Tonka Latte

Way back, at the beginning of the gourmand trend, it was my least favorite type of fragrance. I loathed and continue to loathe Angel, and it seemed like the trend was more for girls and young women who wanted to smell like strawberry cupcakes. I was probably missing out on more mature gourmands at that time out of ignorance, but over the years, I experimented with a few, and grew to love some of them, starting with Coronandel. Which brings me to Tonka Latte. In a way, it reminds me of Coromandel, which I attribute to the white chocolate. TL is softer than Coro, very cozy, and perfect for crisp fall days followed by cooler nights, where the fireplace is used for the first time of the season. It smells like a fine cashmere blanket feels! It is creamy and lactonic from the milk and the white chocolate, which I prefer so much more than chocolate or cocoa in a fragrance. The mid notes of tonka, honey, and almond lend a nutty sweetness that is not at all cloying, and the base notes don't stand out in particular, but do provide some underlying structure that holds things together. I own quite a few Dusita creations, and like all of the ones I own, with the exception of Melodie d'Amour and Rosarine, it doesn't have the greatest longevity. The projection is about elbow length at the beginning, but eventually becomes a skin scent on me. Right now, I own a large decant, but plan on purchasing a full bottle soon and using the decant to touch up. I've come a long way since my initial dislike of gourmand, though I am still choosy about what I like. This, along with the aforementioned Coromandel, are easily my two favorites.

I went to the Paris boutique today and I'm wearing this on one wrist. It's not a soupy tonka (although it's sweet), it has more of a burnt sugar, woody feel, very nice. I expected it to resemble Tonka Impérial or Fève Délicieuse but it doesn't, other than being a strong tonka scent. While it's a departure from the usual Dusita floral bent, it still retains something of their DNA. As for the aforementioned Guerlain and Dior cult classics, I prefer this to either of them, as it's less scratchy than the Dior and less saccharine than the Guerlain. Pissara never misses, and this is no exception! Also, I thought I wasn't getting the white chocolate, but it comes out after an hour or so, really lovely. Despite the gourmand note list, it still smells like perfume rather than simply being cakey/foody, and the almond gives a boozy edge.

I’m shocked at some ppl here comparing it to Bianco Latte. If you smell Bianco Latte in this you probably got scammed. They sold you something else. I see here a soft honeyed fusion, milky but not fluffy lactonic. Very well blended with white chocolate and tonka beans. Almonds are secondary to the nose. It’s beautiful, sublime and wearable all year round. I guess some ppl rating fragrances here get nasty because either they don’t like the perfumer or they dislike the fact that they didn’t get a PR/free bottle. Either way you got to be realistic and grow up. This is though very similar to Signature Aurum by Zaharoff.

Airy, floating on a cloud-like perfume. You can smell each delicious note of tonka, vanilla, honey, white chocolate & caramel. The musk & almond is simply gorgeous, makes it have this touch of floral to my nose. Yes, sometimes almond can come off a little synthetic smelling in some products but I love it in this perfume. Dry down is slightly artificial but not as plasticky as BL (and yes I like Bianco latte but I think this is better). It’s got a little more soul. Mouthwatery, delicious & SUGARY. It smells like the inside of a candy wrapper. YUM. Full bottle on the Christmas wish list.

This is actually pretty gorgeous....I wasn't expecting to like it so much as I'm learning I'm more of a gourmand adjacent lover than a true gourmand enthusiast. This opens with the white chocolate note but softens to a warm, creamed honey vanilla. Definitely gives Bianco Latte vibes without the artificial/plastic opening, softer and more elevated, with less projection. It reminds me a little bit of Lira where you get this cozy and comforting creaminess. I think Tonka Latte will be a beautiful one to layer with, definitely getting a full bottle.