06/11/2012
Apicius
222 Reviews
Apicius
1
Pine and Tonka Bean from Borneo?
From the Kalimantan region in the east of Borneo comes Samarindha Oudh. According to Oudh.co.uk, the oil was extracted from an app. 30 year old single tree by steam distillation.
Samarindha Oudh presents itself very friendly, inviting and accessible. I sense some echoes that are also known to me from western perfumery, from the so called oriental perfumes. There is a note reminiscent of almonds or even marzipan, combined with a powdery appeal. I smell a certain sweetness and broadness, and I feel reminded at perfumes the kind of Jaïpur Homme or even Jicky. Hello, are there tonka and vanilla?
Samarindha Oudh has development. The oriental character from the beginning steps aside and, surprisingly, gives way to much more tart coniferous notes. Is this Acqua di Selva from Borneo? So, the the western nose has two well known aspects to cling to. It cannot be criticised that the fragrance journey leads us to so much different regions – it is nature's product. However, if a perfumer would offer such a development, I would blame him for inconsistent style. European spruce and pine forest notes are the least I would expect to come from Borneo. But nature does not care about our clichées.
I remember to have found coniferous notes also in Arab perfumery, those perfumes are sometimes called “Sultan”. Maybe their inspiration comes from oud oils like this one.
Samarindha Oudh could hardly be more fa away from our concept of how oud should be. As a coniferous fragrance, I'd consider this a bit bland, and so in this case, I should like to give priority to artistry, not nature - in form of Acqua di Selva.
Samarindha Oudh presents itself very friendly, inviting and accessible. I sense some echoes that are also known to me from western perfumery, from the so called oriental perfumes. There is a note reminiscent of almonds or even marzipan, combined with a powdery appeal. I smell a certain sweetness and broadness, and I feel reminded at perfumes the kind of Jaïpur Homme or even Jicky. Hello, are there tonka and vanilla?
Samarindha Oudh has development. The oriental character from the beginning steps aside and, surprisingly, gives way to much more tart coniferous notes. Is this Acqua di Selva from Borneo? So, the the western nose has two well known aspects to cling to. It cannot be criticised that the fragrance journey leads us to so much different regions – it is nature's product. However, if a perfumer would offer such a development, I would blame him for inconsistent style. European spruce and pine forest notes are the least I would expect to come from Borneo. But nature does not care about our clichées.
I remember to have found coniferous notes also in Arab perfumery, those perfumes are sometimes called “Sultan”. Maybe their inspiration comes from oud oils like this one.
Samarindha Oudh could hardly be more fa away from our concept of how oud should be. As a coniferous fragrance, I'd consider this a bit bland, and so in this case, I should like to give priority to artistry, not nature - in form of Acqua di Selva.
