Mexican Cocoa

What a little gem from Pacifica! I've tried/owned a few of their other scents and none has impressed me as much as this one. The opening smells almost exactly like amaretti cookies - the almond is quite dominant and I think the cherry some reviewers experience comes from this almond note. After a few minutes, the cinnamon comes into play, but it's sweet cinnamon, not the dry, piquant powder of the spice rack. I don't get much cocoa from this scent, though if it's anywhere, it's about an hour in, when the almond and cinnamon have relaxed at last into a warming, enveloping hug. I'd agreed with the reviewer who mentioned that the scent has a kind of 'sheerness' that keeps it from tipping over into full-blown, rich gourmand territory. It's definitely foody, but wears lightly. Projection is decent - no need to keep sniffing my wrist while wearing this, though I do it anyway! If pressed, I'd say this is more of an almond fragrance than a cocoa one - if you love the scent of Amaretti di Saronno, this one is for you! NOTE: This review is for the perfume, not the solid (it appears most of the less-enthusiastic reviews are for the solid form, but unfortunately I haven't tested it so I can't make a comparison)

This scent is delicious if you love all of its notes - because they are definitely all present. In the initial spritz and for the first five to ten minutes I smell mostly almond and nutmeg. For the rest of its duration all of the notes come through together into a very smooth and nicely balanced blend on my skin. This is a good choice for a very light, slightly spicy, not overly sweet cocoa scent. I like to spray this one in my hair, it smells great and seems to last a bit longer there. It's a lovely delectable scent, but on my skin the sillage and longevity are pretty disappointing. I definitely have to reapply if I want it to last all day, but I still really enjoy it. Lasts longer and projects better in cooler weather. Layers really really well with other Pacifica scents. Edit: Try layering this one with Tibetan Mountain Temple. It reminds me of a crystallized ginger dark chocolate bar!

OK, now that I own this, I need to revise: The solid perfume opens with wedding cake style sweet almond - YAY! and some cinnamon & clove. The almond starts to fade and it's cinnamon, clove, vanilla with a very faint citrus scent. MUCHO NICE!!! On drydown, it fades too quickly, but the vanilla, milk chocolate and spices are still there. This smells so wonderful, I wish it lasted forever!!! ******************end revision On me, it opened with more chocolate with some clove. Very quickly, it smelled EXACTLY like toothache medicine. "CLOVE"-rwhelming; I actually expected my wrist to go numb. I really liked it, honestly, but I'm not sure I can pull it off... (perhaps in colder weather.) Ah, but once it dried down, the chocolate dominated again, with the clove softly hanging out in the background. Very nice finish and certainly worth checking out.

Mexican Cocoa opens smelling strongly of almond extract, with that sweet-creamy cherry aroma. As it wears, it becomes more piquant and warm as the almond blends with the spices and vanilla. I think of cinnamon and nutmeg sprinkled over a soft, honeyed vanilla base. The overall effect is a little like freshly-baked cookies, though it’s not overtly sweet or foody. This fragrance is invitingly spicy, warm and round. I do get the sense of a soft chocolate note in the mix, but overall it’s the almond and spices that take centre stage. If you’re looking for a fragrance with an obvious chocolate note, this probably isn't it. Personally, I love this mix of understated chocolate, almond, and spices. This subtle, warm, and cozy fragrance would wear perfectly on cold winter days.

A sweet delight of delicious perfume! The first approach is a crisp spicy sweetness. There is a bit of clove, immediate nutmeg, then soothing almond. I find a serenity in this intriguing blend, not too gourmand but just right. I find myself drawn to my arm for a calming sensation. This is a delicacy for me and incredibly sexy and scrumptious in the cooler weather!

156 This was my favorite from the old line. Very unique and well balanced. Wish they’d bring it back, as the products now are disappointing. A rich cocoa, cinnamon, bitter almonds, and a citrus-like note(nutmeg?). This was very comforting and delicious. Like another reviewer said, nothing has come out like it. 9/10-it’s discontinued

This is a dead ringer for Jo Malone's Blue Agave and Cacao...at a much cheaper price! Arghhh....I bought the Jo Malone at full retail before I found this one. I love Pacifica fragrances (and their soaps too). Very nicely blended, natural, and easy on the pocketbook.

Cloves and nutmeg is what totally stands out to me...when I wear it it reminds of ginger bread cookies or baking...very yummy the chocolate does come later definately...but this is a great blend of spicy sweetness!!!

