SOTD

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Could say a bit more about the "royale/sultan style" cooking and what that necessarily entails and how it compares to other styles? Or perhaps link to another resource? :)
Excellent question. I am not going to comment on royal/royale, but I can say for my own usage, I view both the same tier and oils or wood that is a clearly extra level or two above the mid tier standards. Mid tier in my view are oils that mostly fall in $450-600 price range for full size. Yet excellent examples exist outside: eg Taha’s latest new malay oil and many others from both ensar team taha and rest.

I’ll talk more about sultan and oriscent comparison here.

I am sure not ALL oriscent oils are immediately picked up as oriscent but I am here to say most are! And that signature is hard to explain. Here is my best attempt: instantly gives a vietnamese and a medicinal Chinese quality to any wood regardless of origin. So a strong artisan signature across the board. There is also a red quality to them. A rusted nail. Steel. Iron. Vibe. More importantly they are all extremely well rounded. Aged. Proper. Nothing out of place. No sonic wave top notes. They are regal. Intense but rounded and soft edge. Also they last forever. Exceptionally above and beyond other great oils. Oriscent oils again and again last longest on my skin.

I can say the same thing about “sultan” oils. But is more convoluted. Sultan as in any oil ending up under sultan category, or sultan as in the few year long exceptional NG wood based oils with many hundred Co fermented oils? Regardless of which, all sultan oils have extra everything. That’s the short answer. They are the loud punchy hifi system. Deeeeeep subwoofer with equally insane tweeter. Their Top notes are taha gen 3 like in instant mind buzz department. Thicker notes here though. More depth and fat and weight is sensed behind those glimmering top notes of sultan oils.


In sum:
sultan oils are oud on steroid. Oud gone CrossFit. Outward oils.
Oriscent oils are mysterious. Intellectual. Hypnotic Inward oils.

in cooking terms: sultan oils are bold cooking. American bbq. Kababs. Jambalaya, curries and Chili’s. Outstanding depths and bold flavors. Oriscent oils are more minimalism cuisine. Some traditionally minimal like sushi, some avant garde minimal like the molecular food and today’s 3 Michelin star scene...

Hope this helps.
 
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Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Glad you enjoyed! So that sweetness I was experiencing was a Bhutanese type of sweetness? Can't remember all the Muanas very clearly, with the exception of Muana Zen. Honeybush/Milky sweetness, as in the dry-down of Bhutan Red? Off to heat some Black Baram before practice.
the sweetness in chugoku jinko to my nose is well below the sweetness level of Bhutan/naga... oils. The jinko is indeed drier. Leaner. More slender. It is however a touch sweeter than both senkohs.
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Purple malay x2:

the excellent and fantastic agar aura malaya. Delicious. Gourmand. Narcotic purple floral mixed with plenty of cola and zesty notes. Fat. Rich. Plenty of oudy oud marrow.

purple kinam
Sun moon and stars lined up for this one. What an oil. This oil has everything one wants. Just spectacular and should be on ever ya ingle oud lovers short list.
 
Satori Fusho on the left and Oud Yaqoub on the right. I just received my package today, which included Satori Fusho, and per Adam's recommendation (thank you) I did a side-by-side comparison to gain a better understanding of the Sultan Mustafa effect. It is a great compare and contrast, but I could smell the difference before I evened opened the bottle of Oud Yaqoub. For organic cultivated oud oils, I really love Oud Yaqoub, Oud Yusuf, and now Satori Fusho. I'm going to compare to Czar Sultan next.
 

~A Coburn

Well-Known Member
With all the exciting new releases, I almost didn't even cast a glance at this one, but I'm glad I did.

Bhutan Blue it is.

The Bhutanese and Cambodian produce a unique synergy. I perceived the peppery peat character of the Cambodi, but it was rounded off by a sweetness a touch of wild berries. . . which yielded the blue I believe it was named after.

But almost just after that, the blue seemed to turn red and a fleeting glimpse of a red chili pepper note peaked in and out before revealing itself full force as burning oud chips.

Not gently heated here, but more like the smell you get from the smoke produced when taking a butane torch to the tip of a chip, a highly concentrated dose of its resinous core.

