Und wir Dachten der Toten

[ljaylh]

Bourbon vanilla, Indonesian patchouli, raw coffee bean, and Himalayan spices.

 

Yep - this one sure is a morpher!

At first, it goes on very buttery vanilla with a sharp twang of bitter spice... but as it warms up on my skin, the buttery business starts to fade and the bitterness too... the spices start to swirl and the bourbon vanilla gets more rich... mmmm, yummy. For a minute or two... and then...

The coffee bean is perhaps the strangest thing in here - it's coffee, Jim, but not as we know it. Rather than the usual coffee-as-a-beverage-or-brewing small, this little bean has a slight green edge to it, like it hasn't yet developed its dark brown exterior and still has the scent of the tree. And definitely something nutty going on in there too - I definitely agree with bheansidhe that it reminds me of Wezwanie/Hold with that creamy/nutty vibe. And the spices seem to be a bit of a mix - not just brown ones - I'm pretty sure there's some dried green herbs in here too. No, not that kind of dried green herb - I mean like coriander and bay leaf.

It's not until about 20 minutes in that the lovely Indonesian patchouli makes an appearance - dry, subtly sweet, earthy and warm - it's the perfect antidote to that vanilla/spice/coffee combo which was starting to become a little too sickly sweet for my liking. I dunno... this is just a bit strange on my skin - it can't seem to make up its mind whether it wants to be a sweet vanilla spice cake or a warm patchouli spice cake. Mmmm... warm patchouli spice cake - is there such a thing? If not, there should be. One hour later, all that's left on my skin is a slightly sour vanilla cream, hints of nut and remnants of spices - not overly pleasant, but not completely nasty either. Just... strange.

[mari4212]

On wet: earth and pine trees. Letting this one sit and age about 8 months before I tried it, I think the patchouli starts strongest, with the green of the coffee beans coming in a bit.

 

Initial drydown: Still strongly patchouli, with a hint of sweetness that is probably the vanilla. The earthiness of the patchouli stays very close to the skin, the further out I smell it the sweeter and creamier the scent becomes.

 

Later drydown: After a while, the patchouli fades, and what is left is a soft, somewhat musky scent with a bit more of the spices that were hidden until now. It's a very soft and light take off of something like Snake Oil.

 

 

Overall impressions: this is a grounded and warm perfume, easily approachable and somewhat gentle underneath.

[porcelina]

i can't believe how long i've had this in my collection without testing. wow! a beautiful soft, sweet, buttery vanilla is the dominant note, along with the earthy patchouli. but what really makes the blend is the raw coffee bean- it is distinctly coffee, but it does not have the strong roasty coffee notes that i usually think of in a coffee scent- i would not call this a coffee blend, at all. it adds a unique and, yes, almost 'green' note to the scent that i have not smelled in any other coffee bpal. there is the barest hint of spice but it is not spicy at all; there's just a tinge that plays very nicely with the patchouli.

[Balame]

I should put down my thoughts about this one before I pass it on, because it's certainly different.

 

This smells like light, almost chocolate-y coffee and vanilla with herbs. It's comes across as a much softer, greener Banshee Beat to me.

The addition of almost musky spices aren't heavy, but they give the blend its unique edge.

 

It ends up quite gentle on my skin. Musky, creamy, green. A mature blend.

[Teaotter]

In the bottle: patchouli, with some fruity overtones. Not a juicy red fruit, but almost plummy. Hmm. *checks notes*

 

Wet: Gorgeous! Ambery resin and patchouli and sweet vanilla -- not buttery, but sweet -- all in perfect harmony. Wait. *checks notes again*

 

Drydown: I have a hard time picking out notes for this. It's warm, resinous and woody, with just enough sweetness and spiciness to keep it from being too dry. It's definitely dry, though, and if I hadn't read the notes, I'd have sworn there was cocoa and tobacco in here.

 

It has a gentle throw and fades fairly quickly, alas.

 

All in all -- this is not what I expected, and my nose keeps imagining notes that aren't there. But it's gorgeous and incredibly well-balanced. I may pass it on just for the lack of longevity -- but I do really love it while it's on my skin.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Mmm. Patchouli (which is beautiful, mellow yet rich, subdued, and sooo smooth) and coffee (which is almost chocolaty!) just enough sweetness from the vanilla, though I can't pick it out individually. To me the spices are translating as something slightly green, and it's really pleasant. This is a subtle patchouli scent, not punch-you-in-the-face-Patch, I think I could easily wear it to work. It's very light.

 

 

 

Dry: This is musky, and I don't know why, but I love it. It's a gorgeous skin scent. I like that it's not all that strong, as so many of my perfumes are. This is so much more than the sum of it's parts. Yes. there's patchouli and coffee and vanilla and some herbs/spices. But it's also chocolaty and musky and just...lovely.