Sneak Preview: Encens Khmer

Ensar Oud

Well-Known Member
#1
Taking the art of distillation to a whole new level, Encens Khmer introduces a suaveness, an intoxicating powdery-woods character unattained till now by any distiller.

Kyara de Kalbar

Every genius saves his grand opus for last. The Ninth Symphony is the last thing Beethoven composed, and it's universally recognized as his greatest work. The same can be said of Mozart's Requiem, Van Gogh's Arles masterpieces of 1888, Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov. The same can be said of our Taiwanese distiller's grand Kyara finale.

With world-cherished masterworks like Kyara LTD, Borneo 4000, Royal Kinam, Kyara Koutan and Borneo Kinam in his portfolio, you'd think there was little left for him to accomplish in the craft of oud distillation.

But before he abandoned pure oud oil so he could devote his time to carving Vietnamese kyara beads, he distilled one oil that not only matched but completely outstripped and surpassed all his previous olfactory masterpieces: Kyara de Kalbar.

I recall him putting some precious Vietnamese kyara carving dust on his low heat electric burner (specially designed for kyara chips) as he handed me the oil. And he gave me some green kyara powder to chew on and keep under my tongue. With a numbed mouth and a nose that was to be numbed even further by his Kyara de Kalbar, I bid him farewell.

Not only due to its unusually high price tag but also because of what this oil marks in the history of Ensar Oud, as well as the turning point that it marks in the way agarwood oil is harvested and produced worldwide, I have decided to keep Kyara de Kalbar in the company archives and not offer it for sale.

What I have done, however, is use some of it to craft a signature oud by which I introduce myself to distillers, agarwood farmers, as well as colleagues and fellow oud enthusiasts.

My 'business card'

I remember meeting the illustrious owner of one of the largest oud companies in the world, and him handing me a business card made out of a thin sheet of metal that seemed to have been plated in gold. This was then sealed in a special transparent glossy wrap. Instead of my humble business card, I gave him a swipe of Encens Khmer.

A business card is of little use in my line of work. It would take a whole list of references, guarantees and certificates (sanity included) to convince any farmer or distiller the kind of oils I'm out to produce are indeed possible, and I am not some comedian with a camera man out to take folks for a ride.

Encens Khmer always does the trick. Some are stymied speechless. Others burst out laughing hysterically. 'I'm a very lucky man to have met you,' one of them said; then he put his entire distillery at my disposal for the production of Thai Encens. Yet another took me on a tour of distilleries, demanding that every farmer we met along the way be given a swipe of Khmer. His distillery is currently being used in our Khao Yai incense grade wild Cambodian experiment.

So why Khmer?

To me Khmer smells extremely powdery, almost tobbaco-y, with a sweet pollen undertone, dark honey and lush vanilla flavored ultra mellow Havana cigar smoke permeating the orchestration, with the faintest dose of cinnamon. It's a lazy man's oil. A daily swiper unlike some sublime Hindis you just can't wear unless it's a special occasion. I've never smelled anything more powdery or soporific. It's like getting lost in a trance of Cuban cigar smoke laced with vanilla, powdered wood, Peru balsam, cinnamon, ambery labdanum absolute, the united notes of amber and fine cigars in oud lulu land.

The description of the scent is a work in progress. Please check back later for more detailed information.
 
#2
As an appreciator of fine, well-aged Havana (and Nicaraguan puro) cigars; this description, ongoing as it may be, has my interest well-piqued!
mmmmmm...
 
#4
Ensar I am not sure I understand the relation ship between Kyara de Kalbar and Encens Khmer. Are they one and the same or are they (2) different oils?
 

Ensar Oud

Well-Known Member
#5
Kyara de Kalbar is at the heart of Encens Khmer, which apart from Kalbar possesses an ultra fine aged Cambodi oil which I had only 2 tolas of.

We were hoping to procure more of the same style Cambodi but the distiller didn't follow through with the project as it turned out to be too risky for his peace of mind.

As I don't plan on using the current Khao Yai oil as a substitute, as of right now there will be no second Encens Khmer.
 
#6
BTW, Ensar is not joking when he says "Powdery". It does smell like baby's skin after shower. The powdery smell though is not feminine in anyway rather like white fog that envelopes the person in a dignified way. From the tiny glimpse I had of it, it reminded me a lot of Kyara Koutan but in a more grown up and adult, or what Ensar I guess calls "lazy", way.
 
#8
Encens Khmer: This oil is intoxicating! The fragrance is so complex it filled my face up like a cloud of menthol would, if menthol was sweet vanilla cola and green kyara notes with cloves, if cloves were softer and more seductive. The undercurrent sharp notes are so complex I can't yet describe them. They hit the top of my nostrils then proceeded to seduce the back of the eyeballs making my eyeballs roll back into my head. It's as if someone blew kyara dust and glass powder at your face, cutting through your thought processes, shutting down your olfactory system from a sensory overload. There is a bold, masculine undercurrent to this oil riding through the kyara, making it more attractive than the Kyara Koutan.
 
#10
Wearing Encens Khmer right now. Need to spend more time with it, and put on some more before I can make any serious statements. I am curious about the oils in here though.

I read somewhere here from Ensar that there is a Cambodian oil in here, and that is mixed with Kyara de Kalbar. Kyara de Kablar is a Borneo origin oil? Khmer smells very classically Cambodian to me.