What's on your burner today?

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Ensar Oud Nha Trang ant hole pieces on medium high to high heat last few days. Guilt free room scenting, awesome Vietnamese bitter sweet cooling minty like note. There is pleasure to be had mon koh style, but better used for listening from a distance.

In between:
Port Moresby prive is like little nuggets of gold. sense and hard. Shaving a bit is like cutting glass. The scent on low medium or high heat all highly impressive and makes for a wow WOW wow experience. This stuff is a must try. Using even 0.1 gram is more than enough to have a big time experience.

Re heating the agar aura wood used to make nashila. Low heat. The wood and oil connection is unreal. A myriad of colors and notes are sensed in the wood. Pink and blue dominate.

Southern Indonesian cummingiana from KZ
Milder, woodsier, drier smelling than the ones from Mindanao, Sulawesi and tawi tawi

Also from KZ, Papuan gyrinops. Green bitter damp and evergreen smelling. Much like the oils from it. Lovely.

The show stopper of all the woods I have tried in past few days? Easily the red resin rich almahera from maluku archipelago via Ensar Oud. Just about the most unique note. One mustard grain size piece makes you think a whole log is put on the heater. Intense and indescribable note. I honestly can’t compare it to anything.
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Time to heat some more wood and have a yoga practice.

one of my most unique chips: the square cut philipino wood offered via imperial oud. Most animalic wood with dense thick and rich barn and horse notes. Rotundone is the name of the sesquiterpene responsible for this note and you find it aplenty in white peppercorn but also the skin of Shiraz/Syrah grapes grown in cooler climates and grunge veltliner grapes in Austria.

The barn note is almost too much of one puts this chip on higher heat and tries to get too close for a sniffy snif. Otherwise on low heat and for scenting a greater area or listening from afar I strongly recommend getting some of this wood while it lasts.

Post practice: agar aura philipino shavings. Marjoram and tarragon infused honey. Ethereal, cooling and medicinal at same time. Leatherwood honey notes are drool worthy. Heart is melting. Body is loose. Spirit is smiling and the mind is resting.
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Yesterday I spent some time with my buddy Greg and he threw a piece of Azman’s sinking Filipino on his subitism. Blew my mind! One of the most complex smelling woods I’ve ever encountered. The butter note really surprised me.
Agreed The lactic, diacytil (popcorn butter) note in tawi tawi wood is splendid. Ditto sulawesi. I also love that cooling mentholated honey note. To my nose is like marjoram or oregano honey. Sometimes tarragon
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Salam Rasoul, I've yet to experience those flower scents that you mentioned. What I can describe more though, its has some similarities like Sri Lankan Vella Patti.
It is a gyrinops variety so yeah at the end of the day those oceanic, sea spray, darker tones are found in both. But if you try it again on very low heat like 9volt or less on subitism or 130-150 degrees on ceramic heater, where the surface of the wood starts getting covered with oil then vaporizing (no smoke) I think you will see the soul of this beautifully unique and gorgeous wood. I kid you not, I almost had tears in my eyes.
 
It is a gyrinops variety so yeah at the end of the day those oceanic, sea spray, darker tones are found in both. But if you try it again on very low heat like 9volt or less on subitism or 130-150 degrees on ceramic heater, where the surface of the wood starts getting covered with oil then vaporizing (no smoke) I think you will see the soul of this beautifully unique and gorgeous wood. I kid you not, I almost had tears in my eyes.
Shukran akhi, will try on ceramic with Low heat. ☺️
 

Oudamberlove

Well-Known Member
I was trying to get a better feel for the Kyara note in the top three Shoyeido premium incense sticks, then a sliver of Yamadamatsu Kyara, then back to the incense sticks again.
I have a hunch that the Kyara note in these sticks is partly manufactured.
I like the philosophy of Nipponkodo about “not using charcoal in the binder”, it burns hotter, and blurs some nuance of the agarwood/kyara. Their Kyara Kayou is a good example, although perfumed, the agarwood and kyara display beautifully.

