Attar/Mukhallat of the Day

[stumpt]

I've swiped an attar today from an artisan I don't see much here: Zooba X from Yaaseen. This opens with a big buttery Orris, cooled with minty green facets, and a persistent resinous medicinal oud base to round it out. Auxiliary notes include rose, florals, and resins. While it is a fairly loose texture, it sits on my skin nicely and persists for about 10 hours. It's an excellent attar, but will likely leave my collection soon as I subjectively do not love the scent profile.

I am new to collecting, but, Moustafa, the sole proprietor of Yaaseen, has been one of the most friendly, generous, and knowledgeable individuals I've worked with during my collection time for fragrances as a whole, not just attars. I will be posting my experiences with the other 3 attars he released recently alongside this one, and am open to any questions about his attars that I can answer.

For anyone familiar, Zooba X is just Zooba minus the vanilla and one of the roses.

 

[Ahmaoud]

Vetiver remind me of the dirt on the ground, moist with fog.

Even with the best ruh khus oils I've never enjoyed them completely, like from the first swipe to the dry down. That's where attars like the one I mentioned come into play. As for normal vetiver, I don't know why, it always smells like peanuts to me, that or peanuts smell like the ground so vetiver oils smell like them 🤷‍♂️ Perhaps it's the metallic quality of Ruh Khus I enjoy. I know it's yield is much lower than steam distillation of the same material, perhaps much like how over extracted coffee tends to be bitter, steam distillation brings out compounds which are largely left in the material, not making their way to the oil.

 

[Joe]

I don't like neat vetiver, either. I LOVE what it can do in a blend, though, in certain amounts. But you're right, it does smell like peanuts, at least Haitian vetiver does. Bourbon is a bit woodier, a bit of balsam too, but I still can't get into it neat on skin either. It is, however, invaluable in reproducing a forest effect, wet earth feel. And for that, I have quite a lot of it in stock. I'm not sure about the coffee thing; all the vetiver I've smelled straight seemed a bit bitter to me.

What have you been wearing lately?

 

[Shiningrobes]

Even with the best ruh khus oils I've never enjoyed them completely, like from the first swipe to the dry down. That's where attars like the one I mentioned come into play. As for normal vetiver, I don't know why, it always smells like peanuts to me, that or peanuts smell like the ground so vetiver oils smell like them 🤷‍♂️ Perhaps it's the metallic quality of Ruh Khus I enjoy. I know it's yield is much lower than steam distillation of the same material, perhaps much like how over extracted coffee tends to be bitter, steam distillation brings out compounds which are largely left in the material, not making their way to the oil.

The only non attar ruh khus I’ve owned is the vintage one from AHO. And I agree, i cant always enjoy it from start to finish. That one has three openers for me depending on how my nose Is working on a particular day: sour, stale armpit; grassy, herby, rooty, ginseng and fresh earth; lately a new one that has popped up is incredibly minty, like a strong sweet mint tea. It always has an intense sweetness that shows up at different times depending on which of those three notes I’m picking up first and variations of citrus peel and the occasional odd floral note. The crazy thing is my nose has been so completely reprogrammed over the last couple of years that Vetiver no longer smells to me how it used to smell.

 

[Ahmaoud]

The only non attar ruh khus I’ve owned is the vintage one from AHO. And I agree, i cant always enjoy it from start to finish. That one has three openers for me depending on how my nose Is working on a particular day: sour, stale armpit; grassy, herby, rooty, ginseng and fresh earth; lately a new one that has popped up is incredibly minty, like a strong sweet mint tea. It always has an intense sweetness that shows up at different times depending on which of those three notes I’m picking up first and variations of citrus peel and the occasional odd floral note. The crazy thing is my nose has been so completely reprogrammed over the last couple of years that Vetiver no longer smells to me how it used to smell.

As always Shiningrobes you've given a complete overview of the material! I think when western noses first smell ruh khus, the sulfurous, stale armpit as you put it comes through, and the assault is so immediate that it colors their perception. It's a strange material because as you mentioned, you'll get different nuances from it, on different days, yet the underlaying mid notes, are what I feel like I've been able to associate a memory with ruh khus through phantom sniffs. Different amounts of air exposure also seem to affect this material, and the opening, hence why I'm using my tola bottle of Ruh Khus 2023 from An Najwa liberally, because I know it'll keep on changing if I store it with that much air in the bottle.

The citrus peel and floral notes in the middle is one of the strangest experiences I've ever come across, I was sure I was going crazy when one afternoon I could smell hints of jasmine in the ruh khus applied to my arm! That strong sweet mint tea aroma is what we all seek out I think, yet it's hard to describe it as that, because it's not exactly that scent either, perhaps slightly fermented mint, or the stalks covered with a little bit of dirt. A swipe of rose alongside it really helps to bring the mintiness forward, I'm on the eternal search for more materials which act in a similar way.

