Oud Reviews

[Oud_learner]

I group Oudh into 2 categories. The first is OUDH, the second is Agarwood Perfume. OUDH has to have some funk/barn/tobacco together with a psychoactive vibe, not very sweet, plus there has to be some fruit but not fruity, incensy resin but not boya, heavy not ethereal. Everything else is Agarwood Perfume.
Don't get me wrong, I am not belittling Perfumy ouds, they are still a far cry better than synthetics out there, plus they can be more varied and artisanal. Nothing wrong with Gyrinops, Malaysian, Borneo, Indonesian, etc. , but to me most of them fall into the Perfume category, and some darn good ones I might add. At the moment I favor the OUDHs, but that is me being very subjective.

Just curious, can you list some examples of oils that belong in the OUDH range? 🙂

 

[peter4ptv]

Pearl, according to some other old timer distillers the un-soaking is completely new thing, as one distiller point it to me un-soaking in Assam history of oud oils was never heard until the last few decades.
If ask for un-soaked oils in Laos people will laugh at you, as I have heard Laos have learn from the Hinds about distilling oud, so it all actually make sense to me.
So to me this:
<<<<<<<<< Before vintage Indian oud as we know it, there were truly vintage Indian ouds. Gold, yellow, and green oils with sparkling sweet scent profiles. Those oils were gently distilled in fully-copper apparatus, and the wood was never soaked (thus never fermented = barnyard) before distillation. My distiller explained this is how all Indian oud oils used to be back in the day...>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Is completely untrue

The same person who wrote the above also said that:<<<<<<<< If ask for un-soaked oils in Laos people will laugh at you>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Maybe I am wrong here but logically something is wrong with the statement saying that:

<<<<for old Hindi oils wood was never soaked>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

[peter4ptv]

Pearl, here i found something interesting to read:
https://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/108/01/0063.pdf


From this article looks like the fermentation is part of the traditional production of fragrant oil from resin impregnated agarwood tissue in Assam.

 

[peter4ptv]

Here is another reference saying:

<<<<<<<<<<<distillation of agar oil was done in ancient. Assam during .... soaking them in water for 5-7 days.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

https://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/19376/1/IJTK 1(1) 47-58.pdf

please read page 52 for how the ancient hindi oil is done.

so this
<<<<<<Before vintage Indian oud as we know it, there were truly vintage Indian ouds. Gold, yellow, and green oils with sparkling sweet scent profiles. Those oils were gently distilled in fully-copper apparatus, and the wood was never soaked>>>>>

is a complete marketing crap, you just don't know who to believe this days!!!!

 

[firdaous]

Now I am facing a huge problem, let me explain you in details :
I bought my first Chinese exclusive bottle in 2004 or a little bit later and the hainan2005 this year and I know EXACTLY what I should expect from this kind of Chinese Oud (lovely Ouds by the way)but the hindis it's a complete different story, with this new funky generation I never know if the bottle received will finish into my valuable oud case with the rest of my true Indians or if I will put it directly to the garbage...

 

[peter4ptv]

Peral, please read page 52 on the last document, 5-7 days is the first part of the process and 10 to 15 is the second so looks like the ancient distillers were soaking for at least 20 days.

 

[Bengal Roots]

@firdaous you are speaking my heart out. For me barnyard notes are integral part of Hindi Oil. It's part of its profile.

With new age distillers and Mad scientist nowadays, depends what they are trying to capture in the oil & what they want present as an oil to the world. their take as 'Assam'. I think there where things go overboard.

For me I want to capture THE CLASSIC ASSAM from bygone era. The Real OG!

Assam oil is rebel, complex, exotic & untamed.

Let world accept it the way it is rather making it smell 'LOVEYDOVEY' accommodating commercial olfaction demand. That's not the real profile of Assam. It's a version.

Assam is not for faint hearted and plastic Oud lovers. It's oil for the 'Real Ones'

@peter4ptv ASAMA GARJANA will explain you rest!

