Iris Coffee

Not at all what I expected based on the description, difficult to place whether it is masculine or feminine leaning, or the exact genre altogether. The opening is very aromatic with loads of sparkly tart bergamot which kind of morph into a bit of an unlisted lavender note (as bergamot tends to do). The vanillic sweetness in the back and intense bergamot lavender make me think of Guerlain Jicky or Mouchoir de Monsieur so i immediately thought that this is very retro. Cardamon sitting in the background and a tad bit of an old school civet-like zing. I actually prefer the following phase of the scent, when the tart lavender facets from the top fade and you can freely enjoy a very well done smooth creamy iris with plenty of tonka which adds a certain nutty facet, which makes me wonder if that is what was intended as the otherwise absent coffee in the name. Some smooth grainless woody musk in the back. Very interesting, decidedly retro, more of an early 1900s dandy masculine in my opinion. I could imagine this in the Maitre Parfumeur e Gantier line as a colder, creamier Bois de Turquie.

I was very surprised about how much I loved how this opens - bitter coffee with sweet iris and tonka combo, some fresh and spicy vibe from citrus + cardammon combo. Masculine but easily worn also by females. It reminded me a bit of D600 from Carner Barcelona that I owned and wore a while ago (minus the coffee note). I would not say it is very heavy on the coffee part though, it morphs very quickly in a creamy spicy warm scent that for me felt a bit generic. If I would judge just by the first 2 hours I would gladly add this to my collection though, I think it would nicely fill a spot of creamy woody iris which I am very picky about. Nevertheless as we get to the drydown it loses it's power in two ways. First of all it doesn't project very strongly anymore, but does linger for 6+ hours. And the biggest dissapointment is how it dries down - a generic, syntethic musky iris I keep encountering over and over again. It simply does not work for me. Worth a try though I think. Did peak my interest for other creations by this house.

Given the close note proximity to Iris Torrefie, I wondered if there'd be a lot of overlap with the Guerlain. That one seems to skew more powdery/cosmetic/orris...more Dior Homme with a coffee note. Iris Coffee, however, skews more distinctly gourmand to me, gesturing towards Rochas Man, New Haarlem, and similar gourmands that paired lavender, coffee, and tonka bean. Sweet and pleasant with a sandalwoody drydown that feels like it has the same sandalwood aromachemical that their revival of Fleurs de Tabac has a lot of.

cloth test: the scent actually got even better when it warmed up in the sun. I'm going to have to try this sample again in the summer. It developed a lovely sweet note. skin test: really nice. Very rooty and earthy, much more so than the cloth test.

smells antique, leathery, like the inside of a grandparent or an uncle or auntie's car. it was okay! not the coffee scent of my dreams but my best friend was in love with it