Oud Stars : Zafar
Xerjoff (2012)

i dont know much about anything in this fragrance world, but this was way to sweet smelling for me. glad i only got a sample, however, a silverzlining is that there is a young lady at the local water hole who loves it, so I have a place for it,,,in all seriousness,, it was just way to sweet for me. i dont know enough to tell different ingredients, so its just a raw reaction,,

A very dry apple in the opening, along with the bitter spicy notes of a whisky. And fast, lots of incense and a slight faeces oud like only Xerjoff can do. I'd recognize their oud amongst thousands. Also, their repetitive (in this range) tutti frutti candy note is there. And the usual awesome performances. Great.

Balmy green oud, enthralling and with huge sillage! Love it!

I like stinky cheese. Upon first spritz, and for about 5 minutes, Zafar reminds me of how much I appreciate a good bluecheese. Soon enough, that thought is replaced by peppery oud, the likes of which is the truest representation to the scores of oud oils I've collected from the who's who those in the BN oud forum continually suggest when sample inquiries surface.

Close to $8/ml. This is a 1 or 2 spritz fragrance tops, with marginal projection and longevity.

Nevertheless, if you like this kind of scent, this is a good one to like. The best spray oud I know.

The smell of a barnyard, horse and hay, over a contrasting layer of musk. Quite potent. Interesting, but not for me.

With its mix of diarrhoeal emanations and burnt rubber at the top Zafar exerts a car crash fascination that had me craning my neck to see more. So, the very first time I tried it, I had to go back within minutes and give myself a few more sprays after having initially settled for three.
Let's be clear: I'm not inclined to masochism and find the likes of Secretions Magnifiques unbearably ugly. With Zafar what reeled me in right away were notes of a rare distinction present from the start. For one, there was the most basso profundo radiant wood I have encountered in a long time. It has its echo in cheaper variants like Swiss Arabian's Dehn al Oud, but in reality there is no comparison; whereas the SA offering has a monochrome and flat density, the wood note here shimmers with myriad gradations. There is mould and rot at its heart, but of the most enticing kind – a death wish granted were it not for the fact that it makes one feel thrillingly alive.
A haze of white florals wavers over the surface, wispy, undefined, bringing out curious facets to the main player. There is a concentrated, palpable black pepper note that gives things another twist for a while (those with an aversion to pepper do not fear, it does fade out after coming right up and breathing in your face). A layer of crisp, almost apple-like freshness contrasts with the oud's depth.
For those worried about that squidgy bodily extrusion mentioned at the start, it was gone in less than a quarter of an hour.
Once we reach the base some hours in, Zafar is a beautifully modulated, deeply fragrant, unsweetened and dry wood – that's pretty much it, the other notes have pretty much flown. It's lovely, but I find its trail pretty modest which seems a shame for a material as hypnotic as oud.
PS: appears much flatter if worn in cold environs, so best saved for pleasant or mildly warm days.