Hello Everyone
From the warm sweet shores of the Indian ocean, from the
middle of the edge at the southern end of Arabia, I send my heartfelt autumn
greetings.
We have a few new things in the store in the past week or
two, from Bulgaria, Thailand, Yemen and the UK.
|
|
From Bulgaria
Organic White Rose is in and
this is one of the best batches we've ever had. She is a sheer exquisite
delight, all rosy voluptuousness shining through the veil of white. This oil is
so special, so delightful, so precious and so luxurious; I think there is no
comparison, to any oil, anywhere. Fields of white roses, gently picked,
distilled with care, shimmering in the bottle....what loveliness shines on this
earth of ours!
|
From Yemen
I made a short and sweet trip to our neighboring
country, here at the southern end of Arabia Felix, and managed to grab a few
things. First, a new and wildly fresh batch of Bakhur Hagma. This is a water
incense used only in Yemen's capital, Sana'a. It's a mix, a Magmoor, of spices
and frankincense and a few other secret ingredients (they won't tell me what!)
that is burned in a small dish on coals. The dish is stone and called a filz,
and we have those too. You put the incense in the dish, set it on the coals,
and when it starts to smoke, upend a bowl over it, catching the smoke. When the
bowl is filled with smoke, quickly and lightly turn it over, and take water
from the pitcher you have waiting, and pour it into the bowl, through the
smoke. You now have elegantly scented water to serve to your guests. Such a
refined and sensual treat! We also have a few stone incense burners that are
very cute, and really unusual, made for burning incense gums and resins (like
frankincense) on coals. And last but not least, certainly, from the hills of
Tai'iz, local bakhur and perfumes. The bakhur is in the Yemeni style, sugar and
rosewater based, for the maximum smoke yield, packed with aromatics, and made
for scenting the clothes and hair of Yemen's most alluring women.
|
From the UK
Our friends there in the small co-op have sent
us some wonderful, fresh and clean oils. These are some of the oils that form
the backbone to our blends, this useful, working, no-nonsense group. Valerian.
Angelica Root. German Chamomile. Caraway. Yarrow. They might not be florid flowers
but earthy, rooty, spicy, herbal peppers, rye bread, blue hay, hidden feet,
sensual dirt, back lanes, late night kitchens, quiet breathing....
|
|
From Thailand
The Lotus farm has spoken! A new batch of blue
lotus absolute has arrived! Unusual and strongly exotic, this bold flower is
actually a water lily, originally from Egypt's Nile River. Today though, this
blue velvet wonder pokes up from the Lotus pond farms of central Thailand,
nourished by abundant rain and the tropical climate he loves so much. This absolute
is rich and rotund, robust and royal. We have also received dried flowers, from
both Blue and White Lotus flowers.
|
|
|
