Irian Sinking

Unlike much of the lacquered-to-perfection and otherwise enhanced second-rate stuff so readily available in the suq, these chips are absolutely saturated with complex resin that quite literally bubbles out of them.

On low heat, it sparkles and shimmers.

Visuals aside, the scent profile of high mountain Irian agarwood is as variegated as a sweeping mountain range. It is not at all fragile, so feel free to explore—put it on a cool electric plate and slowly turn up the heat, or preheat and let the resinous sweetness introduce itself. Whatever the temperature, expect to be pleased as you explore the olfactory orbit that reveals different facets to the aroma as you tweak your heating setup.

The ambient aroma jumps off the wood on low to medium heat and lets you savor sweet wafts that smell of vanilla infused into sandalwood save for a supporting base of earthy, seaside, jungle greenness that gives Green Papua its herbaceous tenacity.

It takes just a few millimeters of wood and a few minutes to fill a room with that seaside jungle greenness, by which time the initial sweetness would have faded into a agarwoody background that reminds you of lignum vitae doused in the exotic earthiness unique to highland Irian harvests.

I know some folks prefer smaller, thinner oud chips to larger ones. Of course, with less resinated pieces, smaller oud chips can actually be worse because the heat punctures the entire chip straight through. So, unless the chip packs enough resin, the chance that the firewood smell (not a good thing) will dominate is higher than in larger pieces where the heat takes longer to penetrate and the resin’s release is more steady.

With that in mind, rest assured that-s not the case here. For one, this batch is sinking-grade, so you don-t have to doubt the resin content. On top of that, each piece has been professionally chiseled to make the most of that fact. Flip one through your fingers and you-ll notice the resin penetrate the typically-unresinated back of the dark layer (as seen below) to ensure that your burn is even and the resinous oozing of Irian delight uninterrupted.

If, for some inexplicable reason, you would rather skip the initial sweetness then start the burn at higher heat. The burn will begin with a salty, fresh coconut sweetness before taking you to the jungle shores of Jayapura. I would not put this on coals without dampening the heat, though, as too many of its savory notes will be lost to smoke.

A few weeks ago, the King of Papua, as he-s called, told me he-d stopped his Papuan escapades. What-s left of his harvests is for sale, and then that-ll be it. From now on, you can find him in the new shopping center he-s decided to invest in instead. The operation costs have become too expensive, he said — the effort to access the trees, too much.

So, this class of agarwood is not only rare (and becoming rarer) but possesses a unique character that no lover of Irian oud can afford to be without. Burn it during a Jin Jun Mei tea session or after a few swipes Oud Royale 2004 and try not to bite your tongue!

A Note from a Customer

Original Post

To me, these Chips have the best „Value for Money“ in their price segment. Why? Simply because they have a very special Aroma to me, combined with a very good longevity on an electric Heater. If you start on low temperature and gently increase it time after time, you can easily get 45 Minutes of „smoking Action“. Another PLUS to me: The Aroma is intense enough, that you only need very small amounts to fill a a big room with oudy goodness. 0,2 g of chips covers my living room (aprox. 30 square meters) with a heavenly nice smell.

Let me try to describe the profile a little bit more. On low temperature it starts off with a sweet, soft and almost milky type of smell. It’s so smooth that you can easily keep your nose directly above the chips without burning your nose. 😀 The fact, That the Chips haven’t even start smoking or bubbling yet, is probably the best way to tell, that these are really good quality.

As you slowly increase the Temperatur, the sweet, slightly lactonic smell is joined by something I would describe as something similar to roasted chestnuts, almost gourmand. My parents which are not familiar with Oud, once visited me, after I have just started a little „Session“ and as they entered our Appartement they asked if we are baking or cooking something. 😀 I answered „No. I am burning something.“ 😀

My girlfriend also described it as Almonds roasted in a pan. With cheaper „No-Name“ chips, I experienced kind of a muddy smell sometimes. These ones don’t have that. Not at all. At mid temp, they do have a nuance, hidden in the Background, which I would most likely describe as earthy. But more like damp wood. Like a big Chunk of Oakwood which has been in the rain for some time. Already like of petrichor. It’s not very prominent but rather to balance out the sweet side.

Coming up to higher heat, the nuttiness is starting to increase again. Imagine a mixup of freshly pealed Pecans, Walnuts and Almonds roasting slowly over an open fire, slightly caramelized combined with some smokiness already creeping up from the Back. Not the burned wood smell but rather that soft white smoke that almost appears herbal to my nose. At this point my Mica-Plate is already covered in bubbling, thick, black, resin.

At maximum heat, which I would recommend should not exceed 21V, Irian Sinking almost smells like Oud-Oil to me. From all Oils I know, I would most compare it to „Aroha Kyaku“ even though I detect some slight Hindi Nuances, too. The smell easily stays in your room for several Hours after you shut down the heater. Your clothes, your Hair – all fumigated with an extremely pleasant smell. Overall these are really one of the best chips I have tried so far. Especially looking at the Price-Point. Absolutely recommended.

—Marvin G. (Germany)

A Note from a Customer

Original Post

To me, these Chips have the best „Value for Money“ in their price segment. Why? Simply because they have a very special Aroma to me, combined with a very good longevity on an electric Heater. If you start on low temperature and gently increase it time after time, you can easily get 45 Minutes of „smoking Action“. Another PLUS to me: The Aroma is intense enough, that you only need very small amounts to fill a a big room with oudy goodness. 0,2 g of chips covers my living room (aprox. 30 square meters) with a heavenly nice smell.

Let me try to describe the profile a little bit more. On low temperature it starts off with a sweet, soft and almost milky type of smell. It’s so smooth that you can easily keep your nose directly above the chips without burning your nose. 😀 The fact, That the Chips haven’t even start smoking or bubbling yet, is probably the best way to tell, that these are really good quality.

As you slowly increase the Temperatur, the sweet, slightly lactonic smell is joined by something I would describe as something similar to roasted chestnuts, almost gourmand. My parents which are not familiar with Oud, once visited me, after I have just started a little „Session“ and as they entered our Appartement they asked if we are baking or cooking something. 😀 I answered „No. I am burning something.“ 😀

My girlfriend also described it as Almonds roasted in a pan. With cheaper „No-Name“ chips, I experienced kind of a muddy smell sometimes. These ones don’t have that. Not at all. At mid temp, they do have a nuance, hidden in the Background, which I would most likely describe as earthy. But more like damp wood. Like a big Chunk of Oakwood which has been in the rain for some time. Already like of petrichor. It’s not very prominent but rather to balance out the sweet side.

Coming up to higher heat, the nuttiness is starting to increase again. Imagine a mixup of freshly pealed Pecans, Walnuts and Almonds roasting slowly over an open fire, slightly caramelized combined with some smokiness already creeping up from the Back. Not the burned wood smell but rather that soft white smoke that almost appears herbal to my nose. At this point my Mica-Plate is already covered in bubbling, thick, black, resin.

At maximum heat, which I would recommend should not exceed 21V, Irian Sinking almost smells like Oud-Oil to me. From all Oils I know, I would most compare it to „Aroha Kyaku“ even though I detect some slight Hindi Nuances, too. The smell easily stays in your room for several Hours after you shut down the heater. Your clothes, your Hair – all fumigated with an extremely pleasant smell. Overall these are really one of the best chips I have tried so far. Especially looking at the Price-Point. Absolutely recommended.