Soil processing of agarwood is one of the methods to which fibrous or unresinated parts of agarwood is conveniently removed, in a process where wood is buried in clean soil, in clean areas, allowing nature to take its course. What is left in this process is resinated parts, and a more mellowed scent profile. Click… [Read More…]
Does Kyara sink in water?
Does Kyara sink in water, or does it need to sink in water to be considered a top grade? The blind pursuit for “sinking” grade agarwoods had opened up a whole new dimension to material substitution. Previous post on zelkova like materials, calocedrus formosana (Xiao-Nan), or even woods like rosewood (truth bringing incense), gaharu buaya; these… [Read More…]
TV program on Agarwood
Here’s a nice TV program in hongkong on agarwood 😉 Paul Kan, owner of the Imperial Museum, and the collections exhibited in the Xiang He exhibition a couple of years ago, is aiming to educate the public in Hongkong on agarwood, kynam, and the importance of conservation. In the third episode, he did mention about… [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…]
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…]
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…]
What if you have discovered a huge chunk of kyara
Friend called and the conversation went like : AHHHHH!!! HELP!!! I think I just saw a huge chunk of kyara, probably 1 kilogram , and the trader doesn’t know!! Me : What’s the price? Friend : Not confirmed, but possibly below $50 per gram Me : Then WHAT are you waiting for ?!?!??! Friend :… [Read More…]
Kyara versus Shin-Kyara
The subject of Shin Kyara is rather new and foreign to people outside of Japan, but this definition/concept has been known domestically, in certain incense schools for a very long time! Some incense companies have been substituting Kyara with Shin-kyara in their Rikkoku sets as a cost cutting measure. Basically Shin Kyara is just… [Read More…]
Two controversial identities of Golden Silk Kynam
金丝奇楠, or Golden silk kynam in modern day suffers two controversial identities. Under modern grading of authentic kynam, high end dealers in Hongkong occasionally classify some kynams as golden silk kynam due to the golden silky streaks of resin present in the wood, with the other grades being silver silk, coffee kynam, or simply normal… [Read More…]