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post #1 of 8027
1/29/10 at 9:54pm
Thread Starter 
Taha -

The vanillin aspect of Borneos is very soothing to me. Not at all feminine. It is a kind of smoothness that acts as a bridge across all the various little pungent notes of these oils. I LOVE it, so much so that it makes me tempted to do some experiments with some of my cheap oud and some vanilla absolute. This smoothness is epitomized in the 3000, though UNS had a select Borneo with this aroma as well. These good Borneos - they are sublime. Where are the UNS quality oils, though? Is Oriscent the only source??
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post #2 of 8027
1/29/10 at 10:12pm
Thread Starter 
Assam Kinam - I got a sniff or two. Basically very much like Amit's oud from last year but with a dose of the Royal Kinam mixed in (that's what I would have guessed it was, if not for Ensar's ads). Top note is some of the Royal Kinam blended about 50:50 with Amit's oud; basenote is almost pure RKSons DS oud to my nose. Sadly, I only tried it twice - I may be way off and it may have changed by now.
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post #3 of 8027
1/29/10 at 10:59pm
Borneo Select is one of my favorite oils, in large measure because of the vanilla note. The blend of the ethereal topnote, glissande sweetness of vanilla and soft woodiness is a delicate and graceful combination. I don't smell any vanilla in Borneo Kinam. To me it smells quite strongly of cinnamon (underneath the whistle top note)- it's emphasis is more on spices; to me it's slightly warmer and hums in a lower register.
Please let us know how you vanilla/oud experiment works out, Mr. P.
I have a sample of Oudhasi's Amber Oudh Attar. Although it's predominently a blend of oud and spices, there's a hint of vanilla which makes it purr.
I don't know of any other supplier that has great Borneo oils. Incidentally, there's a delay in shipping Uns oils so it may be a while before his new stock is reviewed.
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post #4 of 8027
1/29/10 at 11:11pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks, Bluemoon! That UNS Borneo select was FANTASTIC. I would say it could hold a candle to the Borneo 3000. If I had any idea at the time what a sweet oil that was, well, I would have found a way to get it.

Agreed about the Borneo Kinam - very, very different. If I had to guess (and I would indeed be guessing) I would think it is a different species of agarwood altogether. It just smells like completely different molecules.

I think i posted on how surprising it was to me that that oil was a Borneo, but given the range of aromas I have seen from Papua New Guinea (broadly speaking, including Irian Jaya, Merauke and Oriscent's Green Papua) I guess I shouldn't be surprised!
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post #5 of 8027
1/30/10 at 1:00am
Thank you MrP for your insight on Assam Kinam. I must admit Bluemoon, the way you can describe Ouds is just wow! Sheer talent!
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post #6 of 8027
1/30/10 at 1:18am
Thank you , acer!
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post #7 of 8027
1/30/10 at 7:34am
I was thinking that the "new" UNS oils were leftovers or re-acquisitions of the IJ Select and Merauke that Ibrihim previously carried.
Both were very nice oils!
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post #8 of 8027
1/30/10 at 7:42am
UNS had another lower priced Borneo that came in their sample set. It was called East Borneo #80 and while it wasn't as scrumptious as the Borneo Select, I still thought it was a nice, solid specimen.
Oudselect has some Indonesian oil that are interesting. A kind soul sent me some samples and I hope to review them soon.
The "new" board is quite timely.
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post #9 of 8027
1/30/10 at 7:59am
Thread Starter 
Yeah... I crave two things right now:

Some diverse smooth Borneos in the style of 3000, UNS, at a variety of levels and qualities. The Borneo Bloom is a nice oil, but not the same style at all - there is a (not quite) chocolate and (not quite) vanilla smoothness - a sort of
dessert like richness but not smelling like candy. I have 2 batches of chips
like this.

Also, some of those wild peppery muddy merauke oil. The UNS was ok but to muddled for my taste - I have some rougher meraukes that I prefer. They are more focused, simpler - vaguely patchouli and mud like but there are these separate notes that ring out clearly.

Now what I reall want are some of these at the old WNF and Magnifincense prices.
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post #10 of 8027
1/30/10 at 8:01am
I posted this over in the oudh fighting topic....but maybe I should ask this here....

Are there certain ouds that smell terrible on your skin? some reason Borneo's all smell like gasoline on me! on cloth its sweet creamy and wonderful....but as soon as any of them touch my skin it instanly smells like I was just fillin up my car and spilled gasoline all over myself.

does anyone else have this problem with certain ouds? no others do that to me. although some smell and progress better on cloth.

