Borneo Zen and Purple Dervish

Robert

New Member
#1
Hi, i am new to this forum,from the Uk{un united kingdom}in my opinion and want to write my thoughts on Borneo Zen and Purple Dervish by the artist Ensar

I am new to Oud and after having owned Oud Yusuf,Oud Yaqoub experiment and Crassna Cha and Borneo Zen for only nearly 2 weeks,i have to say i am already mesmerised by the scents. I am a professional musician by trade and as a result have very good ears which in turn are closely related to the nose so scent is very important to me.

first let me start with the Purple Dervish that was kindly presented to me as a free sample. It was the first oud i had ever smelled and as a result my first impressions were, wow!,but after living with it, sleeping with it and going into a beautiful trance like dream with my wrist glued to my nose, i have to say,not only is it better than i expected but it surpassed my wildest imagination, my first impressions were of wood, maybe a strong liquor and mulled wine,but then,the berries,purple fruits,sweetness in abundance,it did not end there though,something etherial and other worldly,like it is drawing me to the spirit realm,Utterly fantastic. I must get myself a full bottle of this in the near future. So very excellent,beyond what mere words can describe.

The Borneo Zen,at first it reminded me of the cat flea powder i used to use back in the 80's,which by no means is a bad aroma,just sharp and pungent,then it faded slightly into,what brought back memories of being at the barbers in the early 70's with my dad as a child, i wouldn't like to say this is a macho aroma to others but for me and my very own personal memory of my late dad,just this alone puts me in mind of a masculine scent.If you can imagine lots of men in a male barbers, back in those days it was all slightly different. But then in the dry down stage,come the subtle florals,i almost detect lilies and fresh daffodil so on the other side of the spectrum and i imagine to another mind,this can actually be feminine. I need to spend more time with this but am finding it difficult due to the excellence of the pure ouds i possess.

I am so pleased that Ensar does what he does so well,few people are true artists in this age of great quarrel and materialism,Fantastic.
 

Kruger

Well-Known Member
#2
Welcome to the forum Robert! It is interesting that you bring up the connection between sound and smell. The way one is taken on a journey through various soundscapes reminds me of a lot of the experience with oud. I think the first oud I ever tried was also Cambodi, but that was a while ago and at that time I was not that into it yet but it did leave an impression that led me to try others. You cannot compare them to the likes of Purple Dervish but it would be interesting to go back and see what I think of those first ouds now!
 

Robert

New Member
#3
Yes, cool thanks for your reply, did the ouds you first try not compare with Purple Dervish because they were better,worse, just different or not pure? i have a long way to go in exploring oud as i have just started.
 

Kruger

Well-Known Member
#4
The ouds I first tried were from random sources and my nose was totally clueless at that time (this was a few years ago). I don't have samples of those ouds left but I've tried ones more recently that I believe are similar because they came from similar sources. If I compare them to Purple Dervish all I can say is that they are at best pure. Purple Derivsh is one I love to wear and these other ones only serve as a reference.
 

Robert

New Member
#5
Yes.i thought that's what you meant,i can hardly wait to get a full 3ml bottle of this,even though it would be nice to save i just know i will wear it.
 

nenz

New Member
#6
welcome Robert.

how would you guys compare the purple dervish to oud Yaqoob. i am thinking of purchasing the oud Yaqoob next. your impressions will be appreciated.
 

Robert

New Member
#7
I think the Purple Dervish is sweeter but the Yaqoub is equally as excellent very pungent and seems to last for ages on my skin,also it leaves an impression in my memory, i can actually recall the memory of the fragrance when it is not there, i would certainly go for the Yoqoub especially as it is reduced at the moment, it is a bit comparable to both white and red jasmine oils but far richer and superior,longer lasting and pungent. If i was lucky enough to be very rich i would certainly buy this oud in bulk.
 

Robert

New Member
#8
In fact just writing this made me put a little on, it is outstanding, i like to put a little on my cheeks too it is this good so as not to keep lifting my wrist to my nose,but if you are indoors then go out even 2 3 hours later the pungency hits you straight away.
 

Cambi

New Member
#9
I agree with Robert... purple dervish is sweeter... but they are different to begin with. To some of you oud yaqoub might be sweet... just in a different way. It has a "greener" sweetness to it. The best part for me is what happens after a while as the oud moves into the drydown stage. Many ouds disappoint me when it comes to its final notes, but oud yaqoub has the nicest woody-green drydown that lingers on me for longer than most other ouds I have. Lovely!
 
