Grove Is In The Heart

Ive been super into citrus recently, so couldn't help blind buying this given its receipt of the incredibly prestigious Art & Olfaction Awards. For a freshie, I was incredibly impressed by the longevity (8 hours or so) and projection. Straight off the tree, highly realistic, and brings immediate joy, this hit me first as orange rind - the type of smell you get after peeling a Cutie mandarin, or grinding orange peel for holiday baked goods. (Speaking of projection and how realistic this fragrance is, my hubby asked me if I was making fresh squeezed OJ yesterday while I was wearing it - probably one of the best fragrance compliments Ive ever unintentionally received.) There is something wonderfully earthy that underlies the freshness, perhaps from the sandalwood, but rings more vetiver or even dirt-like (but good dirt, I swear) in the combination. As they don't have a note chart yet above, the notes on the little card that came with it are: Bergamot petitgrain, Mandarin, Linden blossom, Indonesian Sandalwood. There is also a little lime on the bottle cover picture, but lime is not listed in the notes, so who knows. There is definitely something tart in the composition. All in all, I was really wowed by this little baby. I bought a 5ML bottle (the medium size they sell), and it came in a roll-on bottle. Application is a little oily (I think they use coconut oil as the base) which I'm not generally a fan of, but it certainly helped with the longevity, so maybe I'll become a convert ;-) Probably the truest citrus I've ever smelled, so this bad boy might replace Tygar and Virgin Island Water as my new go-to citrus.

During the autumn months my friends and I go on a mission to raid oranges and other citrus from trees around our neighborhood. We have our favorite trees on vacant lots and overgrown yards that produce abundant juicy fruits. Grove is in the Heart reminds me of the smell on my hands after an afternoon's haul: earthy, woody, and real citrus. Come October this year, I'll be wearing 'Grove' when we go on our annual orange quest. From the perfumers: Frolic in an idyllic grove bursting with the juiciest citrus fruits. Concentration of 30% (compared to industry standard of 5-15%) Like its namesake, Grove is in the Heart invites you to a delightful sensory experience. Take a leisurely stroll through an orchard at its most fruitful, when the sun gently warms the skins of bergamot, mandarin, and citron, enticing you to relieve fruit-laden branches of their bounty. Pluck the perfectly ripe mandarin just within reach and seat yourself comfortably at the base of a tree to enjoy your newfound treasure. Upon peeling the rind, fragrant mist escapes, carried away on a playful breeze to passersby. Your first bite, and all the greedy ones that follow, flood your senses - tart, sweet, refreshing, and joyful. Juice trickles down your wrist onto the grass below as you surrender to childhood wonder and revel in the delicious mess you’ve made. Grove is in the Heart captures the zest of life in a bottle.

Reviewing this in Europe, 2025, after being awarded. First of all, it's a coconut oil based perfume oil in a roll-on bottle, which I recommend you to avoid if you don't like to get an oily aspect on your application area. This open very lemony, bright and zesty with a strong refreshing feeling added to a sandalwood-perfumey accord on its base notes. However, even though I enjoy the smell, I can find much better sharp and refreshing citrus approaches in any store here in Europe. It lasts for about 6-7 hours, which is great for this composition. I really appreciate their transparency about their prices but overall, I would say that their products are really expensive considering their ingredients and the non-existent packaging.

Conceptually perfect. AOA awards are dependent on the perfumer's vision vs the scent. Few scents can be as 1:1 as this one. This is a perfect rendition of eating an orange in a california orange grove. You peel it open, the fragrant oils in the rind exploding out. The orange is sweet and juicy. Perfectly evocative. Considering that Samar's mission statement is to capture their lived moments with perfect immersion, this is a huge success.