All-in-all a very fragrant first day of 2019
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
I was trying to get a better feel for the Kyara note in the top three Shoyeido premium incense sticks, then a sliver of Yamadamatsu Kyara, then back to the incense sticks again.
I have a hunch that the Kyara note in these sticks is partly manufactured.
I like the philosophy of Nipponkodo about “not using charcoal in the binder”, it burns hotter, and blurs some nuance of the agarwood/kyara. Their Kyara Kayou is a good example, although perfumed, the agarwood and kyara display beautifully.

All-in-all a very fragrant first day of 2019
@Oudamberlove
i have to say for me shoyeido while very pleasant is not for me. maximalism and plenty of ingredients in there. is remarkable the balance and the symphony they have created and admirable but at the end of the day i like a more straightforward, pure expression. baeido kyara ko koh is the epitome and absolute top kyara incense in the world if you ask me. imho better than the straight up solo green oil kyara inense KZ made in that unreal thin (micron thin) batch last year. WSG flagship though (bai yun) has AMPLE amount of kyara notes in it. seijudo kyara enju falls between the two producers. the kyara note is HIGHLY evident and on display but so is the musk and their unique signature that i just cant explain. like the wet smell that is distinctly miorin, seijudo has a very distinct note too in ALL their sticks.

i also find there to be a HUGE difference when heating vs burning kyara. gentle heat releases a perfume. burning it creates a narcotic, head spinning, mind high but the scent itself is nothing to write home about. the effects on the other hand are sublime. the aroma is not an off scent but not something that makes me go wow.
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Shukran akhi, will try on ceramic with Low heat. ☺️
see if you can find and buy some of these.

c howard violet candy and violet petal candied:
https://www.amazon.com/C-Howard-Violet-Candies-Mints/dp/B003MUHDF0
http://www.truetreatscandy.com/product/candied-violet-petals/
https://www.amazon.com/Uncle-Roys-Sugared-Violet-Petals/dp/B009H5Y3ZW

the taste and aroma of these are in abundance in irian noir, but also can be sensed in ceram wood, xll oil, papumantan too. in ceram the purple is much lighter hue and sweeter. in xll and pap man is darker and more violet over iris.
 
see if you can find and buy some of these.

c howard violet candy and violet petal candied:
https://www.amazon.com/C-Howard-Violet-Candies-Mints/dp/B003MUHDF0
http://www.truetreatscandy.com/product/candied-violet-petals/
https://www.amazon.com/Uncle-Roys-Sugared-Violet-Petals/dp/B009H5Y3ZW

the taste and aroma of these are in abundance in irian noir, but also can be sensed in ceram wood, xll oil, papumantan too. in ceram the purple is much lighter hue and sweeter. in xll and pap man is darker and more violet over iris.
MashaAllah akhi, such talented nose you have been given by the almighty that you can picked up all those notes profile.. Shukran jazeelan for sharing the links for me to experiment with them..
 

Oudamberlove

Well-Known Member
@Oudamberlove
i have to say for me shoyeido while very pleasant is not for me. maximalism and plenty of ingredients in there. is remarkable the balance and the symphony they have created and admirable but at the end of the day i like a more straightforward, pure expression. baeido kyara ko koh is the epitome and absolute top kyara incense in the world if you ask me. imho better than the straight up solo green oil kyara inense KZ made in that unreal thin (micron thin) batch last year. WSG flagship though (bai yun) has AMPLE amount of kyara notes in it. seijudo kyara enju falls between the two producers. the kyara note is HIGHLY evident and on display but so is the musk and their unique signature that i just cant explain. like the wet smell that is distinctly miorin, seijudo has a very distinct note too in ALL their sticks.

i also find there to be a HUGE difference when heating vs burning kyara. gentle heat releases a perfume. burning it creates a narcotic, head spinning, mind high but the scent itself is nothing to write home about. the effects on the other hand are sublime. the aroma is not an off scent but not something that makes me go wow.
My sample sticks of Baieido Kyara KoKoh are long gone, but I do recall how great they were.
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
My sample sticks of Baieido Kyara KoKoh are long gone, but I do recall how great they were.
get on it @Oudamberlove , one must never be left without this legend. these days i burn it for max 1 minute and put out. while at it dont forget about kyara enju. and we ALL MUST ask kz for more of that north burma incense. wow wow wow. i dont recall being moved by an incense -in a long time- to the extent that this beauty he released last.
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
dhl came yesterday with these beauties and i put them to test with @Simla House (missed @Micheal Smith) immediately:

tonga sandal: like white musk/egyptian musk. a gentle peppercorn (white mostly-rotundone sesquiterpene) and gentle sweetness to marry gorgeous creaminess. quite different than mysore. no green, no citrus, no brightness. mellow, delciate, pretty and grounding. lovely. just lovely. @Ensar Oud any idea as to what are those dots in the cross section? they dont run fully thru to the other side.

