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.

This is by far my favorite fragrance for wintertime! It smells exactly like you are at your grandma's house in Seattle for Christmas. There is a rich, festive smell emanating through the air. You look on the table and see someone left the bottle of bourbon vanilla extract open, which your aunt must have used to make her infamous chocolate bourbon fudge! You grab a piece and walk over to admire the freshly cut Christmas tree. Not only are the decorations beautiful, but the tree itself has a pleasing aroma of sticky-sweet sap and earthy wood undertones.You cozy up beside the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa and a wave of relaxation comes over you. Christmastime in Seattle has finally arrived!

This perfume is magnificent. I have never been able to pick out so many individual notes in a perfume before so this is amazing. It feels so dirty (in a good way) and alive this perfume is raw outdoors for me and makes me feel like I am out in a damp leafy forest breathing in the smells of the sap weeping from the trees and forest floor. Wow oh wow, very different from my usual style of perfume but I can really appreciate the time and expertise which has gone into making this perfume. I urge everyone to try some of these perfumes, I received such a lovely package in the mail, it was just beautiful and worth every cent and more I spent on them. Keep working your magic Ellen!

I love this scent! The opening and first 30 minutes remind me of what the witch's cottage in Hansel and Gretel would smell like in a deep, deep forest. A sublime mix of evergreen forest and dark chocolate. After a while the dark chocolate takes over the composition and is very very true, but there is a slight bit of the forest hanging in the background. I love this scent and cant wait to get it this Winter and wear it at Christmastime. Gorgeous festive chocolates hanging on a silver snow glittering fresh cut silver fir... After a while it sweetens up a bit from a slight touch of vanilla...but this is a dark chocolate concoction with a deep forest gothic-y feel--I love

I used to live right outside Seattle. This perfume takes me back! It's like I just got a gourmet hot chocolate from one of the several coffee stands in town, and went for a drive through the nearby forest in autumn or winter. The trees are green, sky is gray, it's chilly outside and I'm bundled up in the car. Of course it's drizzling lol. It's definitely a dark chocolate and the woodiness is very pronounced on my skin. Outdoorsy and delicious! Unisex but maybe slightly masculine leaning. If I wanted to make it girlie, I'd layer a vanilla or marshmallow perfume with it. Must like the scent of the rugged outdoors and powdery dark chocolate.

Rarely am I compelled to write a review so soon after testing a fragrance, but with Seattle Chocolate, two wearings were all I needed. This is like nothing I've ever sampled before. It begins with an intense chocolate note, which quickly gives way to a dry cocoa powder. This mingles with woody, coniferous evergreens, vanilla and musk. The effect these notes have together on my skin is reminiscent of the scent of Satya (blue box) Nag Champa incense... amazing! I can't stop sniffing my wrist. Longevity is fabulous; the scent softens considerably after a few hours, but remains tenacious. Full bottle worthy.

On me, this is dark-ish chocolate and sappy caramel woods. Mellow and androgynous. I am not a fan of über gourmand chocolate perfumes, so this suits me really well as it has just the right amount of sweetness, probably from a little vanilla in the base. Very pleasant and natural. Like sitting down on a mossy rock in the Columbia River Gorge and snapping a square off a good dark chocolate bar. Definitely get the conifers and the feel of the Pac NW. (Wrote my original review in 2014 and came back to update it in 2022 after trying a brand new sample. It’s still wonderful!)

I won a sample of this and a few other new scents from Olympic Orchids in a givaway on the perfumers blog. Evergreens and chocolate might seem like a strange combination, but it really works! It not like chocolate in an evergreen forest but more like chocolate with a evergreen flavor note! As a matter of fact in the giveaway I also received a little box of chocolates flavored with something evergreen (pine or fir?)... So I can say with some measure of confidence that chocolates and evergreens is a match made in heaven, both in scent and taste!

My first sniff from the house and I am amazed. Goes on and stays on strong. Infinite silage and longevity. A very rich chocolate note with a nice added fir note for depth. Plenty of sweetness but not cloying or childish. It reminds me of Choco Musk but for grown ups. The musk element is their but a bit tamer and more subdued. Very unisex and best for cooler temps. I have a decant of Arizona and I hope it's half as good as Seattle!

I was generously, lovingly and so unexpectedly gifted this by Katgirl76. This is a VERY strong like for me. It's a different spin on chocolate. It's dusty, dry, dark cocoa. A bit spicy. I definitely smell the woods, pine scent. I layered it with Al-,Rehab Chocomusk. This is very different and "headshopp-y" to my nose. I'm very interested now in this house and will be exploing more of their fragrances. Thank you so much Katgirl76!!

