Zen Heart 2021 • rare Japan-grown Zen temple single-tree sandalwood oil • Oita, Kyushu, Japan
ZEN HEART, Japan grown Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) root heartwood essential oil distillation March 2021.
One santalum album tree. Over 100 years old. Distilled from the ground-aged, deep red and yellow root heartwood from the original 100+year-old sandalwood tree that produced our original Zen One Japanese zen temple sandalwood oil. (Zen One is our first ever Japanese sandal distillation in January 2020.)
The stump and roots of this special tree were aged in the ground after the initial harvest of the upper portion of the tree, an additional 4.5 years and was then low-temperature distilled for 10 days in March 2021 in rural Oita prefecture southern Japan.
This singular, very old Santalum album ( Indian sandalwood ) tree was situated in a 600 year old Zen garden in semitropical Kyushu, southern Japan. Surrounded by Japanese red cedar and giant bamboo forest, as well as yuzu and persimmon trees, all of which contribute to the unique expression of terroir exhibited through this very special tree.
A rare collector-grade superlative sandalwood showcasing a very special terroir and little-known sandalwood history and tradition inside Japan. Sandalwood trees don't grow particularly well in Japan, but there is a history in southern Japan, of Zen temples successfully growing a few trees originally brought from India going back hundreds of years. These rare trees are highly coveted for crafting the finest incense for the Japanese market and is rarely sold outside of Japan. The trees do not grow as tall as they do in a fully tropical climate. Perhaps as a result of the climate challenges, sandalwood trees grown in Japan produce an exceptionally dense and unique Sandalwood aroma.
• production: March 2021 in-house low-temperature hydro-distillation lasting 10 days on-site in Japan by Pierre. Steel still with glass collector.
• species: Santalum album
• part used: heartwood of the stump and roots, estate aged in the ground 4.5 years before distillation.
• scent description: ZEN HEART is aromatically dense and rich, offering a silky and buttery classic sandalwood oil experience with delicately interwoven notes revealing its rare and exceptional terroir and provenance. More subtle and refined than the original distillation from the upper portion of the same tree, our ZEN ONE, distilled in January 2020.
The color of amber oud, this is an exceptional sandalwood essential oil reflecting the complexity of the terroir carried on a broad base of rich caramel and roasted ghee, typical of the finest Indian sandalwood.
Cedar and candied orange peel notes feature most prominently and are highly unusual for classic sandalwood distillations.
Read the extended article and get the full story on this very special tree.
• notes of controversy: none
ZEN ONE Japan-grown “Indian sandalwood” ( Santalum album ) single-tree trunk heartwood essential oil distillation (Jan 2020)
A rare collector-grade superlative sandalwood oil showcasing a very special terroir and little-known sandalwood history and tradition inside Japan. (also see: Zen Heart, another distillation from the roots of the same tree.)
The tree: This singular, more than 100-year-old, Santalum album species (“East Indian sandalwood”) tree was situated in a 600-year-old Zen Temple garden in semitropical Kyushu, southern Japan. Surrounded by Japanese Hinoki (red cedar and giant bamboo forest, as well as yuzu and persimmon trees, all of which contribute to the unique aromatic expression of terroir exhibited through this very special tree.
The history: Sandalwood trees don't grow particularly well in Japan, but there is a history in southern Japan, of Zen temples successfully growing a few trees originally brought from India going back hundreds of years. These rare trees are highly coveted for crafting the finest incense for the Japanese market and is rarely sold outside of Japan. The trees do not grow as tall as they do in a fully tropical climate. Perhaps as a result of the climate challenges, sandalwood trees grown in Japan produce an exceptionally rich, dense, and unique Sandalwood aroma.
• production: January 2020 in-house low-temperature hydro-distillation lasting 8 days in our copper still at Vietnam headquarters by Tony, Tha, and Pierre.
• species: Santalum album
• part used: heartwood of the main trunk, estate-aged outdoors 3 years before distillation.
• scent description: Zen One is dense and intense; clean, spicy and invigorating but without being sharp or camphorous. It’s pure sandalwood glory all the way through, but with some unique features that reflect the very special terroir. The outset features a surprising full medley of peppercorns (you will detect a whole selection of different gourmet peppercorn varieties if you take your time with it.) The citrus note aspect that is common to many good sandalwood oils, here in Zen One is expressed as a more rich and rounded orange marmalade element. You will also notice a prominent sustained cedar note from outset to heart, which then dissippates somewhat towards the finish. All of these unique features are present, while its still also very obviously Santalum album, having the classic creamy aspects and other attributes of “Mysore sandalwood” you would expect in a high-grade Indian sandalwood oil. The finish is big classic “Mysore sandalwood” quintessence, the expressions of terroir dropping away mostly but not entirely, leaving a big bold classic sandalwood impression. This oil has remarkable staying power as the best sandalwood should.
