Bond-T

Christmas time, festive time! Would you join me and celebate with a cup of the best hot drink around? Then imagine he blackest chocolate — chewy, dry, unsweetened, bitter, and unbelievably heady in its richness — And then one of the best patchouli I have ever smelled; spiciness beyond compare commingled with earthy notes. You want to indulge in decadence even more? then absorb through your nostrils some deeply plummy fruits macerated in aged cognac, and a beautifully fragrant, roughened, dark tobacco. You should see tendrils of smoke, camphor green vapour, and faintly dusty woods reach up from within the patchouli to bind the chocolate closer to it. Ornella Vanoni (RIP), an Italian singer, once sang "t's done like this. Lipstick and chocolate, it would be a sin not to eat them." Bond T is not a gourmand, nor is it a semi-gourmand; it is pure seduction! In fact, after the first 20 minutes, the best surprise: a hint of a gorgeous animalic leather that is so so so erotic; no other word can do it justice. And Vanoni would go on: "It's done like this to start the game and we chew each other little by little." The animalic accord (there should be some castoreum in Bond T) is accompanied by a smidegeon of muskiness; it is like we get deep down into the patchouli and we got surrounded by dark vegetation. As a complement, note of tobacco will enrich our semlling/tasting experience. That I am impressed is to say the least. But what really bugs me is seeing that such a very interesting brand with stunning offerings (I reviewed Alter and Vitrum of which I own a full bottle) has a very limited distribution in Italy, while in Europe the situation is slightly better. What are our beloved perfume shops promoting? what are they selling? Where is the courage to promote art? Are we all risk-adverse and we do not want perfumes-as-aesthetic-objects in our counter, but massively easy-sellers-atomic-bombs? Follow me on IG @alexolympia6

Oh my goodness that OPENING!!! If you are a gourmand lover which I'm not truly, and you are beyond bodyshop type vanillas and fruit bombs, maybe now you're ready for CHOCOLATE. Not nice chocolate. Not sweet, good little milk chocolates. Nuclear chocolate, backed up with wallops of patchouli, fortified by furriness and animalic accord. I simultaneously recoiled and then doubled-down when I first sprayed this. This is amaaaazzzing. It is more noir than any Tom Ford Noir. This is a noir chocolate. I think it's quite like Serge Lutens Borneo 1834, but that one lasts longer, is smoother, and less chocolatey on my skin. I think that one is more wearable. This is a bit rough, and as a woman I think this might smell even sexier on a man. While unisex, it tilts heavily toward the masculine. The chocolate-patch is so intense there is a bactine/band-aid smell I pick up in perfumes like this, some might even say mentholated, but now and again I get whiffs of tobacco, leather, and cocolate band-aids with that medicinal patch, so this is an odd gourmand, almost edible, certainly medicinal. I HIGHLY recommend trying, as it is such a trip, so interesting. Don't blind buy thinking you're going to indulge your sweet tooth. I think this is an excellent perfume with an operatic opening that quickly dies down. My two quibbles: average to good longevity, low sillage. The low silage might be a strongsuit for some because the opening is so "loud" initially--stunning, but over the top. However, I would like this to remain a little more amped up. Finally, if you're not a gourmand lover, try this. It really pushes "gourmand."

I’m probably in the minority with this one when I say that, on me, it behaves like a musty leather fragrance for the most part. I see people calling it gourmand (what!?), a patchouli (that I can see), even a tobacco perfume (perhaps a facet of the osmanthus). But to me, it is a bold leather, very phenolic, and very musty (definitely from the patchouli). I can draw a parallel between the leather accord in Bond-T and the one in Areej Le Dore Antiquity Part 1. They sure have that in common. There is certainly a good amount of cocoa sprinkled on top, but I can’t think of it as a gourmand. Maybe a leather fetish sort of kink, and I’ll stop there. The castoreum is big here, in its all-natural beauty and complexity, contributing to the leather accord next to the second important component of it, the osmanthus absolute. A very phenolic one, I might add. Smoky, tarry, with a subtle sweetness underneath and only a minor fruitiness. The patchouli mainly adds that musty and earthy quality, which makes everything so much better. Rugged and in your face, that’s Bond-T. This is definitely not the other Bond, you know, James Bond. Maybe if he were a beaver dressed in a leather trench that belonged to his smoking great-grandfather, who fought in WWI, after he wrestled a boar in dark cocoa powder. Maybe then it could be a Bond-J. Alas, as it stands, it is Bond-T. IG:@memory.of.scents

Bond-T This is what the chocolate river would smell like in Willy Wonkas Chocolate Factory. Only the best would do for Mr Wonka, and of course there would be surprise twists within it. Its a magnificent dark chocolate-patch-tabacco scent. Almost as if you smell the chocolate oiliness of a fine maduro cigar. The osmanthus adds a fruity floral lilting within the cocoa. The castorum note begins to peek out and the chocolate fades, adding an animalic twist to the composition. Animalics arent often found in modern day releases. Ok Mr Giovanni, you have my attention with this sexy scent. Leather, Vanilla and Tonka add to the experience. This is not a sweet gourmand, but rather a mature, knowledgeable perception on the gourmand idea. This fragrance stands on its own in its own identity, but as we age, we are reminded of former lovers qualities with the new people we meet. I wish Sammarco dared to go all in on the dark chocolate/patch opening and never relented as it fades now into a happy ending. Maybe I wanted a sexy nightmare. I dont know..Im merely dreaming of the ultimate, but for what is presented in its current form, Bond-T is fantastic compared to its current counterparts. There is no synthetic off putting notes anywhere to be found.I look forward to layering Bond-T. Put a full bottle on the purchase list. Well done indeed and not to be missed. 8/10

Controversial. I sprayed first on paper. Cacao burst, raw, dirty. When we read Cacao, we usually think of chocolate. Big mistake. Chocolate is Cacao mixed with lot of other ingredients that make it rounder, softer and mouthwatering. Cacao gives really off rauch effusions that makes you think of uncleanliness. In this composition it must be helped by civet and by earthiness aroma of patchouli. No flowers detected. It went then on skin. On me it behaves differently than on paper. Patchouli plays predominantly, Cacao lays underneath and it stays there for a couple of hours. Then it emerges and remains subtle, forever. I don’t have the same rauchy feeling as on paper. It is dirty but to a lower extent. The note of Cacao melts with the note of my skin making it Ike a bespoke fragrance where the perfumer chose also my sweat as one of the main ingredients. It feels very sexy, I would have asked me out if I wasn’t me :) Sillage and projection are poor. I have had to spray 5 to notice it while moving. No one asked if and what I was wearing. I was the only one able to detect whiffs of it coming from my chest, up to 16 hours after application. I like it, but I must understand it better