Rai Munir

Musk Man
To make that these blessed days are enjoyed, we have released Al Ruba'ie within the sale and therefore the sale applies to it as well. Enjoy
Al Ruba’ie is the Vietnamese, Laos, Malaysian and Indonesian Quartet singing in beautiful harmony, melodious and simply beautiful; lend Al Ruba’ie your ear and listen in.

The news of the release and the first review was done by Mr Nikhil

Al Ruba’ie! Name is enough to get mesmerized. The name of the oil you choose testifies your insight into the nature of oils you create.

Four greatest Sufi poets of this specific poetic expression- Ruba’i- Shaekh Khayyam, Shaekh Abu Saeed, Shaekh Jala ud Deen Rumi, Shaekh Baba Tahir; and now respected Al Shareef Oudh orchestrated four greatest Oud profiles- Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia. Dear Nikhil, you hit the target when said “LISTEN TO”! The Quatrain transformed into the Quartet. And dear Nikhil, four ingredients, and four dimensions, and your LEVEL FOUR. Though I haven’t smelt, but I am sure it will transport the mountaineer of Koh Oud from the first level (base camp) to the fourth level (the peak).

For me, it is a daring step taken to blend these apparently warring profiles.

Respected Al Shareef Oudh, congrats!
 

Nikhil S

Resident Reviewer
Al Ruba’ie! Name is enough to get mesmerized. The name of the oil you choose testifies your insight into the nature of oils you create.

Four greatest Sufi poets of this specific poetic expression- Ruba’i- Shaekh Khayyam, Shaekh Abu Saeed, Shaekh Jala ud Deen Rumi, Shaekh Baba Tahir; and now respected Al Shareef Oudh orchestrated four greatest Oud profiles- Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia. Dear Nikhil, you hit the target when said “LISTEN TO”! The Quatrain transformed into the Quartet. And dear Nikhil, four ingredients, and four dimensions, and your LEVEL FOUR. Though I haven’t smelt, but I am sure it will transport the mountaineer of Koh Oud from the first level (base camp) to the fourth level (the peak).

For me, it is a daring step taken to blend these apparently warring profiles.

Respected Al Shareef Oudh, congrats!
Thank you very much dear sir. I love sufi poetry. I am a lover of literature and the expressions of love in various languages. The name is extremely well chosen. In my humble opinion just like a beautiful poem the oil will be able to evoke different emotions in the listener. I have worn it well. It really is a hardcore theme imo. Contrasting complexities. Twists and turns. I am really excited to hear about the oil from oud lovers like you. I tried my best to break it down from my limited experience. And really looking forward to more listening and reading others findings too. ASO has made a mark in my heart with the oil :) cheers.
 

Al Shareef Oudh

Master Perfumer
Al Ruba’ie! Name is enough to get mesmerized. The name of the oil you choose testifies your insight into the nature of oils you create.

Four greatest Sufi poets of this specific poetic expression- Ruba’i- Shaekh Khayyam, Shaekh Abu Saeed, Shaekh Jala ud Deen Rumi, Shaekh Baba Tahir; and now respected Al Shareef Oudh orchestrated four greatest Oud profiles- Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia. Dear Nikhil, you hit the target when said “LISTEN TO”! The Quatrain transformed into the Quartet. And dear Nikhil, four ingredients, and four dimensions, and your LEVEL FOUR. Though I haven’t smelt, but I am sure it will transport the mountaineer of Koh Oud from the first level (base camp) to the fourth level (the peak).

For me, it is a daring step taken to blend these apparently warring profiles.

Respected Al Shareef Oudh, congrats!

Jazak Allah Khair dear brother Rai Munir, may Allah swt increase you in good.

This oil continues to amaze me, i put some on a friend early Eid Day and some moments later he walked by me and there was this vintage rose aroma developing from him.
 

Al Shareef Oudh

Master Perfumer
QANDAHAAR II
THE IMPOSSIBLE



An Oudh Oil that is beyond artisanship (you can purchase the wood used here). This is Oudh not just crafted by an artist but rather an artisan inspired. Oudh genius is when you have both the wood and oil in hand and when you smell the Oil it challenges all of your olfactory library and associated references - Your mind will protest; how is this possible from a Hindi?