 

[Thrilla Gorilla]

I've swiped an attar today from an artisan I don't see much here: Zooba X from Yaaseen. This opens with a big buttery Orris, cooled with minty green facets, and a persistent resinous medicinal oud base to round it out. Auxiliary notes include rose, florals, and resins. While it is a fairly loose texture, it sits on my skin nicely and persists for about 10 hours. It's an excellent attar, but will likely leave my collection soon as I subjectively do not love the scent profile.

I am new to collecting, but, Moustafa, the sole proprietor of Yaaseen, has been one of the most friendly, generous, and knowledgeable individuals I've worked with during my collection time for fragrances as a whole, not just attars. I will be posting my experiences with the other 3 attars he released recently alongside this one, and am open to any questions about his attars that I can answer.

For anyone familiar, Zooba X is just Zooba minus the vanilla and one of the roses.

Curious to hear what you think about Qayyim 2. Haven’t seen any impressions about it

 

[Joe]

The only non attar ruh khus I’ve owned is the vintage one from AHO. And I agree, i cant always enjoy it from start to finish. That one has three openers for me depending on how my nose Is working on a particular day: sour, stale armpit; grassy, herby, rooty, ginseng and fresh earth; lately a new one that has popped up is incredibly minty, like a strong sweet mint tea. It always has an intense sweetness that shows up at different times depending on which of those three notes I’m picking up first and variations of citrus peel and the occasional odd floral note. The crazy thing is my nose has been so completely reprogrammed over the last couple of years that Vetiver no longer smells to me how it used to smell.

Not minty to me, but YES, stale armpits, lol!

 

[mobyus]

Lupus & Vega - Jasmine Oud/Botanical Minimalism

This opens with an all-encompassing, harmonious floral blast that resonates like you just walked into a cathedral and hit a chord on the organ - arresting stuff. The initially very clean florals then move in a more baroque direction, taking on a carnal aspect and a sense of elegant decay - is this what people mean when they say jasmine is ‘indolic’? Segueing into the base notes, an impression of smouldering wood emerges - not so much an oudy, ‘chip-on-subitism’ thing; more like a nostalgic, campfire vibe. This is softened and supported by the musks, adding a nice textural element to the dry-down, which lingers for an impressively long time.

I’m spotting a pattern here - the lingering drydown is wonderful, but it makes me want to reach for the bottle and hit the narcotic top notes again. In other words, this is very moreish!

Finally, check out the packaging - I think any attar fan would be pleased to receive one of these.
View attachment 49589

I’m waiting for mine patiently. What a stellar review!

 

[Shiningrobes]

As always Shiningrobes you've given a complete overview of the material! I think when western noses first smell ruh khus, the sulfurous, stale armpit as you put it comes through, and the assault is so immediate that it colors their perception. It's a strange material because as you mentioned, you'll get different nuances from it, on different days, yet the underlaying mid notes, are what I feel like I've been able to associate a memory with ruh khus through phantom sniffs. Different amounts of air exposure also seem to affect this material, and the opening, hence why I'm using my tola bottle of Ruh Khus 2023 from An Najwa liberally, because I know it'll keep on changing if I store it with that much air in the bottle.

The citrus peel and floral notes in the middle is one of the strangest experiences I've ever come across, I was sure I was going crazy when one afternoon I could smell hints of jasmine in the ruh khus applied to my arm! That strong sweet mint tea aroma is what we all seek out I think, yet it's hard to describe it as that, because it's not exactly that scent either, perhaps slightly fermented mint, or the stalks covered with a little bit of dirt. A swipe of rose alongside it really helps to bring the mintiness forward, I'm on the eternal search for more materials which act in a similar way.

I don’t think I could ever get tired of swiping khus with rose. i Just keep cycling through all the different rose materials i have and let my nose decide which works best for that day. Kashan might be the overall winner though considering how much its cap smells like khus. Also, you’ve mentioned a couple of times steam vs hydro as being the distinction between ruh khus and vetiver which I never knew. It was driving me crazy that one source could produce two such different materials. ( I mean, I’m sure processing and terroir have plenty to do with it as well. I knew copper vs would make a difference, but I didn’t make the leap that it was the distillation method ).

 

[stumpt]

Curious to hear what you think about Qayyim 2. Haven’t seen any impressions about it

I haven't swiped it yet, only smelled from the vial. From there I get lacquery, woody facets primarily with sweet approachable barn as well, dried fruits as well. Will update when I swipe

 

[Ahmaoud]

I don’t think I could ever get tired of swiping khus with rose.

Here here! couldn't agree more! A magical combination. It somehow increases the projection of the ruh khus several folds, I remember wearing if after a shower and near my brother, and I choked him out with the scent 🤣 Green roses are in my mind the best choice, I have some Bulgarian and Moroccan rose oils but I haven't tried it with them yet.

Also, you’ve mentioned a couple of times steam vs hydro as being the distinction between ruh khus and vetiver which I never knew. It was driving me crazy that one source could produce two such different materials.

There's even more steps which I think influence the aroma of this material, such as when the copper receiving vessels are heated at the end to collect the ruh khus, which has been stuck to the walls of the copper vessels, I wonder what sort of chemical change happens at that point. Of course we wouldn't be able to find out otherwise, unless we ran a distillation of our own on that equipment! But reminds a bit of the dry distillation approach, it least in part, which is used for Choya Nakh, Choya Loban, Choya Ral and the likes.

