Oud of the Day

[User]

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[honeybadger]

Yusa pursat encense

Bought a bottle of this in plan to make it a part of my everyday oud rotation. Opens up with a light fruits, wet tobacco, and leather with wet jungle soil petrichor undertones. There's a jamminess to it both in it's consistency and smell which reminds me of boysenberries. Once it's dabbed into the skin, the scent projection is dialed up maintaining a well balanced distribution of its berry and tobacco accords.

 

[Castingshadows]

As far as I know, every oil you mentioned is sinensis or smells like sinensis to me, except for NT Oritsu, which I have not smelled.

I was talking about Nha Trang LTD from Ensar, which I thought was a crassna oil. Your sinus infection is not relevant because you haven't smelled that oil before. BTW I didn't know you had an infection. Maybe you mentioned it in another comment. Anyways it could be sinensis, but it doesn't have the drydown that I usually associate with high quality sinensis oils.

Then again, Royal Kinam and Hyang Kang also don't really smell like sinensis to me. Does crassna grow in Hainan and Hong Kong? If not, then the different smell could be a result of the distillation style or genetics, and not a difference in the species.

Where are you getting high quality Thai oils from? I don't see them around a lot and the ones I have tried were all a bit disappointing.

If you haven't tried Ensar's Nha Trang or IO Nha Trang Ultima or something in that category, then you should try one if you can. Hopefully they will show you that Vietnam has something to offer. Nha Trang Qinan from Kymya is another good example of that scent profile.

Even an NT oil I tried which was similar to Hainan/HK oils was very good and stood out from the crowd. I kinda wish I had bought some.

I think we’re just having crossed wires.

I’m definitely aware that Fragrant Harbor and all the oils I mentioned from Hainan are sinensis. I was stating that I wasn’t sure if the Nha Trang was Crassna or sinensis.

Yusa Aromatics is the continuation of Imperial Oud so I’m assuming that there’s some continuity in the quality and style of the oils they offer as Faheem is the one running Yusa and was a major part of Imperial Oud. I guess he would know better than I would if he feels Nha Trang Oritsu is of similar quality as Mha Trang Ultima. I just can barely smell out of my nose so the issue is that my nose isn’t working and this could totally rock my world when my smell comes back.

One of my favorite Thai oils is Tokusen Thai from Agar Aura. To date I haven’t smelled a better Thai oil. I also really enjoyed Siam 4K until I smelled Tokusen Thai.

 

[User]

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[Castingshadows]

Maybe, but two oils from the same guy can be very different.

Jinkoh store is run by Marius, who is another owner of Imperial Oud. His Grand Emperor Nha Trang oil smells very different from Nha Trang Ultima.

Sulaym is also run by a former part-owner of IO, and their SQ Vietnamese oil smells nothing like any of the oils mentioned. They haven't released any kind of new gen Nha Trang oil that I am aware of.

That is because these people have lots of connections and they get their oils from different sources. Marius got his NT oil from a chinese seller and Sulaym's viet oil is an SQ oil, so obviously different. According to rumors, Ensar got NTLTD from the same distiller that the guys at IO got NTU. If NT ko or Oritsu is from the same source then it probably smells similar, but if it's not then it probably smells very different.

I’m not saying that Nha Trang Oritsu smells like Nha Trang Ultima im simply talking about the quality of the oil. I’m saying that Faheem says it’s a high grade oil in the Oud oils write up. I have no reason to not believe him or trust his nose when he says something is special/quality.

I think you’re getting hung up on a post where i was talking about Fragrant Harbor and how Im not as wowed by Nha Trang Oritsu. All of that other stuff you’re talking about is great. But I’m not sure if we’re having the same conversation and I’m saying that with the upmost respect. I mean no disrespect whatsoever.

I fully trust the vendors in this community when they say something is quality. I’ve been here long enough to know that. I’m fully aware that everyone sources different oils from different vendors and have different tastes. I’m well aware of the differences between multiple distillations of the same region of Oud. I’m just not wowed by Nha Trang Oritsu because I can’t really smell anything. Which I’ve posted about several times.

