No 2: Hyang Kang

Let’s start with the fact that this isn’t actually No 2.

You see, Hyang Kang is the highest level Hong Kong oud you can wish for – and may well be the only wild, artisanal HK one you’ll ever be able to smell.

Its red kinamic aroma is almost indistinguishable from certified red kyara, evoking a profound sensory experience similar to hearing Beethoven’s 5th live. The scent delivers an intense kinamic burst that, objectively – from the caliber of wood, the complexity, the profile, everything – puts it in the same league as Nha Trang and Kynam. Pure medicinal madness.

When we talk about these perfumes being in the league of Bugattis and Patek Philippes, it means it must actually be in the equivalent, elite olfactory league. And for that, you can’t settle. This needs to be extreme.

So, this is not actually NO 2, but rather my personal, kinamified edition of it. In fact, you’re basically getting a Private Blend-level No 2 further enhanced with Kyang Kang.

Private Blend already works like magic with the spice-bomb musk mania every spritz gives you. So, imagine adding a full 3-gram bottle of Kyang Kang…

Wild Hong Kong oud has been virtually absent from the market for over a decade – over the past fifteen years, practically the only Hong Kong distillation anyone could reference was the original Royal Kinam.

Hyang Kang, distilled alongside Royal Kinam in 2007, is one of the only authentic Hong Kong ouds in existence. Its unique, complex aroma features a subtle spiciness reminiscent of ginseng or ashwagandha with a narcotic, gently bitter pitch comparable only to top-tier Vietnamese kinam. As one of the rarest and most precious ouds in the Oriscent collection, Hyang Kang offers a glimpse into a bygone era, capturing a scent profile that is unlikely to be recreated on Hong Kong soil.

Kyang Kang is so layered, you could tincture it and have a ready perfume. The way it oozes into and out of the spicy musk oud of No 2 on steroids makes your nose spin.

You can find out more about how Private Blend was born, but what matters here is that you get what was already an exercise in olfactory indulgence – done so purely for myself – to create a perfume that pushed olfactory boundaries; to create a scent that wasn’t defined, regulated, or judged by ‘marketability’, growth scaling, and your department’s quarterly financial report. What mattered was the smell.

This edition is where the quintessential EO musk meets the entrancing kinamic bite of the world’s rarest Hong Kong oud. And it’s a banger, if I may say so myself!

*Your bottle comes with 18-karat gold-plated plaque, Sumatran oud cap, and pieces of actual vintage Nha Trang agarwood granules inside.