 

[Mr B]

Whats a Real OG by the way? I thought the buck stopped at OG.

I imagine drake would be A Real OG. not an OG but someone who is trying too hard.

An OG Hindi would by deduction not try too hard to be fecal to the extent that barn drowns out the subtle nuances of precious aloeresin.

That scent can be cheaply acquired by ignoring hygiene.

 

[rojas]

I group Oudh into 2 categories. The first is OUDH, the second is Agarwood Perfume. OUDH has to have some funk/barn/tobacco together with a psychoactive vibe, not very sweet, plus there has to be some fruit but not fruity, incensy resin but not boya, heavy not ethereal. Everything else is Agarwood Perfume.
Don't get me wrong, I am not belittling Perfumy ouds, they are still a far cry better than synthetics out there, plus they can be more varied and artisanal. Nothing wrong with Gyrinops, Malaysian, Borneo, Indonesian, etc. , but to me most of them fall into the Perfume category, and some darn good ones I might add. At the moment I favor the OUDHs, but that is me being very subjective.

I classify OUD as "people-friendly" and "soul-friendly" .

It has always been my inclination to like more challenging , barny , animalic , feral , musty and primal factors in òud which require a personal space to enjoy .

No matter how beautiful or good a oud might be , it'll still can't compete to even come close to bliss me the way a complex hindi , Laos ,Chinese , or a Malaysian oud does - whom I classify as "soul- friendly".

Though I go for " people-friendly " ouds for work or outing but the cravings and binging nevér subside till I put a dab of my "soul-friendly" oils whenever I find some personal space .

 

[peter4ptv]

vendors dont lie about the profile of their "new gen" hindi oil.

Take Feel-oud for exemple...he calls his oils "old school" and "new school"...you cant be more transparent.

Personaly I love new school and old school hindi for different reason.

Hi Jalil, please re read the posts nobody was saying anything about the profile of the oils.

It was about this:
<<<<<<<<< Before vintage Indian oud as we know it, there were truly vintage Indian ouds. Gold, yellow, and green oils with sparkling sweet scent profiles. Those oils were gently distilled in fully-copper apparatus, and the wood was never soaked (thus never fermented = barnyard) before distillation. My distiller explained this is how all Indian oud oils used to be back in the day...>>>>>>>>>>>>>

As some old time distillers has point out and from the documents I post here looks like the Hindi practice of none soaking is just a practice from the last few decades.

Vintage, truly vintage Indian ouds or ancient were all used some type of soakings.


So talking about “truly vintage Indian ouds with wood was never soaked”

Do not look like it is true. So definitely

<<<<< how all Indian oud oils used to be back in the day>>>>>> is complete crap…………………



I think Zakir explained very well what back in the days Assam oils use to be, I bet he knows much more than me or most people here about the Assam oil distillation history.



So this is even bigger crap:

<<<<<< Gold, yellow, and green oils with sparkling sweet scent profiles. Those oils were gently distilled in fully-copper apparatus, and the wood was never soaked>>>>>>



I am sorry for my language.

 

[jalil]

Hello Peter I think like you...re read my first post 😉

my second post is about the second intervention of Firdaous.

 

[peter4ptv]

Hello Peter I think like you...re read my first post 😉

my second post is about the second intervention of Firdaous.

opss, sorry Jalil i got it now.

 

[jalil]

no problem Peter 😉

 

[RobertOne]

I classify OUD as "people-friendly" and "soul-friendly" .

It has always been my inclination to like more challenging , barny , animalic , feral , musty and primal factors in òud which require a personal space to enjoy .

No matter how beautiful or good a oud might be , it'll still can't compete to even come close to bliss me the way a complex hindi , Laos ,Chinese , or a Malaysian oud does - whom I classify as "soul- friendly".

Though I go for " people-friendly " ouds for work or outing but the cravings and binging nevér subside till I put a dab of my "soul-friendly" oils whenever I find some personal space .

