hi all
i have been putting this off for longer than i should have. i have tried below pieces multi times on their own and in a row with the other pieces as well as various heating techniques. below are my impressions and guidelines based on other's reproted trial/error, literature and my own direct experience.
size:
on average i further splice a 0.1 gram piece of top kinam or kyara in 10 to 15 smaller pieces. in other words 0.1 gram gives me 10-15 different mon koh sessions. as for soil wood, 0.1 gram give me enough material for 5-10 mon koh sessions
i have found what works best for me. i use two pieces each time. one chunky piece (relatively speaking. think shape of rice grain but half the size) and also use a very very thin shaving piece along. i find the scents to be very different in strength and projection based on thickness of the piece. is quite nice tto use two very different thickness pieces used in tandem.
method of heating:
1) subitism over one thin mica sheet and then the half the rice grain piece is placed away from the element, over element for half a second then away. i find this to be the best method of capturing both the very subtle nuances as well as the more powerful notes with ooomph.
2) ceramic heater at 130-150 celcius for the longest and cleanest burn but one misses the "big hit" or " the all revealed instantly oomph" that is experienced with the subitism.
note: whatever you do, do NOT go on super hot temperature cause not only you are not going to get an intense hit, but you are all together toasting the little that was there. low and slow. best to go super (even less hot) low temp first and slowly crank it up, rather than reverse.
list of pieces:
kyarazen: yellow oil kyara, green oil kyara (verging black kyara classification), hainan green kinam, HK purple kinam, vietnam red fusen soil
agar aroma (tony bolton): red soil kinam, yellow soil wood (both vietnam)
ensar: brunei kinam
no brand pass me down vietnam kyara from a vietnamese friend (which i actually think is just a old heartwood nha trang or hue wood)
yamadamatsu: shin kyara (2017 purchase from japan incense as part of rikoku gomi set)
Impressions:
kyarazen:
yellow oil kyara: yes, this will work just fine as an example of kinam/kyara for a virgin nose to get "it". intense, light clour honey, menthol, powdered milk note. "cooling" intense note mixed with "intense" sweetness is basically the profile here
green oil kyara: this piece is closer to black oil kyara as almost all of the "green" "cooling" "menthol" notes are gone and replaced with intense vanilla, condensed milk and an unidentifiable "perfume" scent. this is a WOW piece. i get what the fuss is all about kind of experience, and remains for me the most treasured piece out of all the above pieces along with purple kinam.
hainan green kinam via wu shuang ge: nice and certainly appropriate to have Kinam attached to teh name as the dna is there but nowhere near the intensity, the oomph and the wow factor of other pieces. more like an amazing old heart wood piece of hainan. the scent can be found in many of wu shuang ge incenses, namely the nine lifetime and hainanese.
HK purple kinam also via wu shuang ge: scent of ensar purple kinam oil and also agar aura's ayu mixed with more wood, spice, and a deep dark and cant put to word perfume scent. iris? violet? another super WOW piece.
vietnam red fusen soil: coconut nectar, coconut shaving and white chcoloate mouse. vanillic too. intense but very short lasting. unique and mouth watering. lovely stuff.
agar aroma (tony bolton):
red soil kinam: i dont know. it took me the longest and most practice to get it. quietest and shiest of all pieces listed above. the kinam in the name barely fits. i reserve judgment for further study and exposure to other red soil material. as a kinam, this wont do for someone looking for that AHA moment.
yellow soil Vietnam wood: also quieter and doesnt really work or last on high heat. on low heat a general pleasant dusty, woody, sandal but also vietnam sweet, honey, vanillic note comes out. closest scent is the extract imperial oud released of sinesis agarwood.
(super sinking nha trang and other vietnam pieces from tony have been much more enjoyable and far stronger QPR)
Ensar:
Brunei Kinam: falls somewhere between yellow oil kyara of kyarazen and a top top old brunei heartwood piece. the kianm in name is definitely appropriate as the notes are both that of kinam and the intensity is huge. if someone for the first time is looking to experience kinam/kyara i still think this is not it. best to go straight for the real deal, the actual vietnam kinam or even shin kyara from japanese houses (not great but good enough) or try kyarazen and see if you can manage to score 0.1 gram of the yellow or green oil kyara
Yamadamatsu:
the kyara in their current rikoku gomi set is definitely young and not kyara kyara but shin kyara (read kyarazen on this). there is that old old heartwood nha trang note to this piece. honey vannilic, cooling and intense spearmint. somehow doesnt have the ethereal and that "dont know what i am getting but certainly there thing" i get in kyarazen green and even yellow oil kyara.
hope this entry is of help to fellow scent hounds.
