Incense & Garut

I have an entire incense book outlined, 32 pages thus far, of just topic headings and definitions. I think I'm going to work on it for a few months to move it along more, and offer it as a course at the Natural Perfume Academy, alongside the Walking the Kyphi Path course there. I had approached a very well-known incense maker amongst incense makers to help create a course, but they have a lot on their plate, so I may ask them to be a consultant of sorts to iron everything out. 

I still need to figure out Scrivener so I can get things done there and not just slog about getting nothing done there. The program provides a wonderful tutorial, but I fear I will have to refer to it over and over again to get everything correct. Old dog, new tricks -- it takes a while. Plus there is so much other stuff I do on the daily just to keep this little aromatic ship afloat. I wish I could hire a marketing team to handle all of that, a social media team, a person to pack orders, and someone to clean the house and feed the animals (human and otherwise), so I can devote 100% of my work time to producing goods and words. But the cost of all of that is beyond my means, so it continues to be a hit-and-miss gig. 

Just last week I ordered a piece of aloeswood as a birthday gift for my son who is an absolute oud-head. I ordered from Rising Phoenix Perfume on Etsy and with the order came a dozen or so wee vials of drops of other offerings they carry. I haven't gotten through them all, but when I open the zip bag, altogether they smell like a rich bowl of berries and woods and musk. I kind of want to just mix them all together and call it a day. What struck me of those that I have sampled is the 2022 Garut Vetiver -- OMG. It is breathtaking. It smells only a little like petrichor, but deeply of cool earth and sweet loam. There is zero bitterness, just this earthy, buttery, loamy, nearly floral, hugely oud-like sweetness that is simply transcendent. "Just" -- ha! It is the absolute best vetyver oil that I have experienced, at least in the past 10 years. This Garut hails from Java. It isn't cheap as it is a specialty distillation. Worth every single penny. Alone, it would be a beautiful meditation anointing oil or grounding oil -- it isn't called the oil of tranquility for nothing! Formulated into a perfume, it would be nothing short of the best damned extending note ever. This would be beautiful with roses and tobacco. 

Vetyver Compounded Incense 2015