Borneo Zazen

Borneo Zazen is - Borneo Zen on steroids! Every single note of the scent seems amped up a notch or two. The oil itself is of a coppery-golden colour and is quite fluid.

The initial blast is all Jasmine, and this Jasmine is greatly enhanced by musk.
Very soon the "jasmarine" accord of Borneo Zazen unfolds too. I think I did smell musk as one of the notes, however this was only a fleeting impression.
The strong Jasmine accord slowly gives in at around twenty minutes, and Borneo Zazen gradually morphs into a delightful sandalwood-musk-oud combo, gently supported by florals. It is very incense-y in this stage, with a very slight earthy note from the Green Papua, and I suppose, from Vetiver.

Side-by-side comparison of Borneo Zazen and Borneo Zen:

Compared to an earlier version of Borneo Zen, Borneo Zazen contains a different, more ethereal, Jasmine. Either that, or the musk is at work here.

The "older" Borneo Zen in its early stage seems more fruity - it has that peach scent of Jasmine. The peach note never entirely vanishes, and to my nose Borneo Zen is somewhat sweeter… it has the sweetness of fruits, of orange and rose. What I especially like is the duo of sandalwood and rose which starts after about two and a half hours; and which to my nose was one of the most delightful combos I have ever smelled. Borneo Zazen does not display that note, at least I didn´t notice it in the sample that Adam so kindly included with my order. Instead, Borneo Zazen is more woody, and I seem to get more of the musk-sandalwood-oud combo.

Generally speaking, the two are very much alike, however the Borneo Zazen has a more potent, in-your-face scent. Borneo Zen is more calming and , at least to my nose, sweeter. While Borneo Zazen walks on the scene with a confident stride.. ..in addition, Borneo Zazen is more incense-y, but less floral in the mid and drydown stages. It is really a new take on Borneo Zen, one in which the musk and sandalwood shine through.

Great write up Thomas. And good to read you again.
I haven’t tried the borneo Zazen but sounds much more up my alley. The OG while very refined and nuanced, was a bit too floral for my personal liking, so much so that I preferred it on my wife than on myself. White and red florals are pretty feminine to my nose and senses while purple florals are more masculine. If it makes any sense...

Thank you Rasoul. Yes the distinction between "masculine" purple and "feminine" white and pink florals makes sense....only that I, personally, wear them regardless of the gender attribution...only disticntion I make is "does it suit my mood today, or not".
I once bought an attar from India, Saffron and Rose combo. It started quite mellow, great notes from saffron but soon morphed into a full blast of pink rose. Quite feminine you would think - but there are days when nothing else will do but this one. Great also when I need to get sleep...so calming, I drift off within three minutes.

Personally I didn't jump onto the 'real men wear pink' bandwagon that came through town some years ago, and am not a fan of polo shirts with popped collars, that is to say I am in no way a 'pretty boy' probably mostly because I ain't pretty LoL. . . But Rose oil, absolutely, and give me some Jasmine, Lavender and Osmanthus to go along with it!

Personally for me florals aren't feminine, they may attract their attention and make some females 'sigh with delight' (<-----keeping it 'pg'), but for me feminine notes are sweet gourmands.

The purple note meaning Royal Purple goes both ways, and rather than identifying it with a gender I think it more speaks to a persons character and class. A lady dressed up in a deep Purple seems graceful to me, while that same lady in bubble-gum pink would seem more playful and less mature.

Florals however should be part of every man's scent wardrobe. I think most will be pleasantly surprised at their performance, and the amount of compliments they receive. Not only that, for the most part passersby won't be able to pin-point what exactly they're smelling in such a brief encounter, only that perhaps it's 'familiar' to them, and that they really like it.