Grenadille d'Afrique

10-something years in the fragrance scene as a spectator and I know by now that I can blind buy any of the fragrances a. made by Guerlain and b. composed by Alberto Morillas, and I will not regret even if it won't fit me because it won't feel cheap. Grenadille d'Afrique is no exception to this rule, in fact, it reminds me why I decided that Mr. Morillas was an amazing nose in the first place. We -normal people- can't just drop some violet and a dash of tea into a manly-man concoction and turn it into a silhouette of a purple-velvet-dress-wearing-curvy-woman but hello, Mr. Morillas did it.

Oh my goodness, this is a lovely, sweet, musky, powdery scent for all year round day. The powdery scent stays with the musk and sweet at the same time. Now, I can say the Aedes Perfumery House hit a home run with this perfume. It is great to know of an American Perfume house is serious in giving the customer the very best new fragrance.I will be adding this to my niche collection.

Very pleasant, but not what I was expecting. Quite spicy-floral in the beginning, settling into plummy tea with a touch of powdery violet. A very fine, feminine fragrance.

This wonderful fragrance reminds me of dark cherries and tobacco ♡♡♡♡♡

Grenadille d'Afrique is another Alberto Morillas creation for Aedes de venustas. This one is very different from Palissandre d'Or, the other Morillas creation for this house. It is supposed to be an interpretation of the African Blackwood tree but in reality is a somewhat sweet, powdery vetiver. Violet and lavender are up front, joined by the a herbal juniper and vetiver heart. The vanilla sweetens things up a bit while the labdanum adds a bit of dryness to the whole composition. Overall, a very pleasant feeling combination of notes for me here, especially if you like violet or powdery notes.Projection is quite strong for the first hour and a half or so, easily 6 feet. settles in a bit after that but I was getting strong whiffs for a long time. Really good there. Longevity again is in the 6-8 hour range. So very happy with the performance. Final thoughts. This is another good release from this House and Mr. Morillas. Did not wow me as such but I really enjoyed wearing the frag and feedback was good as well. Not Full bottle but definitely decant worthy. If a sweet floral, powdery take on vetiver sounds like something you'd like, definitely sample this.

I immediately have a slap of crunchy and smoky vetiver, sour bergamot, accompanied by juniper, flavored with lavender, tea and violet that remind me of a hard grape candy. This phase lasts 5 minutes before indulging in an intimate perfume with a whispered sillage. This is followed by a labdanum with dusty musks, hard and compact woods and amber sweetness balanced with the bitterness of infinite vetiver. ... On my skin I get a sweet-salty. Basically a nice hard and raw vetiver, elegantly surrounded by a masculine violet, old school but not ancient, with a ripe, protective, fresh aura of a spicy and tonic smoky. Pleasant, firm, clean soapy, still bitter and more dusty dark in the finish. Easily recognizable as a personal signature, firm, masculine, straight and stubborn in a good way. It is pleasant and easily good. The performance is not the best. I get an intimate sillage but excellent longevity. Perhaps for the price it is a bit too ... "safe" choose?

I love incense frags and woody notes as well as lavender, so I thought this was going to be out of sight. It's meh. I have a large 8 ml sample from STC. This is day one. It's a warmer spring day and this just...dissipates. The top and middle notes have a fruited sweet quality with a synthetic vibe (vanilla and vetiver perhaps? And the violet may be adding to that as well, a weird candied sweetness). Violet is not a note that does well on me. But the rest of it is quite nice after an hour. I wish the lavender was pumped up a bit. The dry down IS good. It has a real laudanum dry down with a faint whiff of animalic (barely there), a warm "amber" quality is there nose to wrist, (the vanilla kicking in). By the two-hour mark this is hovering about 3 inches from where I spritzed. I'm going to give it a few more wears (we have some colder days moving in at end of week, so I'll try then).

