Kyarazen

Artisan
The one thing that is puzzling to me is the Kyara classification among the different cultures and school. E.g Japan Shoyeido incense house does not break up Kyara into different color classification as compare to Taiwanese or Chinese classification system; they only have one type of Kyara based on a defined scent profile established by their forefathers.

Based on the Chinese system however, we have purple or white Kinam which are based on their scent profiles.

I know there is no way we can reconcile the different classification system due to cultural and values differences. So far I only have experiences with Shoyeido Kyara. Anyway know what is the scent differences between the different types of Kyara/Kinam?

There's no need to be puzzled actually. Each culture/ethnicity that had spent centuries appreciating what is the most "valuable" scent to them, will come up with their own system to classify, distinguish and appreciate.

its like a durian lover.. can you tell the difference between Black Gold, King of Kings and Maoshanwang? they are all from the same specie btw... but the phenotype is just so different ;)
 

Kyarazen

Artisan
So even within Kyara there is grading? how is this graded? Some nice pieces of wood seems like we have a good few kyaraddicts here! i attach a image from Kyarazen i hope he doesn't mind but in these pieces the resin is literally oozing out looks amazing. For those who have purchased Kyara in the past how drastically have the prices risen and by how much?

i'll give you a simple summary, the kyara market may seemingly be messy, but it is crystal clear at the top of the food chain

1) Mass Market - countless kyara and kynam claims, simply vendors or material sellers trying to use words to increase the valuation of things they have on hand. its as good as telling you that whatever is reflective, yellow.. metallic.. is gold..

2) demand seriously out strips supply, there is NO kyara bargain anymore. not even buying from japan to resell to China. dont expect your vietnamese trader/dealer to sell you "kyara" for cheap, when the chinese/taiwanese frequenting their agarwood markets easily pay a lot more than that. major incense houses have ceased kyara sales internationally, to stem the 2 year outflow of all things kyara from japan to taiwan/china. japanese still prize olfactory complexity or uniqueness over resination. the chinese, prize resination over anything else.

3) intense and "collective" kynam naming of all sorts of materials in taiwan, you can easily refer to point 1 on why that happens. meet the few rare oud distillers in taiwan.. heh. they know exactly what real kynam is, but some of these people like to fish you and test you to see how far you will extend that boundary so that they can make the added margins. these people are all about your $$ and nothing else matters. selling you a material for 5 fold its supposed price brings them great delight.

4) the highest end circles in mainland china are crystal clear about real kyara/kynam. their suppliers and traders do not dare to muck around people with too much money in their pockets. encounter these people and they like to shave kynam from blocks that are hundreds of grams. goes into anything.. tea.. alcohol.. incense heater etc. on their wrists are juicy gummy beads

its all relative, to some, kyara/kynam is the most important scent that is irreplaceable, to others, they perceive it in the oils they apply.
unfortunately oils are tough calls to the chinese market, even when you present them the purest ouds from the famous brands you get disappointing replies and comments.. some think it to be hospital ward scent.. others.. pine based floor cleaners.. rotting cheese on a garbage truck, etc etc.. hah. kinda sucks to hear such comments on some the oils that i personally enjoy a lot.

if one appreciates kyara/kynam a lot, then it makes a lot of sense to seek out that kyara/kinamic experience. but if one doesnt.. then why try to seek it in oud when oud is never about a chinese/japanese scent? :p
 

riviera274

Administrator and Hindi Lover
Staff member
have you tried beaming into it with a super strong torch? probably koompassia excelsa
O wow,koompassia excelsa????never heard of it,im guessing it produce heavy resins that smell of high grade Borneo oil?I have several different specimens of agarwood from farmed to wild and this is by far my favorite 20161123_211158.jpg
 

riviera274

Administrator and Hindi Lover
Staff member
[QUOTE="now that alshareefoud has mentioned.. there are a couple of pieces at least in the pile that looks.. interesting. :p[/QUOTE]
I have to point out that the pics was to show that I am familiar with burning agarwood.I don't know nothing of koompassia excels,which is why I keep asking does it produce resins and if so what does it smell like?Its not like I got the wood for decoration...I burn this wood specifically to scent my hair and clothes,I have others to scent my home...here is some pics of small chips of this wood you speak of20161124_070323.jpg
 
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I heated a sliver of Shoyeido Kyara then one of Baieido. Very similar, but I like the Baieido a little better.
Why do I keep thinking Oud oil when I heat Kyara, a little sliver sure packs a big punch. Probably the most aromatic resin on earth.
I have to do a few more sessions before I can write a comprehensive review of how I perceive the notes, but for now I'll do an abstract imagery.
Think, the initial scent when opening a bottle of perfume, inside is a banana morphed into wildflower honey, coated with vanilla sugar, sun rays shooting out of it, crystal flowers dripping with oudaceous resin, and finally, a light breeze of milk chocolate wind.
 
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