Oudselect

#1
By now, everyone is well acquainted with the online Oud market and the products that these vendors have to offer. After many years of using (and enjoying) the pungentness of ASAQ Cambodis and the Barnyardiness of Ajmal's Oud Al Han, I was baffled when I ran across websites advertising 100% Pure Oud Oils. Naturally one would begin to think, well why would a vendor need to place 100% Pure on their products?, this for me raised many questions that needed to be answered. So I began to do a few google searches on 100% Pure Oud and came up with a handful of sites and articles. Long story short Oudselect was the first online vendor I purchased 100% Oud from. My initial introduction led me to purchase their Borneo Gold, Sweet Sumbawa (first batch) and Crowne Merauke ( which is no longer available).

The first bottle I opened was the Crowne Merauke and was greeted with a musky and rather muddy (wet soil) scent that surprised me as I was use to smelling ASAQ Cambodis. I was like this is different, so I moved on to the Sweet Sumbawa and was yet again surprised when I got a completely different scent than the first, with notes of burnt leather and vetiver. And lastly I sniffed the Borneo Gold, which to me the scent was familiar to and Indian Oud I had from Ajmal.

Borneo Gold is the strongest Oud I have ever smelled and owned hands down and I now have amassed quite a few over the years. This oil opened with a heavy dose of cow fertilizer and slowly gave way to a nice sweet musky scent. After getting a dose of the potency of this oil I thought damn this is what I have been missing out on all this time. I decided that I would allow the oils to sit and mature as this was one of the points of benefit that I picked up during my research. Generally 'Pure Oud' tends to get better over time when kept under the right circumstances. About two years later a week ago I opened the bottle and applied the Borneo Gold onto my hand and then my beard. The first thing I noticed was that the fertilizer smell became more tamed and balanced and the typical Borneo scent is now the body of this oil which to me is proof that aging helps an oil tremendously regardless of it's quality. Well today I can still smell the oil off of my beard after conditioning several times this week so much so that I did not put on any oils.

I know that some folks will be skeptical about Oudselect, but I can say that their oils are 100% Pure with no cut! And this is not an advertisement for this company, I just felt the need to open up a discussion about their oils as we should broaden the discussion as far as Oud is concerned.

Also my Crowne Merauke has become very pleasant and smooth and the sweet Sumbawa has developed an orange zest dry down scent which is euphoric. If anyone has any oils from oudselect let him speak now or forever Oud in Peace.
 
#2
I bought from them the complete sampler in almost 2 years ago.It seems to me very normal and not powerful and no long lasting in my skin.But i have to say what i felt.Borneo has smell of borneo,hindi has smell of hindi....
It's strange for me a store to offer discount of 50% almost all year round.
Maybe one day i will buy again to try once more!
By the way AbuAyoob what your hint from them(Gold? Sumbawa?)?
 
F

floraopia

Guest
#3
Yes, the 50% offer is a bit strange... given the high price of Oud. What is even more fascinating is the branding, which to me, seems to be Oriscent circa. 2007. Even the sampler set colours and striped design seem to be very similar and if one takes a quick look at the Oriscent site in 2007, courtesy of the Wayback Machine, even the strapline - Oriscent's 'The Oud Source' vs Oudselect's, 'The Oud Connection' - and font for the logo are similar - http://web.archive.org/web/20070828024755/http://www.oriscent.com/

Did anyone else notice this?
 
#4
for the sake of fairness lets not compare oudselect to ensar oud (injustice) because the two are on a totally different spectrum of the oud world as far as products being offered. what is intended is for us to discuss oudselect as oudselect, i don't want this to go the direction of comparing and contrasting to ensar oud, because the conversation usually stops once that happens. so lets discuss oudselect as it is.

as for the 50% sale, i think it should be 65% and then we would get to the real value of these oils. i have no doubt that their oils are pure.

Abdullah, the borneo gold is extremely strong, maybe there is a difference in the bottle size as i have a full 3ml bottle from two years ago. the sumbawa is an enigma because i have yet to come across and oud with similar scent profile (spicy spicy citrus) and leather, an acquired taste to give you an idea of what i mean. very strange! the merauke smells similar to that offered by souq al badu musky and muddy with a hint of cherries.
 
