Seattle Chocolate

In the depths of the Amazon, the nights stay hot and damp. Waxy orchids climb the trees giving off the faintest scent of vanilla. There are no stars, they are swallowed by the dense forest canopy pitting me in its depths. The sweltering air around me is thickened ink, black pudding. Leopards have been here, and their terrifying vocal scowls echo throughout the atmosphere. On the forest floor there is rich, loamy soil and spent cocao pods, cracked and whole. Some are rotting and there is a bitter perfume covering my toes. I have brought the Great Northwest Rainforests with me here, to this jungle of the Equator. Comforted in my hands is the top of my thermos, filled to the brims with the remaining liquid from the flask. The cocao nibs gifted to me by the locals have been brewed into a chewy-thick tea of dark proportions: chocolate in its bitterest guise, whispers of vanilla and cinnamon liqueurs, the evergreens of my Northern home. It is a magical potion I drink, whose fumes I inhale as I look to the coveted stars, invisible to me. I am surround by lushness, a tinge of excited fear, and two forests worlds apart. I dive into the overgrown vines, leaves, and wood smothered in cocoa and the threat of carnivorous cats looming in my vicinity. Olympic Orchids has sent a plaything from the Evergreen rainforests of the North as a gift to the sinister secrets in an Amazon jungle: chocolate has come full circle.

Rich, dark chocolate truffles growing in a wooded forest, I can't seem to get the imagery out of my head. Seattle Chocolate opens with a wonderful cacao note--dry, bittersweet and natural. This dark chocolate powder is complemented so well by the emerging green notes. Very much an evergreen fir fragrance that gives a toasty fir-needle accord in combination with the chocolate's bitter dryness. A little fir balsam lends a slightly medicinal quality that yields a bit of a metallic vibe. It's almost as if a sliver of foil was accidentally left on the delicious chocolate bar before stuffing it greedily into my mouth. Oakmoss adds a richness and depth, smoothing all the ingredients of this composition together. The touch of slightly boozy vanilla and musk adds just a glint of sugar to the fragrance. A very moreish perfume indeed without being overly gourmand. The evergreen twist is wonderfully unique and keeps me coming back to my sample again and again.

This is a unique and intriguing take on chocolate. Seattle Chocolate has a strong accord of fir, bringing to mind a deep, green, mossy forest. The fir tree notes mesh surprisingly well with the base of soft, smooth chocolate. The result is a woodsy dark chocolate scent. It’s cool and medicinal as it first hits my skin, smoothing out as it develops. As the fragrance dries down, it becomes a delightful soft-musky chocolate scent with hints of woodsmoke. Seattle Chocolate sits fairly close to the skin, and is less sweet than most chocolate scents...it reads as unisex to me. If you’re looking for a very sweet, gourmand take on chocolate, this wouldn’t be my first recommendation – California Chocolate from the same house is a more edible presentation of this note. Seattle Chocolate, by contrast, is less foody but slightly more sophisticated.

I wasn't so sure about this one at first. I received a sample as a gift, and thinking I wasn't into chocolate fragrances, I dumped about half of the vial onto my arm one day. The coniferous opening took me by surprise--I hadn't studied the notes, and I wasn't expecting this green, herbaceous smell. The longer I wore this the more gorgeous it got. The evergreen smell died down a lot after the first hour, then there was chocolate wafting up at me for most of the day. Toward the end of the day, this morphed into the most beautiful soft, sweet amber smell. It reminds me strongly of the premium dark amber resin incense sold by Tom's Incense. What an interesting and lovely perfume. I could still smell this on my arm the next morning. Can't wait to get my travel spray of this. 10/10

Although I really don’t bother with fragrances anymore, I felt I should write something about this one since I thought I already did. This is the contender for the contest of “if I had to choose one fragrance...” this could be it. An outstanding and well balanced fragrance crossing the lines of gourmand and green fragrances, it is able to strike a chord where it doesn’t lean too sweet or green, but right in the middle. As it dries down, more of the unsweetened chocolate is noticeable but is just perfect still. It’s heavy but light, long lasting but almost ethereal at the same time. This in my opinion is a masterpiece and will be a sleeper hit since this doesn’t get much attention. I will make sure to always keep this fragrance on hand until it no longer exists.