Art Collection by Jacomo #08

Note: Posting this again with a few edits coz I didn't realize I'm not signed in. Sorry for the previous post as Guest The bottle itself is very nice, but I did have a tiny problem with the box packaging. They have put images of Lord Ganesha on the cover. I really wish foreign companies stopped doing that - going straight for religious icons in the name of exploring culture. It might not pose a problem for most people but I'm still holding on to the box because we just cant throw something with a picture of a god casually into the dustbin. Please, I wish they would take this into consideration. ______________________________________________________ This is one of the most unique pieces I've smelled, yet it took me a really long time to come up with this review as I finally figured my thoughts about it. However, fist things first, I don't think this is a masala chai scent. I'm from India and a regular homemade masala chai is quite different from the packaged teabag, and I quote, "exotic spiced Indian chai tea" (The most intense form of pretentious redundancy I've encountered in the west) version sold in other countries. I recently moved to US, and it has come to my notice that people's version of masala chai is quite different from our own, the former one being rather more elaborate in it's ingredients while a home made masala chai is rather more simplistic, with fresh cut ginger and cardamom taking the lead in a balanced proportion well infused with the chai. The supposed spiced tea I've tried here just feels like spice water rather than tea, probably because they put too much quantity of spices(esp clove, which is weird) for commercial purposes. That being said, I don't get the masala chai whiff from this. I was confused yet enchanted with the first whiff. I got cardamom, face first. The most delicious form of cardamom, and not in a foody way mind you. Cardamom is an essential ingredient in most Indian desserts, which is why I'm vary of it being in a perfume because it always reminds me of home food. But not this, it did not in any way took my mind towards desserts. In fact to me it was like experiencing cardamom on its own for the first time. I was trying to work out the notes that alongside cardamom created the lovely first experience. I thought it was a little bit of clove combination but I was really surprised when I checked here as ginger and tea being the other top notes. Honestly I don't get ginger here, maybe it has been combined so well or it's just my skin. I don't get the tea either, so chai is out for me. As I said, it took me a while to work this out but the first whiff kept reminding me of something and no it was not the synthetic masala chai flavour of the west but rather something else. And then it hit me today as I put it on. I don't think anyone would have heard of this product, I think it's only used in India. It's called "Chyawanprash" - a jam like cooked mixture of sugar, honey, Triphala, ghee, sesame oil, berries and other naturally available herbs and spices(around 25 - 28). Its origin lies in the ancient science of Ayurveda. This concoction is an immunity booster and keeps various illnesses at bay if taken regularly. Cardamom, ginger etc are also part of this and the smell of this fragrance is exactly like the sharp tang of chyawanprash. This really surprised me because like I said I don't think of food upon smelling this but it is that smell just in a non edible way. So this is not masala chai, just the masala rather. (And stop calling it Chai Tea for the love of God and English) Coming back to the notes, the top one is cardamom dominated. Not the sharp greeny raw cardamom but rather like a bit roasted and creamy. This is probably due to the milk and honey. It has a pleasant sweetness to it but not in a overtly candied way. I don't know what Freesia smells like so I can't talk about it but I think it contributes to a very well hidden floral note to it. The dried fruits blend in well with the other notes. You'd think honey, milk and dry fruits will be too sweetish but it's not really. The perfect blend of cardamom cuts down the sweetness. For me the transition from the top notes to the middle notes is very fluid. You won't detect it until you pay attention to it. The fresh yet warm opening will turn creamier gradually, without losing it's body. The drydown is pretty much the mentioned base notes. I do get the amber as it combines so well with honey and milk in this. The cardamom remains till the end, well infused. The drydown is slightly more sweetish but never in a candy way. The term warm & fresh spicy is really apt. Although the spice is mainly cardamom here, nothing in your face. This perfume is like a very comfy and soft blanket that engulfs you and keeps you going. The ambery undertone makes it perfect for cold days. The longevity is decent, it's stronger in winters. The sillage ranges from medium to skin close, and trust me that's how this should be as you don't want the cardamom filling up the room. The dry down is pure delicious, I can't stop sniffing myself. I do think that the drydown is more amber dominated though. Though I do wear it sometimes in all seasons, it still is perfect for winters. It doesn't turn sour or foul for me in summers but the effect is not the same. This is simply because of the nature of cardamom itself. We increase the consumption of cardamom and ginger during the winters only, because it's comforting. The same goes for this. I used this a lot in the heavy winters and snowstorms this year in Iowa and it kept me warm and happy. This is rather well blended scent and its fluidity is continuous. So if you're kind of the person who looks for complex notes and bases, this might not be the one for you. This is a simple piece with specific notes, blended so well that it's magic. There is a reason I guess why this is the Art series because this one is. It has a rather sweetish quality to it but I definitely think it's unisex. A man can pull this off. This reminds of Delhi or anywhere in northern India in winters. The coldwave-chilly nights and fog covered morning when the visibility is down to zero and you just crave warmth or rather an illusion of it.

