Oud know-hows: How does a newbie tell between the real and the fake?

Yan

New Member
#1
Any newbie to oud will be swamped and maybe "spoilt" for choice when choosing their 1st bottle of oud. Question is, how to ensure that their picking is indeed oud, and not a flake? Please, do share your advice.
 
#2
Any newbie to oud will be swamped and maybe "spoilt" for choice when choosing their 1st bottle of oud. Question is, how to ensure that their picking is indeed oud, and not a flake? Please, do share your advice.
I'm not sure I understand the question. If a "newbie" goes by the recommendation of Oud connoisseurs that I am sure they won't end up with low quality Oud. I always recommend new people to try one of Ensar's Ouds, get the smell and taste of absolute purity, and then trust your nose.
 

Kruger

Well-Known Member
#5
I'm with Oudiferous. I'd recommend jumping into the deep end, trying the best (the ouds that are recognized to be good, across the board) right at the start. Otherwise, you'll always be guessing and never really know for sure what you're smelling. So, head for the trusted sources and you can't go wrong, and from then on you'll have a good idea of what you're dealing with, and how what comes your way matches up.
 

Yan

New Member
#6
I'm not sure I understand the question. If a "newbie" goes by the recommendation of Oud connoisseurs that I am sure they won't end up with low quality Oud. I always recommend new people to try one of Ensar's Ouds, get the smell and taste of absolute purity, and then trust your nose.
Wow! Thanks for the valuable insight.

Right. But yes, I'm just a newbie who's silly in oud stuff. Totally no leads and no clues about oud at all. Just did my own self-discovery and research about oud oils. Oud for dummies 101 is what I would appreciate, and I'm finding it in this forum :)
 

Yan

New Member
#7
Yan! Here are some places you can view and indulge, all various price ranges and quality. And there are a few more places on the net, but these are vendors that folks have tried and can provide info on them! Anyone with experience from either of these vendors???

http://www.agaraura.com
http://www.oriscent.com
http://www.oudimentary.com
http://www.souqalbadu.com
http://www.oudh.co.uk
http://agarwoodindonesia.com/tag/oudh-oil
That's a wonderful list which certainly helps to narrow my search...
Hmm...just curious, are they arranged in any particular order??
 

Yan

New Member
#8
So, head for the trusted sources and you can't go wrong, and from then on you'll have a good idea of what you're dealing with, and how what comes your way matches up.
Aha...I can't disagree with you less. Especially so if the ouds wont be coming in for free!!
So at least now I know that with ouds, its always the right thing to do to start from the good ones.
 
#11
Is price an indicator of authenticity then?
Not at all, you pretty much place your trust in the hands of the vendors because there is not real way of authenticating an oil. You can pay several hundred bucks for an adulterated oil and sixty bucks for a pure authentic oil whose quality will be better. So I wouldn't pay attention to price at all, you just have to trust the vendors that they are selling you a pure product!
 

Yan

New Member
#12
You can pay several hundred bucks for an adulterated oil and sixty bucks for a pure authentic oil whose quality will be better.
Aha...that's really unfortunate if it ever happens that. What about the name, i.e. brand name or famous vendor...i think it plays a part too? I mean these people or brands usually will carry the best ouds that one could ever lay their hands on and pay serious money for them?
 
#13
Price is not a safe indicator of anything. I will go out on a limb and say that you won't get 3ml of pure Oud oil in single digits. If someone is selling it to you in single digits, beware. There are also example of oils that are astronomically priced simply because of the vendor's reputation or popularity. Take ASAQ. They are selling their famed "Thaqeel" Oud oil for $3,733 a tola (10ml). You do the math. And that is for an artificially oxidized oil for which there is no information provided such as the age and species of the tree, the jungle or place of cultivation, the age of the oil, the details of the distillation process, etc.

Perhaps the single most challenging factor for anyone who is new to Oud is the price tag. There is no easy way around it. You must bite the bullet if you want pure Oud oil! It is a precious and sacred substance, not a mere perfume.

The clearest direction I can point you in with absolute confidence is the Oud oils that are being sold at www.oriscent.com. No need to drop $550 on the LTD oils, unless you really want to (you certainly wouldn't regret it). But, in my opinion, the Ouds listed under "Organic Oud" are the most affordable pure Oud oils available, and they have gone through a meticulous distillation process that is, in my opinion (and to my nose), unmatched by other vendors in its quality and purity.
 
#14
Ahh, in that case I would have to start training my nose to tell which are the pure ones! I think it's safe to say that where I live, most of the oud that are sold are probably not 100% pure as they tend to have a certain...might I say, "overwhelming" scent, almost as if there has been other additions to enhance the scent of the oil. But then again, being a newbie, that's just what I think.. :p
 
#15
Ahh, in that case I would have to start training my nose to tell which are the pure ones! I think it's safe to say that where I live, most of the oud that are sold are probably not 100% pure as they tend to have a certain...might I say, "overwhelming" scent, almost as if there has been other additions to enhance the scent of the oil. But then again, being a newbie, that's just what I think.. :p
I'm someone who doesn't like change too much so I tend to stick with what I know, and what I know is what I like to smell in an oud oil. By sampling before you purchase this will help you train your nose!