Nha Trang Saafi

The effects of copper vs. steel cauldrons or shotgun vs. straightneck condensers are key variables in any oud distiller’s arsenal. Required knowledge.

But at an even more basic level, there are the ABCs of perfumery without which you can’t make a move…

There are three main classes of aromatics:

• Essential oils
• Absolutes 
• CO2 and butane extracts 

If you’ve bought any aromatics, you’ve seen them categorized as one of these three. 

Knowing the differences is knowing how you get the smell of agarwood in liquid form. Knowing how to heat rose petals without scorching them. It’s the kind of knowledge that informs everything you do – if you want the essential oil, you require totally different equipment compared to solvent extracts. You’ll also need two weeks instead of five hours, plus all the extra costs that come with that. 

How much does good rose otto essential oil cost compared to rose absolute? Around eight times? How much does jasmine essential oil cost compared to the absolute? Eight, nine, ten times?

There’s a massive difference in production cost and smell. Some absolutes contain flower petals but also other parts of the plant – bits of the stem, the leaves, etc. So, in the case of a rose for example, the actual ‘flower’ you smell would be less than that of pure otto distillations, which contain only the petals – about two tons of them to make a single kilo at that…

The yield is different, so are extraction time and costs. I could go on, but most importantly: Absolutes, solvent extracts, and essential oils usually smell totally different. They’re so different that they’re treated as different aromatics by producers and sellers alike. 

Knowing which is which is part of the perfumer’s expertise.

Oud oil is no different. People should not be duped into thinking that what they’re smelling is the essential oil when it’s not.

Just like nobody would pit jasmine ruh up against jasmine absolute, why would you compare agarwood essential oil to a solvent extract? The source may be the same, but pan seared and sashimi are not the same thing. 

I’m not saying that distillation is the only way to treat agarwood or that soaking the wood in acid is bad. They just bring different things to the table. Just like ruhs or ottos smell unique and serve you differently. 

Agarwood is the most molecularly rich aromatic we know of. Thats’ why it’s traditionally been hydro-distilled, in order to capture as much of its rich scent spectrum as possible.

Fractional distillation, like CO2 or solvent extraction, strips it of its aromatic complexity.

The result is a ‘clean’ one-dimensional fragrance. You may like that, even prefer it on occasion. To compose certain perfumes, you may need it.

Enter Nha Trang Saafi.

We don’t advertise it as such but I’ve mentioned it publicly that when I say “oud oil” I specifically mean agarwood essential oil. (You can take that as the default regarding any bottle of EO oud.)

But many questions came my way recently after a FB post I made which triggered many people. Turns out many people were not aware of the ABCs and some distillers actually confuse them – and even think the difference doesn’t matter.

That’s why Nha Trang Saafi might well be the most educational whiff of oud you’ll ever take.

Maybe you’ve smelled oud with the same powdery dryness and thought it’s just… different. 

Maybe you’ve compared its clean, unitone profile to other ouds and… drawn all the wrong conclusions or set up benchmarks in your olfactory palette that compare apples to pears.

Maybe the dry-woody fragrance isn’t your thing and you want to avoid buying similar oud. Or maybe you love it and want to know what to look out for in the future.

One swipe of this CO2 Nha Trang extract, and you’ll know your ABCs.

Better yet, if you already know what I’m talking about, then you might crave a second swipe or a third because of how much it reveals about the other ouds in your collection.

Nha Trang Saafi smells like the distillery right after you’ve ground the wood. It smells like the aura of wood fibers wafting through the air exactly. The scent of agarwood ground to fine dust, which permeates the distillery with the fragrance you then go on to try and capture in oil form.

If you own a bottle of Hailam Kilam, you have a beautiful comparison to look forward to.

It’s like Nha Trang Saafi is one note in Hailam Kilam. And that’s the point: Hailam Kilam is a cosmos of aroma chemicals, while Nha Trang CO2 is one beautiful fraction. If it’s that note that stands out most to you in Hailam Kilam, then you’ve got that note, isolated and magnified – and it doesn’t change.

And it’s got more to teach you about the magic of oud…

The fact that this is from Vietnam and that is from Hainan shows you how the fractionation process blurs the geopolitical boundaries. You might as well think this is a Hainanese, or even a Cambodi extract, because the auxiliary notes are… gone.

That’s because CO2s remove agarwood’s inherent complexity. And it’s this naked, pristine fragrance that’s dry in a way that smells as if the oil was never distilled (because it wasn’t) that makes you love it – and love how it brings other ouds in your collection to life. 

Glossary of terms, and more:

Essential oils are normally steam distilled. Hydro-distilled essential oils are called “ruhs” in India which is one of very few places where botanicals are hydro-distilled.

Absolutes are botanicals extracted via a solvent (commonly hexane), which typically results in a solid “concrete”. The concrete is then ethanol bathed and purified into the final product, which is called an “absolute”.

Otto only refers to rose essential oil obtained via steam distillation. Hydro-distilled rose is called rose ruh, or ruh gulab.

It is interesting to note that misconceptions have surrounded oud for the longest time, where anything under the sun coming from an agarwood tree is referred to as ‘oud oil’, be it an essential oil, CO2 extract or absolute. Oud oil is strictly the essential oil of agarwood – obtained either by hydro or steam distillation. Anything else is NOT oud oil. Rather, a CO2 extract is “agarwood CO2”; a solvent extract is “agarwood absolute” etc.

To experience the clean linear note in contrast to full-spectrum oud oil makes you experience AGARWOOD in its entirety even more. And that’s why expanding your repertoire is about, not just to learn more but also to appreciate every other oud even more.