What's on your burner today?
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F
It was in some sort of liquid container like the ones you see in top class hotels where you can serve yourself a drink. I think it definitely was the King Fahad mukhkallat as I just found this article online about the King Fahad, in the Oxford Street Arabian Oud store that the writer saw in 2008 - same year that I saw it. http://www.agarwoodnews.com/2011/06/king-fahad-blend-and-its-real-value.html
Nice setup fumigateur !
Thanks for the link to the article floraopia - I read that a while ago and generally agree with the sentiments expressed. Just how good could King Fahad smell to justify this price ? Better than Amouage Tribute or Homage at US$350/12ml ? Can anyone with first hand experience of King Fahad comment ?
Thanks for the link to the article floraopia - I read that a while ago and generally agree with the sentiments expressed. Just how good could King Fahad smell to justify this price ? Better than Amouage Tribute or Homage at US$350/12ml ? Can anyone with first hand experience of King Fahad comment ?
F
When you mentioned these perfumes, I first reaction was... 'what on earth is he praising synthetic rubbish for?'. I absolutely hate synthetic scents and cannot wear them. So I looked and am actually impressed with the Amouage Tribute if it really only contains natural ingredients of the highest quality.
I have had the honor of owning Tribute and splitting a quarter tola of Fahed with a friend. They are both exemplary blends which I love dearly but I have no real way of knowing if either is all natural as I lack a mass spectrometer in my home. The Tribute is a testimony to the amazing marriage of rose and frankincense. It never ceases to amaze me that so much scent can be packed into that beautiful little bottle. It is very linear, just the best possible products that are in deepest harmony. To me it smells the same six hours after application. Very sweet, intoxicating and sensuous. Fahed on the other hand not linear, it is more of a journey through the interaction of various elements over time. It starts out with a blast of spicy oud that is soon mellowed by the rose note. I would not say they are perfectly harmonious, i would say they feed off and complement each other amazingly. After an hour the musk really comes to the front and the scent becomes more mysterious as I get wafts of all three notes separately and a mysterious veil of accordance simultaneously. That said, if one brings price into the equation the Fahed is not exponentially more luxurious or radiant than the Tribute.
I too have the privilege of possessing a small supply of Tribute. Alas, I haven't tried King Fahad yet but I am working on this problem !
Tribute seemingly not only has the highest quality ingredients but is composed with an amazing balance of notes. Depending on the temperature, activity and humidity it provides a journey where at one moment the ward taifi raises its head and peeks out, at the next the spicy frankincense proclaims its dominance, and then some other ingredients I haven't identified but which have a leathery accord arise, and then they all merge into a harmony which becomes greater than the sum of its parts, only to wander off again on their separate journeys.
I am also working on the somewhat more manageable problem of acquiring a small supply of Homage, which has the nicest brightest most cheerful and graceful ward taifi note I have ever smelled. So many nice scents, so little time !
Tribute seemingly not only has the highest quality ingredients but is composed with an amazing balance of notes. Depending on the temperature, activity and humidity it provides a journey where at one moment the ward taifi raises its head and peeks out, at the next the spicy frankincense proclaims its dominance, and then some other ingredients I haven't identified but which have a leathery accord arise, and then they all merge into a harmony which becomes greater than the sum of its parts, only to wander off again on their separate journeys.
I am also working on the somewhat more manageable problem of acquiring a small supply of Homage, which has the nicest brightest most cheerful and graceful ward taifi note I have ever smelled. So many nice scents, so little time !
@Fumigateur: I love the hen feather. Does it disturb the ash when you fan the charcoal? Tonight: I am trying the newly arrived Sandalwood from The Karantaka Factory in Mysore. Has to be the cutest Package I ever got.
The outer box was all tiddly wrapped in stitched white linen with my Name and address in HUGE BOLD letter 
The sticks are black in color, the smell is most natural soft and sweet as in vinegar sweet, ever the slightest acidity. I wonder if there is any vertiver mixed in there.
This is not like the Buttery smell of the Mysore shaving but the stick burns for a good 35-40 minutes and fills 2 adjacent rooms with very subtle and soft smell. When one smells this and then smells other vendors sandalwood sticks that you can't take for more than 10 minutes at a time you realize quickly that your body is telling you something.
The outer box was all tiddly wrapped in stitched white linen with my Name and address in HUGE BOLD letter The sticks are black in color, the smell is most natural soft and sweet as in vinegar sweet, ever the slightest acidity. I wonder if there is any vertiver mixed in there.
This is not like the Buttery smell of the Mysore shaving but the stick burns for a good 35-40 minutes and fills 2 adjacent rooms with very subtle and soft smell. When one smells this and then smells other vendors sandalwood sticks that you can't take for more than 10 minutes at a time you realize quickly that your body is telling you something.^Masstika: No the feather does not move the ash on the charcoal and does not move the ash in the bowl. I used to get impatient and blow on the charcoal to speed up the briquette lighting but this is much easier, I don't have to get my eyes rigt in the charcoal and it adds a sense of elegance to the whole thing.
