THE AMAZING OUD

Oud, also known as Agarwood has many other names. In Malaysia and Indonesia, it is known as Gaharu, in China as Chen Xiang, in Japan as Jinkoh or Kyara, in Cambodia as Chann Crassna, in Myanmar as Thit Mhwae, in India as Agar, Agara, Agarlocha or Xasi (সাঁচি) and in the west, known as Aloeswood and Eaglewood. Scientifically the Agarwood tree is called Aquilaria which comes from the family of Thymelaeaceae.

What Made Oud Special

Aquilaria is a rare species of tree that can be found mainly in Southeast Asia, the southern part of China, and the eastern part of India. The current record shows that there are about 19 species of Aquilaria, but perhaps, it could be more.

Oud or Agarwood is basically the resinous part of the Aquilaria tree mostly found in its heartwood. The formation of Oud resin in its heartwood is produced when the Aquilaria tree fights against a certain bacteria or mold that penetrates into its heartwood. Naturally, it will take decades for the wild Aquilaria tree to produce such resin in its trunk, branches, and roots, but with new technology, this process is sped up, especially for the cultivated Oud trees that are now being planted in farms or plantations.

This Oud resin has a unique and intense scent - warm, sweet, woody, leathery, and sometimes animalic. Besides being used in the fragrant industry, the Oud resin also offers many other benefits which can be traced back to thousands of years ago.

Currently, the Oud tree is listed as an endangered species under the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species in Flora and Fauna (CITES). Apart from being so rare, the Oud trees in the wild are now facing depletion because of the illegal felling of the trees by poachers due to the demand and high market value of the resin.

The Various Kinds of Oud

Amongst the 19 species of Aquilaria, the most commonly found in Southeast Asia are known as Crassna, Malaccensis, Hirta, and Sinensis.

Each species produces different scents, but to those who are new to Oud, it could be hard to find how each scent differs from one another. However, this is not the case for an Oud expert and perfumers. Besides being able to distinguish the different aromas of Oud, an Oud expert is also able to grade the Oud. Although the Oud oil and Oud chips are both in demand for their aroma, the grades of Oud oil and Oud chips are deliberated in different ways.

Other than its scent, the grades of Oud oil can also be determined by its color and age. The common color of Oud oil is dark brown. However, there are also rare Oud oils that have green and red hues. These rare ones come from the most rare species. As researched and observed over the years, there might be a few reasons why the Oud oil became green or red. First, it may be caused by the surrounding variables - types of soil, water capture, and weather. Second, the kinds of bacteria that have infected the trees, which source can vary from animal secretion, moss, fungal, or mold.

In Cambodia, the Red River may have a certain contribution towards the formation of the famous Cambodian Red Oud oil that is categorized as very rare and highly valued by most Oud enthusiasts. Then, there is also the Green Oud or the Green Qinan that can be found in Hainan, China and East Malaysia from the Sinensis species. However, the same species that grew in Peninsula Malaysia may not have the same green hues although they might have the same aroma. These variance in origins and aroma of Oud oil have fascinated the Oud enthusiasts all around the world and thus have made Oud as one of the prized collectible items.

Oud oil is alike to wine - the older it gets, the richer it is.

The value of Oud oil increases with age. Aging is an important process that Oud oil has to go through after the distillation process to ensure that the scent reaches its optimum or maturity. A well-aged Oud oil is dark brown to almost black in color. It is usually dense and the scent is much stronger.

Recently, the chemical composition analysis - primarily gas chromatograph and mass spectrometry analysis (GC-MS) has been implemented in the industry for grading the Oud oil. It was found that this analysis can accurately identify the major compounds that distinguish the Oud oil quality. Although the analysis is adopted by the industry, the most common grading of Oud oil in the market is still dependent on the traditional method, using the nose of the experts to distinguish the grade and quality.

As for Oud chips, the grades can be determined by its colour, scent and touch. According to an Oud traders in Dubai, he can simply grade the Oud chips by listening to the sound that it makes when he touches and moves the chips against one another (Scent from Heaven: The Oud Seller - Al-Jazeera). Meanwhile, other graders would normally rub the wood with one hand, and smell it afterward. The heat will transfer the scent from the wood to your palm and the quality of Oud can be decided then.

The most common way to see the different scents of Oud is by burning the Oud chips and smelling the smoke. Just like the Oud oil, the smoke from burning Oud chips is also sweet, woody, warm, and sometimes, leathery and animalic. Since the human’s sense of smell is not uniform, different people appreciate different kinds of smell. What you regard as the best scent might not be the same as another. Thus, the collection of Oud chips is varied from grade A to grade D.

Oud chips are most commonly used as incense. It is grinded to powder and mixed with a certain gum and mold into sticks, cones, coins or spiral to be burnt as incense. It can also be chipped into very small pieces, and soaked in other fragrant oil to become another type of incense called the Bakhoor - which is famous in the Middle East.

Nonetheless, of all the Oud chips in the market, the most valuable is the one that can sink in water. It is simply called, the 'Sinking Oud' by many. The rarity of this Sinking Oud has made it to be one of the most treasured collector’s items by Oud enthusiasts. Most of these Sinking Oud is known to come from the wild forests of Malaysia and Borneo. They are mostly from the species of Hirta.

The Price of Oud

In ancient times, Oud was only used by the royal and aristocrats. The history of Oud can be traced back to the first civilization and ancient Egypt. It was known that Cleopatra had used Oud oil as part of her beauty regime and that the Pharaohs’ bodies were embalmed with Oud oil before they were wrapped up as mummies.

Today, it is known that the price of a top grade Oud can actually exceed the price of gold. Due to this, Oud is also dubbed as 'liquid gold’ by its collectors.

Oud oil is famously used for its scent in the perfume industry and it is common to see that most of Oud-based perfume in the market is priced higher than the other perfumes. However, not many, especially the younger generations know that Oud oil has its other benefits too.

Oud oil and Oud chips have been used by our ancestors, mostly in Asia, for their benefits in various kinds of healing - from skin problems, respiratory difficulties, nerve disorders to mental stress. As it is famously used by the Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) treatments, Oud has also been used by the Malay and Indian cultures.

As an Oud enthusiast, we at QOUD are instrumental in building awareness of Oud and its benefits. Our business partners, which include Oud plantation owners and manufacturers are proponents of a sustainable Oud industry in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.