Brunei Qi Jinkoh Store
2
The Mysterious Beam of Light that Keeps me Guessing...
Brunei Qi from Jinkoh Store. One of my favorite oud oils from the house and one of the most special that I own. In many ways, but mostly, in its profile that even today seems difficult to fully grasp as there are facets the oil showcases which I have a hard time attributing to a specific smell or tangible thing.
My experience with this oil was not an illuminating one at first. When I received the oil, it was fresh from the pot. I also had my expectations high, given how rare and precious genuine Brunei oils are, and getting your excitement high too soon most often proves detrimental. I wasn't impressed. I tried it once or twice (another mistake) and shelved it for almost two years. Later, I decided to do some clean-up in my collection and start selling what I didn't use or considered a failed blind purchase. I grabbed my Brunei Qi bottle. As per my rule, I always give one last sniff or swipe/spray to confirm my decision and make sure there's no seller's remorse. And it exploded! I could not believe that I was smelling what, in my mind, was a failed blind purchase and a mediocre oil at best. What happened? Was it the two years that made the oil come together? Was my nose adjusted further to these precious oud oils over that period and now could pick up the fine nuances that often go unnoticed, especially with new oils? It was both, as well as approaching it with no expectations this time around. I was in shock at what the oil was unveilling to me. Sell it!? I needed more...
The oil is not overly complex, nor does it display flavors that I have not smelled in other oud oils (akin to Borneo, mostly), however, it showcases this most peculiar undercurrent of colors which, till today, I can not place. I smell my oils in colors. These aromatics are insanely complex and often throw at us such a large amount of aroma molecules that all we can do is guess and associate them with what our brain knows or has experienced before. This is the first oud oil I try where I get several colors that I can't link to anything I have experienced. To me, the oil has three main parts.
The FLOW of the oil is always consistent and barely changes from wear to wear. It is made up of two components, linked together. The body/structure of the oil, and the black incense smoke that creeps in the base/late dry-down. It opens up with a vivid green apple accord and an immediate nutty quality that makes me reminisce about my dear Borneos. To further strengthen that association, there is also a boozy vanillic quality that soon joins the party. Hence, at first, you get this interplay of green apple, boozy vanilla, and a nutty flavor, all grounded by a dense oleoresinous core. Later, in the dry-down, a fine incense accord emerges. Black in color and not something that I would describe as smoky. Fine, smooth, kinamic smoke. It goes on and on, adjoined to the body of the oil.
The UNDERCURRENT or the BEAM of light, constantly flashing underneath the FLOW or body of the oil. This third part of the oil is still a mystery for my olfactory cortex. It displays colors like Red, Blue, and Purple in constant interplay. Normally, I associate blue with aquamarine or ozonic smells, violet with flowers or fruits, even drinks, and red with fruits, smoke, leaves, mineral soil, or clay. The same colors, here, remind me of nothing. A blank canvas. Just a beam of light, sending constant waves that my nose picks up but my brain cannot decipher. A complete mystery, thus making this oil even more special. It is not only its profile that I deeply enjoy, the depth, and the Bornean flair, but also this beam of uncharted light that keeps me guessing and constantly coming back for more. It is one of the most special and rarest oud oils I own.
IG:@memory.of.scents
My experience with this oil was not an illuminating one at first. When I received the oil, it was fresh from the pot. I also had my expectations high, given how rare and precious genuine Brunei oils are, and getting your excitement high too soon most often proves detrimental. I wasn't impressed. I tried it once or twice (another mistake) and shelved it for almost two years. Later, I decided to do some clean-up in my collection and start selling what I didn't use or considered a failed blind purchase. I grabbed my Brunei Qi bottle. As per my rule, I always give one last sniff or swipe/spray to confirm my decision and make sure there's no seller's remorse. And it exploded! I could not believe that I was smelling what, in my mind, was a failed blind purchase and a mediocre oil at best. What happened? Was it the two years that made the oil come together? Was my nose adjusted further to these precious oud oils over that period and now could pick up the fine nuances that often go unnoticed, especially with new oils? It was both, as well as approaching it with no expectations this time around. I was in shock at what the oil was unveilling to me. Sell it!? I needed more...
The oil is not overly complex, nor does it display flavors that I have not smelled in other oud oils (akin to Borneo, mostly), however, it showcases this most peculiar undercurrent of colors which, till today, I can not place. I smell my oils in colors. These aromatics are insanely complex and often throw at us such a large amount of aroma molecules that all we can do is guess and associate them with what our brain knows or has experienced before. This is the first oud oil I try where I get several colors that I can't link to anything I have experienced. To me, the oil has three main parts.
The FLOW of the oil is always consistent and barely changes from wear to wear. It is made up of two components, linked together. The body/structure of the oil, and the black incense smoke that creeps in the base/late dry-down. It opens up with a vivid green apple accord and an immediate nutty quality that makes me reminisce about my dear Borneos. To further strengthen that association, there is also a boozy vanillic quality that soon joins the party. Hence, at first, you get this interplay of green apple, boozy vanilla, and a nutty flavor, all grounded by a dense oleoresinous core. Later, in the dry-down, a fine incense accord emerges. Black in color and not something that I would describe as smoky. Fine, smooth, kinamic smoke. It goes on and on, adjoined to the body of the oil.
The UNDERCURRENT or the BEAM of light, constantly flashing underneath the FLOW or body of the oil. This third part of the oil is still a mystery for my olfactory cortex. It displays colors like Red, Blue, and Purple in constant interplay. Normally, I associate blue with aquamarine or ozonic smells, violet with flowers or fruits, even drinks, and red with fruits, smoke, leaves, mineral soil, or clay. The same colors, here, remind me of nothing. A blank canvas. Just a beam of light, sending constant waves that my nose picks up but my brain cannot decipher. A complete mystery, thus making this oil even more special. It is not only its profile that I deeply enjoy, the depth, and the Bornean flair, but also this beam of uncharted light that keeps me guessing and constantly coming back for more. It is one of the most special and rarest oud oils I own.
IG:@memory.of.scents