A Journey into The World of Oud Part Ten
A Kinam Tale
Among all of the types of Oud, Kinam (aka Kyara) is considered to be the best by far.
No one is certain what happens to transform regular agarwood into Kinam, although there are many theories.
Here are links to some of the best articles that I could find on Kyara/Kinam:
What is Kyara or Kinam?
Kyara: An Exposé
The king of agarwood
(Since I am a complete novice without any experience with true Kinam/Kyara Ouds, I cannot vouch for the accuracy in these articles.)
Although I have gotten a few samples of Oud oils that had Kinam or Kyara in their names, none of them seemed notably better than other Ouds I've experienced, and I don't know if they are truly Kinam.
[Please read my new article Understanding Kyara for an update.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recently, one website offered a collection of Kinam Oud oils and woods. The set included an Oud heater with a mahogany finish, portions of 1/4 ml (about 6 drops each) of three Kinam oils, and 1 gram each of three Kinam woods, for the special sale price of $2999.00
Given the extreme rarity of authentic Kinam, this pricing is not untoward.
While this set was way beyond my price range, it got me thinking about Kinam.
So I began searching for Kinam Ouds on the Web.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revisiting a site I'd found years ago
Important Note: Ouddh.com has gone out of business. I am only keeping this section on my website as a remembrance.
During my search, I came across an Oud company whose website I had visited several times over the past three years, Ouddh.com. I had hesitated to order anything from the site because the prices seemed too good to be true, the requirement to purchase a minimum quantity of a Tola (12 ml) of most of the oils was a hurdle, and I found it hard to believe what seemed like extravagant claims about a couple of the oils.
(It turns out that the company is happy to sell 3 ml portions of all of its oils.)
But once my interest in Kinam Oud was ignited, I decided to write to the company, and its owner Ravi Obboon responded immediately, and after a very nice exchange, I decided to place an order.
I ordered his two top Ouds, both uniquely created using vacuum distillation instead of steam distillation (which I have never run across anywhere else), and well aged.
The First one I purchased was:
King Super A wild Cambodian Oud from trees that were at least 80 years old, and yes, the claims of being powerfully psychoactive are true. The scent is very deep and profoundly unfolding, with many different notes; and the effect on consciousness is amazing.
(He also gave me a sample of his Myanmar Myitkyina Wild oil which was truly phenomenal as well, even though it is much lower priced. Again both an incredibly rich and complex fragrance and psychoactively very potent.)
The Second Oud I purchased, and the reason for this article was:
Kinam Legend
I have tried oils from dozens of companies, well over 100 different Ouds, and this oil blew me away completely.
It was almost as if the top of my head lifted off. I could feel profound energy moving around my brain, rewiring it to function at a higher level. And with lasting uplifting effects.
The impact was so great that for the first few sniffs, I didn't even focus on the scent, just its effect.
As I continue to explore Kinam Legend, I am equally elevated by both the effect and the scent.
At first sniff, the scent is soothing and gently resinous. As I start to feel into it, elements of brightness, complexity, and aliveness arise. What appears initially as a kind of homogeneity ends up as a deeply harmonious olfactory orchestration.
Kinam Legend's pricing is also phenomenal, only $267 for 3 ml. Other vendors would charge a lot more for this Oud.
While I don't have the expertise to say that Kinam Legend is actually a true Kyara Oud, it doesn't really matter. It is truly exceptional Oud.
I am deeply grateful to Ravi Obboon and his Ouddh.com for -- to put it simply -- changing my life. And for the best Oud I've encountered so far.
[As I mentioned earliner, please read my new article Understanding Kyara for an update.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Postscript: Getting actual Kyara wood
Important Note: 2088 Tea is no longer selling kyara wood. I am only keeping their information on my website as a remembrance. Ensar Oud is now selling superb kyara/kinam wood.
Since I couldn't budget getting the kyara collection mentioned at the top of this page, I decided to see if actual kyara wood was available anywhere, and discovered a website that has the real wood.
2088 Tea offered three types of kyara woods:
White oil kyara
Yellow oil kyara
and Green oil kyara
(these are all sold out now)
as well as at least one type of agarwood bracelet, and agarwood incense.
I just purchased and received a tiny (0.1 gram) portion of the Green Oil Kyara, and it both looks and smells great.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
End of Part Ten
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents see all of the pages of my Oud blog
Click to Return to
Send e-mail to Hank Friedman by clicking here
Copyright © 2017 Hank Friedman --- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED