Be warned! Long article ahead.. 3000+ words perhaps.. This has been one of the most difficult articles to write (although the funny thing was that I managed to write it in a couple of hours since I had a clear mind after some good tea). I had once been thinking of writing a book by… [Read More…]
How long can fragrant woods be kept?
You probably would have seen the fragrant wood storage article from some time back, where I routinely prefer to store fragrant woods in glass containers with teflon lined caps that seal, the fragrant wood really well. The aim of this method is to prevent volatiles from escaping, and also to prevent contaminants from entering. Fragrant… [Read More…]
Know your Fragrant Wood Cuts
If you are a meat lover, particularly that of beef, you should know the cuts of your meats really well. Similarly if you are a fragrant wood lover involved in either Japanese/Chinese or other forms of incense practices/ceremonies, it is just as important to know the cut types, and how they are obtained. The… [Read More…]
Is Oud oil really more complex than the raw wood?
A very simple reason why oud oil can be sometimes perceived to be more complex than heating wood, nobody can control what goes into the pot or what are the scents of them. It is different from distilling sandalwood, or other coniferous woods where just a single chunk from the tree is sufficient to generate… [Read More…]
Pu Erh Tea Storage issues
In the late 80s and early 90s, the Taiwanese, with their huge capitals, decided to sweep all the old pu-erh tea cakes off the market before the craze started. Subsequently by releasing books, writing websites, magazines, demand was created, with the taiwanese beaming because they now have a huge supply. But what was pu-erh… [Read More…]
Age of Agarwood and the tree
Does the age of the agarwood tree matter??!! Actually….. the age of the infection/resination is the most important, not particularly the age of the tree. If you have had chopped down an agarwood tree that is a couple hundred years old.. you will find quite significant amounts of white wood. Poor old tree. And if… [Read More…]
Tennendo Frankincense – the best frankincense stick
Incense : Nyukoh (Frankincense) Brand : Tennendo Source : Purchased from Japan Amount Burnt so far prior to this review : 13 sticks Taste profile : Sweet : +++ Sour, Salty, Spicy: very slight tinge Scent characteristics : Texture – thick juicy creamy Binder notes – little Intensity – +++ Focus : Thick diffuse… [Read More…]
Scientific Literature on Kyara
well.. thought it could be time to get a little scientific 🙂 when I was doing my phd… reading science papers was a norm, they contain reasonably credible, peer reviewed, and quality information on various subject matters in depth. When it comes to incense or fragrant woods, it would be strange if people choose to… [Read More…]
Why does tea taste different when brewed in Yixing wares
Why is Redox (reduction/oxidation) of compounds important in tea? The ancient people had realized that oxidation often resulted in unique and special aromas/fragrances being developed in the tea, that was why oolong teas were born. In the process of making oolong teas, the tea leaves are bruised to allow for controlled oxidation to occur. Similarly, when one drinks some Wuyi Mountain Rock Tea (yan cha), there is… [Read More…]
Agarwood in the 1980s
I thought I would share a couple of pictures which I had requested from Mr Lee (owner of the Kyarazen 1985 oud), to allow people to have a “preview” of what agarwood was like in the 80s. It was not uncommon to have gigantic well resinated woods pass through the hands of Mr Lee as… [Read More…]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- …
- 11
- Next Page »