Extensive ageing (Since Jan 2020) has now further improved this oil, harmonizing and rounding its very special aromatic profile.
Growing conditions and influence on aroma: we find it so fascinating, along with so many other Sandalwood aficionados who have experienced this very special essential oil, how much the growing conditions can affect the aroma. The growing conditions in Southern Japan are so radically different from the typical optimum growing conditions for this type of sandalwood, that the tree can barely survive. Beyond a completely different flora and fauna environment, the most salient influences here might be the relatively wet conditions which sustain for most of the year, as well as a clearly defined winter season that will include occasional short-lived frost and light snow, freezing temperatures which put incredible stress on the tree but do not last long enough to kill the tree. Under the optimal growing conditions, this tree would have been be much much taller for its old age. The main trunk of this tree was only about 4m in height, even though the tree was over 100 years old. All of the small branches and leaves would die off during the winter season, making the tree look dead, only to spring back to life in the springtime, with a burst of thin, straight branches and then some new leaves suddenly appearing on the top of the barren trunk.
The cedar note? And finally, regarding the very unusual cedar note in this essential oil, we wonder if it is a direct result the ancient Zen garden being situated in the midst of a massive, primarily Hinoki (Japanese red cedar), forest? When eventually removing the stump and roots of this sandalwood tree for the production of Zen Heart, the second distillation from this tree, we found the roots completely intertwined with those of the surrounding old-growth cedar trees. Is the prominent cedar note in this essential oil a result of direct interaction with these cedar trees? Or is it something more general, like the soil quality as a whole? We can't be sure, but it's something that we like to wonder about.
Company founder Tony Bolton said, while we were distilling this oil, “I really think this is a once-in-a-lifetime tree, and once-in-a-lifetime oil.”
Don’t miss this absolutely epic and rare collectors’ quality sandalwood oil and an opportunity not to be missed. Once it's gone, it's gone.
Read the extended article and get the full story on this very special tree.
• notes of controversy: none (but it should be noted that this is not a typical straightforward sandalwood)
ZEN HEART, Japan grown Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) root heartwood essential oil distillation March 2021.
One santalum album tree. Over 100 years old. Distilled from the ground-aged, deep red and yellow root heartwood from the original 100+year-old sandalwood tree that produced our original Zen One Japanese zen temple sandalwood oil. (Zen One is our first ever Japanese sandal distillation in January 2020.)
The stump and roots of this special tree were aged in the ground after the initial harvest of the upper portion of the tree, an additional 4.5 years and was then low-temperature distilled for 10 days in March 2021 in rural Oita prefecture southern Japan.
This singular, very old Santalum album ( Indian sandalwood ) tree was situated in a 600 year old Zen garden in semitropical Kyushu, southern Japan. Surrounded by Japanese red cedar and giant bamboo forest, as well as yuzu and persimmon trees, all of which contribute to the unique expression of terroir exhibited through this very special tree.
A rare collector-grade superlative sandalwood showcasing a very special terroir and little-known sandalwood history and tradition inside Japan. Sandalwood trees don't grow particularly well in Japan, but there is a history in southern Japan, of Zen temples successfully growing a few trees originally brought from India going back hundreds of years. These rare trees are highly coveted for crafting the finest incense for the Japanese market and is rarely sold outside of Japan. The trees do not grow as tall as they do in a fully tropical climate. Perhaps as a result of the climate challenges, sandalwood trees grown in Japan produce an exceptionally dense and unique Sandalwood aroma.
• production: March 2021 in-house low-temperature hydro-distillation lasting 10 days on-site in Japan by Pierre. Steel still with glass collector.
• species: Santalum album
• part used: heartwood of the stump and roots, estate aged in the ground 4.5 years before distillation.
• scent description: ZEN HEART is aromatically dense and rich, offering a silky and buttery classic sandalwood oil experience with delicately interwoven notes revealing its rare and exceptional terroir and provenance. More subtle and refined than the original distillation from the upper portion of the same tree, our ZEN ONE, distilled in January 2020.
