My wife and I just finished sampling all the vials and they are simply exquisite. We started on Valentine’s Day and did one a day for the next nine days. Cracking open a vial, discovering each fascinating new aroma, applying it and inhaling the intoxicating smell all evening long became a rather enjoyable ritual for […]
Seng had impeccable work ethic. When you talked to him his eyes were calm, his physiognomy gentle. But as you watched his firm jawline tighten, the veins bulging along his neck, the intensity of his facial expressions when engaged even in the most mundane task, you saw a man of zen and single-minded focus. Watching him […]
We went into this, heart and soul. Pots boiled up blood, tears and sweat for the last five years. Grey hairs have grown plenty and we’ve gotten to know many beautiful people and distilled some exquisite oils. And so, it’s with a heavy heart that I look through the peephole to see a dark, dismal […]
Take a new distill. Collect the final drops, uncap the container, and leave the oud exposed for three months, ten months, two years, and you’ll get – in a distorted echo – a whiff of Tigerwood 1995… for two minutes. For a massive number of oud users, those two minutes of imitation-age matter more than any notes […]
What is it about Maroke ouds? They’ve got this medicinal scent that captures a somber green aroma you can’t find in any other kind of oud. They often smell like fresh wet earth, a dense forest in the rain. For some, they’re the pinnacle of the oud scent. Some love them for their extreme oudiness. […]
Why does one bottle of oud cost $300 more than the next, or even $700 more? You’ll hear it’s all about the raw materials, but what exactly does that mean? And is that all there is to it? In the coming weeks, I’d like to share a series of insights that give you a peek at what […]
It has been brought up time and again that using the term ‘Kyara’ in naming oud oils is misleading and inappropriate. So I think the time has come for some clarifications to be made, and some questions to be asked. Firstly, no one knows what kyara is. Let me repeat that: No one knows what constitutes kyara. No one can explain […]
Indigenous cultures and modern minds alike swear to the sacred nature of the mysterious agarwood tree. Oud wood and oil have a place in the homes of laymen and business tycoons alike, whether as carved agarwood beads, aloeswood miniatures of religious symbols, or bottles of fragrant oud oil. We might have dismissed it as mere […]
1 | Kruger, our distiller monk and a member of the local mafia take their seats at a small restaurant just before sunset. They order Tom Yum and steamed fish. When the waiter brings their drinks, Kruger turns to the mafia member. The monk had once told him about his father’s escapades when he was […]
