Olfactive Dreams

B leu d e P russe (2024) by Rouhanne Perfumes begins with a zesty orange peel with a lemon note. The reduced intensity of orange peel offers a subtle incense note with some expected astringency. It then reminds me of crushed blood orange leaves, chenpi (aged mandarin orange peel – an oft-used materials in Chinese medicines and incenses). I also get cut-grass, sweet chamomile tea, marigold, hibawood, kunzea, and angelical root type bitter herbaceous smell. The camphoraceous quality also reminds me of the top notes of lavender absolute, and lavandin e/o. There is an almost stylised minty (i.e., cooling) smell and sensation from the start. These are surrounded by a dark blue slightly inky cloud (that later morphs into a fog). However, these are less noticeable on drier skin. After 2-3 mins, the smell reminds me of a dark green and blue oud oils (due to azulene usually found in some A. malaccensis that later becomes green to yellowish through oxidation) from Indo-Malay regions that l...

Imagine you are invited in Topkapi Palace in Istanbul by Sultan Mehmed II  somewhere around 1470 . You are sitting in the large domed diwan, where some bakhoor (Hindi oud, myrrh, frankincense, and opoponax) has been burning for a long time at low temperature. Long enough that they have turned the air of the room sweet and smoky. You are sipping some Persian saffron-flavoured tea whilst wearing a blend of medicinal Chinese, incensy Cambodian/Vietnamese and resinous Assamese ouds. Smell of dry herbs and spices wafting from Büyük Çarşı. It is autumn and the air is crisp and cold. So when the sun warms up the area, you get all those aroma whilst sitting there enjoying your tea with some dates and other dry fruits. Dewaniya (2017) Dewaniya opens with a big and regal smell of ouds. It smells like a composition of mostly pure aged ouds from different regions - incensy Cambodian/Vietnamese and subdued leather and mildly sweet resinous and incensy Assamese, and bitter and me...

A Monolith of Mentholic and Spicy Incense Region: Sabah, Malaysia Wood used: Wild  Aquilaria microcarpa  (mostly) and some wild  Aquilaria malaccensis  shavings House:   Al Hashimi Ibn Zamrak (2017) in Total Recovery Vial I  will try to write my impression a bit differently for this oil as I have lot to say about it. I apologise if some of it sounds repetitive as I’m yet to acquire the art of non-academic writting. At the top I get a fleeting apple note – not sure about the variety though. Almost instantaneously (I used that word intentionally), Ibn Zamkrak (IZ) greets me with a very strong mentholic note with all sorts of wonder to follow. I t then reveals its earthy and hay notes.  The hay is pleasant and sweet – a cross between recently dried hays from Bangladesh and a bit of honey/toffee like sweetness of Spanish hay absolute. The earthy note is not very powerful now. But I can sense its intensity getting stronger. ...

Wild Malaccan Oud Chips (Al Hashimi, 2017) These  Aquilaria malaccensis  chips smell divine even at room temperature - spicy, hint of orange peel, earthy, slightly petrichorish (if there is such word), and most importantly woody (hinting towards a wonderful incense note). I have yet put these fragrant nuggets on to the burner as I prefer colder weather to 'optimise' my enjoyment. There is a  labdanum type sweetness  in it too. Update: I just burned a tiny (rice grain) amount at low temperature (around 9-10 volts range) as I simply could not resist anymore! The initial  hay ,  woody  and  earthy  notes' combination, followed by the  incensy menthol  is superb. I wish there was an attar with that aroma  only . It then starts spilling out its spice notes, more specifically  cinnamon  and  cardamom  and a bit of  orange peel  in the distance. The orange peel thingy is quite distant. I wa...