Rezwan

Kōdō Aesthetic
Have anyone tried the new Oud Dhul Kifl by Ensar Oud? Would you recommend it or should I get the Aroha Kayaku instead? Your suggestions are much appreciated!
 
Have anyone tried the new Oud Dhul Kifl by Ensar Oud? Would you recommend it or should I get the Aroha Kayaku instead? Your suggestions are much appreciated!
I tried the new ODKifl, and all I can say is to sample it before committing to a full bottle, same goes for the AKyaku. These are esoteric oils, showing facets that are outside of the norm for modern day ouds. You may love it, or hate it, certainly worth a try though.
 

Rezwan

Kōdō Aesthetic
I tried the new ODKifl, and all I can say is to sample it before committing to a full bottle, same goes for the AKyaku. These are esoteric oils, showing facets that are outside of the norm for modern day ouds. You may love it, or hate it, certainly worth a try though.
Thanks for your reply, I love smokey type ouds and Cambodian/Thai dark ouds as well, so I was just wondering which one would be better buy for me, I want to buy a full bottle due to the sale right now at Ensar Oud.
 
Thanks for your reply, I love smokey type ouds and Cambodian/Thai dark ouds as well, so I was just wondering which one would be better buy for me, I want to buy a full bottle due to the sale right now at Ensar Oud.
EO has sales very often, unless it’s running low, no need to sweat it.
Personally, I have an earlier Aroha Kyaku, and I do swipe it occasionally. But the new Oud Dhul Kifl....
.....I wouldn’t swipe it:(, instead of Oud Dhul Kifl, try to track down a bottle of Oud Dhul Q.
But remember, my preferences are not always “in-line” with other’s preferences, as an example, I can enjoy a certain $50 bottle of oud as much as a certain $790 bottle of oud:confused:
 

Mr.P

oud<3er
I have not found a correlation with oud price and oud enjoyment! My most expensive ouds are clearly quality specimens that I cherish but essentially none are at the top of my list for enjoyment and sheer oudiness. Maybe with the exception of the ASO Malek al Ceeni and Malaysi. These would be at my top for enjoyment if I had enough to wear And I suspect if I had widely sample of the amazing agarwood oils that you are discussing here I would have a different opinion.

In my limited experience (having not spent a lot on “Big Oud”) high prices mainly get you a guarantee that you are not going to get some weird diluted watered down garbage, not a guarantee that what you get will be better than any cheap stuff. This alone makes it worth the price for many though.

The top four ouds in my collection are all in the $75 - $225 per 1/4 tola range, Probably because I have sampled very heavily at this low end of the market and so I’ve had a chance to stumble upon some good ones.
 

Andrew Salkin

it's aboud time!
Staff member
Should I get it, there's only few left. The only Cambodian oud I tried was Ensar Oud's People's Pursat. Don't wanna miss getting a good oil before sold out.

Muhib is great. Kind of a Masterclass in oil smelling like lightly heated cambodi chips. But really - it's great. Not exceedingly deep or funky or intensely strong like some Cambodis are. More gentle and Crystal clean.
 
To me, Muhib is not a Utopian Oud,
and by that I mean that it is not perfect in every sense. If it had more power, more middle and base, and shave off a few molecules from the top, then it would indeed be more perfect for “my taste”, but then it would command 3x the price.

But brother, for your concern of missing out, I believe so...yes...Muhib is one of those oils, that if you missed it, you missed out.

It reminds me of Kanzen a bit, but a tad more on the floral side, and I get the feeling that they used a good quality of chips to distill it. I’ll echo what Andrew said...”crystal clean”, and I have described it as pure nectar, and before that, like an essential oil.
 
Is Al-Hashimi: Kambodi Katheef similar to Oud Dhul Kifl by Ensar Oud?
Judging by reviews of Kambodi Katheef, they are far from similar. Expect smoke and an oudiness from the modern generation of distillation, ODK is atypical, which may be a new vista for some, and as one reviewer noted @ Ensaroud, “strong motor oil profile”, and I bet the reviewer meant spent motor oil, the kind you replace, not the new motor oil out of the container.
But really, I can see someone loving it, because it is powerful and oudy, and may do great in a blend. If you are in the USA, pm me and I’ll forward my sample to you.
 

Gary K

Oud Beginner
I have not found a correlation with oud price and oud enjoyment! My most expensive ouds are clearly quality specimens that I cherish but essentially none are at the top of my list for enjoyment and sheer oudiness. Maybe with the exception of the ASO Malek al Ceeni and Malaysi. These would be at my top for enjoyment if I had enough to wear And I suspect if I had widely sample of the amazing agarwood oils that you are discussing here I would have a different opinion.

