perfume class: 9 posts

CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19

Our Ukrainian Scent and Taste Adventure tour is scheduled for June 2-9, 2020. I’m partnering with Nataliya Cummings of the Experience Ukraine, a boutique UK based tour operator. We’re taking reservations right now and there are still some places open. We would like to accommodate everyone, but we want to keep the group small. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. This tour will be a chance to learn about perfumery, discover the beautiful region of Transcarpathia, explore artisanal crafts, scents and food. The tour will include 8 days with a variety of workshops. We will travel from the capital city of Kyiv all the way west to the historical city of Lviv, and along our journey we will cook, eat, smell, have fun and discover Ukraine’s many treasures, from UNESCO heritage sites to smoked pears!

Safety: Ukraine is absolutely safe for travel. The tour will take place in the western part of Ukraine, 20km from the Romanian border. If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Flights: we recommend flying in and out of Kyiv, unless you would like combine this trip with a visit to Poland, Czech Republic or Austria (Lviv offers easy connections to those countries). At the end of the tour, many of us will be taking a high speed train from Lviv to Kyiv, so you can travel with our group. Ukraine International Airlines offer many direct flights from the major US and European cities.

To book the tour: fill out the form on the the Experience Ukraine website. You can also see the full program on the Experience Ukraine website, while the detailed perfumery workshop descriptions are available  here.

Continue reading →

The Bois de Jasmin perfume seminar 2020 “Ukrainian Scent and Taste Adventure” is going to be special. Why Ukraine? Given the country’s incredible biodiversity and rich soil, Ukraine is one of the largest producers of aromatics, such as lavender, coriander, fennel, dill seed, sage, hyssop, mint, artemisia, caraway, pine, and beeswax. During my perfumery training, I came to understand that knowing where the ingredients come from is both thrilling and important. So, I want to share with you the professional techniques I’ve acquired during my studies. I would like to sharpen your sense of smell and bring you to the source of aromatic essences. Ukraine has an old and established tradition of folk medicine, and we will have the chance to learn about plants from a botanist and herbal specialist on site. Finally, I want you to discover different cultural traditions, foods and sights. Ukraine is the perfect destination for that.

Since we will be visiting Ukraine from June 2-9, 2002, we’ll experience summer at its most gorgeous. Hence, the theme of our perfume seminar will be Flowers and Herbs. Please note that unlike my other seminars, this one covers 8 days. My partner for this seminar is Nataliya Cummings of Experience Ukraine, who has been running tours for the past decade. She will take good care of us.

Continue reading →

As preparation for the Art of Perfume and Wine class that I’m teaching in April in France (more details here), I thought I would write about 7 vintage perfumes that have been influential for the evolution of perfumery and that we will smell in their original versions. There will be over 50 different perfumes in this course, but these 7 are among the most essential to learn.

Guerlain L’Heure Bleue 1912

Many perfumers will name Guerlain as the most influential perfume house, especially in its period when Jacques Guerlain was the head creator. L’Heure Bleue is a textbook example of a classic as well as of a symphonic perfume.

We will, of course, smell other Guerlain classics, from Après L’Ondée and Mitsouko to Chamade and Chant d’Arômes.

Continue reading →

The aim of my Provence class this spring is threefold: to explain how to smell like perfumers, to introduce the landmarks that changed perfume history and to offer a basic technical understanding of perfume composition. With this knowledge you can appreciate fragrances on a deeper level as well as fine-tune your senses in general. The class will take place on April 5-9th in Provence, France. Below is the course program.

WEDNESDAY, April 5
A welcome meeting.

THURSDAY, April 6
Day 1: Inside A Perfumer’s Garden and A Visit to the Perfume Lab

Continue reading →