Frankincense and Oud
Lately I have burned only two things: green frankincense from Oman (sells around $25 for 10 grams) and of course, Chanthaburi chips from Ensar. I use the bamboo charcoal from Shoyeido, on white ash. I use a only really small piece of the frankincense to purify the air and have this nice citrus-y smell. Then I add some Chanthaburi oud, in most cases small chips or shavings. This combination creates a wonderful luxurious scent atmosphere in my while apartment. It really "sets the stage", as it were, for meditation and equally well also for Bodhran drumming sessions.
Lately I have burned only two things: green frankincense from Oman (sells around $25 for 10 grams) and of course, Chanthaburi chips from Ensar. I use the bamboo charcoal from Shoyeido, on white ash. I use a only really small piece of the frankincense to purify the air and have this nice citrus-y smell. Then I add some Chanthaburi oud, in most cases small chips or shavings. This combination creates a wonderful luxurious scent atmosphere in my while apartment. It really "sets the stage", as it were, for meditation and equally well also for Bodhran drumming sessions.
I like that
Thomas S, it doesn't get any better than that combo.
I have this Vietnamese chip left over from the Asian triangle sample pack the agarscentsbazaar used to offer, I did a comparison between that and khao yai chips and the scent is identical with that soft perfume like sweetness. As soon as I figure this thing out I will post pictures of the chip from Vietnam. I refuse to burn my last vienamese chip from agarscents because it is amazing.
Thomas S, it doesn't get any better than that combo.
I have this Vietnamese chip left over from the Asian triangle sample pack the agarscentsbazaar used to offer, I did a comparison between that and khao yai chips and the scent is identical with that soft perfume like sweetness. As soon as I figure this thing out I will post pictures of the chip from Vietnam. I refuse to burn my last vienamese chip from agarscents because it is amazing.
I like that
Thomas S, it doesn't get any better than that combo.
__________
Well, AbuAyoob, I wouldn´t say so...
I have created my own incense sticks, for my own meditation practice, from a combination of Oud and Sandalwood. The sandal enhances the sweet, floral notes of the oud that it turned into something wonderful. It was as if the (somewhat less-than-perfect) oud had somehow transformed into something better. The scent was sweet, ethereal and the afterburn scent lasted quite long. I was using white sandal from a supplier here in Germany and agarwood chips from Baieido.
For my next "experiment" in incense stick making I will use some other agarwood and I´m currently thinking of creating some incense sticks from other ingredients, too. Actually I consider combining white sandal, frankincense and oud. Of course making sticks from frankincense resin is something where the amount of resin used is crucial to the burning properties of the sticks.
All my sticks are handmade, therefore they will not look like the stuff one can buy from professional incense makers; but the general method is more or less the same: grund the ingredients, mature them, using makko powder as binder (no bamboo core here!, also no essential or chemical "aroma" oils); and then from that mixture I make the sticks. The difference is, I manufacture/ hand-roll the sticks, so they will be considerably thicker in diameter than the industrially made sticks. I don´t own an incense stick press... yet ;-)
If you are interested I can make some and send you a sample. Just drop me a line.
Blessings,
Thomas S.
Thomas S, it doesn't get any better than that combo.
__________
Well, AbuAyoob, I wouldn´t say so...
I have created my own incense sticks, for my own meditation practice, from a combination of Oud and Sandalwood. The sandal enhances the sweet, floral notes of the oud that it turned into something wonderful. It was as if the (somewhat less-than-perfect) oud had somehow transformed into something better. The scent was sweet, ethereal and the afterburn scent lasted quite long. I was using white sandal from a supplier here in Germany and agarwood chips from Baieido.
For my next "experiment" in incense stick making I will use some other agarwood and I´m currently thinking of creating some incense sticks from other ingredients, too. Actually I consider combining white sandal, frankincense and oud. Of course making sticks from frankincense resin is something where the amount of resin used is crucial to the burning properties of the sticks.
All my sticks are handmade, therefore they will not look like the stuff one can buy from professional incense makers; but the general method is more or less the same: grund the ingredients, mature them, using makko powder as binder (no bamboo core here!, also no essential or chemical "aroma" oils); and then from that mixture I make the sticks. The difference is, I manufacture/ hand-roll the sticks, so they will be considerably thicker in diameter than the industrially made sticks. I don´t own an incense stick press... yet ;-)
If you are interested I can make some and send you a sample. Just drop me a line.
Blessings,
Thomas S.
Hi masstika,
yes, camphor and spikenard are widely used in Japanese incense sticks. Along with Oud, they help to bring out the sharp or earthy notes, accentuating the Oud so the smell of the bruning stick takes on characteristics of Kyara.
What I usually use for my incense mixtures: Orange peel, Lemon peel; Myrrh; Cinnamon; White Sandal; Frankincense; Storax; Curcuma; Cloves; (to name but a few).
One could also use all kind of floral leaves, e.g. dried Rose leaves. Or different woods. Or....or...
Basically, if you want to make your own sticks, you will first get the ingredients (among those: Makko powder, made from the bark deriving of the Macchilus thunbergii tree which grows in Southasia – Southasia, again!).