BTW this is pretty exciting...I dont know why I never tested a borneo on cloth...I have every other oudh...no idea why I never did the Borneo I just ruled it out.....anyway its like I am smelling a borneo for the first time! its incredible! I am excited
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post #11 of 8027
1/30/10 at 8:30am
Oh very good idea MrP! I did my share of watering down the oud thread, and I missed the input of the 'regulars'. I will continue to post about my oud layering experiments on the other thread and use this thread to discuss/read about pure ouds. Carry on...
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post #12 of 8027
1/30/10 at 8:31am
Thread Starter 
There are some that definitely change in aroma on skin vs. clothes. I am trying to remember - oh yeah - the Royal Kinam. If I applied this to my neck or collar, the smell really bugged me - it was like nagarmotha oil - not so oud like (it has gotten better with age though!). If I applied it on a piece of silver jewelry - a bracelet - it smelled STUPENDOUS and lasted several days. Really weird, I guess.

Good Borneos are my absolute favorites, hands down.
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post #13 of 8027
1/30/10 at 8:48am
It sounds like I would really like a good Borneo oud. Smooth, sweet, vanillan...oh yeah!

I am sampling Taha's Borneo Bloom (all by itself) this morning, but I realize it is not a top of the line Borneo.
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post #14 of 8027
1/30/10 at 8:51am
Thread Starter 
divinemama - I wanted to express myself but not make you feel bad. You have always been positive, respectful, kind. There really SHOULD be a place for sustained focus on scent layering, using natural materials to enhance and adjust commercial fragrances, and oud is a perfect substance for this purpose.
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post #15 of 8027
1/30/10 at 8:55am
Thread Starter 
The Bloom is very nice but is different - not sure how it ranks in terms of quality (Taha is very humble, which is nice). It is, I think, a great deal - surprisingly inexpensive really.

It has a strong resemblance to an oud oil from Oudline called "Malinau" which is similar to but different from the UNS and Borneo 3000 oils. While the UNS /3000 were dense, sweet, heavy and smoooooooooth, the malinau and Bloom are swampier (in a great way), still have some of that vanilla smoothness; to my nose the Bloom has an additional distinct note of pipe tobacco. It's a tobacco smell I have ONLY smelled when people were smoking pipes - there is something they add to those sweet pipe tobacco mixtures that makes it incense-like - sweet, rich, absolutely pleasant (unlike cigar or cigarette smoke). My wife in particular likes that note in oud.
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post #16 of 8027
1/30/10 at 9:06am
No worries Mr P. I do not feel bad at all. I agree with you completely. I will continue to post about my Amouage, etc and oud experiments on the other thread and post about oud oils here. I am actually relieved that someone is addressing the changing tone of the thread and making positive steps to make everyone here happy. I embrace this change.

Thanks so much for your input on the Bloom. Maybe I will have courage to post later how I find its progression on my skin.
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post #17 of 8027
1/30/10 at 9:21am
hmmmm when i wore Borneo bloom on its own, I got a vague sweetness at the start, and it soon dried down to a "wet earth" aroma. It reminded me of the times when I was in the millitary. I had to trudge through jungles right after a thunderstorm and the scent is pretty similar, except that the bitter earthniess is tempered somewhat by a lingering sweetness. I take it that this lingering sweetness is the vanillin note?
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post #18 of 8027
1/30/10 at 9:23am
Uns' Borneo No 1 is very similar to Oriscent's Borneo Kinam. It shares the same ethereal top note, warm spicy cinnamon note, a barely perceptible hint of mustiness, and has a similar slightly thick consistency. It smells somewhat thinner than the Oriscent oil, though the cinnamon note in the Uns oil is a bit sharper- it tickles my nose the same way pepper does. Like Borneo Kinam, it's an alto. There's no vanilla, yet it's very sweet and buoyant.
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post #19 of 8027
1/30/10 at 9:28am
cck- The next time you're in the supermarket you could check out the baking or spice section and smell the vanilla that's used for baking.

I didn't smell wet earth in Borneo Bloom but in it's mid stages it had a strong smell of musty woods to my nose.
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post #20 of 8027
1/30/10 at 9:32am
bluemoon, is the sweetness in the Borneo Kinam and Uns Borneo No 1 more of a honey note, if not vanilla?
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post #21 of 8027
1/30/10 at 9:37am
that is what I am wearing today Borneo bloom...I love it on cloth! sweet creamy and earthy all in one! its nice on cloth.