Big thumbs up for the atypical organic oud profile which is quite addictive due to its novelty. I keep checking to see how it has progressed. Much more complex than many organic ouds, very easy to wear and an enjoyable sample for the Oudept.
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Betonamu senkoh
Been very eager for this one. A senkoh it is. No doubt. Like other oils in this genre there is a nakedness and a distinct aesthetic at play.

Scent wise is more the crassna side of Vietnam than sinesis. In fact there is an oil and a mighty one called kinam rouge that rings closest to betonamu.

I am gonna go as far as say is like kinam rouge went keto diet, leaned out and became drier in that red cherry tobacco medicinal sweetness profile.
 

Simla House

Well-Known Member
Oud Ertugrul

First drop: A soaring, high-summer berry Borneo vapour. Summer has been flown in to Mordor-by-the-sea to dissolve the cloud cover.
I’ll be curious to visit this one with some sunshine on my skin, but in the stalemate of winter, this will do just fine.

Second observation: Static and buzz descends after the first firework flash lights the sky. Borneo characteristics begin to take centre stage.

Third sniff: A vanilla-like wave rises to cover the static and brings the fruit character front and centre again.
Confection with a heart of sweet vanilla atop a glaze of cosmic Borneo plasma.

This is really stunning. Even though my savings are currently earmarked for raw Agarwood for heating and Royal Kinam, I’m tempted to detour for a bit more of this. To me this much more than your average Borneo, because of the magnification of the sweeter notes. I can’t say I have much in this genre to offer more educated insight. The little bit of B50K I had is gone. I suppose I could rope White Kinam into this geographic scent profile.

Taking a look at the product write-up now, I agree with the "orris root drunk on vanilla" comment.
I hadn’t thought of that. Gonna go visit my orris butter vial later and bliss out, perhaps add a side swipe of orris to see what happens as Ertugrul dries down later today.

Forth rocket stage: An hour in and the sweetness of the raspberry-cinnamon-vanilla swirl is still swirling a top a solid Borneo profile.
Good strength and long lasting.
Very clean. quality oil. Excellent release.
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Oud Ertugrul

First drop: A soaring, high-summer berry Borneo vapour. Summer has been flown in to Mordor-by-the-sea to dissolve the cloud cover.
I’ll be curious to visit this one with some sunshine on my skin, but in the stalemate of winter, this will do just fine.

Second observation: Static and buzz descends after the first firework flash lights the sky. Borneo characteristics begin to take centre stage.

Third sniff: A vanilla-like wave rises to cover the static and brings the fruit character front and centre again.
Confection with a heart of sweet vanilla atop a glaze of cosmic Borneo plasma.

This is really stunning. Even though my savings are currently earmarked for raw Agarwood for heating and Royal Kinam, I’m tempted to detour for a bit more of this. To me this much more than your average Borneo, because of the magnification of the sweeter notes. I can’t say I have much in this genre to offer more educated insight. The little bit of B50K I had is gone. I suppose I could rope White Kinam into this geographic scent profile.

Taking a look at the product write-up now, I agree with the "orris root drunk on vanilla" comment.
I hadn’t thought of that. Gonna go visit my orris butter vial later and bliss out, perhaps add a side swipe of orris to see what happens as Ertugrul dries down later today.

Forth rocket stage: An hour in and the sweetness of the raspberry-cinnamon-vanilla swirl is still swirling a top a solid Borneo profile.
Good strength and long lasting.
Very clean. quality oil. Excellent release.
If it wasn’t for white kinam/Borneo diesel, I would say ertugrul is a malinau on steroids. It is not a typical malinau though as the profile goes beyond that specific regional character. Delicious stuff. Dessert oud.
 

~A Coburn

Well-Known Member
That sounds delicious! I've just had quite an experience myself. An oil that hadn't really stood out (especially against giants like Santal Royale) just captivated my nose. Kupang 1998 is blossoming at the moment, and when you have it side to side with Satori Fusho both profiles get heightened. Perfect complimentary profiles, exhibiting each at their best.