Check out this website (about Makko powder at lower half of the page):
http://www.oller.net/incense-making.htm
Makko is used in incense making and is sold e.g from Baieido (or more or less all good incense websites, such as Essence of the Ages. A pound / 17.86 oz. is somewhere around 50 US-$ -- and that amount will keep you busy for quite a long time. You might want to order a smaller size first.
Makko can also be used for trail burning.
To burn a trail, make in indention in your mabkhara, into the residual ash. Fill this indention with makko powder and slightly compress. Then light the makko using a short incense stick which you place gently into the makko trail and then light. Wait a minute while the makko starts smoldering and glows like a coal. Then sprinkle some incense or oud chips over the glowing Makko trail.
If you make your incense, you should carefully weigh all ingredients so you can note down what you used in a recipe.
Grind the ingredients using either mortar and pestle, or an electric coffee- grinder, or some kitchen machine.
Then mix the ground woods and spices with makko powder (somewhere from 1:1; up to 3:1 or 4:1 (i.e. Incense : Makko, in weight).
To mature them you can place the mixture in the fridge, or cover with a wet cloth, or just leave it sitting in the mixture jar (with a lid on it). 24 hours is usually enough for the fragances to mix well. Some do not need maturing, in fact it´s better to make them into sticks right away to prevent certain aromatics from evaporating.
From there you can start making your own sticks, by adding water to make a kind of dough and then forming it into sticks or cones.
Blessings,
Thomas S.
yes, camphor and spikenard are widely used in Japanese incense sticks. Along with Oud, they help to bring out the sharp or earthy notes, accentuating the Oud so the smell of the bruning stick takes on characteristics of Kyara.
What I usually use for my incense mixtures: Orange peel, Lemon peel; Myrrh; Cinnamon; White Sandal; Frankincense; Storax; Curcuma; Cloves; (to name but a few).
One could also use all kind of floral leaves, e.g. dried Rose leaves. Or different woods. Or....or...
Basically, if you want to make your own sticks, you will first get the ingredients (among those: Makko powder, made from the bark deriving of the Macchilus thunbergii tree which grows in Southasia – Southasia, again!).
Check out this website (about Makko powder at lower half of the page):
http://www.oller.net/incense-making.htm
Makko is used in incense making and is sold e.g from Baieido (or more or less all good incense websites, such as Essence of the Ages. A pound / 17.86 oz. is somewhere around 50 US-$ -- and that amount will keep you busy for quite a long time. You might want to order a smaller size first.
Makko can also be used for trail burning.
To burn a trail, make in indention in your mabkhara, into the residual ash. Fill this indention with makko powder and slightly compress. Then light the makko using a short incense stick which you place gently into the makko trail and then light. Wait a minute while the makko starts smoldering and glows like a coal. Then sprinkle some incense or oud chips over the glowing Makko trail.
If you make your incense, you should carefully weigh all ingredients so you can note down what you used in a recipe.
Grind the ingredients using either mortar and pestle, or an electric coffee- grinder, or some kitchen machine.
Then mix the ground woods and spices with makko powder (somewhere from 1:1; up to 3:1 or 4:1 (i.e. Incense : Makko, in weight).
To mature them you can place the mixture in the fridge, or cover with a wet cloth, or just leave it sitting in the mixture jar (with a lid on it). 24 hours is usually enough for the fragances to mix well. Some do not need maturing, in fact it´s better to make them into sticks right away to prevent certain aromatics from evaporating.
From there you can start making your own sticks, by adding water to make a kind of dough and then forming it into sticks or cones.
Blessings,
Thomas S.
Thanks Thomas for the great information. I am almost tempted to start crushing some oud chips and some sandalwood. You mention above about weights; would you be kind enough to share some weights for some of the ingredients you have mentioned because I am not sure how much to crush or how much materials makes how many sticks?
A few pages back we were talking about the status of Mysore Sandalwood from India and all the so called genuine Mysore oil being sold out there. Trygve have just visited the Karantaka factory in Mysore and have painted a riveting picture of the status of Sandalwood today. The article is full of valuable information for those who are curious about Mysore Sandalwood. http://enfleuragenyc.blogspot.com/2012/03/some-straight-talk-on-sandalwood.html?showComment=1332863163837#c8698477511735588718
A few pages back we were talking about the status of Mysore Sandalwood from India and all the so called genuine Mysore oil being sold out there. Trygve have just visited the Karantaka factory in Mysore and have painted a riveting picture of the status of Sandalwood today. The article is full of valuable information for those who are curious about Mysore Sandalwood. http://enfleuragenyc.blogspot.com/2012/03/some-straight-talk-on-sandalwood.html?showComment=1332863163837#c8698477511735588718
These 2 vendors have,Great Great quality Frankincense both Royal grade(my favorite) and Superior are the best i've tried so far from anyone. I ran out awhile back,need to re-up
http://www.frankincensetree.com/#!shop-uk
http://www.fineincense.com/prices/prices.html
Let me know how it works out my brother
UPDATE: wasn't Royal grade i tried but Superior and another type,both were good...
http://www.frankincensetree.com/#!shop-uk
http://www.fineincense.com/prices/prices.html
Let me know how it works out my brother
UPDATE: wasn't Royal grade i tried but Superior and another type,both were good...