the wait is over. somehow, i still dont know why or how, i had managed to be fully submerged in the world of oud for a year and a bit, yet, never got to try any of feel oud oils.
here are my impressions:
virgin sumatra island:
a gen 3/senkoh style oil. all about the purity and oleoresin in the wood. flashes of ayu and that cream soda, psychedelic malay vibe, while a nod goes to salty oceanic blue/green breeze of walla oils. BUT there is a bitterness and a acheh wood quality here that keeps the origin unique and not one that will be fully mistaken as a malay or cummingiana/beccariana origin. ethereal, lithe, finessed and captivating. some change in the drydown, but nothing major. all about the heart notes and top notes here. lovely stuff. if you missed out on taha's ayu and ambrosia, this is your chance. and the chips offered from sumatra by adam are lovely too. uniquely indonesian wood with a bittersweet, green, herbal, sweet again adn touch salty quality.
hawsa:
a mystery oil i knew nothing about. i picked up vietnam/cambodi and even malay vibe of high quality wood yet wasnt comfortable parking it in either country. a gen 4 style oil, where aside from the brilliant oleoresin display, the goodness of the wood and other lipids, waxes, etc. are also present. highest quality oil and hands down my fav of the 5. terrific drydown. excellent rounded and polite opening. chuck full of heart. flashes of malinau/maluku sweet spicy vannilic note.
the wood turned out to be high quality dust and shaving from various species from thailand and surrounding. there is ZERO trat nose here and a thailand that i didnt know existed. this is just lovely stuff. no idea about price or anything else for that matter. all i know is that this is a must have.
maroke haya:
pretty, light and approachable are not often words that go with maroke or filaria yet here is what i see. i mean it in a good way too. take the maroke profile and make it as ethereal, airy and light as possible, WITHOUT losing any of the integrity of the origin and the wood. this is clearly a maroke and nothing but. Yet, is unlike any other maroke i have tried. even more ethereal than syed ascent. a few shades lighter in scent colour. dont know price. to my nose and experience is a mid to mid- tier oil and if so a great one.
a bengali oil i forget the exact name or even if it is from india or bangladesh. ill re edit when i go home and see the vial and the name:
a tastefully done barny oil. it immediately made me think shuayb meets a teenager zachariya and they have a baby. sour berries. leather. horse. barn. hay. fermented notes mostly. not for me, but if shuayb and oud zach are your thing i am sure you will be pleased with this oil.
oud champi:
a white champaca infused oud. too sweet and candied for my liking. i can see this in an attar or diluted as a the base for an edp and it could work beautifully. there is a feminine edge to this oil and something i think our female oud loving friends will like. having said that it is definitely not a strictly feminine oil. there is lots going on under the surface and the scent is rich and full.
closing remark: i had a feeling that adam's oils will likely show nods of taha's style and ensar's, with some closer in style to ensar and some closer to taha. this is for the most part true based on my experience of below oils. perhaps they are a bit closer to taha's gen 4.
here are my impressions:
virgin sumatra island:
a gen 3/senkoh style oil. all about the purity and oleoresin in the wood. flashes of ayu and that cream soda, psychedelic malay vibe, while a nod goes to salty oceanic blue/green breeze of walla oils. BUT there is a bitterness and a acheh wood quality here that keeps the origin unique and not one that will be fully mistaken as a malay or cummingiana/beccariana origin. ethereal, lithe, finessed and captivating. some change in the drydown, but nothing major. all about the heart notes and top notes here. lovely stuff. if you missed out on taha's ayu and ambrosia, this is your chance. and the chips offered from sumatra by adam are lovely too. uniquely indonesian wood with a bittersweet, green, herbal, sweet again adn touch salty quality.
hawsa:
a mystery oil i knew nothing about. i picked up vietnam/cambodi and even malay vibe of high quality wood yet wasnt comfortable parking it in either country. a gen 4 style oil, where aside from the brilliant oleoresin display, the goodness of the wood and other lipids, waxes, etc. are also present. highest quality oil and hands down my fav of the 5. terrific drydown. excellent rounded and polite opening. chuck full of heart. flashes of malinau/maluku sweet spicy vannilic note.
the wood turned out to be high quality dust and shaving from various species from thailand and surrounding. there is ZERO trat nose here and a thailand that i didnt know existed. this is just lovely stuff. no idea about price or anything else for that matter. all i know is that this is a must have.
maroke haya:
pretty, light and approachable are not often words that go with maroke or filaria yet here is what i see. i mean it in a good way too. take the maroke profile and make it as ethereal, airy and light as possible, WITHOUT losing any of the integrity of the origin and the wood. this is clearly a maroke and nothing but. Yet, is unlike any other maroke i have tried. even more ethereal than syed ascent. a few shades lighter in scent colour. dont know price. to my nose and experience is a mid to mid- tier oil and if so a great one.
a bengali oil i forget the exact name or even if it is from india or bangladesh. ill re edit when i go home and see the vial and the name:
a tastefully done barny oil. it immediately made me think shuayb meets a teenager zachariya and they have a baby. sour berries. leather. horse. barn. hay. fermented notes mostly. not for me, but if shuayb and oud zach are your thing i am sure you will be pleased with this oil.
oud champi:
a white champaca infused oud. too sweet and candied for my liking. i can see this in an attar or diluted as a the base for an edp and it could work beautifully. there is a feminine edge to this oil and something i think our female oud loving friends will like. having said that it is definitely not a strictly feminine oil. there is lots going on under the surface and the scent is rich and full.
closing remark: i had a feeling that adam's oils will likely show nods of taha's style and ensar's, with some closer in style to ensar and some closer to taha. this is for the most part true based on my experience of below oils. perhaps they are a bit closer to taha's gen 4.