SOTD

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
I apply a small amount from a sample vial to the columella (the skin between the nostrils) or basically swipe a little on my mustache just below my nose. Though it may seem silly compared to a traditional swipe on the wrist or pulse point areas I started doing this on day one. To me it just initially made sense to position the fragrance source for best effect. After my initial several months of happily enjoying these exotic and most complex of fragrances I developed a sensitivity to direct to skin application. Whether from overdoing it or, most likely, the mistakenly applying it there after scalding my skin from a splash of very hot coffee I began to experience irritation.
Determined as as I was to not stop enjoying these oils I have tried a number of approaches. Different things I've tried I have ordered from Amazon. Silicone Nasal Vents is one thing but I don't like something in my nose. Presently I am applying a small piece of Velcro (the fuzzy half) which sticks in place and use a light application of Spray Barrier Film (i.e. 3M Cavilon) to avoid irritation from the adhesive. This works great for me if cycling or driving, or around the house (my wife says she doesn't notice it or care) but it leads to questions if you're talking with a neighbor or a co-worker because it's all to easy for them to question "what's that under your nose?". For me it seems that sandalwoods (even with musc or ambergris) or EO florals work are compatible with mustache application if I want to experiment discreetly. I have also used essential oil diffuser pendants which keeps the oils within convenient reach but this also can irritate my skin if under my shirt all day. Happy to share these ideas if they can benefit anyone.... and I am always open for suggestions.
Weekend SOTDs
Saturday : Morning EO Maroke Ceylon, Afternoon EO Cambodi Caramel, Evening EO Oud Yaqoub
Sunday (rainy day): so far EO Bliss du Boche, EO Komrad K
regarding the mustache part, I go with with certain oils on my stache area but with most oils I find that I get fatigued fairly quickly and don’t even get to smell what’s on me anymore. Quieter oils are great on stache but the thought of let’s say a sultan oil on stache is just too much for me! Lol
 
regarding the mustache part, I go with with certain oils on my stache area but with most oils I find that I get fatigued fairly quickly and don’t even get to smell what’s on me anymore. Quieter oils are great on stache but the thought of let’s say a sultan oil on stache is just too much for me! Lol
As quirky as it sounds ...it just works for me. Like yesterday my main experience was EO Mustapha No. 7. Very intense like musk and like an ancient smell which plays out with time and a lot of nuances can be noticed. I can even enjoy an oil that intense for like a half hour as i drive to work. Keep in mind that it is a small amount just centrally located. Then usually I can enjoy it on the drive home (kept the little velcro dot in a little zip lock) where the more mellow fragrance still has enjoyable characteristics. Keeping in the vein of musk, I switched off to a fresh start with Musc Royale for my 11 mile bike ride. (Soundtrack: 1975 Dylan"Blood on the Tracks"). I enjoy these fragrances whether active or when quiet and contemplative.
Today it was Ceylon Maroke with a nightcap of Iris Noir. I absolutely marvel at the co-distill of a Maroke wood, love the dark intensity with the salty sea breeze of the Walla Patta...like a perfect (for me) combo. My other Marokes are like the incredible EO's Xiang Liao Ling, Aroke Roshi, and the "ancient" Sultani 1990 the description of which on Ensar's site is one of my favorites. I am fortunate to have a .3 of EO Sultan de Ceylan which is a top Maroke/Sri Lanka.
On the EO Kyara Ketone I have only indulged once so far. I look forward to contemplating it more. My initial impressions are that it's more in the realm of Nha Trang or Royal Kinam with the classic Oriscent signature than say like the Surirankas (Senkoh, Naya & 2.0) and that's fine with me. I love learning to discerning the spectrum whether it's by region or tier.
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Lucky you tim. I am envious. Now be careful swiping stache and driving, esp with monster oils. Stay safe ;)

mustafa7 is unreal. I am really fond of the signature note of the karbi region. Hard to explain exactly BUT gun to head I would call it a hindi with a light Chinese makeup. There is certainly a higher pitched, bitter, medicinal tone in karbi oils I have tried. 3 of them in total. Aku akira, mustafa 7 and another legend.

Btw if I recall correctly karbi anglong has an inhabited area populated by primal human flesh eating tribes? Literally canabalists. Police and the federal authorities just stay out. Maybe @Ensar Oud and @Simla House can chime in with their travels there or nearby... I also understand it is a very lush forestry mountainous part of Assam. A tucked away u ow ur in every way corner.
 
