listing for "A grade" Malaysian. His ebay ID is agarwoodworld. Taha has met up with him personally, in fact there is a picture of the two of them on Agar Aura's facebook. Looks like Adam visited Taha.
More eye candy
Got 'em from Adam Hakimi of Oud World on etsy. But for some reason, he closed his account 2 days ago. Just a couple weeks ago he started selling on ebay. He has one listing for "A grade" Malaysian. His ebay ID is agarwoodworld. Taha has met up with him personally, in fact there is a picture of the two of them on Agar Aura's facebook. Looks like Adam visited Taha.