Olympic Orchids Seattle Chocolate Creamy, thick, dark chocolate billowing under accents of evergreen fir. The fir used in Seattle Chocolate bears resemblance to other OO creations, namely Blackbird. Cool, mentholated and balsamic. The combination of realistic dark chocolate, light vanilla, sugared white musk, and grounding notes of fresh fir and woods, put forward both a unique gourmand experience and outstanding wearability.

Dark chocolate nirvana! Oh my! Exquisite rich dark chocolate that is married with this amazing fir. They are a match made in heaven! Any chocolate lover must try this. It is so good! This is a masterpiece. A perfect winter fragrance. It is very long lasting and projects well. Olympic Orchids deserves so much love and attention. This is one of the best houses ever. Ellen Covey is a master of the olfactory arts!

My 3rd scent into this house and I am loving every one of them. This one is dark woodsy, dark chocolate, semi spice, with a tiny hint of sweetness. Perfect for cooler weather and is long-lasting. I am quite bored of today's safe generic scent that every big brand is pushing. This one is interesting and makes me sniff my arm thru out the day.

Seattle Chocolate - Not what I was expecting. My first impression was not very favorable. I found the chocolate note almost overbearing. So much so that I almost wanted to scrub it off. The fir note I was anticipating was only detectable for a few minutes during the opening. A few hours later I reapplied the fragrance only this time I applied much more, about 1/4 of the sample. Now the fir note was much more prominent although the chocolate note was still the most dominant. About an hour into the fragrance I detected a coffee note even though coffee isn't listed. During the evening the fir note subsided and what remained was soft powdery chocolate which was rather pleasant. Today I inadvertently applied the rest of the sample. Seattle Chocolate has won me over. There's like this tension between the chocolate and fir note that's hard to describe. I would love to wear this fragrance when I'm in rare form, feeling grungy or whatever, not giving a sh*t. What also made me warm up to Seattle Chocolate is I was able to detect the poplar bud note. For the life of me I can't figure out why poplar buds aren't used more often in perfumery. I LOVE their sweet resinous scent, kind of reminds me of the smell of Pepsi. Longevity lasted about 10 hours. The projection was average which is what I prefer. I don't like leaving a scent trail or having to smell my arm all day in order to detect the fragrance. I'm very glad I discovered this house. The prices are very reasonable and the quality is top notch. I'm looking forward to sampling more of their fragrances.

172) Green chocolate Mixture étrange. Elle s'ouvre sur du chocolat noir amer roulé dans des aiguilles de pin, du clou de girofle et du cannabis. Une fois le mélange bien tassé vous l'allumez et directement vous vous envolez dans les hauteurs (de Seattle?). La mousse et le musc ressortent dans le coeur ce qui apporte un équilibre à la force du cacao. Sur peau le parfum est chaud et il y a un réel mélange entre le cacao et les notes balsamiques. Sur papier le parfum reste frais, le chocolat disparaissant complétement, et ne quitte plus l'ambiance forestière. Cette vrai dichotomie pourrait être une déception au moment du test selon que vous préférez un côté ou l'autre. Le fond est un délicat mélange de vanille et de notes boisées. L'ouverture est identique à Hungry Hungry Hippies de Smell Bent. Bonne tenue et bon sillage. Strange mixture. It opens with the dark chocolate rolled in pine needles, clove and cannabis. Once the mixture well tamped you light it and you fly directly in the heights (of Seattle?). Moss and musk emerge in the heart that brings balance to the force of cocoa. On skin the scent is warm and there is a real mix of cocoa and balsamic notes. On paper the scent remains fresh chocolate disappearing completely, and never leaves the forest atmosphere. This dichotomy could be a real disappointment when testing depending on whether you prefer one side or the other. The background is a delicate blend of vanilla and woody notes. The opening is identical to Hungry Hungry Hippies Smell Bent. Good longevity and good sillage.

Gourmands often do not agree with me, and admittedly this sample has sat virtually untouched in my collection for several months, but I felt inspired and decided to try this again. I am so glad I did. The chocolate here feels warmer, perhaps lighter, than that of this house's California Chocolate offering. The fir gives this a forested glow that was lost on me when I first tried it. Dry weather is a must for this fragrance. This is such a unique chocolate scent, you will not find another chocolate-forward perfume like this. It is unique without being overly complicated. If you love gourmands and want something a bit more challenging and multifaceted, try this. If you tend to dislike gourmands but remain curious and would like to stretch your imagination on what a gourmand can be, this is a good selection for you too. (The people saying this isn't gourmand just don't like it if you want my opinion...)