~A Coburn

Well-Known Member
#1
I am so grateful and enthusiastic about the growing awareness and love of Artisanal Oud Oil that is emerging, and I so value the fact that a growing number of fragrance lovers, newcomers, aficionados as well as the truly #oudept connoisseurs, have such a passion about the topic, each having their personal perspectives and feelings on the matter.

However for the sake of those new to oud it's important to know and know and grasp the facts about where the term artisanal oud came from, and who established the Artisanal oud oil niche.

Artistic styles do vary, and there is room for new artists to express their creativity utilizing the same art medium, however in doing so, there is no need to discredit the founder and pioneer of artisanal oud.

As with any art people have their subjective opinions, but we don't argue that Monet gave rise to Impressionism. It's a well established historical truth, just as it's a truth that Ensar established and gave rise to Artisanal Oud.

Neither he, nor I are saying Monet invented paint, nor are we saying he invented oud oil.

Simply as a matter of fact: the Artisanal Oud niche emerged in 2004 with the establishment of Oriscent, now known as Ensar Oud.

Ensar, the man behind it all set out on his fragrance journey from New York, inspired and encouraged by his mentor and spiritual guide, he pursued the legendary and mythical substance, oud.

None of the fragrances purportedly oud in the Arabian markets satiated his thirst, what he wanted was higher quality, a scent; that would stir his soul

As he traced oud back to its origin in the Far East he came to realize that in order to experience a scent that would satisfy his craving and attain his vision, he would have to do it himself…

Back then, oud was oud was oud, and if it wasn’t Cambodi, it was nothing…

But Ensar had a vision, he focused on the details and nuances as any true artisan does, and began sourcing the raw material himself, scrutinizing the quality and distinguishing between not only the regions, but various stages of resin development and the effects which components of the distillation process had on the resulting oil's scent profiles.

He became obsessed with sourcing and collecting the highest quality oud wood remaining as wild oud sources faded into extinction, and did what no other man in those days with oud of that quality was doing… distill it into oil… And so artisanal oud oil was born.

Artisanal oud oil is the essential oil distilled from small batches of the rarest and highest quality agarwood available. Single origin oud oils can possess over 150 different aromatic compounds, making them incredibly complex. And agarwood co-distillations, and post-distillation fusions, two trademark methods of distillation by Ensar Oud involving specific ratios of agarwood from select regions eliciting and harmonizing desirable scent notes from each, yield oud even more nuanced and complex than most.

For comparison, patchouli essential oil has 9 aromatic compounds, and there are about 39 identified in licorice root... Other essential oils have been found as complex, but none as rare as wild agarwood.

Ensar Oud pioneered the artisanal oud niche by fixating on the details and honing distillation parameters to improve the overall scent profiles.

He redirected, and raised the standards of purity in the entire industry, and produced oud with unparalleled profiles and brought the fabled substance to the entire English speaking world dedicating his life to this pursuit, effectively establishing, and giving rise to the niche of artisanal oud oil.

But as with any art, you'll find the copies outnumber the Original.
 

Martin

Active Member
#3
Adam, hats off to you, Thomas Kruger and Ensar for continued excellence and leadership with artisinal oud and agarwood. Let's be clear that though that as a company EO is a business and not a non-profit organization. Lol. Nobody I know of has the catalog or backstock of top level oils as EO. There are also very few places where one can buy quality agarwood, from good to absolutely great, that has the provenance that EO woods do. The Ceram Tasbih, Royal Maluku and other agarwood chips I bought this year are among the gems in my wood collection and a joy to heat.

Although I perused the Oriscent/ EO website in 2008-2009 just prior to joining Basenotes I wasn't ready to explore oud oils and agarwoods until a little over a year ago when I bought a bottle Oud Extraordinaire. What a wild learning journey this past year has been! My participation with a few online forums and WhatsApp groups has been so instrumental in my learning and enjoyment. I sheepishly admit I have become a bonafide oud/ agarwood snob! Hehehe. With some exception, I will only buy midrange and higher level oils from Agar Aura and Ensar Oud. I just don't enjoy the mostly bland market and introductory grade oils that dominate the oud marketplace that I know. Not to disparage though, I understand there are different levels of enjoyment of ouds and agarwoods with something for everyone at different price points. Once in a while there are great lower cost bang for the buck oils.

