Dunhuang (敦煌)

Wonderful stuff here - in a perfect sweet spot between the brute force & sheer complexity of some of the heavier hitters of Prin Lomros's catalogue and the light-floral interludes in his repertoire. Enough nuance and dark, spicy nooks and crannies to keep you interested always, but without overwhelming; enough freshness and zing from the citrus, osmanthus and tea to make it relatively gentle without being weak. The tea may seem a little bitter when first sprayed (poured?) but soon mellows to a truly fragrant, evocative but still delightfully long-lasting presence. Kumquat, mandarin and tangerine all present and correct, rather dry and spicy in style rather than juicy-splattery, and not going dirty or sweaty as some kumquat scents can do if they over-ripen. Plum is shimmery and bright, just giving some nice rounded contours rather than dominating too much. Lovely osmanthus & jasmine clean and natural. The spice rack's carefully deployed to sprinkle in extra sweetness and a little bite, but kept in balance. Civet similarly kept on a tight, short leash - it may be lending a touch of furriness, but no more; absolutely nothing dirty or sweaty anywhere here, it's civilised and urbane all the way. Perhaps tending femme if you feel limited by gender but IMHO unisex for any tea connoisseur; Opulent and eccentric - while smelling nothing like either it has the oddball charm and surprisingly approachable spirit of Lutens Mandarin Mandarine or Zoologist's Sacred Scarab. Perhaps the only aspects I do not love are the scratchy price tag and unpredictable longevity: sometimes it seems to last only 3-4h on me, although always miraculously blossoming again and for longer with a second spritz of the day, while on others it'll go the distance to 7 or 8h - and with an absolutely fantastic sillage trail, wafting out deliciously at choice moments. Truly redolent of the exotic, without lapsing into cliches - a genuine chinoiserie treasure chest indeed. Close your eyes, breathe deeply and revel in it.

If this wasn’t $160 for a measly 30ml bottle I’d buy it. This is such a complex unique evocative tea scent I cannot stop sniffing my arm and I sprayed it on yesterday. I own sweet farewell and was getting ready to buy this too bc he makes really gorgeous concoctions that man but this.... Ughhh I’m in so much pain I just cannot justify paying that much for so little. I’m already halfway through sweet farewell 30ml is barely anything. Especially with scents I want to douse myself in I’ll be done with this in no time. He’s got me in a bind

sweet yet dark and still very interesting - awesome floral animalic incense from Prissana❤️

I am notably bad at distinguishing notes, and this has a lot of them-- but it is still very beautiful. To me, it evokes simmering a pot of chai by a campfire (which might not actually be a great way to cook it but is the only way I can think to explain the scent.) It is warm, spicy, and complex, with a citrusy floral weaving itself into the heavier notes. The perfumer has miraculously succeeded at capturing his prompt in a bottle, you close your eyes and smell it upon your skin and you, too, are there, under the stars. The longevity is questionable, with the spicy scent lingering for a few hours, before you are left with the smokey-orange underneath. I found the sillage to be rather incredible, though. I don't think I would purchase a full bottle of this, even if the price was a bit more reasonable, just because I am not fond of extremely loud scents that announce their presence like this one does. Regardless, it is certainly one I will think about when I open a jar of cloves.

I bought this blind as a tea fragrance but I don't get much tea from this personally other than maybe it lending a smokiness. It's actually quite a weird one, and great for it. It's like a "clean spice". Lots of spice, definately tons of cinnamon bark, with pepper and cumin in here, a tiny bit fruity but more this really balanced out clean floral soapiness that lends this really light almost aldehyde tone to what could be a too spicy fragrance. Feels like the blending here was very skillful. Feels like it gives you something different every time you smell it but never gets out of line.

Chocolate!? It smells like chocolate when you first put it on! Then a civet (with a mouthful of caraway) comes out to play as you slowly notice the jasmine tea and other floralcy with incense back drop—I'm not getting much of the other top voted notes tbh. It's semi-fresh, semi-sweet, and furry; better than some of his other ones at similar price point!

A pleasant but very animalic osmanthus chypre-y affair. Particularly nice are some of the fruity aspects, which include plum, tangerine, and kumquat. The osmanthus here was buttery rich, and in combination with the civet, there were moments when the whole perfume felt a little overripe. Not an easy wear, I don't think, but nice to sample it. 3.5/5

This was stunningly beautiful for the first 4 hours or so. Unfortunately, after that, it becomes metallic and animalic in a way I find unpleasant.

Wow. This is easily what i would call the quintessential Chinese scent. The citruses are all essentially Chinese: mandarin, kumquat, tangerine, and they are very dominant in the first half hour. These typical Eastern oranges are so juicy, pulpy and sweet. The florals are also very Chinese: osmanthus and magnolia, both are easily detectable but well blended. And of course the star of the show is the tea: a mix of dark, bitter, black lapsang souchong and green jasmine tea. The spices are there as supporting players: a little bit of black pepper and clove and cinnamon to warm up, and a bit of caraway and civet to make it slightly sensual (but absolutely not dirty or animalic). Wow i didn’t expect i would come across such a scent that could squeeze so much into such a smoooth blend. Beautiful surprise!

Typical Prin DNA with a focus on tea and orange. The fragrance has a musky feel and loaded with spices and slight animalics. Not something that we needed since his catalog is so extensive but I'd be interested to see how it behaves in the summer heat. IG: eatandsmellgood