Nankun Kodō  
Sultan Pasha (2015)

Nankun Kodo, as most fragrances this smoky, simply must be adapted to, period. When you're applying a fragrance that is this intense, during analysis, the mind seems to latch primarily onto that element which makes it most intense, and doesn't let up. After several wearings, you begin to notice the complex series of relations that make up this beautiful composition.

At the center of this fragrance is an incredibly complex incense accord that will probably be more familiar to a lot of folks who have utilized real Shoyeido incense, or some forms of burning oud chips. For here you have a lot of spicy/sweet notes coming in and out of focus against a majestic play on cypress, between the blue cypress and its oriental cousin, hinoki cypress. On top of the two cypress notes is a cascade of thick, heavy frankincense, whose warm and spicy character is immediately familiar to anyone who has ever encountered high quality frankincense before.

Just underneath the frankincense is the most interesting contrast of cypress notes that I have ever encountered, so much so that one could call this a thesis statement on the holy material. When one looks close, you take notice that the blue cypress brings with it a deep, rich woody effect that teams up rather nicely with the sandalwood below to create an absolutely delicious woody character with a slightly minty and slightly fruity character to it. The hinoki on the other hand brings about more of a dry, almost sauna like character, with a slight terpenic nuance, and somewhat of a herbal/lemony/spicy/warm undercurrent that hits against the wall of blue cypress where the two meet. Between the two dances a series of spicy/warm notes like a particularly licorice tinged star anise, cloves, a maple syrupy cinnamon, cloves, and a somewhat creamy patchouli. There is also a very quiet, yet most delicious marzipan accord which is deepened intensely by a strong musky/nutty character that is as confusing to describe as it is enjoyable to behold.

It's very warm, and yet very foggy at the same time, which really allows one to see the Zen influence being drawn in - all at once this fragrance is begging you to go towards nature: enjoy the trees swaying in the wind, the fog in your lungs, the dirt at your feet, even the dew on the shrubs, and yet at the same time with the spices moving about, the warmth from the sandalwood, and the crisp high definition ambergris at play, it is drawing your attention to the beauty and practices of a humble mankind tapping in to the divine. There is a sweet milkiness after some time that seems to permeate the incense accord such that the dense tranquility of the forest opens up to the soft and gentle hug of the regality of being itself. This fragrance does that which I truly love in fragrance - it mirrors the content which it speaks on - this fragrance is all that I remember from the true buddhist temples I have visited - it's about the tranquility of No Mind, but at the same time it is an abundant love of all that is, by recognizing the truth and beauty present in the totality of man's connections here on Earth. This is at the same time sweet, spicy, smokey, warm, cool, dense, soft, woody, and more... This is a fragrance that learns to 'be' with you, as you too learn to 'be' both with it and with yourself.

10/10

YT: Jess AndWesH

I have to say he has captured the smell of Japanese Incense which is a remarkably achievement. I get smoky resinous spicy woods with cypress and it even has that incensey turpentine smell you get with some of the Japanese incense. I like it as I could light one of my incense sticks and get a similar smell.

Now the longevity was only two hours each time on my skin from two wearings and the scent is very subtle bordering on undetectable. You just get subtle wafts here and there. Now I like this scent but it's more of a artistic fragrance experience than something you would wear as a fragrance. If I wanted to smell this type of scent I would just light one of my Japanese incense sticks and enjoy a stronger incense experience. Though I take my hat off to Sultan Pasha for this realistic artistic creation, it actually does smell like Japanese incense and in that it's a achievement!

...this is truly a meditative experience...first whiff brings me a blend of light gentle incense sitting on top of some barely barnyard oud with the smell i would get hit with when I would enter this old european/slavic herb shop i used to frequent...i can really smell the oud in this concoction...The Sultan never fails to amaze, amuse and entertain me with his creations...this is another one that doesn't make my to buy list, but still, it's wonderfull to kick back and enjoy smelling this...it's kind of like buying a DVD of a movie you really like because you know you're gonna wanna watch it a bunch of times...sometimes you see a movie and really enjoy it, but not quite enough to make a point of watching it again...well , that's what it's like with this fragrance...it's a fun and enjoyable experience to smell this , but not quite enough to make it a repeat experience...a little more woods, especially nice sandalwood , rounds this out...as with all Sultan attars...goes through a myriad of changes of the main composition...no sweetness , actually a touch of a sort of sourness , but not a bad one...

The overall impression reminds of japanese incense with an addition of dense spice for a spice woods scent to my nose. Cypress woods enhanced by patchouli and slightest oud are the grounding base. Sueded texture from Ambrette and Musk (Ambretolide) rest on top of the woods, while the spice blend adds a raw, grainy spice bin aroma that floats on top of the wood base and never fully merges with the woods. Spices of fenugreek, cumin, star anise, cardamom, clove, allspice mingle in the mixed blend. A characteristic of viscosity of oil as a carrier is the unwillingness to blend and merge all parts easily. So, when the nose leans in to smell Nankun Kodo, I smell the spices as if they were sprinkled on top of the wood resin oils. Lacks seamless absorption of the parts, but like japanese incense this has that sharp resinous pitch that is very nice. The longevity is a few hours if applied thinly with one swipe, longer if applied with two swipes. Rated - 7/10.

This is the first Sultan Pasha sample I've tried. My first response was to relax and forget about all my past attar traumas. I loathe anything with prominent notes of musk, rose or oud, so yeah, it's probably no surprise that attar sampling hasn't gone well for me in the past.
After three hours I'm experiencing a beautiful, smooth forest-y incense and there's a quality of naturalness coupled with fine craftsmanship that lets me know I'm in good hands. It smells different at different distances from the source and is constantly modulating. I haven't been tracking the progression carefully, but in addition to incense and forest, I've sensed some dark, salty licorice, the herbal smell of the traditional Chinese medicine concoctions my acupuncturist tips down my throat and, closer to the skin, pencil shavings
I'm excited to have ten more of these to enjoy because what is apparent already is that these attars deliver on the promise of fragrance - to take the wearer on a journey even as daily life continues; to add an element of mystery, beauty and unpredictability to the most mundane of days.
Oooo, as I'm sitting here writing this, it's starting to sweeten and I'm getting whiffs of a creamy lemon frankincense (plus real mysore sandalwood?) that reminds me of my current incense queen - Maria Candide Gentile's Exhultat. It's kind of just tickling my nose with this sweet incense modulating with a dark licorice aspect and my feelings may be shifting from appreciation to something more like love and I'm just entering hour four!
This is my first experience of genuine mysore sandalwood and after eight hours I'm still getting these gorgeous whiffs of sweet creaminess alternating with piney incense.
This morning, nearly 24 hours after application, I lay in bed with my nose pressed to my wrist just breathing it in. Each breath seemed to have a different scent, piney incense, an almost minty, camphorous aspect and that sandalwood - sweet, creamy and somewhat milky without being foody in the least. If anything it reminds me of the sweet acacia that blooms around my house in its tender botanical sweetness. Sooooo good and I can never get a full sniff of it. Just a tickle so I'm never sure if it's real or if I imagined it.