At long last its here. The oud that many of you have been waiting for, and I can tell you its far more magnificent than I could have imagined.
Distilled from an almost century-old tree spotted near the Kelantan-Pahang border in Malaysia (see blog post here), the quality of the oil is evident in its richness, depth and unusually broad scent spectrum. And why wouldn't it be? The tree was so old, and the resin so well-developed that after fully drying the wood, some of it was found to be sinking-grade agarwood (see here).
There are ouds that are pretty because of floral notes, like Oud Urjuani. And there are ouds that are pretty because of fruity notes, like Kuno Kayu and Ponlamai Thai.
How about an oud that's pretty in its sheer oudiness? That would be Sempurna.
Yes, there are some subtle fruity notes, even some caramelized honey. But if you tried our Agar Supreme, you will know that Malaysian ouds are all about sheer oudiness. Sempurna is no exception.
There were two batches of oil distilled from this tree, and Sempurna was distilled using copper apparatus whereas the other batch was distilled using stainless-steel apparatus.
Sempurna is cool, airy and uplifting in its opening notes, and warm and resinous in its heart and base notes. But most significantly, thanks to the use of copper pots, the entire scent palette is imbued with an elegant creamy-sweetness that cannot be described by anything but two words: 'agarwoody' and 'pretty'.
Moreso than the scent of furiously bubbling agarwood chips which is best captured using stainless-steel apparatus, Sempurna instead smells like the vapor emitted from a very gently heated (not burned) high grade agarwood chip. No harsh burnt aroma, no acrid or abrasive notes whatsoever. Just oudiness. Sweet, sweet oudiness.
Today
I'm wearing
Sempurna and WOW, Taha, this is truly amazing. Sooo deep
and... I don't
even know.
M.S. (USA)
Funny thing. I was
sitting in my movie chair flipping through the channels
and something
familiar kept tickling my nose. I knew what it was but
was really
surprised to smell it. I shook my head and rechecked and
it was still
there, very faint. I thought, I haven't burned any kyara
for over 2
weeks could that sliver that I didn't cook all the way
be the source? I
picked up the sliver and sniffed, nope not it. then I
checked my arms
and its not really there but I do get wafts of kyara
from, sempurna.
its been on my arms for 9 hours and Ive worn clothes and
took a nap. to
me it feels like theres going to be a big change in the
oil coming soon.
Customer (USA)
One word...MAJESTIC...
A.J. (Saudi Arabia)
I put on Sempurna yesterday morning and showered last
night & I
still smell Sempurna lol what I nice smelling oud. I get
sweet sweet
hints of Tonka,Balsam,cinnamon with this one. Or is it
me. During the
day I'm like daaaaamn! That's nice. I can see why it's a
pricier oud
oil. Goes a long way to two lil' dots is all I needed.
C.D. (USA)
As soon as I got
my nose on oud sampurna I knew this is one special oil
that will always
put a smile on my face. From the moment I opened the
vial to the dry
down there's not a single off note. Fortunate is the
person who can age
this oil, it will payback you back with lots of :-)
M.D. (U.K.)
As far as Sempurna it is
simply exquisite!! Not a single off-putting note
whatsoever. For me I fell in love with the
opening, which was
like a sweet honey. It actually reminds me quite a
bit of a
Borneo oil, not completely but a little bit.
S.K. (USA)
I was expecting that I was going to enjoy Sempurna,
because, as you
know, I have developed a deep emotional connection with
Oud Supreme;
and I thought since I love the one, I'll at least like
the other.
I applied Sempurna to my wrist when I laid down for the
night, knowing
that it would be at least half an hour 'til I fell
asleep, and I would
have some time to focus without interruption. I was hit
immediately
with a spiciness that I have recognized in a few of your
oils. Yes,
there was that familiar pepper and cinnamon and clove,
but somehow more
mellow than I'd experienced in other. If the opening
notes of Sempurna
could be likened to chai tea, someone added a whole lot
of cream.
Within a couple of minutes, an image leapt into my head:
a great tree
in an quiet, shadowy forest. Everything was soft around
the edges, out
of focus except for the flower; because, sprouting from
the trunk,
level with my eyes and so clear, was a large blossom
carved out of
wood! Its petals were open, and it was fashioned in such
detail. And as
I held the vision in my mind, I thought, "Sempurna is
what an agarwood
flower should smell like".
Strangely enough, some time after this mental picture
faded away, the
scent on my wrist became somewhat floral. I realized the
wooden flower
had been a harbinger of the notes that were soon to
come. This wasn't
like any flower I've ever smelled before, and yet
"floral" is the best
way I can describe the lovely, every-so-slightly sweet
scent.
I have worn this oil twice since, and to sum it up (thus
far), I would
say: Wearing Sempurna is like clothing oneself in a
dream... the
beautiful, lingering dream of an ancient agarwood tree.
So yes, Taha, this oil is simply fabulous!
C.M. (USA)
I did find that it is quite similar to Agar Supreme.
Maybe a bit
fruitier and smoother. I think it's a beautiful and
invoking oil. You
can tell it's made from highly resinated Agarwood chips.
I am also
picking up the floral characteristics. All around a
"beautiful" oud
oil!
M.J. (USA)
The oil started off
medicinal then evolved onto an old fine wood/woody
note... Which has
lead me to what I'm smelling right now and that's this
rich
perfumey/resinous scent encased in the aroma of freshly
chopped wood.
I'm happy!
W.C. (USA)
The opening is sweet and mellow, it echoes the scent of
its source wood
(I was lucky to try the wood it was distilled from) and
the wood's
yummy gentle sweetness, almost a Cambodi in its
prettiness but with the
strong woody character one can only get from a Borneo.
The oil's aroma
is oozing with the scent of resin and sheer oudiness,
but is completely
unspoiled by the wood varnish note often found in
Borneos, the type of
note that often spoils Borneo/Malay oils for me. Much
like the source
wood which goes through three distinct stages when
heated the Sempurna
displays three different personas throughout its
development - almost
Cambodi-like sweetness, strong Borneosque airy oudiness
and then
finally - a Berau/Papua gentle balsamic oudiness in its
drydown. Every
time I try it I notice some other notes that I know from
oils from
completely different regions, I love this game of
discovery, exactly
the type of experience I am looking for in ouds!
I.T. (Canada)
I am lying on my bed,
totally blocking out the noise from downstairs, just
chilling out in
the deliciousness of Sempurana. At the moment I feel as
though I could
wear it every day and not tire of it. It's oud-y
sweetness is "just
right"- not to thick, too thin, too fruity or too
vanillic. It's the
oud that Goldilocks would have brought to the three
bears on Christmas
morning if they'd all done their chores, their homework,
and not eaten
any little girls during the past year :-)
...now
I'd better sneak
my laptop downstairs, say my apologies, and get back to
the "real
world". I don't know if I'll be able to shake off my
mellowness.
M.W.
(USA)
Sempurna
has about the
smoothest, purest, agarwood note ive ever smelled. The
next day it
turns to a sweet agarwood note on my arm.
J.C.
(USA)