Aroha Mysaku

There are typically three ways most people experience the scent of musk: 

1. Smell the raw grains
2. Tincture the musk
3. A sandalwood infusion.

Because musk acts as an exalting fixative, sandalwood has been the primary carrier through the ages. So, instead of smelling the musk neat, people prefer to smell it echo through sandalwood. 

Sandalwood and musk go beautifully together – it’s why we offer exactly such infusions (eg. Aussie Muskbourne and Royal Tibetan), where sandalwood allows musk to be showcased without tampering too much with its potent raw aroma. 

But there’s another kind of infusion nobody undertakes…

The first of its kind that I’m aware of was Ha Tinh LTD, which was the core of Notes From Underground (Pure Parfum)…

…Musk infused into OUD.

Aroha Mysaku has been a secret weapon in EO. I’ve only vaguely referred to a certain oud-musk infusion that has gone into a number of EO perfumes and attars. This beast of an aromatic ought to be mentioned and highlighted and advertised widely, yet it’s only been discreetly used as one of the genes that give EO perfumes their ‘DNA’…

But the secret is now public for you to smell first-hand why EO perfumes don’t beat around the bush. 

The oud itself is a montage of Cambodian agarwood distilled harvests from across Cambodia, including Koh Kong, Pursat, and Kampot. Compared to the typically tangy Cambodi profile, this distillation produced an exceptionally ethereal, almost green profile for a Cambodi. And by this I don’t mean ‘fleeting’, but rather a profile reminiscent of the beautifully linear profiles in some of the highest-grade ouds we’ve ever produced. 

It’s this linearity that made it a fantastic carrier for what became the find of the century – ancient Tonkin musk pods. 

Aroha Mysaku lets the raw musky oomph stay untamed. While even a high-percentage Sandalwood infusion has the calming sandalwood mood to it, this Cambodi is a different animal!

At the atelier, Aroha Mysaku is known for having the Ha Tinh effect. The effect of uncapping the bottle, taking a whiff, and being overwhelmed.

There are few things that put an Oud Man on his back leg, but raw Tonkin musk steeped in wild Cambodian agarwood for – it’s been steeping for years already – is one such beauty of a beast. 

The opening notes are… no surprise… a blast of Tonkin musk. This alone is a priceless olfactory reference since this musk cannot be found anywhere…

But here’s what really blows me away about the infusion:

This is the clearest case of musk’s exalting effect I’ve ever smelled. I wish I could hand out samples of the oud neat because the musk literally brought out flavors you couldn’t smell before – and made them louder!

Aroha Mysaku has notes of coco-coffee with a low-key mintiness that was nowhere in the profile pre-infusion. And you smell these notes through the exquisite, and pristinely showcased, earthy truffle facets of the musk itself. I find the fragrance incredibly addictive. 

We have solid selection of musk infusions and tinctures, and yet none come close to giving such a HD whiff of the musk neat. And that’s another reason this infusion blows my mind…

What made this Cambodi such an ideal carrier is because it would let the musk shine through. Not only does it do just that, almost as a thanks in return the musk transformed the Cambodi into one of the most incredible Aroha incense experiences.

Like walking past a campfire in a forest, petrichor in the air on your way chasing wafts of kodo coming from… somewhere. 

I can go on all week about how this smell shouldn’t exist, couldn’t exists – doesn’t exist anywhere else. It makes me want to infuse all my ouds and invite you to a buffet of pure agarmusk indulgence. 

Until then, Aroha Mysaku will keep your nose guessing and your cravings beckoning aplenty.