I have that on my shoulder of my shirt...another borneo on my other shoulder....cambodhi atteq on one arm ...the gaoline smelling same borneo bliss on the other arm....so I can smell the same 2 side by side on cloth and skin....ASAQ aged smoked cambodhi on my shirt...and some on my neck...oh and maylay royal on my body...let me tell ya I have one HUGE agar aura going on right now! kind of a waste having so much on...I just hope my incense comes in the mail today....I bought some japanese jinkoh sticks to hold me over till I get some chips and a burner and charcoal.....I hope it even resembles the oil.....
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post #22 of 8027
1/30/10 at 9:40am
Thread Starter 
That's quite an array. Each gust of wind brings you a different scent. Sounds nice. That Malay Royale smelled nice to me but I only smelled a tad. I wish I knew what you meant about the gasoline scent - I don't connect with that description, but I've smelled most of the oils you describe, so I wonder what the note is you are referring to. Coming up with a common language for scent is no small task.
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post #23 of 8027
1/30/10 at 10:27am
I mentioned in an earlier post...for some reason ALL borneos I have tried....turn into a gasoline smell on my skin...i dont know why no other oud does that....so I put some on my shirt and some on my arm....my shirt smells fantastic! my arm smells like I spilled gasoline on it. I have no idea why it does that with my skin.

anyone else have that problem with any other kind of oud?
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post #24 of 8027
1/30/10 at 12:03pm
Thread Starter 
Ok - what % of the ouds in your collection show some crystallization or wax precipitation?

I would say 2 out of 20 in my collection, and the very cheapest oils.
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post #25 of 8027
1/30/10 at 12:40pm
Divinemama: It's the kind of "leathery" sweetness experienced when nuzzling in a cat's fur combined with the drier sweetness of mellow woods.
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post #26 of 8027
1/30/10 at 12:44pm
MrP- only 1 has "crystallized"- RK's new King Oud which I just received. After putting it under a lightbulb for a few hours the "crystallization" disappeared but some brown sediment settled to the bottom of the bottle. Amit said the crystallization was caused by cold temperatures (experienced in shipment?), but other oils that I've refrigerated never crystallized, clouded or gummed up.
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post #27 of 8027
1/30/10 at 12:52pm
Dred- Areej's Kamboudi Maliki has a faint note of gasoline, and Oriscent's Burmese Kinam is saturated with it.
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post #28 of 8027
1/30/10 at 3:01pm
Thank you bluemoon, your description of Borneo Kinam and Uns Borneo No 1's sweetness sounds wonderful.

I do not know if Agaraura's Borneo Bloom is a mild oud or if I am just getting used to pure oud. I put a generous amount on each forearm and I just a lovely woody scent. Your musty woods description fits. Perhaps his next Borneo will be closer to Borneo Kinam and UNS Borneo?

BTW, I love the smell of gasoline, perhaps I should try some Burmese Kinam. Unfortunately, neither Borneo Kinam or Burmese Kinam are included in Oriscent's current sampler.
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post #29 of 8027
1/30/10 at 3:15pm
Thread Starter 
The Borneo Bloom is kind of mild - very much so in comparison to Lao or Hindi ouds that are more shocking to the senses. As far as Borneos go, the bloom has a little more edge to it than many I have smelled (note I have only smelled 4 or 5 decent Borneo oils in my life, so I am no expert). The UNS were smoother - denser, stayed closer to the skin. Again, there is a certain tangible tobacco note in the Bloom I have not encountered in the other oils which to me strengthens its initial impact a bit. Taha says it is something he has seen in oils he has sampled that were labeled as originating from central Borneo.
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post #30 of 8027
1/30/10 at 3:17pm
It looks like Burmese Kinam is no longer even offered on Oriscents site.

I get a slight gasoline like note in the opening of Agaraura's Thai oil. Is that the note you get from Burmese Kinam, bluemoon? Or from your Borneo's on your skin, dred?
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post #31 of 8027
1/30/10 at 3:21pm
Yes, MrP, the Bloom is definitely mild compared to the Hindi oils I have. The mustiness I smell could be the tobacco note. I think I need another testing on cleaner skin. Might as finish off my sample when I do to get the full effect.
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post #32 of 8027
1/30/10 at 3:23pm
Thread Starter 
The Ham Firl "Royal Borneo" has that tobacco note in a very strong way. So much so that I half think it is in fact mixed with tobacco absolute (which I have a small vial of, and which blends very well with oud). Can't be sure though.
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post #33 of 8027
1/30/10 at 3:28pm
Given Ham Firl's 'reputation' it sounds entirely possible, MrP.

