Mayan Chocolate with Annatto Seed, Anaheim Pepper, Cinnamon, and Vanilla Bean

[DJ Sin]

First scent in the bottle:

Holy cow this is chocolate!

Wet on the skin:
still very much chocolate with the annatto seed coming out

Dry: the vanilla bean comes out and marries with the chocolate. I get a slight swiff of the cinnamon and anaheim pepper.
Its very strong and I posted this on my fb tonight "I smell like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory!

I think I want to age this one a bit and I think it will layer nicely with Snake Oil. I shall call the marriage of the two Mayan Snake Bite!

[ladymeag]

This smells stunningly like a cake that's make by a local gluten-free bakery (Corina Bakery, in Tacoma, WA for the curious.) They call theirs the Aztec - it's a deep, rich chocolate with dried Anaheim peppers, rich chocolate frosting, and a heavy dose of vanilla and cinnamon. For me there is no morph here, it is what it is in the bottle and on. The chocolate is a rich, creamy bakery chocolate - not the dark, earthy chocolate nor a sweet milk chocolate.

 

Prepare to desire chocolate for eating pretty immediately.

[Lethran]

In bottle: Note bene: I have no previous exposure to annatto seed, so my review may be imprecise. This is lovely with a spicy chocolate affect. It is chocolate dominant. The pepper and I think annatto seed give it a strong peppery nutty scent with a surprisingly green feel. The cinnamon plays beautifully with the stronger pepper and annatto seed combination. The vanilla fills in the cracks between the chocolate and the spice. The composition is startling in its beauty. Wet: The vanilla comes out more on the skin. It is still chocolate dominant. The pepper and annatto separate more, but stay allied with cinnamon support. I think I love this. I’d never have thought to put Anaheim peppers with chocolate, but it works and the unusual scent of the annatto seeds is perfect here. Dry: Less foody on the dry down as the pepper and annatto linger longest. This changes like a sunset as it wears, revealing different combinations. Lovely.

[Lycanthrope]

Holy savory spice, batman!

 

Deceptively sweet chocolate in the bottle, wet, smells like Gelt.

 

On the skin, boy howdy, is that a slightly funky chocolate - it's probably the Annatto, and this comes across as a gourmand, not terribly sweet, dark cocoa chocolate. The spice and heat, you can FEEL it in your nose as you smell it. WOW. There is a hint of vanilla, and dribblies of cinnamon - I get this heat less as a frank cinnamon, and more of a slow burn heat from the pepper. The annatto, I assume, is this overarching savory, bready scent that really keeps this away from being a chocolate, melt your teeth type of scent.

 

It smells like a fancy truffle, or ground cocoa powder with cinnamon powder, like something you might drizzle over a chicken breast. Gourmand fragrance, yes, but not cavity inducing in the least, perhaps one of the most fascinating chocolates I've experienced in scent form.

 

Over time, the vanilla peeks forward a bit more, so... jeez, this is stunning.

 

NOT like Bliss, Vice, Gelt.

SIMILAR to Cassia/Chocolate/Bacon, and I have no idea what the frug, maybe like, the chocolate version of Chimera?

[yeahbutnobut]

Mayan Chocolate with Annatto Seed, Anaheim Pepper, Cinnamon and Vanilla Bean

 

In the imp: rich spicy chocolate fudge with a hint of fresh green chilli pepper.

Wet on skin: a dusty, almost grainy note comes out-I’m guessing that’s annatto? It’s still very chocolatey though.

Dry on skin: interesting. It makes me think of chocolate bread (not pain au chocolat, this isn’t buttery) or even a kind of chocolate flour, or dry cocoa mix. The annatto seed is an unusual note-grainy and dusty but not unpleasant. The chocolate is gorgeous-rich and almost fudgy and reminiscent of cake, full of cinnamon and pepper, with the sweetness of vanilla rounding it off. I’ll have to see how the annatto plays out because this has potential to be really amazing.

After a while: it still smells grainy but now smells more like a kind of raw chocolate or freshly ground cocoa beans with a lovely vanilla and cinnamon undertone, and a warm peppery note that reminds me of those chilli flavoured chocolates. This gets warmer, drier and sweeter over time.