F

floraopia

Guest
#5
So what you are saying is that the oud that Oudselect sell - I have never tried them myself - targets the lower end of the market, which is fine if that is what people want or can afford. As for comparing them to Oriscent, I was not comparing the Ouds, but just an observation that the brand colours and the 'look' immediately struck me as very similar to Oriscent when Oudselect started. Anyway, I have no intention to cause offence, so this is my last word on that!

for the sake of fairness lets not compare oudselect to ensar oud (injustice) because the two are on a totally different spectrum of the oud world as far as products being offered. what is intended is for us to discuss oudselect as oudselect, i don't want this to go the direction of comparing and contrasting to ensar oud, because the conversation usually stops once that happens. so lets discuss oudselect as it is.

as for the 50% sale, i think it should be 65% and then we would get to the real value of these oils. i have no doubt that their oils are pure.

Abdullah, the borneo gold is extremely strong, maybe there is a difference in the bottle size as i have a full 3ml bottle from two years ago. the sumbawa is an enigma because i have yet to come across and oud with similar scent profile (spicy spicy citrus) and leather, an acquired taste to give you an idea of what i mean. very strange! the merauke smells similar to that offered by souq al badu musky and muddy with a hint of cherries.
 
#7
AbuAyoub, what makes you so positive that their oils are pure? Have you ran any test on any of them? I have read on other Boards that they used resellers of other's Oud (Souq Al badu Merauke and golden Borneo case in point). IMHO, I think their oil's quality are mediocre and does not do Oud justice. In that prize range there are other vendors that offer more rounded and better quality Ouds than them. Oudimentary is one for example. UNS, Oudhassi are others.
 
#8
Masstika, it is my many years (2003-2010) of buying and selling synthetic oud from ASAQ, Ajmal and others that leads me to my surety. i have dealt with local oil vendors in nyc-nj who've used diluting agents and can tell an uncut oil, especially the proverbial 'oud cambodi' that everyone seems to have these days, from a cut or synthetic 'oud cambodi' for example. as far as quality is concerned, then that is the way of the world, nothing remains the same.

again, i will quote myself in saying that the current 50% sale should be 65% off. and i haven't read anything in regards to tests being done to determine purity of oud sometimes you just know. the oils i purchased from oudselect 2 years ago have gotten better unlike impure oils which tend to remain the same or worsen over time i.e. they are one dimensional.

i don't think you understood my post, i have oils from oudimentary and uns, which i absolutely adore and know that they have better oils. i'm not saying that oudselect is the cream of the crop, this is for anyone who has oil from the said company to share their thoughts on them (review, criticize etc.). i plan to create threads for the companies you've mentioned as well, but for now anyone with oils from oudselect can share their thoughts if they so please.

this is intended to diversify conversation and to reach out to those who may feel left out of the discussions for one reason or another (those who may not have had the fortune of smelling ensar oud or agaraura oud, two wonderful companies with extrordinary oils) and to open or begin a dialogue so that any owners reading these threads may consider the consumers' tastes and opinions and take that into consideration when purchasing from distillers or middle men.
 
#9
AbuAyoob, I have not tried oils from OudSelect or other companies besides Ensar Oud, AgarAura, and ASAQ's Thaqeel. I am naturally skeptical of other companies oils, and am not even sure that there can be such a thing as lower range pure Oud oils. Something has to give. Meaning, the trees harvested must not be truly mature, or the distillation process not too refined, otherwise how can the supply/demand equal the low prices? To me, those things don't add up.

Nonetheless, I have no intention to discount your experienced opinion without having tried the oils myself! And I mostly want to say that I really appreciate your wanting to branch out to include more people in the discussion of Oud oils on this forum. I would be curious to try some of the oils from these other companies if anyone has spare samples.
 
#10
Oudiferous, pm me your information and your are appreciated as well as everyone else here. I agree that lower end Ouds is a cause for concern, but what would happen if greater care was taken in the distillation process as to not burn or over cook. If trees were allowed to age properly, and it could be the inoculation technique, then maybe better oils could possibly slip through. Take KSSS for instance, this is the best cambodi I own and have smelled, but how did they find it? What I'm trying to say is more care needs to be taken in the production of ouds that smaller companies are selling, oudselect in particular and if done could they produce or find a KSSS without being hands on like Ensar and Taha?
 
#11
I didn't deal with any hindi's. The only thing that sells in predominantly African American Muslim communities is 'Oud cambodi' from one of the big houses, because that is what most of us were introduced to from attending islamic conferences in new jersey and Philly. If you have Oud cambodi from ASAQ or Ajmal you would sell out by the last day of the conference usually Masjid Rahmah conference that takes place every summer in July. No thaqeel or suyufi, just number 1-3' if you didn't have any of those three it was a waste of time and they are very one dimensional with strength being the only difference between the three. I have contacts studying in Medina University that picked the oils up for me at the time some at Umm Al Qura as well.
 
