Kinam/Kyara

JohnH

Moderator
Staff member
#21
So I've been burning some awesome Hainanese kinam skins nearly every night , thank you Ensar, and they are absolutely amazing.
Sounds wonderful. I have yet to experience heating kinam but think I may have smelt something close in some wild Vietnamese wood I have.
 

bhanny

Well-Known Member
#22
@Ensar

Oh yes, I'm very fortunate, for sure. I share your prediction..there is just something about kinam that does it for me. I think it is what you suggest later on, that bitter, somewhat bittersweet, medicinal aroma. Its just good for me and puts me at peace. I absolutely love it. And with the burning of the kinam, I am just learning, it is very subtle and "listening" to it is a fun and important practice. I am lucky to have the perfect burner for such exercises. I couldn't overheat it if I wanted to! It is perfect for me. It just gently heats the kinam skins, no smoke, just an amazing, yet subtle stream of kinam aroma.

And I totally agree, my tastes are definitely evolving and I certainly feel a little more confident to be more selective as I move forward.

I will definitely spend some one-on-one time with Kyara LTD and Kynam No1 for more specific feedback, especially with specific notes, they are both amazing and definitely capture that kinam note amazingly well. That bittersweet medicinal awesomeness lasts for hours and hours and hours. The beauty of theses two is it is really isolated very well and there is not a ton of distraction from the kinam note, this is not to say there is nothing else going on, it is just that everything else supports the kinam note perfectly to either highlight it or amplify it. More to follow!
 

Ensar Oud

Well-Known Member
#23
I also have a concern that my oud burning practices are too 'arab' for kinam haha. I would have to approach it with different burning style as well as a different mindset.
You're so right, Taherg. If you're used to traditional ME style fumigation (large chunks of wood directly on top of hot charcoal), the elusive process of gently heating a mustard seed's worth of kyara on a battery-powered device is going to be like engaging in a completely different activity. And it is. Monkoh style 'heating' of the chips and inhaling the subtlest vapors directly into your nostrils, is a completely different ceremony to what they do in the Khaleej. That doesn't mean it's going to be less rewarding, though – even if it means by deepening your appreciation of certain oils in your collection.

I am lucky to have the perfect burner for such exercises. I couldn't overheat it if I wanted to! It is perfect for me. It just gently heats the kinam skins, no smoke, just an amazing, yet subtle stream of kinam aroma.
Don't you just feel like cranking up the heat at times, and then suddenly remember you can't? It's torture! Very fragrant and blissful torture that teaches patience as it does deep appreciation of the subtle nuances of kinam.... My relationship with those heaters was very much a love-hate one years ago, when I first was introduced to them. Now, I can't imagine using a heater with a high heat option. The quick incineration of irreplaceable resin is a thought that makes me cringe.[/QUOTE]
 

bhanny

Well-Known Member
#24
@Ensar

I definitely feel like cranking up the heat at times! But this is GREAT for me in many ways. First it is great for patience in general, not to mention the appreciation of those subtle kinam nuances you mention. The more I practice "hearing" , both the wood and oils, the more amazed I am. Second, the low heat allows these tiny pieces to last a long time. I've been using the same pinch of skins nightly for over a week and you wouldn't even know they've been used! This has been incredibly amazing.

@J65

Ooh, I love some Vietnamese Oil, I bet the wood is amazing as well!

@Taherg

I definitely have a few oils that have some adulterants in them. Even though not amongst my most expensive oils, still several hundred dollars a pop. It adds up. I've learned a valuable lesson as well.
 
#25
@bhanny and Ensar
Which burners are you using to heat the wood? I presume electric type with adjustable temperature control?

@bhanny
Ah...i agree with you on the kyara as simply amazing. What other kyara chips have you tried so far? I only have Shoyeido kyara in my collection so far but always looking to add more to my collection. :D
 

bhanny

Well-Known Member
#26
@bhanny and Ensar
Which burners are you using to heat the wood? I presume electric type with adjustable temperature control?

@bhanny
Ah...i agree with you on the kyara as simply amazing. What other kyara chips have you tried so far? I only have Shoyeido kyara in my collection so far but always looking to add more to my collection. :D
Hey there! Sorry for the delay. I am actually quite new to burning and have actually only burned the Hainan kinam skins. How do you like the Shoyeido kyara? The burner I have is a wonderful solid mahogany electric burner with a SINGLE low temperature, I couldn't overheat it even if I wanted!
 
#27
Hey there! Sorry for the delay. I am actually quite new to burning and have actually only burned the Hainan kinam skins. How do you like the Shoyeido kyara? The burner I have is a wonderful solid mahogany electric burner with a SINGLE low temperature, I couldn't overheat it even if I wanted!
Ah...i had send my kyara for appraisal and it was deemed the classical hon-kyara. It sort of become my benchmark when comparing other kyara that i am hoping to get.

