Dr. Andrej is more obsessed with oud than most diehard collectors and his acute appreciation for all things oud got him to get in touch with Ensar. Their ongoing discussion has covered numerous themes that delve into the finer details of artisanal oud oil. This is the first in a series of posts that follows the email […]
Category Archives: Articles
01
Sep
Sep
Q: “Ensar, having now the benefit of experience of several distillations from incense-grade wood, do you still think it’s worth the risk and do you plan on doing any more? The cost is much higher and because the wood is so resinated, yields are modest. Of course, the resulting oils can be spectacular, but even […]
17
Aug
Aug
No one can blame him for the initial suspicion he showed towards me – this stranger from the West who seemed to challenge him on every point he brought up. The oud business is rough and dirty, and he’d been in the thick of it for decades. He used to be the main oud supplier […]
06
Mar
Mar
If you’re new to the world of Oud, one word you hear being chanted all over the place is ‘Cambodi.’ So, what is Oud Cambodi, anyway? In the beginning, there was Oud Hindi. This was the deep, reddish-brown juice that was presented to the Sheikhs and Emirs, Sultans and dignitaries in fancy crystal flasks back […]
30
Nov
Nov
30 May 2012 Kuala Lumpur ‘If you want oud oil, all I have to do is make a phone call. I can get you two kilos in two minutes. But you know what kind of oud it’ll be…’ explained the man who first set up distillation in Kuala Lumpur, as he showed us around his […]
12
May
May
12 April 2012 Mission Borneo: Progress Report I. Eating Agarwood Dust Singapore. It’s here where we first heard the news that the agarwood world as we know it is at its end. Six months later, en route to Borneo, we stopped over in Singapore to find out what has come to pass since our last […]
Just thought I’d share a few photos with you that pretty much sum up why I will only deal with Oriscent. This is a bottle of supposed “Top Shelf” Oud I had purchased some time ago from one of the so-called “Reputable” dealers here in the Gulf. Needless to say it has sat untouched since being […]
04
Apr
Apr
4 November 2011 ‘Not one single wild tree stands in the jungles of Laos,’ Christopher said to me today. A long term colleague and associate, Mr. Hoeth is a Swiss expat who relocated to Laos to pursue his passion of crafting agarwood oil. Apart from what I witnessed firsthand in the Far East just a […]
‘I’m a struggling college student and my only pleasure in life are your wonderful oud oils. The only thing I spend money on is the bare essentials, to eat and buy oud. If I spend what you’re asking for the Mostafa I won’t have enough money to feed myself for the rest of the month […]
The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod? Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil; […]