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Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Ps I bet you in 5 years time give or take, we would kick ourselves repeatedly for not snatching up screaming quality price ratio oils like: mustafa7, green papua, suri senkoh, twr, hainan 05.... agar aura side: malaya, hulubalang, kiyosumi, Hindustan 1, kanzen, Suka cita.... are all ultra strong bang for the buck oils. Imperial oud: hainan ultima, adhj (Walla) amd viet zephyr. Al shareef: for me one: al rubaie (original. I found more differences than similarities between two batches. Don’t mean a head to head comparison (obviously there is a big gap between an aged oil and fresh one) but comparing my notes and scent memory of the original on release vs 2). Anyways I digress. The quality of agarwood coming out these days has serious gap compared to golden days or even the early days of China market. Quantity likely never to be an issue but true old natural wild stuff deserving of the name: gaharu, is gonna be few and faaaaaar between. I am not repeating others words but speaking from my own personal experience: with an observant eye and study of chronology of oil releases, I have been following oils made 20 years ago vs 10 vs 5 vs 1.... Been actively and I would say obsessively following for now the past 4-4.5 years.
 
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Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
B3k latest version worn as a scent at 7 am on the neck and its 3 pm and I still very much smell it at near full strength. A beast of an oil. bee pollen, honey, berries, tons of cinnamon and a creamsicle note. Also some nice castaway wood by the beach profile is lurking behind the gobs and gobs if sweet spice and that oudy oud marrow
 
Activity log
Thursday: Maroke "ancient" & contemporary. Morning: Sultani 1990 Afternoon>evening: Aroke Roshi...occasional mustache touch ups: Musc Royale.
Good Friday: Borneo comparisons inspired by Rasoul S B3k comments above (can't explain differences...just love each and every one): a.m. EO Borneo 50K (2005), p.m. EO Borneo 3000 (Malinau 2015), late night: EO Midori Q (2015)...occasional mustache touch ups: EO Khus de Ceylan & EO Monsieur Oud.
This morning the Borneo journey continues with EO Bois de Borneo (Malinau 2013) ...love the vanilla woody notes... a new favorite! Meanwhile Black Papua heating on low temp burner...
Very excited anticipating new Attars from Ensar: Olde Hind, Laos Laosan, Black Changho and glad Monsieur Oud is back available.
Never a dull moment!
Todays music (I hope it is not inappropriate to post links to music on this forum...but these auditory pleasures are soul stirring with the fragrances.): Pat Metheny CD From This Place (2020) "America Undefined"
(Really cool when the train blows through about 10:55)


God bless this planet and its people as we look to better days ahead.
 
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Ensar Oud

Well-Known Member
Ps I bet you in 5 years time give or take, we would kick ourselves repeatedly for not snatching up screaming quality price ratio oils like: mustafa7, green papua, suri senkoh, twr, hainan 05.... agar aura side: malaya, hulubalang, kiyosumi, Hindustan 1, kanzen, Suka cita.... are all ultra strong bang for the buck oils. Imperial oud: hainan ultima, adhj (Walla) amd viet zephyr. Al shareef: for me one: al rubaie (original. I found more differences than similarities between two batches. Don’t mean a head to head comparison (obviously there is a big gap between an aged oil and fresh one) but comparing my notes and scent memory of the original on release vs 2). Anyways I digress. The quality of agarwood coming out these days has serious gap compared to golden days or even the early days of China market. Quantity likely never to be an issue but true old natural wild stuff deserving of the name: gaharu, is gonna be few and faaaaaar between. I am not repeating others words but speaking from my own personal experience: with an observant eye and study of chronology of oil releases, I have been following oils made 20 years ago vs 10 vs 5 vs 1.... Been actively and I would say obsessively following for now the past 4-4.5 years.
You for not snatching them up, and we for selling them! I smell Suriranka 2 and Oud Ertugrul and I wonder what sort of miracle was at play that they came to be at all....
 
I found Ensar's website and after reading about his products a passion was lit.
My first order was 3 g of Oud Yusuf, oud resin, and .3 samples of Taigo Senkoh, Jing Shen Lu, Oud Dhul Q, Khmer Xtreme, Green Papua, Tigerwood 1995. Also included was a sample of Xiang Liao Ling. Subsequent orders included bottles of all the aforementioned. My first taste was a dab of Khmer Xtreme under my nose and off I went on my bicycle to the gym to work out. I couldn't believe the magic of that moment which continues to this day.
Today marks the second anniversary of my first oud experience. Khmer Xtreme was the first one I tried...I haven't been the same since. What an exciting adventure...
I googled Khmer Xtreme and found this amazing video I had never seen before. I hope it's ok to share it...your creativity and the accompanying art are pure magic
Even in the midst of these most troubling times these precious items bring so much joy, happiness and enlightenment.
Thanks for all your work, travels, and the connections you have forged to share these exquisite life changing fragrances. Forever grateful...
 