In some ways I realize I have been fortunate to have entered the oud/ agarwood arena when I did. Through reading back threads at Ouddict, Gaharu and Basenotes and speaking directly with my oud brothers I learned about conflicts in the past among oud resellers, distillers and customers. Unfortunately, the reverberations continue and new conflicts emerge--we're like one big dysfunctional functioning family. Haha. Luckily I wasn't a part of the so called oud wars of early 2018 so I consider myself an independent who can shop or buy wherever I choose to. There is one reseller who I made mostly perfume product purchases from earlier this year but decided I would no longer buy anything as he falsely and brazenly presents himself as a hands on distiller when he most certainly is not. I don't hate the guy. I just won't support/ buy anything from him as long as he continues his dishonest charade. He also childishly bashes others and has shown an appalling lack of knowledge and respect as a reseller. One quickly learns the agarwood community is treacherous so seller integrity means a lot to me. I might grouse about prices or over the top product write ups at EO, but the consistent quality of the oils and woods I've purchased speak for themselves. The service is spot on too!

As we move into 2020, I hope Ensar and Thomas will occasionally participate in educational oud oil and agarwood discussions. Even though Oudville is more or less sponsored by Ensar I don't expect any severe censoring or limits to referencing other companies or oils when need be. I'm happy to hear the marketplace is soon to open again too. A lot of us need a place to resell a lesser loved bottle of oil! In short, I'm looking forward to a rekindling of interest and discussions in all things oud and agarwood where noobs, intermediates and veteran oud/agarwood aficianados can freely participate. I accept that the politics of some of our valuable and respected veteran brothers will keep them on the sidelines, but so be it. As I am able and inclined I am willing to share what I have come to learn. Best 2020 wishes to all!
 

Smelly Vision

Super Moderator
Staff member
#4
It’s always very important to look at historical facts. The facts are simple - the term artisanal Oud and the concept itself was one created by non other than Sidi @Ensar Oud .... As Sidi Adam state’s, there is always room for new artists to come in and seek to do something different, this is something that is good for everyone, competition is good for us (the customer) and it keeps the artists on their toes. However, for others to sneer and deny this legacy and at the same time copy someone in terms of modus operandi and also certain terms he uses is to me blatantly wrong.
 

Smelly Vision

Super Moderator
Staff member
#5
Adam, hats off to you, Thomas Kruger and Ensar for continued excellence and leadership with artisinal oud and agarwood. Let's be clear that though that as a company EO is a business and not a non-profit organization. Lol. Nobody I know of has the catalog or backstock of top level oils as EO. There are also very few places where one can buy quality agarwood, from good to absolutely great, that has the provenance that EO woods do. The Ceram Tasbih, Royal Maluku and other agarwood chips I bought this year are among the gems in my wood collection and a joy to heat.

Although I perused the Oriscent/ EO website in 2008-2009 just prior to joining Basenotes I wasn't ready to explore oud oils and agarwoods until a little over a year ago when I bought a bottle Oud Extraordinaire. What a wild learning journey this past year has been! My participation with a few online forums and WhatsApp groups has been so instrumental in my learning and enjoyment. I sheepishly admit I have become a bonafide oud/ agarwood snob! Hehehe. With some exception, I will only buy midrange and higher level oils from Agar Aura and Ensar Oud. I just don't enjoy the mostly bland market and introductory grade oils that dominate the oud marketplace that I know. Not to disparage though, I understand there are different levels of enjoyment of ouds and agarwoods with something for everyone at different price points. Once in a while there are great lower cost bang for the buck oils.

In some ways I realize I have been fortunate to have entered the oud/ agarwood arena when I did. Through reading back threads at Ouddict, Gaharu and Basenotes and speaking directly with my oud brothers I learned about conflicts in the past among oud resellers, distillers and customers. Unfortunately, the reverberations continue and new conflicts emerge--we're like one big dysfunctional functioning family. Haha. Luckily I wasn't a part of the so called oud wars of early 2018 so I consider myself an independent who can shop or buy wherever I choose to. There is one reseller who I made mostly perfume product purchases from earlier this year but decided I would no longer buy anything as he falsely and brazenly presents himself as a hands on distiller when he most certainly is not. I don't hate the guy. I just won't support/ buy anything from him as long as he continues his dishonest charade. He also childishly bashes others and has shown an appalling lack of knowledge and respect as a reseller. One quickly learns the agarwood community is treacherous so seller integrity means a lot to me. I might grouse about prices or over the top product write ups at EO, but the consistent quality of the oils and woods I've purchased speak for themselves. The service is spot on too!

As we move into 2020, I hope Ensar and Thomas will occasionally participate in educational oud oil and agarwood discussions. Even though Oudville is more or less sponsored by Ensar I don't expect any severe censoring or limits to referencing other companies or oils when need be. I'm happy to hear the marketplace is soon to open again too. A lot of us need a place to resell a lesser loved bottle of oil! In short, I'm looking forward to a rekindling of interest and discussions in all things oud and agarwood where noobs, intermediates and veteran oud/agarwood aficianados can freely participate. I accept that the politics of some of our valuable and respected veteran brothers will keep them on the sidelines, but so be it. As I am able and inclined I am willing to share what I have come to learn. Best 2020 wishes to all!
Marketplace is now open Martin :D:eek::)