Coffee: 9 posts

After my mixed experience with Lys Fume, I approached the rest of Tom Ford’s Jardin Noir collection reluctantly. As I wore the fragrances  over these past few months, I grew to like them very much, especially Ombre de Hyacinth and Café Rose. While Tom Ford promised that Jardin Noir would be abloom with twisted, dark florals, the collection is neither twisted nor dark. Instead, it features elegant, polished fragrances on four different themes: lily, daffodil, hyacinth, and rose. The lack of drama is a minus, especially given the concept of this quartert, but these interpretations of classical florals are so smooth and refined that they are worth sampling.

Café Rose was created by perfumer Antoine Lie, who also worked on Azure Lime and Violet Blonde for Ford.  It is the darkest perfume from Jardin Noir, but it has a distinctive Middle Eastern flair. The woods are so pronounced that they compete with rose for top billing, while the incense gives the perfume an exotic twist. The main reason I enjoy Café Rose is for its contrast–it feels sophisticated, but at the same time, it has a flamboyant air. Too much elegance can be boring, after all.

Continue reading →

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

The exclusive Guerlain fragrance Nuit d’Amour turned out to be a fairly predictable floral oriental, but nothing could have prepared me for the new Ralph Lauren masculine, a sensual and unconventional offering. In part, this is due to the fact that I began my exploration of the Ralph Lauren line only recently, discovering the legendary Polo and Lauren as well as the gardenia petal softness of Ralph Lauren Blue. The masculine fragrances from the line have always struck me as quintessentially American, portraying the clean shaven and casually clad ideal frequently appearing in Lauren’s menswear ads. Polo Double Black likewise maintains the same laidback aura, yet its seductive oriental twist lends the fragrance a certain unexpected allure.

Continue reading →

I am a tea drinker, preferring to save coffee for mornings when the extra jolt of energy is absolutely essential, yet I cannot resist the dark aroma of roasted beans. It is the childhood memory of my father having what he called “a soldier’s breakfast”–coffee accompanied by a cigarette. Of crowded bars in Venice where the coffee aromas would marry the scent of white bread used for tramezzini, delicious triangular sandwiches. Of Istanbul coffee stalls where the curvy copper pots were slowly brought to boil in the hot sand. Of the rich cloud surrounding Starbucks I would pass downtown Chicago on my way to the office.

As much as I love the fragrance of coffee, in perfume I prefer to avoid the overly photorealistic vision of a steaming cup. Bond No 9 New Haarlem created by the perfumer Maurice Roucel offers one of my favorite takes on the coffee notes, a composition of alluring darkness concealing a fresh herbal twist.

Continue reading →

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

While Givenchy Very Irrésistible for women turned into something quite sharp on my skin, the masculine version held an altogether different experience. Created by Pierre Wargnye, the fragrance has recently been released, featuring a beautiful bottle that fades from black to emerald green. Notes: grapefruit, star anise, mint; mocha, sesame seed; Virginia cedarwood, hazelnut wood.

The first impression is of grapefruit and mint leaves dusted with a bit of confectioner’s sugar, a cool mélange sweetened just enough to take away the astringent edge. A combination of mocha and sesame seeds results in a chocolate accord that resurfaces slowly underneath mint leaves and citrus peel shavings and creating a subtle gourmand sensation. It is gentle and teasing, a facet that I found very appealing. However, the chocolate stage is still veiled by a tart green note that remains present until the drydown. The translucent quality of this green ornamentation reminds me of a lime slice covered thin crisp layer of molten sugar, tart, spicy and pleasantly bittersweet.

The end result is underscored by cedar and a sharp green note, which is extemely pronounced on my skin. Its loudness upsets the balance of the composition, especially the seductive chocolaty accord. Nevertheless, it is still interesting, which is not something I can say about the majority of masculine fragrances.

Photo: Liv Tyler, the face of Givenchy Very Irrésistible campaign.