Vietnam Special K

kesiro

Well-Known Member
#1
I got this oil several weeks ago, and I am told I was the first person to acquire it. Vietnamese Oud oils have been the pinnacle of my collection. K1, Royal Guallam, for example are so spectacular and powerful, that I use them for truly special occasions. When I learned Taha was doing his own distillation of high grade wild Vietnamese Agarwood, and going for the pure resin scent, well you can imagine that my interest meter redlined off the scale. I discussed the oil with him on multiple occasions and decided to purchase, being aware the oil was recently distilled and still in what he calls, the tightening stage. I wanted to experience the development for myself.

So when the oil arrived, I had to immediately try it, despite the recommendation of letting it sit for a while. Resistance was futile. It would be like putting a jar of honey in front of a bear and not letting him have it. Would not work out so well. So the initial impression was like, wow does this smell nice, but it is very light, and somewhat closed down. The scent was distinctly Kinam but just did not project very much and did not have that bloom that you would expect. Obviously there was a reason Taha said to wait.

Anyway, fast forward to current time. Oh my how things have changed! The scent is now so lush and vibrant compared to at first. Like with every Kinam oil I have tried, I have struggled immensely to describe the aroma. I found these oils to mostly be an experience rather then just a scent I can describe as 'sweet, fruity, woody, etc.'.
Taha says his goal was to recreate the Baieido Green Kyara scent. Did he succeed? I have no idea. I never experienced the smell before and I doubt I ever will. What he has created is a scent that to me smells like walking on clouds in heaven. It is so beautiful and serene, it is a religious experience. This is clearly an oleoresin oil. There are no accessory notes that I can detect. Compared to K1, it is sweeter. Still unmistakably Vietnamese with the bitter medicinal green notes interwoven together. But the there is nothing bitter about it. This oil is angelic beauty. Perfume like in its presentation. Calm serenity with inspiration.

I have to say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you Taha. It is clear this oil was not easy to make nor cheap. But the effort is so very much appreciated.
 

kooolaid79

Well-Known Member
#2
I got this oil several weeks ago, and I am told I was the first person to acquire it. Vietnamese Oud oils have been the pinnacle of my collection. K1, Royal Guallam, for example are so spectacular and powerful, that I use them for truly special occasions. When I learned Taha was doing his own distillation of high grade wild Vietnamese Agarwood, and going for the pure resin scent, well you can imagine that my interest meter redlined off the scale. I discussed the oil with him on multiple occasions and decided to purchase, being aware the oil was recently distilled and still in what he calls, the tightening stage. I wanted to experience the development for myself.

So when the oil arrived, I had to immediately try it, despite the recommendation of letting it sit for a while. Resistance was futile. It would be like putting a jar of honey in front of a bear and not letting him have it. Would not work out so well. So the initial impression was like, wow does this smell nice, but it is very light, and somewhat closed down. The scent was distinctly Kinam but just did not project very much and did not have that bloom that you would expect. Obviously there was a reason Taha said to wait.

Anyway, fast forward to current time. Oh my how things have changed! The scent is now so lush and vibrant compared to at first. Like with every Kinam oil I have tried, I have struggled immensely to describe the aroma. I found these oils to mostly be an experience rather then just a scent I can describe as 'sweet, fruity, woody, etc.'.
Taha says his goal was to recreate the Baieido Green Kyara scent. Did he succeed? I have no idea. I never experienced the smell before and I doubt I ever will. What he has created is a scent that to me smells like walking on clouds in heaven. It is so beautiful and serene, it is a religious experience. This is clearly an oleoresin oil. There are no accessory notes that I can detect. Compared to K1, it is sweeter. Still unmistakably Vietnamese with the bitter medicinal green notes interwoven together. But the there is nothing bitter about it. This oil is angelic beauty. Perfume like in its presentation. Calm serenity with inspiration.

I have to say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you Taha. It is clear this oil was not easy to make nor cheap. But the effort is so very much appreciated.
What a awesome write up Sir! Many sincere congratulations on acquiring this treasure!
 

Taha

Well-Known Member
#3
Glad to hear you've been enjoying this oil, kesiro!
And ha, what'd I tell ya... my prediction of last week for when it'll be ready was dead on, wasn't it. ;)

Two words: "vacuum desiccator".
I may not be a scientist, but I do like to use science to my advantage when I can.
A desiccator does quite the opposite of another thing I like to use, Argon. A desiccator forces all the water and fumes out of an oil, and best of all the oil is allowed to cure with zero oxygen. The absence of oxygen expedites the good type of aging (inter-bonding + polymerization of scent compounds) and its further expedited because even the tiniest traces of water otherwise interfere with/slow down the process.

For the everyday oud user though, of course its overkill. Just letting the oil sit it out is the easiest way to let it achieve completion, it just takes longer is all.
If you want to expedite it and wanna get a desiccator, please make sure its not a cheapie, as the pressure differential with the atmoosphere can cause the container to explode (the same applies to Argon as well, never pump in too much).

I think though, you're glad you let it just age naturally though, right? This way, you got to follow the evolution and maturation of the scent yourself, which is precisely what you had wanted. :D
A desiccator (with uncapped bottles inside) is still a sight to behold though. Ironic that leaving bottles uncapped is in fact the best way to store oils!

Okay, I really went off on a tangent.
Glad you're enjoying the oud my friend!
 

kesiro

Well-Known Member
#4
That is very interesting Taha. The only concern I would have with a vaccum setup like that is whether the vacuum is sucking out some of the desired volatile compounds and potentially affecting the overall scent. Probably a non issue but my mind works in strange ways.
 
#5
That is very interesting Taha. The only concern I would have with a vaccum setup like that is whether the vacuum is sucking out some of the desired volatile compounds and potentially affecting the overall scent. Probably a non issue but my mind works in strange ways.
Technically there is zero pressure within a closed vacuum system...hence nothing to suck up any volatile compounds. :)
 

Taha

Well-Known Member
#6
So the guy who proposed this to me for 'ideal' long-term storage (i.e. as opposed to just for curing) is some sorta scientist hotshot (remember the guy from Atlanta I told you was visiting, @kesiro?), he does consulting for big companies like Apple, Huawei, etc, working with epoxies and God knows what else. Basically, he's a lab geek and he seemed pretty confident in suggesting it.
When he proposed it, I expressed exactly the same concern as yours. And his reply was exactly the same as Oud_Learner's (another geeky nerd, ha! :p). He also added that since water is polar and oil isn't, hence the only thing that's going to move out of the container and get absorbed into the desiccant is... the water. And once all the water/fumes are gone, what you're left with is the oil in its most pristine form, and it can be preserved indefinitely in the desiccator (so long as there's no over-exposure to UV of course).
Okay, looks like I'm really sidetracking here, haha! Now I remember there's another thread about the best way to store oud.

It was actually a lot of fun having him over, and very educational for me too. He was very delighted to see the Khmer Special K distillation in person (identical parameters to Vietnam Special K). He confirmed many of the things I implemented based on just 'gut feeling' up until then, giving me the scientific reasoning behind them. And he also made some other excellent suggestions, which I started implementing right after that batch.
I got so excited in fact that, as you know, I ended up running all 4 pots at home (including 2 in my bedroom, 6 feet away from where I sleep)!

Any how, you can store Vietnam Special K however you wish. Argon, no argon, cap on, cap off...
Based on my little vial of Betonamu, together with Guallam Liquide and another lovely Vietnamese oil gifted to me by Ensar, one thing is for sure: I have absolutely NO oxidation concerns when it comes to Vietnamese oud. :D
The important thing is... I'm glad you're enjoying the oil!