I had the Kyarazen Subitism heater and with a few cheap components from Amazon, manage to convert it to a temperature adjustable heater. Once you can achieve temperature control with your heater, it will open up a whole new listening experience. :)
 

bhanny

Well-Known Member
#28
Ah...i had send my kyara for appraisal and it was deemed the classical hon-kyara. It sort of become my benchmark when comparing other kyara that i am hoping to get.

I had the Kyarazen Subitism heater and with a few cheap components from Amazon, manage to convert it to a temperature adjustable heater. Once you can achieve temperature control with your heater, it will open up a whole new listening experience. :)
Ah, I see, interesting. I'm afraid I'd overdo it and, poof, all that wonderful wood and investment gone in literally a puff of smoke! But maybe thats just the very beginner in me speaking.
 

bhanny

Well-Known Member
#30
Thank you kindly Oud_Learner! While I have no doubt of the capabilities on your end, it is my end I am rather concerned about.;) House fires, smoke damage, angry wife..you get the picture. Mine is actually a lovely mahogany one with everything you'd be interested in safely hidden away from my prying hands.:) Seriously though, its been a good early practice for my listening, I've enjoyed it immensely.
 

bhanny

Well-Known Member
#31
So I've spent a good deal of time recently listening to both my Hainan kinam skins along with a good swipe of Kynam No1. Both are amazing. And what a treat to enjoy together. Kynam No1 though. Man. This thing is really a thing of beauty. It goes on bright yet light green. Almost minty green. It definitely is bittersweet and medicinal and will tingle the nostrils with a deep whiff. A bit further in it grows more sweet before some sweet and soured element shows up, which is mouthwateringly delicious. That mind numbing, nostril tingling, slightly bitter kinam is present beginning to end on this one, most often front and center here and is clearly meant to be the star of the show. This stuff is unreal and I hope I never run out.
 

kesiro

Well-Known Member
#32
So I've spent a good deal of time recently listening to both my Hainan kinam skins along with a good swipe of Kynam No1. Both are amazing. And what a treat to enjoy together. Kynam No1 though. Man. This thing is really a thing of beauty. It goes on bright yet light green. Almost minty green. It definitely is bittersweet and medicinal and will tingle the nostrils with a deep whiff. A bit further in it grows more sweet before some sweet and soured element shows up, which is mouthwateringly delicious. That mind numbing, nostril tingling, slightly bitter kinam is present beginning to end on this one, most often front and center here and is clearly meant to be the star of the show. This stuff is unreal and I hope I never run out.

I am hoping to experience it soon. Your descriptions leave me with extreme anticipation!!
 

bhanny

Well-Known Member
#33
I am hoping to experience it soon. Your descriptions leave me with extreme anticipation!!
I hope you have a similar experience as I have had my friend. These magnificent oils have had an effect on me few others have. Its not that I don't enjoy the scent profile of other oils nearly or equally as much. These oils just touch me in a deeper way and its difficult to describe. Its just as much a spiritual connection, how they affect my psyche, as anything else. I've taken a good deal of criticism over my personal experiences and opinions on this particular subject. I'm personally okay with that, because they are mine. Very few of the people that have had issues with me have even tried the oils I'm talking about.
 

kesiro

Well-Known Member
#34
I hope you have a similar experience as I have had my friend. These magnificent oils have had an effect on me few others have. Its not that I don't enjoy the scent profile of other oils nearly or equally as much. These oils just touch me in a deeper way and its difficult to describe. Its just as much a spiritual connection, how they affect my psyche, as anything else. I've taken a good deal of criticism over my personal experiences and opinions on this particular subject. I'm personally okay with that, because they are mine. Very few of the people that have had issues with me have even tried the oils I'm talking about.
Hi Brian. Given my personal experiences with some of the ouds I already have, I have no doubt you are right. It is also amzing to me how some people are so egotistical as to feel they can comment on others' experiences, especially given the situation you describe. Those folks are not worth the aggrevation. Most just want to argue or just hear themselves talk.
 

5MeO

Well-Known Member
#39
Wow.. Epic kyara beads!

Bhanny, I would recommend the Mermade Magickal Arts adjustable electric heater - it's rather essential to be able to control temperature, and different types of agarwood do better at different temps - and you can finish off your roasted pieces at higher heat to get notes that weren't coming through at lower heat.. It's like $60.. Kyara is great and all, but honestly I prefer several other types of non-kyara agarwood to my kyara stash most of the time - there are so many fantastic woods to enjoy..

If you purchase from Mermade I can also highly recommend picking up some of their fine incenses - check the "Incenses from other artisans" category - "Ali's" incense powder has all sorts of amazing things in it, and everything by Urrere Aromatics is amazing - the "Night Flower" blend is agarwood that has been macerated and soaked multiple times in concentrated deer musk, ambergris, and civet, and then laced with floral essences.. His "Ocean of Night" blend is fantastic also..