LAST BOTTLE! HURRY !
 

Al Shareef Oudh

Master Perfumer
I mentioned I met up with a perfumer friend out here. A real perfumer. Not the shit shop kind. Haha

He had some really beautiful Ouds and a few other oils of interest, including some very nice Saffron essential oil (the Absolute isn't too pricey - the EO made me want to cry).

His pure Vintages:

A Laos and a Cambodi, both from 2002

A Burmese and another Cambodi from 2007

These oils above are all Arab distillations. The only oil I'd say had some funk to it was the Burmese. The others were so refined that I'd almost say they were non-Hindi distillations, but I wouldn't say they are Zero Barnyard. They were just so tight and refined - quite beautiful. Nicer than anything I found in the Gulf shops.

The crown jewel: a very interesting Hindi from 1989.

It opens smelling like a gorgeous Tobacco and dark fruit (almost like pomegranate molasses) with a hint of very nice incense smoke, and those notes develop for hours. I mentioned smelling like pomegranate molasses - this oil also flowed a bit like it. Very thick.

He has a fair amount of these oils and I'll be doing a pre-order for anyone that is interested.

Great to see the balanced approach, I think consumers are getting tired of the constant misrepresentation of the Gulf market, it also doesn't reflect well on those who do that. Today technology has made the world a very small place and it doesn't cost much for people to transit via one of the Gulf countries and see for themselves as you have. Bravo.

Regarding the shine on the woods, anyone who has done wood work will know that by using high grit (finer) sanding, the wood starts to develop a natural shine. All our Indian woods are finished off with a fine sand paper and they develop a shine, it is not as shinny as when they use wax and how one can tell is, with wax the rough areas are shinning as well.:Laugh:
 

Al Shareef Oudh

Master Perfumer
I mentioned I met up with a perfumer friend out here. A real perfumer. Not the shit shop kind. Haha

He had some really beautiful Ouds and a few other oils of interest, including some very nice Saffron essential oil (the Absolute isn't too pricey - the EO made me want to cry).

His pure Vintages:

A Laos and a Cambodi, both from 2002

A Burmese and another Cambodi from 2007

These oils above are all Arab distillations. The only oil I'd say had some funk to it was the Burmese. The others were so refined that I'd almost say they were non-Hindi distillations, but I wouldn't say they are Zero Barnyard. They were just so tight and refined - quite beautiful. Nicer than anything I found in the Gulf shops.

The crown jewel: a very interesting Hindi from 1989.

It opens smelling like a gorgeous Tobacco and dark fruit (almost like pomegranate molasses) with a hint of very nice incense smoke, and those notes develop for hours. I mentioned smelling like pomegranate molasses - this oil also flowed a bit like it. Very thick.

He has a fair amount of these oils and I'll be doing a pre-order for anyone that is interested.

Great to see the balanced approach, I think consumers are getting tired of the constant misrepresentation of the Gulf market, it also doesn't reflect well on those who do that. Today technology has made the world a very small place and it doesn't cost much for people to transit via one of the Gulf countries and see for themselves as you have. Bravo.

Regarding the shine on the woods, anyone who has done wood work will know that by using high grit (finer) sanding, the wood starts to develop a natural shine. All our Indian woods are finished off with a fine sand paper and they develop a shine, it is not as shinny as when they use wax and how one can tell is, with wax the rough areas are shinning as well.:Laugh:
 

F4R1d0uX

Resident Artisan
Great to see the balanced approach, I think consumers are getting tired of the constant misrepresentation of the Gulf market, it also doesn't reflect well on those who do that. Today technology has made the world a very small place and it doesn't cost much for people to transit via one of the Gulf countries and see for themselves as you have. Bravo.

Regarding the shine on the woods, anyone who has done wood work will know that by using high grit (finer) sanding, the wood starts to develop a natural shine. All our Indian woods are finished off with a fine sand paper and they develop a shine, it is not as shinny as when they use wax and how one can tell is, with wax the rough areas are shinning as well.:Laugh:

I already polished my wood with sand paper too and all costumers who have received oud chunks dry and solid wich "smells at room temperature" have received polished wood.
Same for bangles ect ect.
If done with external products, chemicals in top of that then yes it's bad !
 

