Begin with Tauer's L'Air Du Desert Marocain, a masterpiece of warm amber and spices that you must try, achieving a quality of boundlessness through a vector of coriander seed, cedar, and incense. You can feel the sunlight smiling upon you, as a rush of blushing sand carries the scent of the souks and the markets. Ambre Russe (Parfum d’Empire) finds ambery warmth in old Russia, in the time of the last tsars. Filled with joie de vivre and opulence, this is light reflecting off golden Champagne coupes and shot glasses filled with icy vodka, working an accord of spices, incense, Russian leather, and smoked black tea. Its effect is expansive and addictively dry.
Bois Imperial (Essential Parfums) is a modern interpretation of the woods category, utilising innovative materials. It operates in a fresh and luminous register, retaining the strength one expects from woods with brilliance and projection. A snap of Thai basil, timut pepperberry, and grapefruit leads us along cedar, vetiver, and patchouli materials. Explore the darker depths of wood and leather in Histoires de Parfums' 1740, often considered to be one of the best leather fragrances there is. More than this, it takes leather as its starting point, blending tobacco, bergamot, patchouli and labdanum to create an unflinching masterpiece of the category: desiccated, potent, and alluring. A bit of bitterness leads to a whole realm of exquisite pleasure.
Nostos (Etat Libre d’Orange) pivots on a central incense note, trailing and lingering into realms of oud and leather, with a tender touch supplied by rose. Its marvellously modern profile renders the most classical tale of them all - that of Achilles as depicted in Homer’s epics. It imagines an incense that has burned for millennia, and the duality of this hero: the tough and firm qualities of leather and oud, and the softness of rose. Finally, for those seeking impact and distinction - the modern classic Black Afgano (Nasomatto) has this in spades. Its blend of oud, tobacco, coffee, and hashish - with effective levels of cedar, labdanum, and sandalwood materials - presents a potent blend that surely stands out, dark and concentrated, a little deadly, but so very alluring.
