The Art of Excellence – Agarwood Gradation System
The quality (grade) of agarwood is largely dependent on the saturation of the resin within the agarwood. Criteria for determining agarwood quality include wood discolouration, fragrance level, resin saturation and terpenoid chemical accumulation. Various international communities have created systems of gradation to identify agarwood quality and it is generally understood that the higher the resin content, the higher the grade of the agarwood. The highest grade of agarwood is hard, almost black in colour and is so saturated with resin that it sinks when placed in water – thus affectionately branded as “sinking grade” agarwood. Though the naming convention of these gradation systems may differ, a generic grading system of agarwood may classify agarwood into the grades of alphabetical and numeric order, such as Super Double AA, Super A, Super AB, followed by lower alphabets (B, C, D…) and lower numbers (1, 2, 3…). For instance, Super Double AA or Grade 1 agarwood would exhibit one of the highest resin saturations, while lower grades such as Grade C or Grade 3 agarwood may be found on the lower end of the agarwood gradation scale.
Double super Agarwood
The Art of Distillation – The Extraction of Oud Oils
Oud is an essential oil which is extracted from agarwood through the process of distillation. The distillation of agarwood is a tried and tested industry bolstered by decades of experimenting, hard-lived experience and recurring successes and disappointments of the many past and present distillers of this prized commodity. Distillation itself is a painstakingly meticulous and slow process and sometimes it may even take several weeks to extract a reasonable yield of Oud Oil from a batch of agarwood. Sometimes it is difficult to even obtain 0.5ml of Oud Oil per kilogram of agarwood. The excruciating low yield of Oud Oil per kilogram, coupled with the sizeable amounts of rare and highly valued agarwood needed to produce a reasonable quantum of Oud Oil, are among the chief reasons for the relatively high price of Oud Oils in today’s international market. One should not overlook the precision and technique required in distillation. Errors, miscalculations and bad experimenting with distillation techniques have caused many Oud distillers to not extract the expected yield or produce Oud Oils with a markedly different scent profile than that which was initially expected. The scent profile of the Oud Oil also varies depending on the type of distillation and the subtle techniques used by each distiller. Hydro distillation and steam distillation are by far the most common methods utilised for extracting agarwood oil. All this is just touching on the surface, but plainly shows that the distillation of agarwood is an art and profession in itself.
Agarwood Oil Extracting
So how does all that you read above reflect in VAA’s products?
At VAA (Vietnam Agarwood Association), we concentrate our efforts on sourcing for the highest grades of agarwood and finest quality and best-distilled Oud Oils. All our products and fragrances are the result of diligent sourcing by the most experienced craftsmanship and artisans of Oud and agarwood. We strive to ensure that our suppliers and distillers use only the best industry practices and techniques, with the goal of ensuring no external influence or contamination or adulteration of the agarwood and Oud Oils which we provide. Each bottle of Oud is carefully measured and packed by hand with the satisfaction and pleasure of our fellow Oud lovers foremost in mind. Oud inspires us and nothing pleases us more than to share in only the best of it with our valued customers. Our customers can be sure of our high levels of quality control and be assured that only the best agarwood products can be found at VAA.
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