G CUBE INTERNATIONAL FZCO, Dubai, UAE

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Agarwood, aloeswood, eaglewood or gharuwood is a fragrant dark resinous wood used in incense, perfume, and small carvings. This resinous wood is most commonly referred to as "Oud" or "Oudh". It is formed in the heartwood of aquilaria trees when the Acquilara Tree becomes infected with a type of mold (Phialophora parasitica) and secretes a resin to combat the mold. Prior to infection, the heartwood is odourless, relatively light and pale coloured; however, as the infection progresses, the tree produces a dark aromatic resin, called aloes (not to be confused with Aloe ferox, the succulent commonly known as the bitter aloe) or agar (not to be confused with the edible, algae-derived agar) as well as gaharu, jinko, oud, or oodh aguru (not to be confused with bukhoor), in response to the attack, which results in a very dense, dark, resin-embedded heartwood. The resin-embedded wood is valued in East and South Asian cultures for its distinctive fragrance, and thus is used for incense and perfumes.

The aromatic qualities of agarwood are influenced by the species, geographic location, its branch, trunk and root origin, length of time since infection, and methods of harvesting and processing.

The odour of agarwood is complex and pleasing, with few or no similar natural analogues. In the perfume state, the scent is mainly distinguished by a combination of "oriental-woody" and "very soft fruity-floral" notes. The incense smoke is also characterized by a "sweet-balsamic" note and "shades of vanilla and musk" and amber (not to be confused with ambergris). As a result, agarwood and its essential oil gained great cultural and religious significance in ancient civilizations around the world, being described as a fragrant product as early as 1400 BCE in the Vedas of India.

In India, it is found in North Eastern States viz Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and also in West Bengal. Agar is a precious floral wealth of North East India and has been identified as a potential aromatic plant. Agartala, the state capital of Tripura is believed to have origin of its name from Agarwood.  

Agarwood, aloeswood, eaglewood or gharuwood is a fragrant dark resinous wood used in incense, perfume, and small carvings. This resinous wood is most commonly referred to as "Oud" or "Oudh". It is formed in the heartwood of aquilaria trees when the Acquilara Tree becomes infected with a type of mold (Phialophora parasitica) and secretes a resin to combat the mold. Prior to infection, the heartwood is odourless, relatively light and pale coloured; however, as the infection progresses, the tree produces a dark aromatic resin, called aloes (not to be confused with Aloe ferox, the succulent commonly known as the bitter aloe) or agar (not to be confused with the edible, algae-derived agar) as well as gaharu, jinko, oud, or oodh aguru (not to be confused with bukhoor), in response to the attack, which results in a very dense, dark, resin-embedded heartwood. The resin-embedded wood is valued in East and South Asian cultures for its distinctive fragrance, and thus is used for incense and perfumes.

The aromatic qualities of agarwood are influenced by the species, geographic location, its branch, trunk and root origin, length of time since infection, and methods of harvesting and processing.

The odour of agarwood is complex and pleasing, with few or no similar natural analogues. In the perfume state, the scent is mainly distinguished by a combination of "oriental-woody" and "very soft fruity-floral" notes. The incense smoke is also characterized by a "sweet-balsamic" note and "shades of vanilla and musk" and amber (not to be confused with ambergris). As a result, agarwood and its essential oil gained great cultural and religious significance in ancient civilizations around the world, being described as a fragrant product as early as 1400 BCE in the Vedas of India.

In India, it is found in North Eastern States viz Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and also in West Bengal. Agar is a precious floral wealth of North East India and has been identified as a potential aromatic plant. Agartala, the state capital of Tripura is believed to have origin of its name from Agarwood.  