Finally I have this wonderpoison - like masala chai, but at the same time not gourmand. It is clearly a perfume and not some food you spray on. I second and laudate the review by NebraskaLovesScent. But where she smelled no fruits, for me the middle notes are clearly detactable and stay with me for a long time. The 3 stages are all identifiable and transit smoothly in another. The glorious concoction of uplifting spices from the topnotes,blended togehter wih a bit of lightness from the dried fruits and the milk, and all throughout you really feel the energizing effect of cinnamon and ginger. The uplifting and "fresh"(for lack of a better word) character fits geniously together with the understated sweetness of the honey and the depth and earthyness of the amber and milk! Oh - the longvity and sillage is great, even after 11 hrs I faintly smell it on my wrist, and I just had to use 1 spritz. The projection was quite detectable - to other people ;) This scent is a mixture of notes which all of them I dearly love, so I can do nothing else but HIGHLY recommend this, love this, and thank the perfumer for creating this! Might have to stock up on this... Now I'm dying to test the other two of the line!

The perfumed equivalent to a lightly toasted hot cross bun and a glass of refreshing iced tea :) I find similarities with Diors 'escale a pondichery' Both have the tea and cardamom notes. There is almost a freshly baked bread aroma with this scent, interlaced with dried spicy fruits,hence why hot cross bun springs to mind. The cardamom helps to boost 2 ingredients in this. With cardamoms spicy, herbal quality it combines beautifully with the dried fruits, to give this fragrance Pizazz, and it also helps give the tea note a boost in the longevity department,as i normally find tea notes in perfumes abit fleeting (sadly) but that is not the case with this scent, thanks to cardamom. Ginger also plays a prominent 'zingy' role Im finding it hard to detect freesia and honey, i think their main part is to provide this fragrance with a creamy,sweet presence and to stop the ingredients from becoming to spicy. This is my 2nd favourite from the collection :) this fragrance would be particularlywelcoming in the spring/summer months to provide a refreshing feeling, but it would also go down a treat on a balmy summers night too :) xxx

I had never heard about this fragrange before a couple of members recommented it to me (based on my profile, and especially my love for cardamom and black tea). And they were really right! It lives up to what it promises, so if you enjoy the notes listed, I believe you will most likely enjoy the scent. The dried fruits had worried me a bit (it was a blind buy) but while they - and their sweetness - are definitely there, they are balanced by the cardamon and ginger. The black tea smells natural (and not musky-sweet-perfumery, as tea notes smell in many fragrances). #08 is spicy and sweet, fresh and warm, dry and mouthwatering - all at the same time. The naturalness and type of scent make it different from most mainstream fragrances I know of - I doesn't have that typical 'perfumery' smell. I got Jacomo #08 this summer, but enjoy it more now in autumn/winter. Recently, I listed it as one of my "happy" fragrances, because it has this effect on my mood. This fragrance has personality, but it is very approachable and easy likable, I think Medium sillage, medium/below medium longevity.

To my surprise, #08 is my favorite of the Jacomo Art Collection scent. It's very gourmand and smells just like the spicy masala tea I drank from the tea stalls in India, and which we usually refer to as "chai" here in the U.S. There's lots of ginger and cardamom in this spicy brew. I don't smell the fruit and flowers at all, but the milk, honey and cinnamon are all there. Truly, it smells edible (or should I say drinkable?) upon first spray, but gets less sweet and more woody as it dries down. It stays close to the skin but has excellent longevity. I agree with pandorosa that this will be great for autumn and winter. #08 has a lot in common with L'Artisan's Tea for Two and Fendi Theorema. I believe both of those scents are now discontinued, and if you miss them, you may find #08 to be a worthy substitute.