Saffron Flour

when i got my first universal flowering samples, i really struggled to define saffron flour in a meaningful way. the others were so easy to talk about, but there's something ephemeral about saffron flour i struggled to pin down. my first impression was lightness and warmth - then nostalgia. pastry blind baking in the oven, teabags steeping in syrupy water, crushed cardamom pods and sugary vanilla milk. it's left-of-field sweetness with a gentle touch of salinity. not gourmand in the most traditional sense - not so sweet it makes your eyes water, but sweet like enriched brioche dough or vanilla orchid scented hand soap. there's a little savoury, culinary edge to it which is what makes this scent so beautiful. i've sat with my beloved decant for almost a year, and over time, the scent has evolved and developed - the rich, creamy butter note has become more prominent, and the spice notes - which delicately toe the line between sweet and savoury - have macerated into a deeper, more warm-spicy palette. and now, when i smell it, it makes my heart *ache*. it's the combination of nostalgia, cosiness, comfort, and that slight salty spicy edge... i'm in love with it, and i'm in love with myself when i wear it. saffron flour, you will always be famous !!!!!!

The name is perfect as a description of the scent. It feels classically constructed and there is maybe a hint of rose (the note list says rosewater) in the top/mid-notes, reminding me a lot of L'Artisan Parfumeur's gorgeous Safran Troublant. Nonetheless, Saffron Flour is not relying on the traditional pairing of saffron with rich rose. Instead it's an atmospheric saffron-suede, an indoors version of Heeley's Cuir Pleine Fleur (another gem) or a less Euro-chic take on Mona di Orio's Violette Fumee, i.e. done in a cosier, dustier, more smooshed-together manner. I can sort of get the cinnamon-and-sugar take as per some reviewers below, but only if I concentrate very hard - otherwise, this doesn't feel sweet-gourmand to me, and I don't get the buttery effect either. The textural adjective that comes to mind is 'mealy', as in the damp-feeling texture of cornmeal, ground almonds, ground buckwheat, or even chestnut flour (actually, in this respect it reminds me also of Kloon Keen's still less sweet, more austere 'Castana'). Doesn't last as long as I'd like it to, but that could be an issue with dabber-sample application and an incipient cold. Very human-feeling on the skin, and so wearable in this desiccated late August air.

Somehow the sum of the strange mix of notes above creates a scent that could be described as “saffron flour.” It has a golden roux or slightly burned butter aspect to it that blends with the saffron in a most singular fashion. Strange and hard to describe, but likable, wearable, and unforgettable enough that it made it onto my to-buy list before quickly joining my collection. Saffron Flour is an exceptionally unique scent and worth sampling if you're a fragrance adventurer. I’ve tried Poems One Through Twelve and Pleasure Portrait (my favorite) from the brand, and I think Universal Flowering is shaping up to be one of those houses that would have to try to make something I don’t end up liking.

i’m surprisingly adept at critiquing fragrances i dislike, but when i encounter one i dearly love, i become helpless. all i can say for now is this perfume is soooo incredibly scrumptious, It’s like cinnamon and saffron infused sugar, showered over a thick, golden slab of butter melting into warm, crunchy toast...mmm, i want to lick the air around it. i cannot wait to get my greedy little mitts on a full bottle. i’ll return (to edit) once i’ve hunted down the right words to truly convey how mad I am for this piece of art.

soft lactonic-creamy saffron wrapped in a rose-sweetened dusting of flour. perfectly captures that silky soft, powdery smooth essence of flour when you drop it into the cookie mixture or get the film of it on your fingers after eating a particularly flour-powdered treat. light and fluffy puffy and tender. dries down a little buttery, nutty, and even softer. reminds me of pink cheeks, powder dusted, and the salinity of butter cutting through sugary dough when you steal a bit from the bowl.