I don't think terroir makes a whole lot of difference, I know ruh khus is extracted from the wild roots, which are growing natively around bodies of water. There's also the aspect of soaking the roots prior to the hydro distillation, usually its done for 24 hours, to open up the roots making oil extraction easier, I don't think that's done in steam distillation approach, though I might be wrong. Not to mention the camel leather storage vessels, and how that could influence the scent. I know copper is very influential or perhaps I should say, distinctive in oud production runs, its something that can be noticed. However with all that being said, I still am unsure these difference have the ability to alter a material to the extent we're experiencing, and perhaps that's what's magical!

Sadly it's never been a very export worthy material so it's unlikely there will be more studies done on it, but it's a scent which has deeply rooted itself inside me. I don't think I'll ever be free of it's aura, I mean it's been about 9 months since I started wearing it heavily and getting tired of it, hasn't happened once!

 

[Joe]

I’m waiting for mine patiently. What a stellar review!

You haven't gotten it yet?

 

[Joe]

You haven't gotten it yet?

I sent it out as soon as you ordered it.

 

[Joe]

I don’t think I could ever get tired of swiping khus with rose. i Just keep cycling through all the different rose materials i have and let my nose decide which works best for that day. Kashan might be the overall winner though considering how much its cap smells like khus. Also, you’ve mentioned a couple of times steam vs hydro as being the distinction between ruh khus and vetiver which I never knew. It was driving me crazy that one source could produce two such different materials. ( I mean, I’m sure processing and terroir have plenty to do with it as well. I knew copper vs would make a difference, but I didn’t make the leap that it was the distillation method ).

Rose Otto, even with a so-called vendor discount, is so very expensive. And it goes quickly. You can add it to anything, and it makes it all better... I bought 2mls from Enfleurage NYC (https://enfleurage.com/rose-otto-pink/?searchid=90502&search_query=otto), and it costs $100.

 

[Joe]

As always Shiningrobes you've given a complete overview of the material! I think when western noses first smell ruh khus, the sulfurous, stale armpit as you put it comes through, and the assault is so immediate that it colors their perception. It's a strange material because as you mentioned, you'll get different nuances from it, on different days, yet the underlaying mid notes, are what I feel like I've been able to associate a memory with ruh khus through phantom sniffs. Different amounts of air exposure also seem to affect this material, and the opening, hence why I'm using my tola bottle of Ruh Khus 2023 from An Najwa liberally, because I know it'll keep on changing if I store it with that much air in the bottle.

The citrus peel and floral notes in the middle is one of the strangest experiences I've ever come across, I was sure I was going crazy when one afternoon I could smell hints of jasmine in the ruh khus applied to my arm! That strong sweet mint tea aroma is what we all seek out I think, yet it's hard to describe it as that, because it's not exactly that scent either, perhaps slightly fermented mint, or the stalks covered with a little bit of dirt. A swipe of rose alongside it really helps to bring the mintiness forward, I'm on the eternal search for more materials which act in a similar way.

Rose makes everything better, ;-)

 

[Joe]

I’m waiting for mine patiently. What a stellar review!

Yeah, @Ahmaoud is kind of brilliant. This made my day, especially after I had had such a bad one.

 

[Shiningrobes]

Rose Otto, even with a so-called vendor discount, is so very expensive. And it goes quickly. You can add it to anything, and it makes it all better... I bought 2mls from Enfleurage NYC (https://enfleurage.com/rose-otto-pink/?searchid=90502&search_query=otto), and it costs $100.

That newest batch of Bulgarian Otto is 🤗…mwah… chefs kiss perfection. The good thing with rose is that one drop can transform 5ml of most any other material.

 

[Ahmaoud]

Yeah, @Ahmaoud is kind of brilliant. This made my day, especially after I had had such a bad one.

This particular review was by @Alamande Joe, though I wish I had written it 🙂

 

[Ouderriffic]

Ghaliya al Majd by Yusa Aromatics (@Faheem @YusaAromatics)

This is a truly masterfully created Ghaliyah. Sweet and creamy, yet spicy and smoky. The musk is so pleasant and powerful, but without having any harsh animalic opening notes I sometimes pick up in Ghaliyahs. So well blended that I have a hard time picking out any one specific note, compared to Ghaliya al Wajd which definitely leans more floral but is also a beauty. I am a big fan of both.

 

[Simla House]

Ghaliya al Majd by Yusa Aromatics (@Faheem @YusaAromatics)

This is a truly masterfully created Ghaliyah. Sweet and creamy, yet spicy and smoky. The musk is so pleasant and powerful, but without having any harsh animalic opening notes I sometimes pick up in Ghaliyahs. So well blended that I have a hard time picking out any one specific note, compared to Ghaliya al Wajd which definitely leans more floral but is also a beauty. I am a big fan of both.

Mine just arrived! It's having a rest before I give it a go.