Hmm, tobacco absolute and oud huh? Just thinking...
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post #34 of 8027
1/30/10 at 3:35pm
no other oud smells like gas on my skin....the thai has more of a piney note.....although it is kinda sharp...it dosent turn like the borneo does....I had sheikhs borneo...and it did the exact same thing on me....and that is supposed to be really smooth. on my sweatshirt its like I have a totally different scent on...the borneo bloom is creamy and nice even hours after applying.

you know what I find odd is the different opening notes of different cambodhi's I only have 4 cambodhi's...Taha;'s atteq and calambac....both open way different...the calambac has like a smooth dark chocolate note....and I have 2 ASAQs matak and aged and smoked......the aged smoked is pungent almost like a hindi....where Tahas are tame......yet the aged ASAQ is smooth opening almost like a borneo......
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post #35 of 8027
1/30/10 at 3:39pm
divinemama, Burmese Kinam has actually never been offered on Oriscent's website, though some members have been able to source it directly from Ensar ...
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post #36 of 8027
1/30/10 at 3:40pm
now neither of the ASAQ;s show up on my skin...its like I put nothing on....but on cloth the aged smoked cambodhi goes from that strong fecal note....to that typical cambodhi drydown over the course of like 20 hours....its like all pungent at first....but every hour the pungent slowly burns off and the cambodhi note slowly comes through.....its not as complex as an oriscent or Tahas....but its my favorite from a big house so far.....(I havent tried thaqeel or kalakassi yet...anyone want to donate me a sample I will love one!!!) Now I know thats weird I have ASAQ aged and ASAQ aged and smoked.....the one thats just aged is so tame...its just a smooth woody smell kinda linear all the way....I have to spend some more time with it before I can be specific....but I was figuring the 2 would be close in smell...yet they are nothing alike.

the aged smoked is actually pretty good if you dont mind waiting 12 hours on cloth for soem tranformation
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post #37 of 8027
1/30/10 at 3:52pm
Thread Starter 
I have smelled two irian jaya oils - both from UNS and both almost identical. Sweet, nutmeg, slight mothball, some pepperyness. Can anyone comment on Irian Jaya oils in general? I know we are talking about Papua NG, but my other oils from that island are much different - Purple Nurple, Green Papua, a couple of Merauke oils.

The UNS Irian Jayas have a little of the Green Papua pepper, a little of the Merauke mud, but are so fuzzy - like many notes altogether, nothing particular standing oud. Almost wonder if it's a blended oud combining a few different distillations.
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post #38 of 8027
1/30/10 at 3:53pm
MrP, was the Ham Firl's oud with a tabacco note his Royal Oud or did he use to have a "Royal Borneo" too? Your description of the tabacco element sounds very much like his Royal Oud, and it was a pretty stong, almost mineral-like. It also had a bit of Merauke character to it.
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post #39 of 8027
1/30/10 at 4:03pm
Divinemama- My notes say that I got an oily note (in addition to apples, almonds, spices, burnt chickpeas, flowers, smoke, "menthol" and leather) in Taha's Thai, but not gasoline.

Another BN'er was kind enough to give me a sample of his Burmese Kinam. I'd be very appreciative if somebody could describe the characteristics that are common to Burmese oils. Abubakr wrote that he got a fecal/used coffee ground/nutty/seedy note- are those notes typical of Burmese oils?
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post #40 of 8027
1/30/10 at 4:04pm
ha Igor I was thinking the same thing but didnt say anything cuz I am not as experienced as you guys...but someone gave me some oud royal I think it is or royal malay from ham firl...and it sounded exactly like he described....strong tobacco note.

