Agarwood (or oudh, oud), also known as aloeswood, and as agura in Sanskrit, is a traditional fragrance made from tree resin. It comes from the infected heartwood of a small range of now endangered trees - the aquilaria trees: large evergreens native to southeast Asia. The trees occasionally become infected with mould and produce an aromatic resin in response. As the infection develops, a rich, dark resin grows inside the heartwood. Agar was once such a common incense ingredient that in India the word "agar" is used for "incense". Also known as "oud", the perfume made from the heartwood is so beautiful, and now so rare, that the fragrant wood is the most expensive in the world - averaging 18,000 euros for one kilo. Good articles at Fragrantica: Agarwood (Oud), and Why is oud so popular?
Almost all agarwood or oudh incense is made either from synthetic agarwood oil, such as Black Agar Givco, or a blend of natural essential oils, such as sandalwood, cedarwood, Nagarmotha (Cypriol), patchouli, and vetivert. Sometimes it will be a blend of synthetic and natural oils, such as Oud-Maleki . Often a plasticiser such as DEP will be used in the fragrance blend to make the scent more powerful and last longer. Some incense houses will use halmaddi instead of DEP, and incense houses in and around Pune, such as HMS, will use vanilla crystals.
Reviews
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Sept 2023 - Score: 49 |
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| Happy Hari Oudh Masala Score: 48 |
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| Damodaras Bhagwandas Sugandhi Agarwood (M) Feb 2024 (in) - Score: 48 |
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| Temple of Incense Oudh (M) Feb 2024 (in) - Score 47 |
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| Gaura Aguru Score: 44 |
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Nandita Dehn Al Oudh (PM) Dec 2024 - Score: 44↑ |
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| Ranga Rao Manmohak Oudh Sept 2023 - Score: 40 |
Om Brand Vedamrut Oudh (M)
Oct 2023 - Score: 39
Oct 2023 - Score: 39
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| Unbranded Agarwood Score: 37 |
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| Fumino Oudh (M) April 2024 - Score: 36 |
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| Berk Blue Line Holy Smokes Agarwood Score: 36 |
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| Ayurvedic Agarwood Score: 33 |
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Score: 31 |
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| Milo's Temple Agar Wood (M) Feb 2024 - Score: 30 |
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| Aasha Aromatics Oudh Score: 30 |
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Nov 2022 - Score: 28 |
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| Gokula Oud Pure Vietnamese Agarwood Connoisseur (P) Aug 2023 - Score: 28 |
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| Siro Ancient Oodh (P) March 2024 - Score: 27 |
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Jan 2024 - Score: 27 |
Scents: 19
Top Score: 49
Bottom Score: 27
Top five: 47
Top five: 47
I am in love with Satya Oudh incense it
ReplyDeletebeautifies the air of my environment it feels sacred sexy and spiritual.
Can someone kindly tell me what is the note breakdown of Satya Oudh please? It feels like deer musk which I adore. Is it?
Thank you.
Whenever I see comments such as this, raving and singing the praises of incense brands such as Satya, HEM, Gonesh, Wildberry, etc, I immediately presume the commenter has very little experience with incense.
ReplyDeleteOf course that's not to say there's anything wrong liking those brands - if that's your thing then have at it - you just have to recognize what it is that you have. It's like saying Kool-Aid Tropical Fruit drink is the best fruit drink in the world, ignoring the reality of actual fruit drinks made with real fruit.
Hmm. Are you aware of Satya incense at all?
DeletePainfully aware. You have sampled and reviewed some of the best incense from around the world, and I'm just surprised you still score Satya so high. Not trying to rain on your parade, but for me it's "You smell one, you smelled them all." Satya's base overwhelmingly dominates the entire line. I've enjoyed your blog on and off for some time, and I'm quite happy with some of your recs. Satya is one that misses the mark.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. I think I know where you're coming from, and I think I know why.
DeleteFirst, let me point out that I only have a handful of Satya in my top categories. Most are in the Decent or Everyday categories, and a good few are in the bottom categories. I have noted subtle (and not so subtle) differences across the ranges and especially across the years. I noted and have remarked on the difference between the products from the two brothers after they split up in 2014. And noted how the incense made by Nagarj has improved in recent years. I have also noted, quite recently, that the eco-friendly incense (Earth) made by Balkrishna is pretty shitty. (Though I'm sure he will improve it, as he is a very experienced incense manufacturer.) The best Satya is the sort of incense that has turned the West onto incense, and to natural incense in particular. And the worse Satya is shit. Most is decent stuff, and offers great value. Considering all that, I have not found at all that "You smell one, you smelled them all." The Earth range is easily identifiable as very different to the top scents, such as, say, the Nag Champa. And the incense from the brothers used to be considerably different - though are closer these days.
If you did not notice the difference between Balkrishna's and Nagarj's incense between 2014 and 2020 (and it was very noticeable), then perhaps what happened is that you encountered just Nagarj's incense between 2014 and 2020 (as he had control of the international distribution, and in some places - America in particular - it was hard to get the original quality Satya made by Balkrishna). At that time the quality was poor, and if that was the Satya you encountered then that would have formed the basis for your opinion. And I understand that. I suggest you revisit Satya - avoid anything marked Earth, and look at the logos to get samples from both brothers. These days I find the quality of both to be about the same, and it would now be hard to tell them apart on a blind sample. But it is possible that some people may be able to tell them apart and have a preference. Take a look at my Satya post (needs updating to be honest, but there's enough there to help you identify which brother makes which incense).
Let me know how you get on.
I may take you up on that some time in the future. I promised myself that my previous exploration would be the last one if it didn't go well about a year ago. It was a disaster. I was thorough - both factories; multiple lines; a few different series - and I walked away assuring myself I gave it a fair shake. I was there during their heyday in the early 70s, and nothing either of them produce now is within miles of that stuff. It's difficult for me to justify further investment when there is yet decent incense from others to enjoy. I'll update you if it happens again.
DeleteThe only incense company I remember from the Seventies is Spiritual Sky. There are several companies using the Spiritual Sky name these days, but all of them are crap - none made by the original Hare Krishna hippies in LA. None of the other incense companies made an impression on me - they all went up in smoke ;-)
Delete