Fajr

The subject of non-wild Oudh is one that makes most artisans more than a little uncomfortable – and rightly so – there are enough ruses to avoid in the wild Oudh business let alone navigating the even murkier waters of plantation woods; woods where trees have been infected by everything from knife cuts to ‘secret’ serums of God knows what. This unknown has caused many a perfumer to tip toe around or even completely avoid plantation Oudh, but the reality is that the future of Oudh lies in ‘renewable’ and ‘sustainable’ Oudh which making it incumbent upon us to discover innovative ways to source high quality organic Oudh.

True Organic Oudh, where Oudh is grown with ethical means and labour sources on agricultural (not cleared) land without chemicals is very sparse. The few that do exist require our full backed support to flourish. We can help by supporting the growers, buying their woods, distilling amazing oils and generally educating the wider market to accept this renewable alternative over the lucrative ‘wild’ Oudhs.

Some of our organic Oudh oils such as Anhaar and Hind rivalled their wild counterparts and punched well above their price mark. For close to a decade we have been involved with organic oudh at a number of levels, infact, some organic farms we liaise with have been around for more than 30 years.

Up until now our organic oils have predominantly come from the subcontinent but we have since broadened our search for reliable sources of organic Oudh to extend our support for the future of Oudh and the future of our children. It is with great joy we are able to share with you this wonderful gem. Eighteen months ago we developed a relationship with a grower in Borneo who met our exacting standards for organic oudh; agricultural land changing use for Oudh trees where trees are grown organically with ethical means and labour without chemicals.

The wood was soaked for 2 weeks for a specific number of days to ensure the wood fibres had been soften to realise the best oil from the wood. The wood was then loaded into stainless-steel pots and rather than our stainless steel or copper condensers and we employed glass condensers to slow down the cooling of the steam in order to avoid the top heavy notes.

FAJR in Arabic means dawn. It is our salute to a future where organic Oudh is not viewed derogatorily. A dawn where Organic Oudh intrigues and absorbs, and will fully occupy you as you decode the multiple layers of olfactory engagement, stimulation and bliss.

First whiff, picture yourself in the middle of green corn fields where the earth has a nutmeg coolness, neither ethereal nor intense like tiger balm but more sophisticated earthy, nutty, and smooth. After about 5 minutes the ethereal toppy note that we so love about Borneo oils begins to shyly peak out, a powdery caress of the nose. Then the show begins; vanilla sacks, layered in cream blends into Ceylon cinnamon freshly grounded, honey, melon, silk pollen and this is where I find myself amidst the flowers of the Borneo jungle.

Don’t sleep through this dawn, get yourself a bottle or two of Fajr.