next two daker pieces on hand are irian noir (many many thnx to the always insanely awesome adam coburn for selecting these beautiful pieces for me for my birthday): my new love affair is all things purple. while ceram wood is delciate light purple hue and sweet iris note (irones compound to my nose), here we have many many many shades darker purple and more of a violet note (ionone beta compound to my nose). i found if the tempreture is not right, the floral notes are either blown off way to quick or not senses at all. mind you there is tons more beautifull stuff going on here to be enjoyed but what sets this wood apart from rest of PNG for me is that distinct purple.

best for last and wow wow wow wow, did i say wow? yunnan 91. holly guacamole. narcotic. spell binding. instantly one knows they are in presence of something great and rare. first tiem i am seeing distinct blue and pink lotus notes in a wood. these are married by that hard to explain sinesis lift and chiseled profile. later stages is a bitter and gently sweet yellow oil kyara and general kinam note. the scent is very close to kinam, as close as one gets, but the energy and sensation obviously is not. hence $50 vs $1000+ a gram difference in price. but seriously so beautiful. i dont wana downplay the brilliance of kinam, but is not the holly grail it once was for me. i now see beauty in all shapes and forms and been fortunate to be able to find joy and pleasure in all sorts of grades of oil and wood. well not all, but you know what i mean...

have a fragrant day friends.

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Simla House

Well-Known Member
dhl came yesterday with these beauties and i put them to test with @Simla House (missed @Micheal Smith) immediately:

tonga sandal: like white musk/egyptian musk. a gentle peppercorn (white mostly-rotundone sesquiterpene) and gentle sweetness to marry gorgeous creaminess. quite different than mysore. no green, no citrus, no brightness. mellow, delciate, pretty and grounding. lovely. just lovely. @Ensar Oud any idea as to what are those dots in the cross section? they dont run fully thru to the other side.

next two daker pieces on hand are irian noir (many many thnx to the always insanely awesome adam coburn for selecting these beautiful pieces for me for my birthday): my new love affair is all things purple. while ceram wood is delciate light purple hue and sweet iris note (irones compound to my nose), here we have many many many shades darker purple and more of a violet note (ionone beta compound to my nose). i found if the tempreture is not right, the floral notes are either blown off way to quick or not senses at all. mind you there is tons more beautifull stuff going on here to be enjoyed but what sets this wood apart from rest of PNG for me is that distinct purple.

best for last and wow wow wow wow, did i say wow? yunnan 91. holly guacamole. narcotic. spell binding. instantly one knows they are in presence of something great and rare. first tiem i am seeing distinct blue and pink lotus notes in a wood. these are married by that hard to explain sinesis lift and chiseled profile. later stages is a bitter and gently sweet yellow oil kyara and general kinam note. the scent is very close to kinam, as close as one gets, but the energy and sensation obviously is not. hence $50 vs $1000+ a gram difference in price. but seriously so beautiful. i dont wana downplay the brilliance of kinam, but is not the holly grail it once was for me. i now see beauty in all shapes and forms and been fortunate to be able to find joy and pleasure in all sorts of grades of oil and wood. well not all, but you know what i mean...

have a fragrant day friends.

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That Yunnan 91 was a very special treat. One of my favourites along with Port Moresby Privee.
Is there a Chinese oil in existence that captures that "blue lotus" note that dazzled us both?
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
That Yunnan 91 was a very special treat. One of my favourites along with Port Moresby Privee.
Is there a Chinese oil in existence that captures that "blue lotus" note that dazzled us both?
I’ll wear yunan exclusive tmr and report back. Maybe the wood has unlocked something in this oil that I wasn’t seeing previously.