ENSAR OUD
NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND EDP

2021

PERFUMER
Ensar Oud

Tobacco
Bourbon vanilla
Narcissus
Tuberose
Pink pepper
Rosemary
Blue lotus
Beeswax
Vietnamese Oud
Tonkin musk

Notes From Undergound (EDP) was an interesting option to choose for my first Ensar (and it happens to be my favorite Dostoevsky novel).

What surprised me most is how spicy Notes From Underground is throughout. There’s a lot said about the opulent ingredients: the musk infused high-level Vietnamese oud, the creamy tuberose and blue lotus… yet, the pepper steals the opening for me. The pepper isn’t necessarily sharp, more fuzzy like an old-school oakmoss can have a spicy tinge, but it doesn’t fade like peppers often do, so it’s there for the entire wear. And it’s musky; the tonkin musk used is simply spectacular. Not as epic here as in my favorite Ensar from the ones I’ve tried at the time of writing, Tonkin Musk.

In the opening I get the boozy, syrupy vanilla or maybe more so a dark chocolate. That sweetness fades, or rather, gets overpowered by the musk and tobacco after the opening. There’s a lingering honey tinge that remains though. It might be sweet in the world of artisinal perfumery like this, but it’s not really gourmand for a sweet tooth like myself. However, it’s adding enough to make this a scent I wholeheartedly can enjoy, while it’s other qualities place it at the edge of what I’m fully comfortable with.

For a moment I smell charred woods, but it turns into dry, realistic tobacco. It’s a different experience from any niche tobacco release I know. It’s interwoven with smooth white florals and what I presume is a rather sweet oud (Ha Tinh LTD from Vietnam, don’t ask me, I’m not qualified enough).

As I wore it a couple more times, I got an anise-like mint. Most importantly, the more I wear it, the more the booziness keeps coming through. Combined with florals and spice resulting in a rum & Coke scent in the mid of the wear time.