Classification methods of agarwood
1. According to the way of forming a knot
(Raw knot, wormhole, cooked knot, shedding)
Regarding the method of agarwood formation, this classification approach is particularly important overall. The determination of the agarwood formation method can largely indicate its value.
Raw agglomeration refers to the process where trees are intentionally damaged by knives, axes, or other tools during their growth period, causing wounds to seep out agarwood oil, which then undergoes alcoholization and mutation to form agarwood;
"Chonglou" refers to the agalwood formed when trees are damaged by insects during their growth period, causing wounds that secrete agarwood oil, which then undergoes alcoholization and variation;
"Cooked knot" is formed through the natural exudation, slow condensation, aging, and variation of agarwood oil. In other words, the agarwood oil is inherently separated from the wooden part;
The term "fallen" refers to the agarwood that remains after the natural decay, death, and decomposition of the "agarwood tree". In other words, the agarwood oil naturally separates due to the decay of the wooden part.
The apparent difference among them lies in the formation of the fragrant resin, but in reality, it stems from the duration of the resin formation process. The resin formed naturally or through insect leakage has a shorter lifespan, thus it is inferior in all aspects compared to the mature resin or shed resin, which has a longer formation period.
II. Classified by formation process as
(fallen tree, live wood, water-soaked wood, soil-soaked wood, ant-soaked wood, white wood)
This classification method is also common, especially when it comes to the use of related noun concepts.
"Live agarwood" refers to agarwood that is harvested while the tree is still alive. This type of agarwood has undergone a relatively short period of aging, resulting in low internal oil content and a milder taste. Moreover, it typically produces fragrance only after being smoked or burned, and naturally cannot compare to "dead agarwood" in all aspects.
Nowadays, many places are engaged in the artificial cultivation of agarwood trees. The agarwood produced through such artificial cultivation is usually harvested within a few years, and it is mostly of this type of live agarwood, which has lower quality and is more difficult to compare with other varieties.
② Frame inversion
As the name suggests, after the "agarwood tree" is exposed to wind and rain or falls naturally, over the years, the non-oil-bearing wood parts decay, while the resin-bearing parts remain as agarwood. This type of agarwood is known as "fallen wood".
This type of agarwood, due to being exposed to wind and rain all year round, is highly susceptible to damage during its growth process. After being refined for decades or even centuries, much of its wooden part decomposes and rots, leaving behind mostly high-quality agarwood oil. Therefore, the oil content of Daojia agarwood is very high, and its quality is excellent.
The color of Daojia agarwood is mostly light black with a hint of earthy yellow, evenly distributed. Its appearance and color are largely influenced by its growth environment and soil quality. When smelled from afar, it has a clear and sweet fragrance, while up close, it is strong and slightly bitter. On the other hand, during the agarwood formation process of Daojia agarwood, the wooden part has been decomposed, leaving a relatively large internal gap in the agarwood. This makes its adsorption ability better than other agarwoods. Therefore, if it is placed together with something with a strong smell, Daojia will also take on that smell and will not recover for a long time.
③ Water sedimentation
Water-sinking is a form of Daojia, which means it falls into the water after being poured and then continues to mellow in the water, eventually becoming fragrant.
It is characterized by its large size and thick, fragrant flowers. Due to its growth in water, it is yin in nature and has a very pronounced effect on warming the kidneys.
④ Earthy and sedate
It is also a form of inverted shelf, similar to water sinking, and it is buried in swamps or soil during its growth process.
Its color is generally black or dark brown, with a mellow taste. Its property is yang, and it has the effects of warming the middle energizer and reducing qi.
⑤ Ant sinking
It is the remaining oil part of the "agarwood tree" after it has been gnawed by termites or insects.
Due to the uneven distribution of agarwood oil, termites and insects only gnaw on the wood parts without oil, resulting in the often peculiar and irregular shapes of this type of agarwood.
It must be mentioned here that many people in the industry tend to confuse the concept of "ant sinking" with "worm leakage", thinking that they are just different terms.
In essence, this is a misconception, as the two actually have significant differences.
Although both wormholes and ant sinkholes are caused by the gnawing of insects and ants, they occur at different stages.
Insect leakage occurs during the stage of injury-induced oil production, which means that the "agarwood tree" produces agarwood oil to protect the wounds caused by insect and ant gnawing. This stage is the formation stage of agarwood; while ant deposition occurs after the agarwood has already formed. In this process, the agarwood oil has not completely separated from the wooden part, and the insects and ants only gnaw away the wooden part.
From the appearance, insect-damaged agarwood generally has wormholes or worm tunnels, as well as obvious traces of insect life, often in the form of shells; while ant-damaged agarwood generally only has traces of insect and ant gnawing activity on the surface of the agarwood, rather than traces of life, often resulting in odd shapes due to the formation of oil.
⑥ White wood
It refers to the wood of "agarwood tree" that has not yet formed agarwood or has extremely low or even no oil content.