The color of amber oud, this is an exceptional sandalwood essential oil reflecting the complexity of the terroir carried on a broad base of rich caramel and roasted ghee, typical of the finest Indian sandalwood.
Cedar and candied orange peel notes feature most prominently and are highly unusual for classic sandalwood distillations.
Read the extended article and get the full story on this very special tree.
• notes of controversy: none
ZEN ONE Japan-grown “Indian sandalwood” ( Santalum album ) single-tree trunk heartwood essential oil distillation (Jan 2020)
A rare collector-grade superlative sandalwood oil showcasing a very special terroir and little-known sandalwood history and tradition inside Japan. (also see: Zen Heart, another distillation from the roots of the same tree.)
The tree: This singular, more than 100-year-old, Santalum album species (“East Indian sandalwood”) tree was situated in a 600-year-old Zen Temple garden in semitropical Kyushu, southern Japan. Surrounded by Japanese Hinoki (red cedar and giant bamboo forest, as well as yuzu and persimmon trees, all of which contribute to the unique aromatic expression of terroir exhibited through this very special tree.
The history: Sandalwood trees don't grow particularly well in Japan, but there is a history in southern Japan, of Zen temples successfully growing a few trees originally brought from India going back hundreds of years. These rare trees are highly coveted for crafting the finest incense for the Japanese market and is rarely sold outside of Japan. The trees do not grow as tall as they do in a fully tropical climate. Perhaps as a result of the climate challenges, sandalwood trees grown in Japan produce an exceptionally rich, dense, and unique Sandalwood aroma.
• production: January 2020 in-house low-temperature hydro-distillation lasting 8 days in our copper still at Vietnam headquarters by Tony, Tha, and Pierre.
• species: Santalum album
• part used: heartwood of the main trunk, estate-aged outdoors 3 years before distillation.
• scent description: Zen One is dense and intense; clean, spicy and invigorating but without being sharp or camphorous. It’s pure sandalwood glory all the way through, but with some unique features that reflect the very special terroir. The outset features a surprising full medley of peppercorns (you will detect a whole selection of different gourmet peppercorn varieties if you take your time with it.) The citrus note aspect that is common to many good sandalwood oils, here in Zen One is expressed as a more rich and rounded orange marmalade element. You will also notice a prominent sustained cedar note from outset to heart, which then dissippates somewhat towards the finish. All of these unique features are present, while its still also very obviously Santalum album, having the classic creamy aspects and other attributes of “Mysore sandalwood” you would expect in a high-grade Indian sandalwood oil. The finish is big classic “Mysore sandalwood” quintessence, the expressions of terroir dropping away mostly but not entirely, leaving a big bold classic sandalwood impression. This oil has remarkable staying power as the best sandalwood should.
Extensive ageing (Since Jan 2020) has now further improved this oil, harmonizing and rounding its very special aromatic profile.
Growing conditions and influence on aroma: we find it so fascinating, along with so many other Sandalwood aficionados who have experienced this very special essential oil, how much the growing conditions can affect the aroma. The growing conditions in Southern Japan are so radically different from the typical optimum growing conditions for this type of sandalwood, that the tree can barely survive. Beyond a completely different flora and fauna environment, the most salient influences here might be the relatively wet conditions which sustain for most of the year, as well as a clearly defined winter season that will include occasional short-lived frost and light snow, freezing temperatures which put incredible stress on the tree but do not last long enough to kill the tree. Under the optimal growing conditions, this tree would have been be much much taller for its old age. The main trunk of this tree was only about 4m in height, even though the tree was over 100 years old. All of the small branches and leaves would die off during the winter season, making the tree look dead, only to spring back to life in the springtime, with a burst of thin, straight branches and then some new leaves suddenly appearing on the top of the barren trunk.
The cedar note? And finally, regarding the very unusual cedar note in this essential oil, we wonder if it is a direct result the ancient Zen garden being situated in the midst of a massive, primarily Hinoki (Japanese red cedar), forest? When eventually removing the stump and roots of this sandalwood tree for the production of Zen Heart, the second distillation from this tree, we found the roots completely intertwined with those of the surrounding old-growth cedar trees. Is the prominent cedar note in this essential oil a result of direct interaction with these cedar trees? Or is it something more general, like the soil quality as a whole? We can't be sure, but it's something that we like to wonder about.
Company founder Tony Bolton said, while we were distilling this oil, “I really think this is a once-in-a-lifetime tree, and once-in-a-lifetime oil.”