Like I said in a previous post I still haven’t put my nose on Oriscent’s Nha Trang. If you go back a page you can read a whole bunch of words I wrote on the subject.

“Nha Trang like you never smelled before.
Distilled using sinking bead scrap material, this oil shows the different facets of vietnamese wood like no other, called Nha Trang Oritsu because it has a purple Iris note troughout the whole spectrum. Cooling, sweet honeyed florals greet you upon swiping and shortly after it turns minty with a touch of bitterness. High grade Nha Trang wood on low temperature with cotton candy grape whiffs, hints of spices and the picture is complete.”

 

[Uday Lalan]

AlJanah series were certainly special oils, i'm sure those who have vials can appreciate them more now as they have aged.

The best Hindi Oud i have smelt to date is @Al Shareef Oudh Qandahar 2 followed by Ajmal vintage and then Oud Isa by Ensar aswell as Sasora Jinkoh by Taha.

Ive smelt many Hindi oils over the years, theres just something so unique in Hindi Oud that seperates it from all other reigons.

A wise man once said "all Oud journeys end with Hindi Oud".

At the end you realise nothing beats a fine Hindi oil.

So truly said about Hindi oils. I didn't get the opportunity to smell the Aljanah series nor the famed Qandahar 2 by ASO but I had Oud Isa from Ensar Oud and the honeyed oudyness was just unbeatable. Zuhayr from Aso was also a great oil with honeyed oudyness and the only Hindi I had from ASO

 

[SophMarie]

I should reiterate that I do have a sinus infection. I’m not claiming it’s a sinensis oil only that it smells very, very similar to an oil I already have which happens to be sinensis. But I also feel a lot of sinensis and Crassna have overlap and in this case it simply smells redundant from what I can smell.

This could change once my sinus infection goes away but I enjoy writing down my initial impressions and talking about them. I will say though that I get zero association to Hainan with Nha Trang Oritsu.

Sympathies! I'm finally getting over one that lasted four months -- four months in which I did a lot of buying. I kept thinking, these oils/attars/perfumes seems lovely now, but what if I hate them when I'm well? 😁

I don't think I shall 🙂

 

[User]

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[Castingshadows]

I am not saying Oritsu is lower or higher quality, just that it's likely to be a very different smell from NTU, NTLTD, NT Qinan, etc. Same with GE NT from Jinkoh store. Completely different profile from Nha Trang Qinan at a similar price and I wouldn't even know how to compare their quality to each other.

I am not concerned with your comparison of Fragrant Harbour and NT Oritsu. To paraphrase, you said that Vietnam doesn't seem to offer anything that Thai oud can't offer you. I am trying to say that one of the NT oils I mentioned may change your mind.

That would be an unreasonable thing to say if you had already tried another oil in the same category, and that would be the case if NT Oritsu is similar to NT Ultima. That is why I am trying to show the likelihood that it is a very different oil. I am also making a suggestion to try one of those oils if you want to see the potential that NT oud oil can have.

But maybe Oritsu showcases the same potential and you just can't smell it right now. I have no way of knowing if that's the case.

I appreciate your passion for Vietnamese oils but this isn’t the first oil I’ve ever smelled from Vietnam. I know what I like. Nha Trang LTD may very well be an incredibly different oil that is so different it doesn’t even smell like a Vietnamese oil. I’m okay with that. I’m okay knowing I won’t get to smell everything. But I get to smell really high grade sinking Vietnamese wood and that’s better than wearing the oils to my nose.

What’s unreasonable is expecting someone to have the same opinion as you. I didn’t like Royal Kinam. I didn’t need to smell Royal Kinam to know what my favorite sinensis oil is. Just like I didn’t need to smell Purple Kinam to know that it’s NOT my favorite Malaysian. Just like Borneo Kinam isn’t my favorite Borneo.

 

[User]

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[Woody]

Man oh man, what a duo. Oud Boran - Habzoud + Raja Hijau - Habzoud. These two combined are like nothing I have ever smelled before. 🤩🤩

Raja Hijau is great. Wish I could find more of it.