In my limited experience (having not spent a lot on “Big Oud”) high prices mainly get you a guarantee that you are not going to get some weird diluted watered down garbage, not a guarantee that what you get will be better than any cheap stuff. This alone makes it worth the price for many though.

The top four ouds in my collection are all in the $75 - $225 per 1/4 tola range, Probably because I have sampled very heavily at this low end of the market and so I’ve had a chance to stumble upon some good ones.

Ok, you've piqued my curiosity. I've tried some less expensive ouds, thinking I could be happy or happy enough when applying decent amounts to live with but not necessarily be too demanding- everyday ouds. I haven't been satisfied and have needed to step up some- longing to get closer to "crazy money" ( terms kept general figuring this is an individual, sliding scale).

If you're comfortable sharing your choices, I'd like to hear them. But don't torture me with products no longer available :)

On a personal note, I'd gotten interested in somewhat expensive niche clothing brands with small runs. I fell in love with oud at my first order and became incredulous at conquering one demon only to find another. I put this in for others in a similar situation for comfort or enabling, I'm not sure which.
 

Andrew Salkin

it's aboud time!
Staff member
Yeah? What clothing companies? If you like handmade Japanese stuff, there's obviously kapital brand. In the USA, we have visvim which is kinda cool!
 

Gary K

Oud Beginner
Well....there won't be a whiff of oud here so I won't go on for too long, but here are some brands I like: I'll start with Paul Harnden- he was doing things 15 years ago as good as, often better, than items that are pervasive now- jackets and work coats inspired by 100 year old styles, long coats, collarless or dress style shirts with printed images, belted pants with oversized waists that fall mid-calf, scuffed shoes and more. Boris Bidjan Saberi, MA+, Layer-0, A1923, Inaisce (the only American brand here, that sadly went under) and Ziggy Chen in China does clothing that is fresh, has an edge yet would fit most situations. I like many Japanese brands- a number of them barely produce in my American size- Klasica, Araki You, A. F. Artefact are a few. Have fun googling- you can easily find all of these and you will be led to shops that carry more brands. Material and construction are very important and you can only go so far online, but we are on a forum that talks about scent so you'll already be ahead of the game.
 

newrealitynow

Oud Beginner
Here are my first impressions and a couple adjacent sample reviews :)

OUD SHUAYB, Burma 2011
A very distinct scent, a bit animalic. Slight mint flavor at first and a tinge of sour which set it apart from all other ouds I have encountered. Drydown seems to disappear on first swipe. Yet, a faint jasmine seemed to come through.
OUD AYOUB, Meghalaya 2011
Sweet barnyard notes and slightly astringent. Seemed to have taken the Oud Shuayb away. Dry down is very leathery and somewhat sour. A nice waxy-bee pollen profile comes through sweetly. From there a hearty pepper was showing through. Left with lemon air at the end.
OUD DHUL KIFI
Strong motor oil profile, which surprised me. Almost in the world of gasoline top notes. I feel like I know some people who would love that. Along the dry down I really started to like it, Behind it is a slight mint and tobacco. Very unique. Quite like a spicy version of Port Archie. Extremely fragrant and long tenacity. Even after a shower I was left with an earthy pepper natural aura. Astounded how long this is lasting, huge bonus.
 

Gary K

Oud Beginner
Here are my first impressions and a couple adjacent sample reviews :)

OUD SHUAYB, Burma 2011
A very distinct scent, a bit animalic. Slight mint flavor at first and a tinge of sour which set it apart from all other ouds I have encountered. Drydown seems to disappear on first swipe. Yet, a faint jasmine seemed to come through.
OUD AYOUB, Meghalaya 2011
Sweet barnyard notes and slightly astringent. Seemed to have taken the Oud Shuayb away. Dry down is very leathery and somewhat sour. A nice waxy-bee pollen profile comes through sweetly. From there a hearty pepper was showing through. Left with lemon air at the end.
OUD DHUL KIFI
Strong motor oil profile, which surprised me. Almost in the world of gasoline top notes. I feel like I know some people who would love that. Along the dry down I really started to like it, Behind it is a slight mint and tobacco. Very unique. Quite like a spicy version of Port Archie. Extremely fragrant and long tenacity. Even after a shower I was left with an earthy pepper natural aura. Astounded how long this is lasting, huge bonus.

Thanks! Will pursue these. I like Port Archie. Maybe I've been lucky with my past choices but I've found most of my ouds have long lasting qualities- either/or on my wrist or on my shirt the next day. Yes, I often wear my shirts the next day- they don't smell bad and it's not like I'm doing anything in this new world of basic home quarantine. Speaking of that, I've taken advantage of that by applying scents with a much more liberal hand than if I had to go out in public. It's like being in your own little temple cloud.
 
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