Al Shareef Oudh

Master Perfumer
The other reality is as visitors what we get to see when we visit the gulf countries. Most of us are taken in by the successful marketing machine, flashy cars, grand hotels, opulent shopping malls and mega structures. Seldom does anyone get to venture out into the smaller Aswaaq in the local towns and villages, where the traditional locals live and there is a more accurate representation of the natives who value, appreciate, understand and treasure oudh. This is an important factor when we assess the market as we see it when we visit. According to wiki as of 2013 in the UAE there are ~9.2mil people, 7.8mil are expats and 1.4mil are locals emiratis. Therefore for the most part when you are in Dubai or Abu Dhabi what you are witnessing is very much a reflection of any major city, with a sprinkle of gulf flavour. We have a saying in Arabic, if you want to learn Arabic go to banu Tamim. There is also another similar saying, if you want to learn Arabic learn from the Bedouin. The wisdom in these saying is, in our heritage, the culture and it's traditions are kept by the bedouins. Not the city slickers.

Finding artisan products is not easy in any place and definitely not in mass produced markets. Companies like ASAQ, Ajmal etc are not aiming for the artisan market only, they cater for a much wider range. Therefore we cant expect from them as we do from artisans who only cater for a niche. Do they have high quality oils and woods, yes they do, is it in every one of their stores, no. Are artisans on every street corner? no. The market exists where there is demand for it, artisans supply to where their is demand for their product, these big houses also store their top quality goods in stores where there is demand for them.

Putting the larger brands a side, the people who appreciate this gift of nature in the gulf and know it better than most of us are not in the big cities, nor are the shops that supply them in the big cities. This is a fact to note before passing judgement on a whole people from whom we take not only the understanding of Oudh but even the name.

I remember watching a couple of documentaries called Food Inc and Earthlings, the impact they had on me was immense. In the US big corporations slave control pretty much 90% of growers from how the plant seeds to how they harvest. Pushing for the production of corn, and then engineering everything else from corn to the extent that 70% of the goods we purchase from the grocery stores contains corn syrup. There is very little option for consumers, unless they grow organic, or find organic farms (very few in numbers) then support them. This type of environment naturally will drive people to seek out those organic sources. However the unfortunate truth is, the majority of consumers are on the same conveyor belt that the corn seeds get sorted on, zero choice.
 

Ouddict

Ouddict Co-Founder & Tech Support
The other reality is as visitors what we get to see when we visit the gulf countries. Most of us are taken in by the successful marketing machine, flashy cars, grand hotels, opulent shopping malls and mega structures. Seldom does anyone get to venture out into the smaller Aswaaq in the local towns and villages, where the traditional locals live and there is a more accurate representation of the natives who value, appreciate, understand and treasure oudh. This is an important factor when we assess the market as we see it when we visit. According to wiki as of 2013 in the UAE there are ~9.2mil people, 7.8mil are expats and 1.4mil are locals emiratis. Therefore for the most part when you are in Dubai or Abu Dhabi what you are witnessing is very much a reflection of any major city, with a sprinkle of gulf flavour. We have a saying in Arabic, if you want to learn Arabic go to banu Tamim. There is also another similar saying, if you want to learn Arabic learn from the Bedouin. The wisdom in these saying is, in our heritage, the culture and it's traditions are kept by the bedouins. Not the city slickers.

Finding artisan products is not easy in any place and definitely not in mass produced markets. Companies like ASAQ, Ajmal etc are not aiming for the artisan market only, they cater for a much wider range. Therefore we cant expect from them as we do from artisans who only cater for a niche. Do they have high quality oils and woods, yes they do, is it in every one of their stores, no. Are artisans on every street corner? no. The market exists where there is demand for it, artisans supply to where their is demand for their product, these big houses also store their top quality goods in stores where there is demand for them.

Putting the larger brands a side, the people who appreciate this gift of nature in the gulf and know it better than most of us are not in the big cities, nor are the shops that supply them in the big cities. This is a fact to note before passing judgement on a whole people from whom we take not only the understanding of Oudh but even the name.