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Ensar Oud

Well-Known Member
Today marks the second anniversary of my first oud experience. Khmer Xtreme was the first one I tried...I haven't been the same since. What an exciting adventure...
I googled Khmer Xtreme and found this amazing video I had never seen before. I hope it's ok to share it...your creativity and the accompanying art are pure magic
Even in the midst of these most troubling times these precious items bring so much joy, happiness and enlightenment.
Thanks for all your work, travels, and the connections you have forged to share these exquisite life changing fragrances. Forever grateful...
Thanks for sharing @timoudthy. And you're most welcome, my friend. It is an honor and a joy to be able to uplift people and provide a source of consolation during these times.
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Yusuf is to me what Khmer extreme is to you. I always have a soft spot for it. Next full vial buy for me was suriranka senkoh. On that note that what I wore today. Extremely pure and crystaline. All green blue. Salty and sweet spicy. The tenacity is just ridiculous. Lasts forever. literally 10 hours has passed and the small swip on my wrist is still going super strong.

for nightcap I went for one of my other favorites: kinamantan. Perfectly vaporous, baby green colour in scent profile. fern, pine, moss with a gentle spice and a woodwork shop aroma. Buzzing and heady while having serious depth in the drydown. I am not sure it was the right choice for the evening. This is one energizing oil. I think I am gonna go for a power walk outdoors.
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
I Was talking to @OudGood about how we wear some oils all the time and then all of a sudden don’t wear them for 6 months and you come back loving them all over again and go on yet another affair together.
I decided I am gonna go big so I brought out few of my top stash that I haven’t worn for quite. Awhile.
Purple kinam
Kyara Ltd 2.0
Royal guallam
Nha trang Ltd

I decided to give em all a whiff off the vial. Or something I usually do at all. I just go for it. And take a swipe. Anyways. I noticed something I had noticed before but kinda brushed off. I have noticed with some oils after they spend long enough time in an unopened vial and then they get opened there is a funk. A bizarre sometimes sulphuric, weird off note. As quickly as it comes it is also rather gone quickly too.

royal guallam briefly had a halletosis note

Kyara Ltd showed a blue steak raw meat kinda vibe for a quick few seconds

no change in nha trang or sultani

purple kinam had a weird hard to explain funk. Almost animal like but hard to see cause of all those crazy purple fumes...

has anyone here experienced anything like what I mentioned above? Not necessarily with above oils but in general.
 
I Was talking to @OudGood about how we wear some oils all the time and then all of a sudden don’t wear them for 6 months and you come back loving them all over again and go on yet another affair together.
I decided I am gonna go big so I brought out few of my top stash that I haven’t worn for quite. Awhile.
Purple kinam
Kyara Ltd 2.0
Royal guallam
Nha trang Ltd

I decided to give em all a whiff off the vial. Or something I usually do at all. I just go for it. And take a swipe. Anyways. I noticed something I had noticed before but kinda brushed off. I have noticed with some oils after they spend long enough time in an unopened vial and then they get opened there is a funk. A bizarre sometimes sulphuric, weird off note. As quickly as it comes it is also rather gone quickly too.

royal guallam briefly had a halletosis note

Kyara Ltd showed a blue steak raw meat kinda vibe for a quick few seconds

no change in nha trang or sultani

purple kinam had a weird hard to explain funk. Almost animal like but hard to see cause of all those crazy purple fumes...

has anyone here experienced anything like what I mentioned above? Not necessarily with above oils but in general.
Following that 6 month gap trend... took a swipe of Sultan Ahmet. Such a gorgeous and elegant oil. Breathtaking! Wish I had more.
 
I tried my first ever swipe of Nha Trang LTD on night one of at home taraweeh prayer. Incredible as a sniff off the bottle and the initial top notes are as good as it gets. Although like all the Vietnamese and Phillipine oils I’ve tried, those intoxicating notes don’t stay with you as long as you’d like.