 

[Mousse de Chene]

I agree with your comment that the mild fermentation works so well with the rest of the notes. I haven’t smelled a non-fermented Hindi yet but the fermented ones I’ve tried have all been so rich and kept me coming back for another smell.

I felt this oil had more nutty and savory elements than the Al Hareer. It’s a very nice oil but I liked the slightly sweeter and more resinous Al Hareer.

I’ll check out Al Hareer next time! I love sweetness in Oud oils, especially Hindi.

It’s definitely worth checking out some unsoaked Hindi’s for education. You’ll get a better understanding of how soaking affects the dry downs of Hindi oils.
Two of the best that I own are ‘Algara’ - Al Hashimi & ‘Haflong Qinam’ - Rising Phoenix. Both these oils contain completely zero fermentation notes, very clean new gen Hindi’s.
However, the absolute best is The Oud Lab - ‘Maharaja’. Although this oil hasn’t undergone any soaking, it has the richness that you’d expect from traditionally soaked Hindi, complete with a sweetness, leather, a deep resinous incensey character. Quite amazing this aroma is sourced from unsoaked organic wood.

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

I’ll check out Al Hareer next time! I love sweetness in Oud oils, especially Hindi.

I need to try it as well. I'm yet to really delve into Hindi oud and well...with Habzoud can you really go wrong?

 

[Mousse de Chene]

I need to try it as well. I'm yet to really delve into Hindi our and well...with Habzoud can you really go wrong?

I’ve been blown away by Habz recent oils, truly stunning!
The only oil I didn’t enjoy was the first version of Cambodi Smoke I purchased back in 2022, while I could appreciate the concept the smokiness was too much for me.

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

I’ve been blown away by Habz recent oils, truly stunning!
The only oil I didn’t enjoy was the first version of Cambodi Smoke I purchased back in 2022, while I could appreciate the concept the smokiness was too much for me.

I tend to agree with this. That smoke note is really intense! Still..on a hot day it's not bad. It takes multiple swipes to figure that one out.

 

[Ersel]

From the top of the Sigiriya Rock. Unfortunately, left my oud stuff sitting in the car

 

[SophMarie]

I’ve been blown away by Habz recent oils, truly stunning!
The only oil I didn’t enjoy was the first version of Cambodi Smoke I purchased back in 2022, while I could appreciate the concept the smokiness was too much for me.

When I was first trying oud, the mildest Cambodis were too smokey for me. A few weeks later, I was going back into my stash for those samples and falling in love 😍

 

[Dazai]

I’ll check out Al Hareer next time! I love sweetness in Oud oils, especially Hindi.

It’s definitely worth checking out some unsoaked Hindi’s for education. You’ll get a better understanding of how soaking affects the dry downs of Hindi oils.
Two of the best that I own are ‘Algara’ - Al Hashimi & ‘Haflong Qinam’ - Rising Phoenix. Both these oils contain completely zero fermentation notes, very clean new gen Hindi’s.
However, the absolute best is The Oud Lab - ‘Maharaja’. Although this oil hasn’t undergone any soaking, it has the richness that you’d expect from traditionally soaked Hindi, complete with a sweetness, leather, a deep resinous incensey character. Quite amazing this aroma is sourced from unsoaked organic wood.

Thanks so much for the recommendations! I’ll have to add them to ever growing list.

 

[Humpdidumpdi]

Raja Hijau is great. Wish I could find more of it.

Ask mohammad for his new oil 😉

 

[Castingshadows]

I am not sure that you will have the same opinion as me. Most people I know who tried it have a very similar opinion, and I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that you would have an opinion similar to me and everyone I have talked to.

Aside from not trying Borneo Kinam, I agree with you on the other two oils, and without trying it I can say that Borneo Kinam is also not likely to be my favorite Borneo. On the other hand, the Nha Trang oils from Ensar are actually my favorite Vietnamese oils, and the others I mentioned aren't far behind. So I think they are worth recommending.

And if you're okay with not trying it then just...don't. No need to get pissy about it.

I’m really confused on this entire exchange. No one is getting pissy. Please refrain from being rude and using language like that. I’ve been respectful this entire time.