A Perfumer’s Dream
The core of the agarwood tree is usually pale and has virtually no odor. But when it becomes infected with a type of fungus called P. parasitica , the wood inside slowly but surely darkens, hardens, and becomes saturated with resin.
The resin secreted is the tree’s defensive reaction to infection and, at the same time, the strongest source of a complex floral-fruity aroma. Nature has created something that humans have not yet been able to synthesize: this scent contains notes of flowers, fruits, resin, vanilla, musk and amber. The largest cosmetics and perfume manufacturers are hunting for the “oriental” essence based on kinam resin. Also, kinam has long been used in incense and has religious significance in many cultures.
Interesting fact: the full aroma of kinam will be revealed if you set fire to wood chips soaked in resin.
A treasure that is hard to see
In the wild, infected kinam can grow for several centuries. The older the tree, the more pronounced its fragrance becomes. But there is one nuance: it is almost impossible to determine by eye which plant is actually affected by the fungus. To find out, you need to saw it.
When entrepreneurs, eager to make a quick buck, realized this, a “kinam fever” occurred, almost like with gold. Trees began to be cut down literally by the thousands – indiscriminately. And all in order to find unique specimens. The black market still exists, despite the fact that people have learned to produce kinam on plantations, deliberately infecting healthy plants with mold. But the price of plantation agar wood is several times lower than wild: it can be cut down several years after infection.
How much does kinam cost
The answer is very expensive: 10 grams of kinam can be sold for 100 thousand dollars. In Shanghai, 2 kilograms of wood were sold for 18 million dollars a few years ago. It turns out that a kilogram of kinam costs 9 million.
You can see a preserved 200-year-old kinam in the Cambodian temple Wat Bang Kradan: its security is monitored not only by monks, but also by military police. According to rumors, resourceful Japanese businessmen once offered the temple a deal: they were ready to pay 23 million dollars for the precious tree. However, the abbot resolutely refused such an offer, possibly thereby preserving the life of the kinam for several more centuries.
