Where oud begins

Oud is not harvested so much as waited for. The resin forms inside the heartwood of the Aquilaria tree only after injury and infection, and the finest pieces take decades to darken.

We spent a season with growers in Assam who still judge wood by weight, colour and the smoke it gives on a hot coal. What we buy from them goes into Noir Oud and Oud Royale.