A vivid cardamom nuance hits me immediately, and when I didn’t see it listed among the notes, I almost doubted myself because I know that smell too well, and I adore it. I’m convinced the juniper + lavender + bergamot trio is responsible for this illusion. The result is both cool and warm at once, with a subtle leathery undertone, earthy vetiver and a vanillic hum that softens everything. It’s elegant, grounded, and quietly complex. Morillas never misses. As it dries down, the woody aspect grows more defined, the warmth deepens but never overwhelms. Perfectly balanced, perfectly poised. Tag(s): cardamom-like, woody aromatic

Very nice opening of floral airy woods with support of synthetic sandalwood and juniper, giving an impression of African blackwood (aka grenadille d'Afrique). The drydown is a refined vetiver note, with support of some musky rose, sharing clear similarities with Diptyque Vetyverio EdP and Buxton Emotional Drop. Very nicely blended, but unfortunately, I cannot recommend it because of its poor projection, unexcusable at this price point, not even at discounters. (even if longevity is great) Spring/Fall days, 25+

This is a unisex/male leaning vetiver supported by violet, tea, and light woody notes. What I don't like about it is how light it is. I wish the violet and lavender popped a bit more. It turns into a basic vetiver and tea fragrance in the dry down. Could be better. Needs more violet and lavender. Disappointing for the price point.

A kind of dusty dry vetiver and tea I get from this, with a touch of violet to help elevate it a bit. It's ok, but could be more interesting if it had a fruity note in it maybe. It feels like it isn't quite finished.

A quintessential woody-aromatic fragrance, with a sharp grassiness that's verging on bitter. It softens gradually in the dry down, developing just a hint of vanillic sweetness. I's natural, wry, and unsentimental.

Airy, masculine, green/barbershoppy, too light. 5/10

The scent is quite heavy and unpleasant. Overall, it has a very mature and old-fashioned vibe, which makes it feel a bit too ‘old’ for me. If you're 80 years old, it might be a good choice, but for me, it’s too intense and overwhelming. I think it could be suffocating for daily use. One of my least favorite perfumes

Aedes is one of my favorite houses but this was a scent that I received as a sample and then mostly ignored, as it leaned too masculine for me. Also Grenadille is the wood they make clarinets out of, and I'm an orchestral clarinetist by trade so I felt weird walking around smelling slightly like my job. That said... this has actually become my husband's signature scent, and I finally bought him a full bottle for our anniversary. He jokes that I've turned him into a clarinet... but it's a sexy, mysterious clarinet OK?! It's hard to explain. The scent really comes into its own after about 20 minutes. I'll get whiffs of it down the hallway. It's not cloying or loud, never demands your attention - it's a gentleman's fragrance with understated confidence and undeniable charisma. It gives my (38-year-old) husband "maybe he's born with it" energy. The sillage is such that it darts in and out of view throughout the day, so I never go nose blind to it or get sick of it. It works well as an evening scent but it's a disciplined enough fragrance that he can wear it work as well. It strikes an impressive balance that way. I appreciate it so much and I hope the formula never changes, because it is unique and I want to smell it on him forever.

Green boring. Just that I don't relate to green dominated scents in any passionate way just as a hater of anything sweet and candylike would not to all the vanilla scents out there. My main moan are the lack of anything exotic; a scent using Juniper, vetiver and the 2 most overused florals in the designer game?? Come on Yes the amber/vanilla adds a bit of modern sweetness - but it's not like they're uncommon in the ingredients list of a billion other perfumes either. No matter how good the Quality; it shows through here. You're paying £150 for this bottle remember; DG Homme Intense smells quite close similar and that is barely £50. A better, more upmarket smell will need a different floral or accompanying notes, simple My rating: 2/10

2022 Edit: What an ugly new bottle, hmmm I am glad I got the old purple bottle with the gold cap ;( yikes Oh my goodness, it's so good! The name says it's all "Aedes de Venustas’ seventh scent explores the age-old landscape of Africa in a tribute to ancient ebony". You can close your eyes and in an instant be transported far away to the vast African savanna. It is made by one of the best perfumers in the industry Alberto Morillas and it shows, the pure imagination in the bottle. Thank you for another masterpiece, Mr. Alberto Morillas...bravo!

The opening is nutty, earthy and mellow as the vetiver, labdanum and vanilla take centre stage. The top notes seem to last for only a fleeting while. These dry down to a predominantly vanilla and white musk base which is very pleasant. Intimate even. Grenadille d'Afrique doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it's lovely. If you're looking for something loud you won't find it here, in fact I would call this a skin scent, but one that's comforting and personal.

The most surreal greenish note of vetiver in the perfume world. Period. It is dark woody herbal green which will grasp you in its powerful spell. This is genuine Indian Vetiver. Absolutely stunning. Masterclass. Just tried it at the perfumery boutique in Barcelona.

The first notes that hit my nose is the White peppery incense/frankincense. It rests on a resinous, woody base, a touch of spices(cinnamon) and amber.