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Oud Truffles



Yes, you heard it right:
Oud truffles.
As in chocolate, with oud in it, to eat and enjoy.

This is very unconventional flavour. It creates more of an aroma that enhances the chocolate.

The occasion is my book signing event: I was thinking - what would be reminiscent of old libraries, leather-bound books, something mysterious, alluring and totally out there? First I was thinking ambergris (which I've already created before for my Orcas perfume launch - with amazing result). I had a sniffing session of oud the other day with my student (who's originally from Kuwait - she's in fact, the daughter of an Arabian perfumer and oud merchant). As a result, oud was on my mind... I had a hunch that oud would create a similar effect to that of ambergris - bring the best out of the chocolate. I was right.

I've used an incredibly animalic, rich, and slightly berry-like oud (the same one that I use in my Razala perfume). The result was everything I hoped and non of the bitterness I feared that would result from adding wood oil to the already-bitter 72% dark cocoa. It blossomed into this spectacular, slightly flowery chocolate. Rich in aroma, intriguing, intense, but also very refined and not in the least overpowering. I'm going to pair it with a nice big red, spicy wine like Zinfandel or Shiraz tonight!
Please join me!

Snowy Night


snowy night, originally uploaded by Sasakei.

It's snowing for the first time this year, and I'm snuggling up in bed snuggled up in my cozy pyjamas and perfumed with my latest version of The Purple Dress (with champaca, henna flower, broom and oud) and wrapped in Kyara incense smoke.

What would you wear when it first snows? Share your thoughts below and enter to win a sample of The Purple Dress.

Japanese Incense, Sachets and Meditation Candle

As if to rescue me from drowning in the holiday rush - the package from my friend Yoko in Japan today brought a bit of peace and tranquility to my space, even if just for a short moment inbetween one task to another.

This thoughtful package contained incense, sachets and meditation candle from Ise Jingu, one of the most sacred and powerful places in Japan.
There were three types of incense sticks:
Eien no Ima
Byaku-dan (Sandalwood)
Kyara (Agarwood) - I researched a bit on that one, and this is the finest kind of agarwood incense, which is very dark (the stick is black in colour) due to the black "resin" in the agarwood (it really is the result of the decay from the parasites that growin in aged agarwood trees and impart the uqnie agarwood scent to the wood).

And three sachets-stuffing (or refills):
Amakuchi
Gokuhin
Joh-hin

I've burnt the Kyara and it has an immediate effect on me of centering, grounding, balancing and relaxing. Exactly what I needed in this hectic time of the year!

There was also a traditional Japanese candle in the box, made of hazenoki wax (this is the object that looks like a little rolling pin in the photo above). The wick in these candles is made of Japanese handmade paper.
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