Oud Mostafa 2021 Ensar Oud / Oriscent
3
Hidden Gem
Ensar Oud, Oud Mostafa, the 2021 version/distillation.
Oud Mostafa is a big name, and I have lost track of its various iterations. I remember the first one, the Burmese Titan, with its gigantic presence. Everything about that oil was in superlative. Including the "Barn," unfortunately for me. There were several ones of Cambodian origin, the 4th, the 5th, and the 6th, if memory serves me well. And then the 7th, the Chinese-Indian hybrid. I think this version from 2021 is the latest. It is pure Indian. But don't let that deter you, as it is an absolute treasure. And for some reason, it seems to fly very low under the radar.
In my previous post, I talked about Russian Oud II and how I searched for a good Wild Oud oil that would abound in those Cocoa and Dark Chocolate facets. I knew it would have to be of Indian origin or from a nearby region. I did some research of my own and was pointed in the right direction by an Oud aficionado who instructed me about this version of Oud Mostafa. When I heard "Oud Mostafa," I braced myself thinking about the "Barn," the pheromonal punch this name bears. However, it was not something to worry about with this iteration. And I blind purchased it. When it arrived, I quickly unscrewed the cap to take a whiff and see if my expectations were met. I was skeptical. Could it be? To finally find an oud oil rich in those mouthwatering cocoa facets and not masked by fermentation? I took a whiff, and my brain melted. It was exactly what I wanted it to be.
This oil, as mentioned, is a clean Hindi oud oil. I am not a fan of heavily soaked and fermented pure oud oils, although I might enjoy a minimal touch if it doesn't deter me from experiencing the oil's profile. Here, I get none of that distraction. I believe the wood used to distill the oil came from various parts of India, while the bulk, was sourced from Tripura. I base that on some friendly information and how similar its "woody DNA/Backbone" smells to another oil of similar origin that I own, Nashila from Agar Aura. They share the same "woody DNA," but the facets captured through the distillation process differ. As mentioned when I reviewed Nashila, it had a hard-to-come-by profile with most Hindi oils. It has a deep, brown-red, devoid of sweetness, and "serious" scent aroma. Pure wood. The fruits, the hay, the earthiness, the leather, the spices, the honey, the nuts, and all the usual facets you'd expect to smell in an Indian oil feel muted. With Oud Mostafa 2021, they are almost absent. But not all. So you get this deep, smooth, somehow dry wood profile and to augment it, the dark cocoa, spices, incense, and purple fruit facets, in that order. The cocoa profile is the most prolific, coating the wood at all times. Secondly, there are the spices that feel most assertive in the opening. And lastly, the incense. Slow-burning wooden aloes on low heat. The purple fruits are barely present, poking through now and then. They might not even be worth mentioning, but because they throw a nice touch to the mix whenever you catch a whiff of them, I believe they play their part. The oils' profile is straightforward and doesn't change much in terms of the scent but rather in terms of the texture. The latter shifts constantly oscillating between dusty-dry and resinous. Sometimes, it feels like cocoa powder, while others, like steamed chocolate milk. The cocoa quality never lets go. You get this made-in-heaven pairing of deep aloe and cocoa that goes on and on to my senses' delight. The performance is amazing. The scent is addictive and devoid of unwanted "Hindi Funk." And the price was too good to be true when available. Therefore, this is an oil I love to swipe whenever I crave it. To wear it on my neck, swipe it on my wrist to get a "shot," or before bed. It won't break the budget and delivers the most satisfying scent experience. It is one of the best value-for-money oils in my collection or that I know of. My only regret is not being aware of it when it was offered on the website and having to hunt for it on the secondary market. But I can see myself stocking up on a few of these. I am bewildered that oud heads don't talk about it. When you put all the pieces together: wild oud oil, unique or at least hard-to-come-by scent profile, amazing performance, and great value for money, this should be offered with the tolas. Alas, it is long gone, and now I'll settle with what I can source and have. It is well worth the sniff and the search. Especially for those of you who love Indian oud oils, and of course, cocoa.