The processed Agarwood is available in the following forms:- 

a. Agarwood chips: The Agar wood chips are very costly and valuable incense in the international market. It is an rare and precious aromatic natural resource which can be used for high quality incense especially in Gulf countries. The extraction of Agarwood chips from the respective tree trunk is highly professional activity and requires special toolkits and skill. 

b. Semi solid gel-Boya: Boya Oil Gel (semi solid) is extracted from non-infected Agar wood trees which is totally creamish in colour and aged above 5 years. The end product Boya (Gel) is used in cosmetics, perfumery, ayurvedic medicines and it is also a great culinary ingredient. 

c. Agarwood oil: The essential oil from agarwood is valued as fixative in high class perfumery and is highly priced by European perfumer who blend their best grade scents. Agarwood oil also known as the "King of Incense". Moreover, it has been used in treatment of many medical conditions like lung and stomach tumors, nervous disorders, digestive, bronchial complaints, smallpox, rheumatism etc. 

Agarwood has many grades and goes by countless different names in both the sourcing and consuming countries. The different grades and classes of agarwood result from long-standing grading practices adopted by the people of each country. No standard method is available partly due to the intricacy during the hierarchical process of selling and buying. The foremost reason is the appearance of the traded agarwood itself, which can come in many forms from raw, such as chips, blocks, and flakes, to finished products such as oil, incenses, perfumes, accessories, and carvings. Agarwood in raw forms is of mixed quality; thus, the price and grade depend on this blended appearance. As the product is passed down from collectors to various levels of traders and finally to the buyers, the grade can be readjusted and the price inflated or understated depending on the interest. Therefore, buyers, traders, and collectors heavily rely upon time-honored trust when concluding a business deal. Authorities have not found the formula to standardize the grading system of agarwood trade, and this leads to the lack of coordination and regulation at international level. Nevertheless, several sourcing and consuming countries have made the effort to grade their agarwood according to their own local market, which can be used as a benchmark in formulating a more contemporary method that could be acceptable to all countries. Because agarwood (a bio-product from plant metabolism) is the outcome of a complex relationship between the tree host, infecting agent and environment, often the ensuing agarwood is of inconsistent quality. Even when induced in planted trees of uniform species and ages, the quality is difficult to predict. The sophisticated nature of agarwood is caused by many variable parameters; therefore, to determine its quality is a challenge. There appears to be a consensus among merchants, who habitually determine quality based on the country of origin, and the characteristics of the agarwood including the size, shape, color, scent and its durability, and the age and parts of the tree from where it is derived.

Agarwood is commonly traded in the form of chips. Other raw forms that are gaining popularity are blocks, logs, flakes, and powder, while the finished products in the international market are oil, incenses, perfumes, accessories, and carvings. The color and density of the wood are considered as important indicators of highquality agarwood. Darker wood is believed to have higher amount of oleoresin compared to a less-darkened wood. The deep color also indicates that the agarwood comes from older trees. It has always been thought that agarwood from old growth contains the best quality.

Another quality indicator is the part of a tree from where the agarwood was removed. For example, an agarwood piece that came from the root is deemed more valuable when compared to other parts of the tree. Also, the resin amount in thick pieces is assumed higher than that of thin ones. It is difficult to ascertain agarwood quality by looking at its physical appearance. Some people have used the “sinking test,” whereby wood chips are dropped in water to relate with the wood’s quality. Wood that floats are considered of inferior quality due to the low resin content. However, this is easy to exploit by adding foreign material like metals into the wood for instance. A more popular method is the “burning test.” Buyers can evaluate the aroma by burning a small sample of the agarwood chip. This method has its downside too as different people have different perceptions. Nevertheless, agarwood trading companies often hire trained personnel to sensory-evaluate the raw material before purchasing. Generally, many people agree that agarwood of the best quality has an outstanding aroma added with distinct odors when the wood piece is burned slowly or when the wood is distilled into essential oil. Some of the essential oils can be kept longer so that it develops the strong fragrance before being released into the market. The long-lasting fragrance indicates that the quality is superior, and naturally, it influences the grade and pricing.

G Cube has an active base in the agar heartland of India’ Northeast, Tripura (Agartala). It has created network with high yielding high quality agar farmers so as to provide them the best of technology, market & value for their produces. Agarwoods cultivated in Tripura are of very high quality. The place has huge quantity of matured agar trees resources, most of which are yet to be explored. Within the purview of the government regime, G Cube brings you the unique agarwood products exclusively for you.