I remember watching a couple of documentaries called Food Inc and Earthlings, the impact they had on me was immense. In the US big corporations slave control pretty much 90% of growers from how the plant seeds to how they harvest. Pushing for the production of corn, and then engineering everything else from corn to the extent that 70% of the goods we purchase from the grocery stores contains corn syrup. There is very little option for consumers, unless they grow organic, or find organic farms (very few in numbers) then support them. This type of environment naturally will drive people to seek out those organic sources. However the unfortunate truth is, the majority of consumers are on the same conveyor belt that the corn seeds get sorted on, zero choice.

To be honest with you, some of the dismissives I have read of the Gulf Arab Oud tradition smack of racism and an arrogant attitude to what is an ancient and deep cultural tradition in that region.

The intrinsic position that Oud plays in that culture is the VERY reason why there is a large market trying to cater for those who otherwise cannot partake in it. For marketeers to sit behind a computer and take cheap shots at this market reveals their own deep ignorance of the issue and an unhealthy approach to life.
 

Ouddict

Ouddict Co-Founder & Tech Support
To be honest with you, some of the dismissives I have read of the Gulf Arab Oud tradition smack of racism and an arrogant attitude to what is an ancient and deep cultural tradition in that region.

The intrinsic position that Oud plays in that culture is the VERY reason why there is a large market trying to cater for those who otherwise cannot partake in it. For marketeers to sit behind a computer and take cheap shots at this market reveals their own deep ignorance of the issue and an unhealthy approach to life.

And for clarification, I'm NOT referring to JK here... I've always found him to be polite, humble and eager to learn and share his knowledge.
 

Ammar

True Ouddict
Al Shareef Oudh Al Ruba’ie:

Balsamic vinegar-soaked mildly fermented umami-flavored over-barbecued apple coated with date molasses garnished with blue cheese, parsley and clove with traces of flowers over leathery incensy bitterly tobaccoish woody backbone with minimal musk in the drydown.

Dense oil, my favorite type of oils, although the notes are slightly muted to my humble nose and it collapses in the heartnotes. Still has harsh edges that affect its overall harmony but aging likely would smoothen it.

“Al Ruba’ie is from amongst those oils that have been embraced by traditional perfumery of the pot, where the final product comes from the pot its self and not by mastery of blending.”

I need to spend more time with it but for now I think the stainless-steel pot almost killed the wood.

Not for sell anymore…
 

Al Shareef Oudh

Master Perfumer
Al Shareef Oudh Al Ruba’ie:

Balsamic vinegar-soaked mildly fermented umami-flavored over-barbecued apple coated with date molasses garnished with blue cheese, parsley and clove with traces of flowers over leathery incensy bitterly tobaccoish woody backbone with minimal musk in the drydown.

Dense oil, my favorite type of oils, although the notes are slightly muted to my humble nose and it collapses in the heartnotes. Still has harsh edges that affect its overall harmony but aging likely would smoothen it.

“Al Ruba’ie is from amongst those oils that have been embraced by traditional perfumery of the pot, where the final product comes from the pot its self and not by mastery of blending.”

I need to spend more time with it but for now I think the stainless-steel pot almost killed the wood.

Not for sell anymore…

What a roller coaster habibi, love-hate...sell-no sell roller coaster :D , just to clarify the bold part of your post, what that refers to is the art of putting ingredients into the pot and having a scent at the other end, rather than grabbing different oils and blending them.

Al Ruba'ie is going to test your listening skills, hence why we said listen, there is no shouting here, waves can be surfed but currents cant be messed with, enjoy the listening.
 

Nikhil S

Resident Reviewer
What a roller coaster habibi, love-hate...sell-no sell roller coaster :D , just to clarify the bold part of your post, what that refers to is the art of putting ingredients into the pot and having a scent at the other end, rather than grabbing different oils and blending them.

Al Ruba'ie is going to test your listening skills, hence why we said listen, there is no shouting here, waves can be surfed but currents cant be messed with, enjoy the listening.
You have created a very complex oil. It requires a solid listening. Once it starts going you wouldnt want it to stop. Great stuff.
 
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