It was Chugoku Senkoh for my second night. Perfect balance of a Hindi and a Chinese. Soul stirring, centering and perfect for worship/meditation. Almost 17 hours later, still getting hints of it under my nose. Incredible oil. One of my all time favorites.
 
Haha, no oud lasts as long as I'd like! But I'm curious how long that might be?
Seems like it’s a regional thing. I get strong lastability from Malaysian, Papuan, Maroke, and Chinese/Hindi ouds, like in the 6-12 hour range depending on conditions and how often I have to wash the area obviously. But those more refined and maybe delicate Phillipine and Vietnamese (Although they would be the ones I would want to wear if I was wanting to impress a potential new father-in-law or something) only give me 20-30 minutes of the strong initial bliss notes.
 

~A Coburn

Well-Known Member
Seems like it’s a regional thing. I get strong lastability from Malaysian, Papuan, Maroke, and Chinese/Hindi ouds, like in the 6-12 hour range depending on conditions and how often I have to wash the area obviously. But those more refined and maybe delicate Phillipine and Vietnamese (Although they would be the ones I would want to wear if I was wanting to impress a potential new father-in-law or something) only give me 20-30 minutes of the strong initial bliss notes.
Haha, thinking about a 'new father in law' are we? ;)

If I may, what other Filipino and Vietnamese ouds have you tried? And is the Nha Trang LTD a full bottle, and from Ensar Oud directly?

For me Pinoy LTD does actually start off what I consider 'coy' but actually increases in potency and aromatic density as time wears on. And granted I haven't worn Nha Trang LTD extensively but the times that I have, I recall it lasting like Royal Guallam or even Guallam Solide for days on my clothing.
 
If I may, what other Filipino and Vietnamese ouds have you tried? And did you get the Nha Trang LTD from Ensar Oud directly?
No, the NTLTD was a private sale, and my other experiences are Pinoy LTD, Kinam Rouge and a Nha Trang Ultima and Malindang from Imperial Oud.
It’s not a knock on the oils at all. There are things going on there in all of those that are just incredible and I’ve never smelled anywhere else (particularly the Ensar top shelf ones).

There’s probably a couple other things going on as well, number one I don’t have the greatest sense of smell, and for that reason apply most of my oils directly under my nose. And I’m also only a little more than 2 1/2 years into my Oud journey. Combining those two things, at this point compared to most of you, I’m no doubt like a high school kid trying to understand the difference between $3000 headphones and Beats by Dre.
 
Kyara Ketone :) :) :)

Wow and wow.

On initial impressions I am really noticing that the phase after the initial opening really reminds me of Oud Ertugrul. I'm going to do a side by side soon to compare more, but it does confirms that Ertugrul really does have some kinam vibes going on.
 
Oud Ahmad last night. What an incredible piece of my collection. Most of my oils have their own flavor but you can draw comparisons to another oil if you’re trying to describe it to someone. i.e. “it opens with the smokiness of ER85 but the dry down is more like Sultani 90.”

Not so with Ahmad. It’s just absolutely unique. There is no other oil like it (at least in my experience.)

Can anyone else think of past oils that are just completely their own unique scent? Always interested in adding things like that to my lineup.

Realizing we have access to the actual master here, I’m going to go ahead and edit this post and ask @Ensar Oud directly. Can you recall any oils you have distilled through the years, which just stand on their own island as something quite unlike anything else you ever concocted?
 
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Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
Oud Ahmad last night. What an incredible piece of my collection. Most of my oils have their own flavor but you can draw comparisons to another oil if you’re trying to describe it to someone. i.e. “it opens with the smokiness of ER85 but the dry down is more like Sultani 90.”

Not so with Ahmad. It’s just absolutely unique. There is no other oil like it (at least in my experience.)

Can anyone else think of past oils that are just completely their own unique scent? Always interested in adding things like that to my lineup.

Realizing we have access to the actual master here, I’m going to go ahead and edit this post and ask @Ensar Oud directly. Can you recall any oils you have distilled through the years, which just stand on their own island as something quite unlike anything else you ever concocted?
Original sultani, kannan koh, twr, tw90 all have that aged round musk and liqueur thing about them.

purple kinam is unique. Many of Taha’s gen 3 oils are totally unique.

perhaps the ones that take the cake as most single handedly individual and unlike anything else are:

ensar sultan series (codistil NG woods with that unreal sweet sour cooling and tickling note)
Taha hindustan 1, ayu, au luong
Imperial shah jahn (don’t have words for this one)
Hashimi adan original (for its intense brown butter note)