Eventually this turns into a glorious spiced brownie! I want to gnaw on my wrist…it has a similar vibe to Boomslang actually. It doesn’t smell like Snake Oil but it has a spicy vanilla and chocolate combination that is reminiscent of Boomslang (as well as the fact that both scents turn to brownies on me).

Verdict: I’m glad I went straight for a bottle of this one. I wasn’t sure about the floury, dusty, almost earthy scent of the annatto at first but it eventually grew on me and the scent developed very nicely on my skin from a dry spicy cocoa mix to something fabulously gourmand and comforting at the end. I love the richness of the chocolate note in here, no doubt given a boost by the vanilla, and the spice notes well balanced-the cinnamon is just perfect here-and they give the chocolate a warm, exotic feel. I have the urge to make ‘Mayan Brownies’ inspired by this scent!

Is it a keeper? Definitely!

If you like this, try: Boomslang, 13 (April 2007), Lump of Coal, Dia de los Reyes, Feast of the Greatly Revered Ones

Edited February 20, 2013 by yeahbutnobut

[miss_rynn]

Absolutely no chocolate. An almost floral, slightly sweet scent with a base of BO and a slight tinge of pepper.

 

Son, I am disappoint.

[Numanoid]

Sniff in decant: Hmmm...not much chocolate either for me. Must be the annatto seed I get...very light spice, but mostly something like you would smell from a field..not in a bad way.

 

On Skin: I get a hint of the pepper emerging, but still has that underlying "seed" smell. Still no chocolate!

 

Dry down: Hmm..it's nice, but kind of disappointed. No cinnamon, vanilla, or chocolate to me. But it's ok...saves my wallet.

Edited March 1, 2013 by Numanoid

[BuxomM]

Wet it smells like sweet truffle chocolate with a hint of candied chile. As it dries I get a hint of sweetness and spice. It doesn't have much throw and fades fast on me, but it's still a keeper.

[melange]

I love this when I first smell it, but when it hits my skin, it fades and turns into a particular kind of sweat. I'll use my decant, but in a scent locket!

[Katlyntje]

In the decant I am smelling a light, creamy chocolate and something greenly nutty which must be the annatto seed. Wet on my skin the anaheim pepper lends a touch of spicyness to the annatto seed and chocolate. As this dries I do detect a tad bit of the sour body odor that a couple others have mentioned but luckily it fades away after a bit leaving behind creamy, nutty chocolate.

[SadariEvenstar]

In the bottle: Om nom, nom, nom, nom

 

Wet: Om nom, nom, nom, nom

 

Dry: Om nom, nom, nom, nom

 

On my kitchen floor: Om nom, nom, nom, nom - combined with the salty brine of a thousand tears.

Edited March 1, 2013 by SadariEvenstar

[Dark Alice]

In the bottle: Om nom, nom, nom, nom

 

Wet: Om nom, nom, nom, nom

 

Dry: Om nom, nom, nom, nom

 

On my kitchen floor: Om nom, nom, nom, nom - combined with the salty brine of a thousand tears.

This pretty much sums up my feelings on this scent. Om Nom Nom nom nom...except with vanilla bean. This smells like the chocolate bar I received in the recent candy swap with ladymeag. I want and need to eat this scent...which means I don't need to wear it. It should be eaten....not worn!

[oncominbeige]

Starts out very chocolate-y, with a vanilla base, and then fades to the sour/BO smell that other reviewers have mentioned.

 

Never ever got the cinnamon or pepper, which is the reason I wanted to try this.

 

No.

[Caper]

Like almost all of my reviews, I have pretty much the opposite experience of the majority of the reviewers here.

 

This starts out with a lovely chocolate in the imp with a hint of something sweet.

 

Wet there is something slightly earthy that comes out. It isn't the dirt note at all, but rather a deep, dry, tempered chocolate scent. If you have ever melted bittersweet chocolate chips to make fudge, this is the scent from the pot.

 

It fades, and becomes slightly sweeter and lighter. There is more than a hint of spice, but it doesn't become overwhelmingly one note, like spice can sometimes do, it mellows into something rich and gourmet.

 

I get no BO at all, and sometimes I'm suggestionable, so I went and put some on right.now. T make sure. Nope.

 

I once bought this mexican chocolate that already had sugar and cinnamon to make hot chocolate. You are supposed to melt the chocolate in warm milk. I ended up eating the chocolate and it tasted just like this smells.

