Articles, The Oud Journey
Kyara: A Dialogue
Dr. Andrej is more obsessed with oud than most diehard collectors and his acute appreciation for all things oud got him to get in touch with Ensar. Their ongoing discussion has covered numerous themes that delve into the finer details of artisanal oud oil.
This is the first in a series of posts that follows the email correspondence between Dr. Andrej and Ensar, with extracts that highlight their conversation on one of the most elusive topics in the agarwood world… Kyara.
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Dear Ensar,
I think I get what you mean by the Centennial being fresh from the still, but in a couple of months it will be perfect just like Qi Nam Khmer. It could be that it has even more layers than Qi Nam Khmer (and that one acquired a stunning aroma after a couple of weeks).
Berlin was nice, I visited the most luxurious department store’s perfumery section, and tried out a lot of different houses, with a few of them completely natural (which the staff misleadingly calls organic scents), like April Aromatics, Boudicca, Byredo, Honore des Pres, Kurkdjian, Le Labo, Miller et Bertaux, Nasomatto, Serge Lutens, Strange Invisible Parfums (a couple of interesting ones), Lorenzo Villoresi (also a few interesting), Keiko Mecheri, Tom Ford Private Blend. Well, all in all, they mostly smell the same. I asked for some dark, oriental ones, but the choices I was offered were actually very similar to all the others. And the guy was completely confused that nothing appealed to me. And synthetic jasmine and sandal seem to be everywhere.
One thing that might interest you is the Croatian city Rijeka which has an architecturally modern and very, very interesting mosque as planned by a famous Croatian sculptor called Dušan Džamonja. Interesting is also the fact that the emir of Qatar liked the project so much, he chose to give generous financial help. Just type in Rijeka Dzamija on google images, I find it really cool.
I need to discuss some issues with you, it helps me formulate my thoughts, and check them with someone who is not just knowledgeable about agarwood, but has years of first-hand experience. I am getting pretty upset at the nonsense some people are writing about Kyara, and the misinterpretation of scientific facts, so I am preparing a well researched summary of published stuff that clearly show how they are wrong on many counts and I’ll be free to ask your opinion on it.
What is going on with the Gaharu forum?
Best regards,
Andrej
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Dear Andrej,
The Centennial is taking shape already, as I just noticed! I am astounded to find that it has a velvety green heart that reverberates like the old Kyara LTD, but with the added smoky temperament of Qi Nam Khmer, which LTD lacked. I anticipate that it will mature to one monumental Oud fragrance which none of us had smelled anything remotely similar to before this.
I highly doubt that all of the fragrances from the houses you listed are ‘completely natural’…. I know for a fact the Byredos aren’t, as I’ve smelled them in New York. Le Labo isn’t either, I know their Oud is either a poor synthetic, or a sorry imitation utilizing the leather palette of scents: the choyas, cade, burnt notes, etc. That kind of world is very far from me, and try as hard as I may I can never get into those kind of scents again. A whiff of a pure rose oil and they all disintegrate in the mind, like a child’s crayon scribblings before an unconquerable natural beauty.
I looked up Rijeka Dzamija, and you are right; it is one stunningly crafted piece of architecture. I wasn’t aware they had mosques in Croatia, and thought Bosnia and Herzegovina was the only ex-Yugo state with a Muslim population (apart from the southern states of Kosovo, Montenegro and Macedonia, of course). It would be interesting to visit Croatia, indeed. I went to Skopje several years ago and remember feeling very much at ease and enjoying the entire trip. Where have the days gone, when I was able to just travel for the sake of traveling, and enjoy my time; as opposed to running around like a rooster without a head?
I think you would do well to launch your own data and findings on Kyara. I think your research on agarwood is more scientifically based than any of the rest that I have come across, and it would be a shame if you didn’t preserve it and gather it in one place for easy reference. Just the last addendum you sent me, for example, would be a very informative entry for an interested oud lover to come across; regarding the other aromatics that share a scent molecule with agarwood.
It seems gaharu.com was hacked by the Russian spam mob, and they were advertising Michael Kors handbags in insanely cryptic language you would think was written by the inhabitants of an insane asylum collectively. The spam has ceased now, so hopefully that will be that.
Blessings,
Ensar
