I would like to introduce a new category to Oud Impressions: Oud Wood Reviews. I will now be reviewing any interesting woods that come my way. But what better a way to start than with a sliver of green-oil Kyara?

Blogger Kyarazen has carefully sliced 1g of Kyara wood into 14 slivers, so that others who cannot afford the $500/g price tag that Kyara commands, could have a taste of what Kyara really smells like. In his own words, “This is top grade green-oil kyara obtained from a renown incense company in Sakai, Osaka. Extremely well loved by many due to the clear, penetrating green oil kyara scent emanating at room temperature. Truly an experience of a lifetime.” And I must agree!

For one, I have to give Kyarazen’s presentation an A+. The wood came very nicely packaged in a box with plenty of bubble wrap–not to mention it arrived here from Singapore within a few days! And inside the box, in a sample vial, is a sliver of Kyara.

I first took a sniff with the wood inside the vial, and then held the wood in the palm of my hand. It exudes a most wonderful fragrance that meets and surpasses all of my expectations. I don’t know that I have ever held a piece of agarwood to my nose and smelled such a potent fragrance before. And yet the rich green and deeply resinous fragrance was all too familiar to me, in the most positive sense. I felt as if I was smelling all my favorite Oud oils all at once, as if they were are all reduced to a single all-encompassing note: Kyara. Yes, I recognized this fragrance, because it is quite present in many of the oils I have reviewed on this site, with varying degrees of clarity, potency, and greenness. But in the palm of my hand was a pure green Kyara fragrance, from a tiny sliver of wood. Very impressive!

Those who experience the enchanting aroma of Kyara will know why it epitomizes the agarwood fragrance. Truly, it is the pinnacle of the agarwood aroma, it is what everyone is chasing after in Oud oil and Oud wood. An indescribable harmony of sweetness and addictive resinous depth–it is as if the fragrance is spiraling upwards from the wood like smoke.

More remarkably, these slivers of wood confirm for me that the Kyara notes I have been smelling in Oud oils are completely real and accurate. Have no doubts: it is possible to distill Oud oil from the highest grade wood. But hardly anyone is crazy enough to do it. In my archive of Oud oil reviews, you will find some examples of Oud oils that possess the royal and unearthly aroma of Kyara, distilled by individuals who were crazy enough to take the wood that incense companies sell for burning straight into the stills. For me, the Kyara wood has been an olfactory confirmation that will always serve as a reference point for future pursuits. It reminds me of why agarwood is the most precious and highly-prized aromatic in this world.

Although Kyarazen has sold out of this wood, stay attentive. Not only does he have a resourceful website on all things Kyara, but he is a pleasure to do business with, and is clearly devoted the rich and sacred pleasures of the highest and most essential agarwood aroma.