 

This is the only chocolate that I'm getting a full bottle of, the rest are all partials because the box of chocolates are some of my most worn scents.

[zankoku_zen]

Spicy ground cocoa. I smell hot chili pepper, spices, and dusty cocoa.

 

Spicy, dusty, cocoa.

[Balame]

I liked this a lot. What a surprise! I figured it would be a heavy chocolate with lots of killer spice, but not at all. Contrary to some of the other reviews, for me this was not the "I'M MILK CHOCOLATE IN YO FACE" as in scents like Gelt, Bliss, etc. It doesn't smell like commercial chocolate at all. Instead, as yeahbutnobut said, it's a light, dusty and soft brown sort of scent. The smell of very light chocolate with something almost nutty as well. Very gentle and cuddly.

 

Amazingly I did not get any pepper or cinnamon... this is a delicately sweet scent, but my chemistry is not amping the spice, which is great. I do get a very heavenly undertone of vanilla bean. Totally edible.

[brilliantcat]

I love, love, love Mexican hot chocolate and I got the decant hoping this would be similar to that amazing chocolatey, spicy, gorgeous, yummy... well I could go on but I'd rather get this baby on my wrist!

 

Imp: In the decant it smells like dry cocoa powder. No hint of the spices or vanilla.

 

Wet: It absolutely blooms on my skin into this rich chocolate with hints of spices and vanilla. It's gourmand vs. foody I'd say, as in I don't feel the urge to lick my arm the way I do with truly FOODY scents. I think the annatto seed is keeping this from foodiness with its slightly dusty, powdery aura.

 

Dry: HOMG AKJFDJKL:SD:L LOVE.

[whisperstilled]

In imp: Chocolate and something dark and fruity. Possibly the meat of the pepper? Definitely vanilla as well. My first impression is that it reminds me of Candy Butcher. There is a bit of the spice I expect from Mayan chocolate, as well. So far, it reminds me of Mexican hot chocolate, which is exactly what I was hoping for.

 

Wet: Mexican hot chocolate and dark fruit, still! Very interesting. The spice is starting to come out on my skin. Strong vanilla, mingling with a dry cocoa scent. It continues to remind me of candy butcher, more like cacao dust than chocolate. Really nice!

 

Drydown: As the vanilla scent comes out more and it becomes less spicy, this scent is becoming less foody and more sexy. Whatever it is that the pepper is doing that's giving it that dark fruit hint has turned this into a much more complex scent than I was anticipating, and I love it! Cocoa scents tend to be hit or miss for me, but this one is completely wearable, not overly foodie, with pretty good throw even from just a little bit on my arm. I wish it retained more of that spiciness, but that's my only complaint! 4/5

Edited March 10, 2013 by Whisperstilled

[cyberpuff]

In the bottle: I get a deep dry chocolate and slightly spicy fruit/sweet woods smell. The combo immediately makes me think of Candy Butcher.

 

Wet on skin: The vanilla bean peaks out a little, the fruit/wood smell, which I'm guessing is the anatto/anaheim chili combo, kind of hovers above everything, which makes this feel etherial and incense-y, grounded by the dry chocolate.

 

Drydown/hour or so later: To my nose this doesn't smell chocolately at this point, it's a blend of the vanilla/fruit and mild spice/light smoke. It's magic on my skin. My only complaint is that it's faded a lot, or my cold hasn't quite gone away and I can't smell it as well.

 

Overall: How many holy grail bpals can one have? I feel like I've found another with this one, and for whatever reason I'm lucky that I didn't get the BO smell. I'm surprised that I don't get any cinnamon from this but that's okay- this is definitely going in the top ten, and now I need to figure out how many backups I'll need.

[Blood onmy hands]

Mayan Chocolate is my favorite of this year's Lupercalia blends (actually the only Lupercalia blend this year that I like at all). I didn't think that this would work for me, because I don't do well with cinnamon scents and Mayan themed blends always seem to be heavy on the cinnamon. But I love the spiciness in this and it kind've reminds me of the sweet and peppery spices of Mother Shub's Pfancy Pfefferneusse. I get a little bit of a cinnamon potpourri feel when it's first applied, but the drydown is like dusty wood and interesting, sweet spices. A little green and a little peppery. It's hard to describe, but I like this one a lot

Edited March 28, 2013 by Little Bird

[ajansuz]

 

I was tempted to leave it at that, but that's not very helpful, is it?