#13
Hi All,

I have with great interest followed your discussion: Please allow me to share a few impressions on both PD and Y.

To my nose, Yaquob is sweeter. The different notes of wood, florals and berries ride over an softly glowing note of: Golden Hougari Frankincense melting slowly, and freshly sliced pineapple -- and halves of freshly cut oranges arranged around it.

In PD I find a menthol-y, also slightly pepper-ish note which sets the background for the orchestration of notes like lemon peel thinly shredded; and cedar or cypress wood slightly damp and wet-smelling - like a meadow after a cool rain.

I ´d love to hear your comments and feedback to my observation.

Thomas S.

P.S.: I cannot predict very much about their longevity. In my understanding the longevity of the oil on your skin is an entirely personal thing. It depends on your diet, your sleeping, eating etc: your general health state which reflects through the skin and its response to Oud.
On me both oils were still detectable after 12- 20 hours (depending also on how much I swiped).
Hope that helps!
 
#14
Sorry folks, I misunderstood you!
I apologize.

After just having applied a drop of Yaquob to my left wrist and Purple Dervish on the right wrist and taking good note I seem to have found out what you mean.

I believe that what you (in Purple Dervish) describe as "sweet" is a powdery note, which comes close to orris root. And a very soft clove accent, like a tiny dash on top of it.

A lush meadow in spring, green long grass swaying softly in the breeze; and small wild flowers raise the little yellow-ish heads, imitating the Sun in both color and shine...
And then you see it: a majestic river of incense wafting slowly and silently beneath all these scents... and dark polished wood.


Yaquob is to me the scent of an evening in summer:
the earth still heated up from the day, and the sun just setting behind some distant mountains in a desert.
The sky a golden fire with some rosy-coppery, or dark violet, clouds placed here and there...
The night´s royal blue cape slowly beginning to drape itself high above you, you raise your eyes in search for the first twinklings of stars...
... and then you smell burning oud chips --really nice Thai chips; with their little dose of pepper, of lemon, and chili, and of galangal. All atop a "sweet like molasses" resinous core...

Jasmine, Orange peel, berries, and more berries… guava, perhaps.

Blessings!
 
#15
I just bought Borneo Zen and I can tell you after having felt tested and I can tell you that I was really disappointed!
$ 375 for a perfume like that and supposedly based musk it really not worth it.
Counsel does not buy this ridiculous especially perfume.
And comments on Zen Borneo that lies!
As rare fragrance, this oil is irresistible, It is new with each breath, It will keep you good company throughout the day! (my skin does not exceed 1 hour!)
In short, avoid spending your money on this crap perfume.
A customer really angry!
 
#16
sofmusc,

Its clearly subjective what everyone like, many will love it and some will hate it.

Borneo Zen is very dimensional for me, every time i smell it i receive something new (as you say), also for your skin is clearly your skin type and not the oil... as it stay on my skin 10+ ...

I like it a lot...
 
#17
I just bought Borneo Zen and I can tell you after having felt tested and I can tell you that I was really disappointed!
$ 375 for a perfume like that and supposedly based musk it really not worth it.
Counsel does not buy this ridiculous especially perfume.
And comments on Zen Borneo that lies!
As rare fragrance, this oil is irresistible, It is new with each breath, It will keep you good company throughout the day! (my skin does not exceed 1 hour!)
In short, avoid spending your money on this crap perfume.
A customer really angry!
Sofmusc,

Remember that a lot of people who use the Borneo Zen are from western countries..for them all these smells are quite exotic and new... if you are from middle east or Asian countries like Pakistan, India etc. then you may not like Borneo Zen... These countries are flooded with different blends of perfumes (mostly synthetic) so the smell of Borneo Zen won't seem new to you.. .Same thing happened to me .. the first time I smelled it I wasn't impressed at all. I immediately smelled jasmine (which was the most dominating).. some rose... and I had smelled a similar combination multiple time while growing up.. but slowly you start to appreciate this perfume especially because it is all natural (or maybe because I spent that many $$$ ;)) ..
But I agree with you that it is probably not worth $350 or $375. But I still like Borneo Zen.. Regarding it not staying on your skin for more than 1 hour..well for me it lasts 12+ hours.. so it may be your skin... Also try applying it on your hair or beard (if you have one).. it stays longer