Don’t miss this absolutely epic and rare collectors’ quality sandalwood oil and an opportunity not to be missed. Once it's gone, it's gone.
Read the extended article and get the full story on this very special tree.
• notes of controversy: none (but it should be noted that this is not a typical straightforward sandalwood)
ZEN HEART, Japan grown Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) root heartwood essential oil distillation March 2021.
One santalum album tree. Over 100 years old. Distilled from the ground-aged, deep red and yellow root heartwood from the original 100+year-old sandalwood tree that produced our original Zen One Japanese zen temple sandalwood oil. (Zen One is our first ever Japanese sandal distillation in January 2020.)
The stump and roots of this special tree were aged in the ground after the initial harvest of the upper portion of the tree, an additional 4.5 years and was then low-temperature distilled for 10 days in March 2021 in rural Oita prefecture southern Japan.
This singular, very old Santalum album ( Indian sandalwood ) tree was situated in a 600 year old Zen garden in semitropical Kyushu, southern Japan. Surrounded by Japanese red cedar and giant bamboo forest, as well as yuzu and persimmon trees, all of which contribute to the unique expression of terroir exhibited through this very special tree.
A rare collector-grade superlative sandalwood showcasing a very special terroir and little-known sandalwood history and tradition inside Japan. Sandalwood trees don't grow particularly well in Japan, but there is a history in southern Japan, of Zen temples successfully growing a few trees originally brought from India going back hundreds of years. These rare trees are highly coveted for crafting the finest incense for the Japanese market and is rarely sold outside of Japan. The trees do not grow as tall as they do in a fully tropical climate. Perhaps as a result of the climate challenges, sandalwood trees grown in Japan produce an exceptionally dense and unique Sandalwood aroma.
• production: March 2021 in-house low-temperature hydro-distillation lasting 10 days on-site in Japan by Pierre. Steel still with glass collector.
• species: Santalum album
• part used: heartwood of the stump and roots, estate aged in the ground 4.5 years before distillation.
• scent description: ZEN HEART is aromatically dense and rich, offering a silky and buttery classic sandalwood oil experience with delicately interwoven notes revealing its rare and exceptional terroir and provenance. More subtle and refined than the original distillation from the upper portion of the same tree, our ZEN ONE, distilled in January 2020.
The color of amber oud, this is an exceptional sandalwood essential oil reflecting the complexity of the terroir carried on a broad base of rich caramel and roasted ghee, typical of the finest Indian sandalwood.
Cedar and candied orange peel notes feature most prominently and are highly unusual for classic sandalwood distillations.
Read the extended article and get the full story on this very special tree.
• notes of controversy: none
ZEN ONE Japan-grown “Indian sandalwood” ( Santalum album ) single-tree trunk heartwood essential oil distillation (Jan 2020)
A rare collector-grade superlative sandalwood oil showcasing a very special terroir and little-known sandalwood history and tradition inside Japan. (also see: Zen Heart, another distillation from the roots of the same tree.)
The tree: This singular, more than 100-year-old, Santalum album species (“East Indian sandalwood”) tree was situated in a 600-year-old Zen Temple garden in semitropical Kyushu, southern Japan. Surrounded by Japanese Hinoki (red cedar and giant bamboo forest, as well as yuzu and persimmon trees, all of which contribute to the unique aromatic expression of terroir exhibited through this very special tree.
The history: Sandalwood trees don't grow particularly well in Japan, but there is a history in southern Japan, of Zen temples successfully growing a few trees originally brought from India going back hundreds of years. These rare trees are highly coveted for crafting the finest incense for the Japanese market and is rarely sold outside of Japan. The trees do not grow as tall as they do in a fully tropical climate. Perhaps as a result of the climate challenges, sandalwood trees grown in Japan produce an exceptionally rich, dense, and unique Sandalwood aroma.
• production: January 2020 in-house low-temperature hydro-distillation lasting 8 days in our copper still at Vietnam headquarters by Tony, Tha, and Pierre.
• species: Santalum album
• part used: heartwood of the main trunk, estate-aged outdoors 3 years before distillation.