Also a fun little fact:

"The nose channels preheated, filtered air into the lungs according to a multipurpose "nostril cycle" that directs air flow alternately through each nostril. The nostril cycle is functionally established at seven months of age. Its rhythmic activity promotes an equilibrium pattern by alternating inhaled stimuli to the brain hemispheres and ensuring proper distribution of pranic (etheric) energy taken in with each breath. For smell, it reduces olfactory receptor fatigue. As with the brain hemispheres and the limbs, smell displays a dominant nostril. Many people tend to have a dominant eye, even a dominant ear as well. For most, the left is is better than the right at recognizing melodies. Yet, for trained musicians the reverse is true. This suggests that people are more receptive and responsive to odorant stimuli received in that brain hemisphere on the same side as the dominant nostril, because the nose is homolaterally wired. [...] Of course, the smell perception is communicated to the other hemisphere, but the initial, repeated, or prolonged stimuli effects register first and foremost in the targeted hemisphere... Theoretically, since most people are consistently "right sided" and therefor presumably "right-nostril dominant," their greater sensitivity and response to odors resides in the right brain- the inarticulate center of emotional feelings and aesthetic imagination. Because the hemispheres are different, scent impulses arriving through the right nostril are effectively processed differently from those arriving through the left.
The physiological response sequence- from the nose through the olfactory system, limbic system, and hypothalamus to the right hemisphere- has a psychological parallel. An instinctive sense, smell directly stimulates respondent instinctive and basic emotional urges and drives while evoking passionate and aesthetic desires, emotional memories, and imaginative concepts." -Peter Damian "Scent and Psyche" pg 80-81

So, are you left or right nostril dominant?
 

~A Coburn

Well-Known Member
All I've needed today was some of my homemade beard oil. I filled an empty sturdy glass bottle with argon oil some time ago, added a little vitamin E oil, some sweet almond and grapeseed oil, and voila been enjoying its scent all day!

Really easy, and a great way to use those last stubborn dregs remaining in the sturdy glass bottles.
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Sultani vs kannan koh
Both winners. No doubt. I adore the “pretty” side of sultani and is very finessed profile while I am at awe of the raw and ancient character of kannan koh. Similar/same origin and grade of wood is evident in both oils. Frankly anyone with either of these rare ancient beauties is a lucky lucky person.
 

~A Coburn

Well-Known Member
Switching it up today with Musc Royale, my word, the musk profile has completely overtaken the Santal Royale opening, I absolutely can't believe it, Santal Royale is so potent and spicy neat, but in the opening here all you get with this infusion is the raw animalic power of Siberian Musk, it's so potent it turned Santal Royale creamy, rounding off the musk with classic Mysore.

This infusion gives you a clear Musk experience and would be my recommendation for anyone who wants to experience genuine musk without too much impacting the profile.

Should be on the organ of any perfumer.
 
Watched an Atlas V rocket launch today from a nearly abandoned Kennedy Space Center. Came home, put my video of the launch on facebook, and proceeded to ride my bicycle since the gym is now closed. It was near sunset and I had a really good work out on my three speed beach cruiser looking out over the bayous near my home.. What a joy to breathe in deeply the blessings of new EO Bhutan Blue. I get hints of Muana Zen or Nirvata Muana. I love the unique Bhutan ouds Ensar has made available.
 
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Sultani vs kannan koh
Both winners. No doubt. I adore the “pretty” side of sultani and is very finessed profile while I am at awe of the raw and ancient character of kannan koh. Similar/same origin and grade of wood is evident in both oils. Frankly anyone with either of these rare ancient beauties is a lucky lucky person.
I was lucky enough to come across 0.5g of Sultani AND OR82 right before Kannan Koh was put up on the site. Terrible timing, because I couldn’t do all three, but anxiously awaiting my first ever sniff of those two Crown Jewels of the Oud world!
 
Morning drive to work: enhanced by EO Muana Zen
6 pm bicycle ride: New EO Kastalana. Pushing hard on the causeway heading into a 12 mph Atlantic sea breeze. Marveling at the nuances of even the most affordable of Ensar's ouds mixing with the slight marine accord of the wind. Bliss moment.
Soundtrack: Grateful Dead 6/14/76 Beacon Theater NYC
 
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