IG:@memory.of.scents
Oud Mostafa is a big name, and I have lost track of its various iterations. I remember the first one, the Burmese Titan, with its gigantic presence. Everything about that oil was in superlative. Including the "Barn," unfortunately for me. There were several ones of Cambodian origin, the 4th, the 5th, and the 6th, if memory serves me well. And then the 7th, the Chinese-Indian hybrid. I think this version from 2021 is the latest. It is pure Indian. But don't let that deter you, as it is an absolute treasure. And for some reason, it seems to fly very low under the radar.
In my previous post, I talked about Russian Oud II and how I searched for a good Wild Oud oil that would abound in those Cocoa and Dark Chocolate facets. I knew it would have to be of Indian origin or from a nearby region. I did some research of my own and was pointed in the right direction by an Oud aficionado who instructed me about this version of Oud Mostafa. When I heard "Oud Mostafa," I braced myself thinking about the "Barn," the pheromonal punch this name bears. However, it was not something to worry about with this iteration. And I blind purchased it. When it arrived, I quickly unscrewed the cap to take a whiff and see if my expectations were met. I was skeptical. Could it be? To finally find an oud oil rich in those mouthwatering cocoa facets and not masked by fermentation? I took a whiff, and my brain melted. It was exactly what I wanted it to be.
This oil, as mentioned, is a clean Hindi oud oil. I am not a fan of heavily soaked and fermented pure oud oils, although I might enjoy a minimal touch if it doesn't deter me from experiencing the oil's profile. Here, I get none of that distraction. I believe the wood used to distill the oil came from various parts of India, while the bulk, was sourced from Tripura. I base that on some friendly information and how similar its "woody DNA/Backbone" smells to another oil of similar origin that I own, Nashila from Agar Aura. They share the same "woody DNA," but the facets captured through the distillation process differ. As mentioned when I reviewed Nashila, it had a hard-to-come-by profile with most Hindi oils. It has a deep, brown-red, devoid of sweetness, and "serious" scent aroma. Pure wood. The fruits, the hay, the earthiness, the leather, the spices, the honey, the nuts, and all the usual facets you'd expect to smell in an Indian oil feel muted. With Oud Mostafa 2021, they are almost absent. But not all. So you get this deep, smooth, somehow dry wood profile and to augment it, the dark cocoa, spices, incense, and purple fruit facets, in that order. The cocoa profile is the most prolific, coating the wood at all times. Secondly, there are the spices that feel most assertive in the opening. And lastly, the incense. Slow-burning wooden aloes on low heat. The purple fruits are barely present, poking through now and then. They might not even be worth mentioning, but because they throw a nice touch to the mix whenever you catch a whiff of them, I believe they play their part. The oils' profile is straightforward and doesn't change much in terms of the scent but rather in terms of the texture. The latter shifts constantly oscillating between dusty-dry and resinous. Sometimes, it feels like cocoa powder, while others, like steamed chocolate milk. The cocoa quality never lets go. You get this made-in-heaven pairing of deep aloe and cocoa that goes on and on to my senses' delight. The performance is amazing. The scent is addictive and devoid of unwanted "Hindi Funk." And the price was too good to be true when available. Therefore, this is an oil I love to swipe whenever I crave it. To wear it on my neck, swipe it on my wrist to get a "shot," or before bed. It won't break the budget and delivers the most satisfying scent experience. It is one of the best value-for-money oils in my collection or that I know of. My only regret is not being aware of it when it was offered on the website and having to hunt for it on the secondary market. But I can see myself stocking up on a few of these. I am bewildered that oud heads don't talk about it. When you put all the pieces together: wild oud oil, unique or at least hard-to-come-by scent profile, amazing performance, and great value for money, this should be offered with the tolas. Alas, it is long gone, and now I'll settle with what I can source and have. It is well worth the sniff and the search. Especially for those of you who love Indian oud oils, and of course, cocoa.
IG:@memory.of.scents