How to buy Oud

A good oud can be known by its characteristic. Ouds all differ but one thing remains consistent amongst all the different species and that is the deep note.

When trying to understand the deep note of a quality oud you have to place a drop on the back of your hand and leave it for an hour.

Then after an hour you should put your nose on the back of your hand and breathe out through your nose, then imediatly breathe in.

The smell should be continuous and take you on a journey that does not stop.

A fantastic oud will give a story of where it has lived and you can truely imagine the enviroment it grew in. Oils normaly float on water but oud oil sinks because of its density. If an oud retails less than £100 it is usually not pure, it almost likely has been cut from a pure source. the reason being is that it takes 1kg of oud woodchips to extract 1ml of oud oil, plus delivery, distiliry costs etc, so the cost of the process is a good sign to indicate any oud that retails less than £100 is cut.




Sometimes lables mean nothing, someone can call an oud 'Cambodi' or 'hindi' but the proof is within the product, NOT THE NAME. I myself deal in pure oud oils that some would say fetch a kings ransom, and I have also cut oud oil to bring it to the mainstream market who may not be able to afford the originals, or need to be introduced to the delights of oud at a low cost.

I make sure I tell the customer what they are getting. I have spent thousands of pounds in fragrances and recalling the times I had been ripped off in the past with fakes or bogus names , names such as Japanese oud etc. To someone who knows nothing about oud , agarwood does not grow in Japan.

Its a shame but a reality. It was only last ramadhan I received a gift from Saudi, a friend sent me some Cambodian Oud. The damn things were painted!

I smelt them and burned them and thought I need to put these are any sinkers amongst the fire wood, not to my suprise all floated and they turned the colour of the water orange.

A common theme in the Arabian Gulf is to get Oud painted a darker colour to look like its better than what it is. I was embarressed to tell my frined to not go to that ******* *** again. The cheak that these big companies can pay people to paint wood to make it look resinous is a scandal.

it reminds me of Dasani, they were bottling tap water and selling it at a premium as mineral water. I dont even want to mention the audacity of major fashion houses bringning out Oud aftershaves with everyother synthetic substitutes to oud but oud itself, it really is a travesty.

I have said this to my friendsand customers on numerous occasions, this industry is one of reputation and integrity. The brand name is worth more then all the products put together because when someone wants real Oud and is not a scientist they want complete trust

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