Face to Face with ‘Arabian’ Oud
Sep 19th, 2007 by Ensar
Admittance to the private Oud room. Shhh!
Aluminum tins. Aroma chemicals, for the most part.
Assortment of different Oud based perfumes, mukhallats, DOP, etc. ‘Oudh,’ as they call it.
I can still hear him saying, “Combodi, Combodi,” mistaking me for the typical Gulf Arab.
Now what on earth is that stuff. Smells like chocolate liquor with a good dose of cinnamon.
Shake it well. (Where I come from, only blended things need shaking.)
The Boss’ table, and his collection of Hindi ouds.
A Thai oil of questionable purity, even to my guide.
Pouring into crystal decanter.
Making samples for Mr. Ensar. We broke these guys’ hearts later.
View.
Another Oud company.
Every new batch that comes is poured into these huge glass jars. Everything gets mixed, and they never run out.
He poured some samples for me.
Carrying Oudh.
A lifetime supply.
“This is the pure one, not the one you brought.”
Ta-da. Pracin Puri Pure. (All the others weren’t, apparently.)
Boy, that’s heavy.
Even more Oudh.
The art of pouring samples.
Can you do that?
You can’t spill a single drop.
The Oud carvers’ chamber.
Every millimeter must be cleared of bunk wood.
See that on the floor? That is the cleaning dust I like to talk about.
Incense grade Oud wood.
These guys don’t get tired easy.
Oh, boy.
I forget the origin.
Pile it up high.
They were all thrilled to see me.
Long live the boss.
More fragrant dust.
Just prior to soaking.
Soaking prior to extraction.
The distillation stills.
Oud oil. Several origins’ dust mixed and cooked together to make the Hindi Undonusi (Indian Indonesian). Very smoky. Similar to our old Brunei Supreme, now sold out. We didn’t acquire any. We opted for our own extraction of the Blue Brunei this time.
Dear Ensar;
Greetings to you and I hope all is well.
Putting photos of your traveling for oudh on your website is BRILLIANT.
This will put to rest any doubt held in the mind of the ignorant that all retailers of these rare oils are rip offs. To me, these photos prove your impeccable intentions; which in my estimation, are to offer people the finest, highest quality oudh oil attainable. The fact that you travel to distant places and sort through the b.s. wholesalers (the DOP blend specialists) is not missed by all of us. Please don’t stop what you’re doing and may God the almighty continue to bless you, your family, your Master and your business. THANK YOU ENSAR.
Amin! Amin!
Dear Ensar,
There aren’t enough words to describe the quality and purity of the Oud you sell. It’s just mind boggling! Like the person before me said, please keep doing what you are doing and if God The Almighty wills we will continue buying your Beautiful Oud!
Salaam Alaikum Ensar:
Cool photos; a window into a world I am not ever likely to visit myself. Thanks.
This was a fantastic learning experience for me. I had no idea oud came from wood. I thought it was a synthetic concoction or some kind of seed extract. I love the incense they make with it.