I certainly agree from my beginner's experience with Oud that they can be overpowering immediately upon contact with skin and in the case of some very barnyardy and fecalicious examples I have not tried yet, all day long!

As I am Scottish, and therefore tighter than a virgin hamster's virtue, how I often sample Oud might be an appropriate solution, I barely swipe it directly under my nose, catching some skin as well as the moustache portion of my beard. That way yields the maximum amount of scent for the minimum amount of substance.

The lady of the house appreciated when I did that with a few that I enjoyed.

Also, Thank you Shabby and 5Me0 for your kind words.

 

[Al Shareef Oudh]

@PEARL

Akhi basically if I am reading correctly you are saying "anything goes"?

 

[Oudamberlove]

Just curious, can you list some examples of oils that belong in the OUDH range? 🙂

Kinam Rouge, Masterpiece, LE2013, KZ Cambodia Classic, Kambodi 1976..Kuwwa..X, Chen Xiang Khmer, Encens D'Angkor, Oud Mostafa 4, Kalakassi, and Thaqeel. I can go on and on.

 

[Bengal Roots]

Whats a Real OG by the way? I thought the buck stopped at OG.

I imagine drake would be A Real OG. not an OG but someone who is trying too hard.

An OG Hindi would by deduction not try too hard to be fecal to the extent that barn drowns out the subtle nuances of precious aloeresin.

That scent can be cheaply acquired by ignoring hygiene.

Easy Tiger! : ) I am not here to know what DRAKE is... With Real OG (Real Olfaction Genre) I meant OLDSKOOL HINDI OIL & I clearly meant 'FOR ME'

Like new age distillers they are clear with their intentions that they want to capture Assam Profile with 'ZERO BARN'

IMHO Barnyard to a proportion is good. It's the greed of some distillers they go overboard for more yield and they don't realize thin line between fermentation and getting things ROTTEN.

Wow! Scent can be cheaply acquired & unhygiene. Ofcourse, there are internet vendors they are doing the same giving stories and selling Castor Oil in name of Oud oil. That means all Vendors are 'Cheaters' No Right! Neither customers are DUMB

YOU NEVER KNOW THE TRUTH. YOU KNOW 'A' TRUTH

@peter4ptv I am a 'LEARNER' who loves HINDI OUD.

 

[Oudamberlove]

Shouldn't age be a huge factor, in what determines a real good Hindi. A lot of changes seem to occur in Hindis (as with some other oils), that it has to stand the test of time before it can be considered real good.
Plus, can the woods used today be compared to what was being used a century ago.

 

[firdaous]

I would like to say something more.
Some people may consider Oud as "un parfum de luxe" but it is NOT, it's much more than that...
$500,$700 or $3000 a bottle they don't mind,it must be something special let's go for it the more they pay the more they are happy and what happen after a couple of days or weeks? You will find a entire collection 20,30 bottles for sale on eBay.
Agarwood is history, Agarwood has this special and unique sacred aspect with no competitor.
It was used in the ancient times by ALL to perfume their clothes,by the monk is his sanctuary, by the Muslim to perfume his house especially during the blessed month of Ramadan, by the Asians during their Kodo sessions...
Now take a seat for a while, turn your head and go back to 10,15 or 25 years and tell me which Oud will stay in the history forever?
I have a couple in mind and they ALL respect their DNA!!!
In my personal opinion the challenge is not to capture the Kyara scent in your oil or to make it softer and acceptable as much as possible, the challenge for la crème de la crème is to answer the question: Which one will stay in the history?
Agarwood is history my friend, don't forget it...

 

[Mandeel AlMandeel]

Kinam Rouge, Masterpiece, LE2013, KZ Cambodia Classic, Kambodi 1976..Kuwwa..X, Chen Xiang Khmer, Encens D'Angkor, Oud Mostafa 4, Kalakassi, and Thaqeel. I can go on and on.

salam dear , i will be happy to see your review about kz cambodian thanks 🙂