cheers
i have been putting this off for longer than i should have. i have tried below pieces multi times on their own and in a row with the other pieces as well as various heating techniques. below are my impressions and guidelines based on other's reproted trial/error, literature and my own direct experience.
size:
on average i further splice a 0.1 gram piece of top kinam or kyara in 10 to 15 smaller pieces. in other words 0.1 gram gives me 10-15 different mon koh sessions. as for soil wood, 0.1 gram give me enough material for 5-10 mon koh sessions
i have found what works best for me. i use two pieces each time. one chunky piece (relatively speaking. think shape of rice grain but half the size) and also use a very very thin shaving piece along. i find the scents to be very different in strength and projection based on thickness of the piece. is quite nice tto use two very different thickness pieces used in tandem.
method of heating:
1) subitism over one thin mica sheet and then the half the rice grain piece is placed away from the element, over element for half a second then away. i find this to be the best method of capturing both the very subtle nuances as well as the more powerful notes with ooomph.
2) ceramic heater at 130-150 celcius for the longest and cleanest burn but one misses the "big hit" or " the all revealed instantly oomph" that is experienced with the subitism.
note: whatever you do, do NOT go on super hot temperature cause not only you are not going to get an intense hit, but you are all together toasting the little that was there. low and slow. best to go super (even less hot) low temp first and slowly crank it up, rather than reverse.
list of pieces:
kyarazen: yellow oil kyara, green oil kyara (verging black kyara classification), hainan green kinam, HK purple kinam, vietnam red fusen soil
agar aroma (tony bolton): red soil kinam, yellow soil wood (both vietnam)
ensar: brunei kinam
no brand pass me down vietnam kyara from a vietnamese friend (which i actually think is just a old heartwood nha trang or hue wood)
yamadamatsu: shin kyara (2017 purchase from japan incense as part of rikoku gomi set)
Impressions:
kyarazen:
yellow oil kyara: yes, this will work just fine as an example of kinam/kyara for a virgin nose to get "it". intense, light clour honey, menthol, powdered milk note. "cooling" intense note mixed with "intense" sweetness is basically the profile here
green oil kyara: this piece is closer to black oil kyara as almost all of the "green" "cooling" "menthol" notes are gone and replaced with intense vanilla, condensed milk and an unidentifiable "perfume" scent. this is a WOW piece. i get what the fuss is all about kind of experience, and remains for me the most treasured piece out of all the above pieces along with purple kinam.
hainan green kinam via wu shuang ge: nice and certainly appropriate to have Kinam attached to teh name as the dna is there but nowhere near the intensity, the oomph and the wow factor of other pieces. more like an amazing old heart wood piece of hainan. the scent can be found in many of wu shuang ge incenses, namely the nine lifetime and hainanese.
HK purple kinam also via wu shuang ge: scent of ensar purple kinam oil and also agar aura's ayu mixed with more wood, spice, and a deep dark and cant put to word perfume scent. iris? violet? another super WOW piece.
vietnam red fusen soil: coconut nectar, coconut shaving and white chcoloate mouse. vanillic too. intense but very short lasting. unique and mouth watering. lovely stuff.
agar aroma (tony bolton):
red soil kinam: i dont know. it took me the longest and most practice to get it. quietest and shiest of all pieces listed above. the kinam in the name barely fits. i reserve judgment for further study and exposure to other red soil material. as a kinam, this wont do for someone looking for that AHA moment.
yellow soil Vietnam wood: also quieter and doesnt really work or last on high heat. on low heat a general pleasant dusty, woody, sandal but also vietnam sweet, honey, vanillic note comes out. closest scent is the extract imperial oud released of sinesis agarwood.
(super sinking nha trang and other vietnam pieces from tony have been much more enjoyable and far stronger QPR)
Ensar:
Brunei Kinam: falls somewhere between yellow oil kyara of kyarazen and a top top old brunei heartwood piece. the kianm in name is definitely appropriate as the notes are both that of kinam and the intensity is huge. if someone for the first time is looking to experience kinam/kyara i still think this is not it. best to go straight for the real deal, the actual vietnam kinam or even shin kyara from japanese houses (not great but good enough) or try kyarazen and see if you can manage to score 0.1 gram of the yellow or green oil kyara
Yamadamatsu:
the kyara in their current rikoku gomi set is definitely young and not kyara kyara but shin kyara (read kyarazen on this). there is that old old heartwood nha trang note to this piece. honey vannilic, cooling and intense spearmint. somehow doesnt have the ethereal and that "dont know what i am getting but certainly there thing" i get in kyarazen green and even yellow oil kyara.
hope this entry is of help to fellow scent hounds.
cheers
Last edited:
