One spin-off of the recent
San Francisco Artisan Fragrance Salon, held in conjunction with a big chocolate
show, was the challenge I set myself to make a chocolate-themed fragrance for
the event. Let me say up front that I generally don’t like chocolate in
perfume, and don’t like working with chocolate as a perfume note, either.
Ready-mix synthetic chocolate accords smell cloying, and cacao absolute is a
bitch to work with, given its tendency to separate out from other materials. My
one previous attempt to use chocolate in a fragrance ended up with my disposing
of the result and going in an entirely different direction.
It was with some trepidation
that I approached the task, but I do like challenges and didn’t want chocolate
to get the best of me. I wanted to make something that was reminiscent of dark
chocolate, but with a sunny, California twist, sort of like an orange liqueur
cream filling. I started out with a yummy, not too sweet, dark cacao absolute, that I anchored
with Bourbon vanilla and soft musk, and brightened with a little bit of
patchouli. The California citrus theme
was represented by a mix of wild orange, grapefruit, neroli, yuzu, and white
cognac notes.
It worked. The cacao somehow
mysteriously merged into the mixture when I chilled and filtered it, resulting
in a crystal-clear, luscious gourmand fragrance.
![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GYB0qnq7uiE/UVnSt7lStuI/AAAAAAAAEZ4/METx4dWQLMw/s200/Sniff+glasses.jpg)
As the day wore on, I became
fascinated by people’s reactions when they smelled the California Chocolate
sniff glass. For the other glasses there was a variety of reactions, from
wrinkled noses and quick withdrawal to deep inhalations, to surprised or
pleased looks. However, the reaction to California Chocolate was pretty much
the same for everyone. They smiled!
![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ng1ojNcSM8k/UVnTR0qZzxI/AAAAAAAAEaA/uwIDhTR2eNM/s200/Yerba+Buena+Park.jpg)
Each time I watched, it made
me smile to know that I could make other people smile with something as simple as a
fragrance. Bringing happiness to people, even for a moment, makes it all seem
like a worthwhile endeavor.
[The bottom image is my photo of Yerba Buena Park in San Francisco, a place that makes me happy just to look at it.]
Sounds like it must be a both delicious and uplifting scent!
ReplyDeleteI am going to the site to see the sample selection. TEMPTRESS!!
ReplyDeletePortia x
Sounds yummy! Need any beta testers?? I make a Christmas ambient spray with main notes of cacao, wild orange, and frankincense. Sort of like sneaking a Terry's Chocolate Orange into Mass....
ReplyDeleteSo to get rid of the insoluble cacao, you chilled, then filtered? I will have to try that. Though the Xmas spray goes into dark green bottles, so it's not as critical for me.
I wonder if this smells like one of my favorite chocolate treats, candied orange slices dipped in dark chocolate?
ReplyDeleteYes indeed, all of my testers will get to smell California Chocolate as soon as I get things ready to send out. Now it looks like it will not be until next month, but that's OK. I'll have some extra items to add.
ReplyDelete