Crème de Menthe Café

When I was young, I saved up every dollar for my dream car—a Fox Body Mustang. I still remember the day I drove it home. It was everything I’d imagined: fast, sleek, and full of personality. I waxed it every month, proud of the shine and the statement it made. About a year later, my boss went on vacation and tossed me the keys to his Porsche Boxster, telling me to enjoy it for the week. I did. When he returned and I slid back behind the wheel of my Mustang, it suddenly felt slow, dated, and plain. I still remember that pang of disappointment. Fast forward a few decades—different passions, same story. When I finally got my hands on Creed Aventus, it felt like crossing another dream off the list. I adored it at first. But after discovering Crème de Menthe Café by Statik Olfactive, Aventus now feels flat, predictable—no sophistication, no layers. It’s funny how our tastes evolve. I can’t wait to see what Statik Olfactive creates next.

Wow!! I love a good gourmand. This one is very complex. I get chocolate, mint, and coconut right off the top. It brings me back to those little Andes chocolates that my grandfather used to give me every Christmas. I love Bourbon Vanilla and Coconut in fragrances. This one is true to the notes here. I can almost pick out each not individually and at the same time they come together in some very gourmandy accords. My girlfriend and I are both wearing this one. Beautifully done!!

Perfect comfy scent. Think creamy mint hot chocolate with whipped cream. A little spiciness as well. It’s so good and delectable.

Dark chocolate, mint - cool, deep and delicious.

I will preface this review with the following possibly unnecessary info about my tastes - I generally don’t care for gourmands. I mean, yes there are some I like, but I prefer what I like to call “complex gourmands” meaning they’re a traditionally structured perfume with one or two gourmand notes added; specifically, I don’t want to smell like something I’d eat or drink, and the sweeter/sugarier it is, the less I am interested. I also do not care generally for coffee notes and *especially* chocolate notes (with a few notable exceptions - even though I am a chocoholic). However, because Chris brought this out, I figured it had to be good since he’s never struck me as a “gourmand girly” aficionado (lol). Color me surprised when I test sprayed it on a card, and then skin! This is...luscious. The mint is not too strong, nor the coffee. Everything blends seamlessly while still differentiating itself. I can also smell the hint of booze and creamy coconut, the chocolate is silky without announcing itself as a synthetic bomb. Cold weather frag for sure, but holy moly, I really enjoy it! I haven’t ever tried anything formulated by Hez before but this is the product of some gourmand magician for sure. You know what this is, creme de Menthe, while it has real restraint and doesn’t smell to my nose as “amateur gourmand perfumer” like a lot of indie houses that shall remain nameless. A feather in your cap sir! I love that Chris also has a discovery set now so one could try this without a larger commitment, but I think many like myself will be surprisingly delighted with this effort. ETA: I don’t think this leans masculine at all. It is very firmly unisex to my nose.