WOW bluemoon you have one complex sniffer!!! burnt chick peas!!! now I am going to go upstaris and break out a can and fry em!
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post #41 of 8027
1/30/10 at 4:18pm
Thread Starter 
I think know what she means - it is a kind of cooked seed note - something dry, edgy - I got something like that in Oudhasi's Green Gaharu. Not sure how that Thai oil smells, but to me it is a very undesirable note if it is too dominant in oud oils. What is cool about your reviews, Bluemoon, is that you try to peg your descriptions to something we have a shared experience in - concrete, specific smells. Even if those references aren't exact, they can be discussed in a meaningful way.
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post #42 of 8027
1/30/10 at 4:51pm
Thanks, MrP, but I'm becoming more and more leery of writing "reviews" and descriptions. In addition to being uncomfortable with the thought that someone might purchase something based on a positive review and then not like it, it seems clear that people perceive scents (as well as other sensory stimulants) very differently. And, I can smell the same oil a week apart and I pick up notes I didn't before, or can't smell something I was sure was obvious the last time . My jottings on Taha's Thai were from 9/09. I really wonder if I'd smell the same notes today. Maybe the oil has developed, maybe the oils I've smelled in the intervening months have affected my perceptions, perhaps my body chemistry is altered etc. I guess the complexity and changeability of these oils is part of what makes them so fascinating, but sometimes it's frustrating, too.
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post #43 of 8027
1/30/10 at 5:04pm
Do people in UAE wear single origin ouds like Oriscents? Are there people there who make quality oud like that, and sell it there? or does everyone wear ASAQ Ajmal AO? I feel some of those ajmals and ASAQs smell pretty good...but not $200 good.....for $200 single origin ouds are much more interesting and complex. most of Ajmals and ASAQs, although they smell ok are very linear.

Bluemoon....your reviews are great! If no one had any idea what something smelled like they wouldnt buy it....you help people at least get a suggestion of what to expect in the oud....every scent smells different on everyone....you do a great job! it is much appreciated!
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post #44 of 8027
1/30/10 at 5:15pm
I appreciate bluemoon, and everyone else descriptions of oud for that matter, because I am new to oud and need to develop some vocabulary to describe what I am smelling. Something other than it smells good or it smells bad. Granted bluemoon's writing is especially poetic.

I would hope we all know better than to buy an oud based solely on the opinion on another person, so please keep writing your thoughts, bluemoon. I think you are correct that we perceive scents differently and certainly our skin brings out different nuances in each oil. Time of year, our age, etc all factor in to how a scent smells on our skin on a given day.

Thanks for the info on Burmese Kinam, Abdul_Qa'im.
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post #45 of 8027
1/30/10 at 6:01pm
Blue: I have bought many oils because of your descriptions. I have not once been disappointed. Your ability to appreciate and then describe a fragrance so eloquently is not a common one. If you stop we will all definately loose, so dont.
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post #46 of 8027
1/30/10 at 6:03pm
Devinemamma your mailbox is full
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post #47 of 8027
1/30/10 at 6:14pm
wog, thanks...there should be room now.
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post #48 of 8027
1/30/10 at 6:24pm
Thanks very much everyone.

I'd like to extend a belated and heartfelt thanks to Abdul Qa'im and MrP for your efforts to keep things focused and for expressing sentiments I didn't take the initiative to say myself, but wanted to.

MrP- thank you especially for starting this thread. It feels like coming home :-)
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post #49 of 8027
1/30/10 at 7:06pm
A couple of people asked about the Bloom here, and I got some emails about the new custom-distillation as well.
I don't want to comment in any way about what I sell, or intend to sell, but if Taz pops in, maybe he could share some info with y'all.
He's smelled a $45 per quarter-tola sample of a Malinau oil from the same distiller. So you (and I!) might be interested in what he might think a $2xx per quarter-tola bottle would smell like, given what the $45 one was like.

Taz...? ; )
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post #50 of 8027
1/30/10 at 7:14pm
Thread Starter 
Taha - please PM me any info on this stuff if you would be so kind.

Sorry this site is so restrictive.
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post #51 of 8027
1/30/10 at 7:14pm
Ohhh, one more thing. Taz has smelled my Borneo (and other Indo) samples from various regions (and sub-regions, e.g. various sub-regions within Tarakan). I hope he can share his thoughts with all of us here, as I really think we are for the most part lacking in experience when it comes to Borneos. We (mostly) just know Far-Eastern and East Kalimantan Borneos, thanks to UNS and Oriscent.