 

OK. In the bottle, this is exactly as stated, a spicy, dry chocolate. Very foodie to the point that it reminds me of a dry rub I make to season pot roasts. I use most of the listed ingredients minus the vanilla. Annatto has a lovely, rich nutty presence, just a little on the bitter side and a very nice complement to cocoa. The pepper in the blend is just a hint of spice, enough to tickle the nose. It's also a touch smoky, not quite like chipotle but close. I had a bit of concern since I have a skin sensitivity to cinnamon, but this didn't just explode cinnamon at me when I opened it, so I thought perhaps I'd be safe.

 

I applied it fairly sparingly to my wrists and the crooks of my arms. If cinnamon will act up, that's where it will do it. Thankfully, I had no reaction, no redness, no itching. There's not much morph in the wet stage. I smelled like I do when I'm making the roast rub. It's not a sweet scent, and even when the vanilla begins to make its presence known, it's not a sweet vanilla. Think the vanilla of Tombstone, not of Lyonesse or Gypsy.

 

On dry down it gets a little bit of an incense quality to it, something about that smoky pepper. This stays a skin scent for me. I have to put my nose right on top of it to get the fragrance. I found myself doing that for a large part of the day. It's delicious. The cocoa stays assertive and maintains its presence without fading. It's all blended so well that you can pick out individual notes without having any one overwhelm the others, and at the same time the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I know it's not listed, but it wouldn't surprise me if there was a little copal hiding in here somewhere. I wouldn't consider this a date night seduction kind of perfume. Wear it when you're heading out for a casual night to throw back a few beers and maybe eat hot wings, or perhaps when you're going on an outdoorsy sort of adventure. It's a rugged, unisex scent that I think wouldn't be offensive even to those who are otherwise sensitive to perfumes.

[bellumed]

In imp: super-yummy, Bliss-like chocolate.

 

Mmm, the chocolate-vanilla-cinnamon combo reminds me of one of my favorites, Pumpkin V ’09. There’s also an edge, pepper I guess?

 

Not as much a fan of the drydown, as it starts to tilt more towards the pepper and annatto and away from my beloved bakery scents. Still, this is a decent one, I think I'll hold onto the decant.

Edited March 31, 2013 by bellumed

[Xanon]

I am just going to leave some initial impressions, and then come back for a full review when my bottle gets here.

 

There is something reminiscent of Tombstone (as DarkSinestra mentioned above), but there is also something in here that reminds me of Lawn Gnome. I am not saying that is smells like currants and grass... but maybe it is the mood that it is evoking in me that is causing the connection. I only get hints of coco and cinnamon, but there is something that is a little like cutting into a Serrano pepper - but not as sharp. Overall it is a really interesting scent that I am going to be huffing while it is still spring time.

 

If you liked Tombstone and/or Lawn Gnome - this is like their quirky cousin. A bottle purchase for sure.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Mildly sweet chocolate with a hint of peppers and cinnamon.

 

Wet: Wow! Lot more pepper now, on top of the chocolate.

 

The dry-down: The mayan chocolate has transformed into cocoa powder. There's also a kind of strange note, must be the annatto seed, that's not quite a funky B.O. and not quite a good healthy sweat, and not quite a seed note. I'm not really sure that I like this at all.

[hexnut]

I bought two bottles of this at the February Will Call, the first time I've purchased multiples of a BPAL scent, and officially tested it today to make notes for this last-minute review.

In Vitro Sniffed in the bottle this was fabulous deep chocolate, not creamy or dry or notably spicy. It smelled like Bliss, and I adore Bliss.

Wet Fresh on this was chocolate with a slight peppery note. After a few minutes it was still chocolate but with a strong "dry" and spice-like component. Definitely different from Bliss but still very good.

Drying This dried down less sweet and more spicy, even earthy. It was still recognizably chocolate but was now a complex and wonderful skin scent that remained reasonably strong for hours. The "earthiness" did recede a bit in favor of a milder chocolate smell.

Love, love, love. I shall cherish my bottles.