At first spray, Mexican Cocoa reminds me of chocolate covered cherries mixed with cinnamon. Cloves tend to help fragrances last longer, but here, the cloves quickly seem to overpower the other ingredients. The longer Mexican Cocoa is on skin, the softer it gets, and the cocoa mixed with cinnamon becomes a bit more prominant. Still, cloves remain strong in this one, which is why it reminds some of us of an air freshener. Overall, Mexican Cocoa spray perfume lasts about 6 to 8 hours, fading with time. Intense at first spray, it settles very close to skin within the first hour. It's dry & spicy, not creamy. It's not too sweet, so is good as a unisex perfume.

This perfume mostly smells like clove on me, with a bit of cinnamon, but the clove is probably just my imagination. At the beginning it is sharply spicy, and as it dries down it becomes mellower and sweeter, but it says spicy throughout. There is an artificial oranges smell in the background, but it isn't strong enough to be obnoxious, and it doesn't wreck the perfume. I honestly don't smell much chocolate or almonds, but that's okay because I love spicy perfumes and wish there were more out there. It's so great that Pacifica dared to do something a bit different and pulled it off so well.

Mmm, cozy! I mainly get sweet almonds from this, it has a spicy dryness to it though, not syrupy-sweet. It has a smooth blend of spicy and creamy, and they're all sweet baking spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg. But somehow it manages to not be too foody, and also not incense-shop spicy, it's just very creamy and soft. In the solid perfume, it's definitely a little understated, I'm anxious to try the spray since those tend to be stronger. The chocolate note isn't very pronounced to me, it's more of a creamy/milky/vanillic feel than bitter cocoa, but it's there.

I love this perfume. I spray it in the air and dance under it. It smells exactly like spicy cinnamony mexican chocolate. I get a bit of citrus and spice in the beginning, then it dries to chocolate almond spice. It works really well with my chemistry. I found the solid version of this to be nuttier and rounder, less sharp and spicey than the spray. I can't find the solid version of this anymore..what gives??

have never found anything else that compares to this blend. Dry vanilla cocoa with a tinge of bitter almond. My mom's absolute favorite as well after she smelled it on me years back when Whole Foods carried it. Discontinued sadly, but after months of patiently waiting for an eBay notification for an affordable bottle, I finally scored some as a gift for my Momma

I don't get much cocoa out of this fragrance, but it is a warm, spicy gourmand scent. It's strongly cinnamon-y and musky; perfect for a comforting pick-me-up on a cold, rainy day. The spray perfume is a bit intense to wear, and stings my sensitive skin upon application, so I won't wear this much. However, it's PERFECT for a room scent, and I love the candles.

Lots of bitter almond and nutmeg on opening which gives a fresh aromatic accord that somehow suggests a hint of lemon. On the skin cinnamon makes an entrance, then a little naughty kick of clove. Dries down to a lush spiced vanilla and deep cocoa. Luxurious, a little dry in a good way, and not too heady with sweetness.

Gorgeous, spicy, unique. This warms up a room and beyond! Definitely calls to mind xocolātl, upon which I presume it's based. I smell cayenne and chili peppers right up there with the cinnamon. The lasting power and sillage are incredible...be careful not to over-spray this one!

Warm, spicy, a touch sweet but not as sweet as you'd think for the notes. Sort of a dark chocolate, dusty, like mix for hot chocolate. More spicy sweet than chocolatey sweet. Great warm gourmand scent but not as chocolatey as you might hope.

This is super spicy and smells like straight up cloves and nutmeg on me. It also starts off with a blast of marzipan, which I don't like, but that quickly disappears. This is a strange one from Pacifica. Strange, but not bad.

This is surprisingly fresh for a chocolate based scent. The chocolate is the centre note for me, but there is also a light spiciness that stops it from being too heavy or sweet. A must-try for chocolate lovers.

My caveat on this review is that my body chemistry WRECKS a lot of quality juice, so my experience is no fault of the perfumer. I mainly post this type of review so that anyone who has the same issues that I have doesn’t feel that it’s only them, or that their bottle is spoiled. I love Mexican style cocoa, so I figured this would be a shoe-in. I have successfully worn Comptoir Sud Pacifique’s Amour de Cacao and loved it. On the other hand, no chocolate or cocoa smell by BPAL has ever been pleasant on me. I loved this out of the bottle; almond and clove being my first impressions. Unfortunately, about ten minutes in on my skin, it turned into a smell I can only describe as being a cross between Band- Aid and Silly Putty. Luckily, most things that are bad on me are LOVELY on my husband, so he is the lucky recipient of my brand new bottle of Pacifica Mexican Cocoa.