#12
My last tola of smoked Oud cambodi from ASAQ, my father in law now owns. I still love ASAQ and Ajmal ouds, I was just shocked and in for a big surprise when I smelled pure Oud the Cambodis are sweeter and smoother, which for me was a bit disappointing. I was used to the silage and power of ASAQ #3 and the heavy diesel fuel smell, which I love, but when I bought KSSS in 2010 my outlook changed slowly as I learned to appreciate it with its tabacco and figgie dry down. I'm still a novice with pure Oud and by oudselect being my first purchase of pure Oud, that experience will remain with me.
 
#13
I don't see the need for Ensar or Taha to cheat and dilute their oils as they are already commanding high prizes and have a dedicated followers. Why risk the chance of one or two of their clients running a test, and many can easily afford it and have it come back positive, and i know some have tested some of their oils. But when you're selling massive quantities at low and unrealistic prizes something have to give...quality and purity.
 
#14
I would say if there were any doubt to arise from my oudselect experience, it would not be a doubt about the honesty of Brother Yasin. He is a good and honest person, I have close friends who know him well and says he is honest and a good person, rather my doubt would come from the middle men and possibly some distillers based off what we have learned here from Ensar and Taha regarding shady trading.

Just today I read on (correction) BBC that some US fighter jets ( training I believe) were operating off of counterfeit Chinese parts!
 
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#15
I am all in favour of hearing about other houses that sell real yet less than ethereal ouds. I have one tola of indonesian oud from a distiller bought in Singapore a few years ago that is as good as anything the big 2 has ever produced. That said I love to blend oud and play with it and there is no reason to spend the exorbitant prices the big 2 garner in order to have the scent of oud at my fingertips and on my wrist. The view that only 2 great producers exist and there is nothing else worth talking about really bothers me. If you want a fan boy club for E&T then start a forum or a sub-section of this forum just for that. What's mediocre to you may be quite satisfying to another person.
 
#16
What's mediocre to you may be quite satisfying to another person.
i second that, humble beginnings, and not condescending! i learned to appreciate all qualities of oud and i still prefer ASAQ Cambodis, but the most important thing for me was the discovery of ouds of different origins other than cambodia/thailand.
 
#17
Fumigateur, I don't think its fair to come down on people who feel that Ensar and Taha offer the highest quality Ouds on the market. That is opinion of many on (and beyond) this forum, and they are certainly entitled to it, without having to be called "fan-boys" and such. It is true that the Oud oils offered by them are more expensive than the general market. To those who buy and enjoy their oils, it is well worth the money, and the reasons for applying Oud for many is more than just your everyday perfume to smell good. That's why many are after the particularly ethereal quality that the more expensive distillations offer by virtue of higher quality materials and meticulous distillation methods. It is within fair grounds for those who are connoisseurs of Oud oil to enjoy discussing these oils amongst others. Do not connoisseurs in all areas pursue the highest quality of what they love and discriminate after, regardless of its price? Is that not the nature of art and those who are enthusiastic for it? Of course, to pay a million dollars for a painting is absurd to some who are more easily satisfied with a simpler print by an unknown artist in the $100 range, by why should either person look down on the other?

I agree that others may very well be satisfied with the products of other Oud vendors, and there is nothing wrong with that! Whatever floats your boat, and all those people are just as welcome to discuss those Oud oils here, as AbuAyoob has started this thread on OudSelect. What I don't believe is fair is to criticize the members of this forum for standing by two vendors whose oils they enjoy above the offerings of other vendors. I truly welcome you to engage in discussion about the oils that you enjoy as well.
 
#18
I am not opposed to the love fest but I do believe this is a gaharu forum and that there is a degree of attitude coming from those who only subscribe to the E&T brands. Let others express their views without being told that they are consumers of the mediocre. I am also a watch fanatic and have some prized possessions but I tell people getting into the watch collection hobby that there is room for them as well, that there is value for the money in brands other than the highest tier. I like wearing my Hamilton sometimes and at other times only the Breguet will do.
 
#19
Fumigateur, I think all it takes is for people to speak up about what they enjoy and appreciate, and make threads about vendors they would like to see discussed more. Most people here are familiar with many different vendors and a range of oils, it just takes some initiative. The activity here is a bit slow and not that many people either, so you can see why the discussion stays centered the way it does. That's why I particularly appreciate AbuAyoob's effort here to expand our discussion to other vendors as well.
 

Tarik

New Member
#20
As Salam alaykoum


I have oud yusha and angkor,but the green,woody,sweet(y) ,and smoky of Cambody ASAQ is beautiful .
Even if i know ensar oil is better quality.

My first oud was Cambody asaq .


Tarik