In particular, there was a southern Central Kalimantan oil which I hope he remembers, and I'm sure it was a surprise for Taz just as it was for me when I first smelled it. Lots of herbs, vetiver, patchouli...... TOBACCO. Yep.
I emphasized tobacco in particular because it was mentioned a few pages back. It's only the Borneos from the more northern regions that are ethereal, turpy, menthol-y, etc - for the most part.
The Bloom is not a north Borneo oil, and certainly has its fair share of herby notes........ including tobacco.
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post #52 of 8027
1/30/10 at 7:17pm
Ahh, and one more thing - OudLine's 'Malinau' is actually not Malinau. He was out of his Malinau oil a while back, and I think only Marian and I got to smell it.
The distillation after that was actually a 'Kalimantan' oil (and not specifically Malinau - my guess would be around the Berau or Tanjung Selor areas), and you might find a lot of similarities between it and my Bloom.
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post #53 of 8027
1/30/10 at 7:33pm
The Oudline bottle I got was around the time frame that Bluemoon told me about it. It has really smoothed out over the months. They said it was a young oil and that this would happen. So, Taha, you are saying that the original oil was a Malinau and the one we likely got is a Kalimantan?
BTW, very nice to be home. I have to admit I fueled the Montale fires figuring it was better to participate in some oud discussion than go cold turkey. :-) This is comfortable, this is the Majlis.
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post #54 of 8027
1/30/10 at 7:37pm
Interesting that the only oil that has ever crystallized/turned waxy for me is Amit's DS Hindi. I have an earlier distillation than Bluemoon though. After the original bottle leaked, the remaining 1ml or so instantly turned waxy and stays that way even in warm temperatures. The replacement bottle is mostly liquid but there is some waxy residue at the top and this is in any temperature also but gets worse in the cold. I don't really understand this.
Otherwise, I have never experienced this with any other oil at any other price point.
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post #55 of 8027
1/30/10 at 7:40pm
Taha, you are making my mouth water talking about all the different Indo oils. I didn't even know these existed until you mentioned the different regions.
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post #56 of 8027
1/30/10 at 7:57pm
Here's a weird one - has anybody else experienced "phantom oud smells"? Kinda like "phantom pain" from amputated limbs (speaking hypothetically, all my limbs are intact), in short - a sensation that shouldn't be there since I'm not wearing any oud at the time, on my skin or clothes. This is how it works - sometimes when I am not wearning any ould (but jonesing to) something triggers a recognition process in my brain and I can swear I am smelling a particularly enticing aspect of an oil I am dying to smell! It doesn't last long but I get a few bursts of almost photorealistic sensation of say "just applied Thaqeel and went outside" experience. Should I get my head examined?
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post #57 of 8027
1/30/10 at 8:00pm
I must say, I enjoy the northern "etherial" borneos (good word, Taha), but I love the earthiness and juicy generosity of the southerns. They are just *fecund* as Indos go. I often associate the indos with dryness, but my favorites are *wet*, not so much in terms of sweetness or lack thereof, but the actual feeling in the nose and sinuses. There is a Kalimantan sample I got from Agarscents which I thought was just terrific, for the price. Full of earth, herbs, dried fruit and tobacco. But he ran out!
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post #58 of 8027
1/30/10 at 8:11pm
Igor01 -- It is funny you mention that, I was just considering posting something exactly like that. I was going to compare it to "phantom vibrations" from a cellphone. Last thursday I kept picking up the more leathery, varnishy openings of certain ouds. Granted, I could have just been near leather and varnish, but I checked, and was not. I wish I was getting free shots of Thaqeel like you though! Not Tequila, Thaqeela! I have definitely felt at times that oud enters our subconcious in ways that resonate randomly with odd sensual inputs and wake us up a little. Sort of like when you are reading something and listening to something else on the radio, and you hear the same unusual word spoken on the radio at the *exact* time you read it on the page.
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post #59 of 8027
1/30/10 at 9:32pm
Taha: Why do you guess the 2nd Oudline Malinau was from Berau or Tanjung Selor? What makes those oils smell different than oils to the northwest of Berau and TS?
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post #60 of 8027
1/30/10 at 9:57pm
Thread Starter 
Taha - I smelled the early sample, and have some of their more recent stuff (Nov.) and less recent (August), and they are very similar. When do you think the switchover occurred? I ordered from them twice - over a month apart - and specifically asked about the oil and they said the batch was the same. If you got your oil prior to this past August though, that might be a different story.

I will email them and ask for their info. on that oil because I dig it, dig it, dig it and want to know what's up for sure! I will share what Mr. Chowdhury tells me here when I hear back from him.
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