• scent description: Zen One is dense and intense; clean, spicy and invigorating but without being sharp or camphorous. It’s pure sandalwood glory all the way through, but with some unique features that reflect the very special terroir. The outset features a surprising full medley of peppercorns (you will detect a whole selection of different gourmet peppercorn varieties if you take your time with it.) The citrus note aspect that is common to many good sandalwood oils, here in Zen One is expressed as a more rich and rounded orange marmalade element. You will also notice a prominent sustained cedar note from outset to heart, which then dissippates somewhat towards the finish. All of these unique features are present, while its still also very obviously Santalum album, having the classic creamy aspects and other attributes of “Mysore sandalwood” you would expect in a high-grade Indian sandalwood oil. The finish is big classic “Mysore sandalwood” quintessence, the expressions of terroir dropping away mostly but not entirely, leaving a big bold classic sandalwood impression. This oil has remarkable staying power as the best sandalwood should.
Extensive ageing (Since Jan 2020) has now further improved this oil, harmonizing and rounding its very special aromatic profile.
Growing conditions and influence on aroma: we find it so fascinating, along with so many other Sandalwood aficionados who have experienced this very special essential oil, how much the growing conditions can affect the aroma. The growing conditions in Southern Japan are so radically different from the typical optimum growing conditions for this type of sandalwood, that the tree can barely survive. Beyond a completely different flora and fauna environment, the most salient influences here might be the relatively wet conditions which sustain for most of the year, as well as a clearly defined winter season that will include occasional short-lived frost and light snow, freezing temperatures which put incredible stress on the tree but do not last long enough to kill the tree. Under the optimal growing conditions, this tree would have been be much much taller for its old age. The main trunk of this tree was only about 4m in height, even though the tree was over 100 years old. All of the small branches and leaves would die off during the winter season, making the tree look dead, only to spring back to life in the springtime, with a burst of thin, straight branches and then some new leaves suddenly appearing on the top of the barren trunk.
The cedar note? And finally, regarding the very unusual cedar note in this essential oil, we wonder if it is a direct result the ancient Zen garden being situated in the midst of a massive, primarily Hinoki (Japanese red cedar), forest? When eventually removing the stump and roots of this sandalwood tree for the production of Zen Heart, the second distillation from this tree, we found the roots completely intertwined with those of the surrounding old-growth cedar trees. Is the prominent cedar note in this essential oil a result of direct interaction with these cedar trees? Or is it something more general, like the soil quality as a whole? We can't be sure, but it's something that we like to wonder about.
Company founder Tony Bolton said, while we were distilling this oil, “I really think this is a once-in-a-lifetime tree, and once-in-a-lifetime oil.”
Don’t miss this absolutely epic and rare collectors’ quality sandalwood oil and an opportunity not to be missed. Once it's gone, it's gone.
Read the extended article and get the full story on this very special tree.
• notes of controversy: none (but it should be noted that this is not a typical straightforward sandalwood)
SOME ADDITIONAL NOTES ON OUR SANDALWOOD SELECTION
There are two primary themes operating in the world of Santalum album sandalwood essential oil:
Approach #1 “Quintessence” is the large-scale sandalwood industry seeking to create a consistently clean, round, straightforward sandal aroma with a high santalol content, always looking toward a kind of quintessential "perfect", “clean”, “pure” sandalwood aroma. Any kind of divergent complexity, unexpected aromatic notes, or noticeable impressions of the terroir are discouraged here. This is really important when predictability is desirable, such as for the perfume industry. High Santalol content is the most important feature here. Quality and aromatic density increases with the age of the tree. Aging an already good oil in this category will almost always make it more buttery and round and smooth eliminating sharper top notes that tend to feature in younger oils. The goal is consistency and a kind of quintessential sandalwood perfection.
Approach #2 “Character” is one that favors variety and explores divergent sandalwood aromas that reflect unique tree and terroir as well as special processes in growing, harvesting, wood aging, processing, distillation, and aging of the finished oil itself. Of course it must first be recognizable as a true classic sandalwood aroma and higher santalol content will definitely be a desirable factor. However, this paradigm also favors interesting and unexpected aromatic notes as long as there is also discernible refinement and quality that would meet some kind of consensus among people with some kind of reasonably informed perspective. That is to say, it can't just be "interesting", it must be "interesting and good"!
This particular sandalwood oil, our ZEN HEART Japanese-grown Santalum album, is a nice balance between Approach #1 and Approach #2 above.
Through a different distilling technique, we have made the terroir features in ZEN HEART express less than in our other sandalwood oil from the same tree, ZEN ONE.
The unique features of this Japanese-grown Sandalwood feature very delicately and subtly in this very special and rare oil.