The Oud Caravan

One of the most animalic scents I have ever encountered especially in the opening. The initial spray is strong and barnyardy. I detect a definite Civet note although it’s not in the pyramid. This animalic facet is however quite fleeting, disappearing after about 20 minutes from initial spray. Then the ouds come into play, carrying with them their own unique pungency (but not, to my mind in that civety way), dominating the substantial longevity of the fragrance. If the barnyardy effect is feared to offend, then I would advise spraying this on about half an hour before leaving. By then, this extremely well-composed fragrance will have lost it’s attention grabbing entrance and bloomed perfectly to reveal its elevated oud majesty along with the bouquet of notes featuring spices, benzoin and leather, which reveal themselves much later in this olfactory opus. The rose is also there right when the two ouds make their appearance, tempering their pungent woodiness that is now dancing along with incense smoke after the initial fecality has departed. If I were to turn it into a visual at this juncture, it would be like black, oil-shimmered logs, now covered with a gossamer-thin, blood-red veil that is the rose note. It is madly addictive to the wearer and alluring to those in the 3-6ft vicinity, a masterpiece of modern and western Oud in my opinion, but not for the uninitiated and timid. Fragrance enthusiast will praise this as high art, mass-appeal designer-frag lovers will likely find it incomprehensible at best, disgusting at worst. For me it’s has a permanent place in my top 10 Ouds of all time.

Well crafted and well thought out composition with quality behind it. Very pricey. With some of the most animalistic Ouds out there. Spicy, floral and Oud. Sandalwood’s creamy drydown really shines with the composition. Great bottle. I know why I wanted a bottle. Finally purchased and glad I did. Everything works together to produce a harmonious symphony. Noticed a fruity note either be cherry or apricot sweet. Tames down the animalic Oud. But perhaps it could be a floral note. Wow, been a week amongst the first sprays animalistic Oud and fruits and florals are really coming out. Very nice bottle and intense. Recommend and very authentic. Lasts on skin for couple of days or more.

Very powerful barnyardy oud that mellows into something quite beautiful. Like riding a horse out of a cooped up barn into a big, wide field on a Spring day. Definitely a must-smell on any oud lovers list!

Sampling the final of the three latest releases from Rasei Fort, The Oud Caravan, an aptly-named oud-led spicy, warm, sensual fragrance with just slight smoky and animalic hints, nothing too edgy, oud-wise. The note list is greatly varied, from rose, leather, patchouli, saffron, and pepper, to vanilla, incense, and benzoin. It’s really an epic oud for many tastes, without too much of any one element, while offering plenty in total, including some of the rose/oud vibes, some of the incense, just a pinch of gourmand, and a great array of spices. It’s very lovable and not too overwhelming for those who like to avoid oud, even though, for me, the oud is the single most noticeable note. It performs very well but like the other recent entries, is not too loud overall, and does not have a ton of evolution, which is perfectly fine by me when the scent is very good. The oud itself, especially its slightly animalic side, is the most significant note to fade over time, in fact. Like the other recent Rasei Fort releases, The Oud Caravan is sold at Luckyscent (where I got my sample), Ministry of Scent, and Sealed Essence, and is priced quite high, at $350 for 30ml, even higher than the other two recent releases, Qahwa and Ismi, which are $250 for 30ml. Of course, at this price point, it goes without say that you likely need to love it in order to consider buying it. I regard Qahwa as my favorite of the trio, with Ismi and The Oud Caravan roughly tied for second. 7 out of 10

Soft pleasant woody aromatic scent which is more about spice and less about the oud. The scent opens with aromatic notes of tea and spices moving to a heart of rose, saffron and patchouli before settling on a woody base which has sandalwood, vanilla, oud and incense. Although much of this has been done before and as well, this is an easy reach oud perfume which feels airy and does not overwhelm. The slight masculine leaning scent has moderate projection and longevity. Enjoy!