A general rule is that the darker the oud oil, the better the quality. The better-quality oud is used more for incense purposes than to extract oils.
The scent of oud is described by colours, and there is a delicate process of determining the quality of oud for the perfume connoisseur.
Although there are regional similarities and distinctions, the oud from one part of the world may smell green while the oud from another part of the world may be described as purple or even blue.
Excellent quality oud when burnt, will not burn the eyes or cause irritation.
An investment in beauty and quality
Oud is also known as the “five thousand dollar per pound scent.” Its value is often estimated as one-and-a-half times the value of gold.
In the world-famous documentary Scent from Heaven, the monks of Thailand were reportedly offered twenty-three million dollars for a 500-year-old tree. More recently, a family in Indonesia advertised a 300-year-old tree for two million pounds.
Prices of oud chips vary as do oils depending upon quality. Oil per kilo or litre could reach US$30 000. And only I ml of pure Kinam could wholesale for between $2000 to $5000.
First-grade agarwood can cost as much as $100,000 per kilogram. And in its purest form, aged oud oil can cost up to $80,000 per litre, earning the nickname amongst traders of “liquid gold”.
Another study by the Vietnam Chemical Technology Institute revealed that because supply rates are only 40% of the demand, a litre of agarwood oil was being sold in 2007 for $US10,000 – $14,000.
The global market for agarwood is estimated to be worth a staggering $32 billion. But where oud was once so common, high demand has not only increased the price, but also the rate of harvesting and artificial production, raising questions of sustainability and environmental protection.
By the end of 2029, the market is expected to double to $64 billion. The value of agarwood exported from Singapore alone has been estimated to exceed $1.2 billion per annum.
Classification and grading of oud oils
Agarwood is not a uniform product, but instead possesses distinctive characteristics. It is classified according to various grading systems that differ according to the product in trade and the country in which trade is taking place.
The grade (and hence value) of agarwood and agarwood derivatives such as oil is determined by a complex set of factors including country of origin; fragrance strength and longevity; wood density; product purity; resin content; colour; and size of the form traded.
The chemistry of oud is complex. It consists of approximately 150 chemical compounds making it almost impossible to produce a synthetic equal. Oud Oils owe their distinct aromatic scent to naturally-occurring organic compounds called terpenes and terpenoids.
The two main chemical groups are sesquiterpenes and Chromoes. The type of terpene known as sesquiterpenes is an active compound in agarwood.
The possible sequisterpene chemical structures of each extracted agarwood essential oil are endless and coupled with the various rates of oxidation, can result in an even wider diversity of scent profiles.
Kinam oud: The Pink Diamond of Agarwood
The most valuable part of the resinous tree is called kinam. Not every oud tree produces kinam just as not every agarwood tree produced “oud” .
Kinam is also called Kiyara or Qinan. It is rare. Like a pink diamond. And it is expensive.
It is thought that Kinam is formed by a lengthy process of genetic transformation from the agarwood into resin, facilitated by the absorption of honey and milky substances released by bore insects and bees – or even from fungal stimulation. With Kinam oud, you can see the Kinam oil inside the wood fibers, like yellow honey or wax. By contrast, the high-grade agarwood has a solid resin and is dark, not wet. There is a particular sesquiterpene in Kinam which is not found in other agarwood.
In the perfume state, the scent is mainly distinguished by a combination of “oriental-woody” and “incredibly soft fruity-floral” notes. The incense smoke is also characterized by a “sweet-balsamic” note and “shades of vanilla and musk” and amber.
Determining if oud is pure, fake or cultivated
Various tests exist to determine if the oud is pure, fake, or cultivated. The most accurate are lab tests. Experience oud sellers can tap different woods and from the sound, tell you the quality.
Others use scent and determine quality by the amount of oil resonating from a burnt chip.
Others check if oud chips sink in water, and if it doesn’t, there is hopefully a sign of pure resin. Others boil chips and check if the water colour changes. If it does, the oud us fake and if it doesn’t, the oud may be considered pure, however this quality test is by no means unanimous.
An oud connoisseur and a wise buyer is able simply to smell the wood in its natural or burnt state and determine its country and province of origin and grade.
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