04/16/2023
Iceblocks
34 Reviews
Iceblocks
1
Creamy floral chypre
The 4160 Tuesdays website calls this an "art deco ice cream parlour". I'd mentally filed the phrase under simple marketing copy, but once I spritzed it, I was like - oh. I get it now. It absolutely /is/.
It's definitely more the parlour than the ice cream itself, however.
There's a beautiful rich creaminess to the scent that does remind me of the good vanilla ice cream - or white chocolate, in this case. It's a vanilla I've seen glimpses of in other 4160 Tuesdays - there's a similar underlying creaminess to Mrs Gloss Lemon Sherbet, though that's where their similarities begin and end. Here it's a 'melted' ice cream, warm rather than cold.
Despite that, though, I'm not sure I'd call this a gourmand. There's an smudge of mossy dirt, tonka, and citrus under the whole thing, with the florals shyly crowding around the edges - the vanilla is positively scrumptious, but the remainder of the scent isn't as edible.
If I'd offer one criticism to the "art deco" comparison, it's that this strikes me more as "art nouveau". The florals do play their role here, and there's an interesting flow between the softer, creamier notes, and the earthier and dirtier ones that it slowly fades into. And please, do, heed the warning - this is a chypre, and it does change to a much mossier base.
I'm in love with the opening, but once those notes start peeking through, it's like zooming out from the ice cream to bring focus to the building around it - bouquets of flowers on the tables, elegant architectural lines dressed up in bronze and gleaming, a breeze bringing in the faint scent of the bustling street outside. A faint vintage tinge seeps over the whole scene, muffling sounds and softening the edges. The ice cream remains, but it's no longer the main event.
It is lovely, even if it's not my style. But 'not my style' it remains, and as such, I'll tip my hat to the entrance and pass this parlour by.
It's definitely more the parlour than the ice cream itself, however.
There's a beautiful rich creaminess to the scent that does remind me of the good vanilla ice cream - or white chocolate, in this case. It's a vanilla I've seen glimpses of in other 4160 Tuesdays - there's a similar underlying creaminess to Mrs Gloss Lemon Sherbet, though that's where their similarities begin and end. Here it's a 'melted' ice cream, warm rather than cold.
Despite that, though, I'm not sure I'd call this a gourmand. There's an smudge of mossy dirt, tonka, and citrus under the whole thing, with the florals shyly crowding around the edges - the vanilla is positively scrumptious, but the remainder of the scent isn't as edible.
If I'd offer one criticism to the "art deco" comparison, it's that this strikes me more as "art nouveau". The florals do play their role here, and there's an interesting flow between the softer, creamier notes, and the earthier and dirtier ones that it slowly fades into. And please, do, heed the warning - this is a chypre, and it does change to a much mossier base.
I'm in love with the opening, but once those notes start peeking through, it's like zooming out from the ice cream to bring focus to the building around it - bouquets of flowers on the tables, elegant architectural lines dressed up in bronze and gleaming, a breeze bringing in the faint scent of the bustling street outside. A faint vintage tinge seeps over the whole scene, muffling sounds and softening the edges. The ice cream remains, but it's no longer the main event.
It is lovely, even if it's not my style. But 'not my style' it remains, and as such, I'll tip my hat to the entrance and pass this parlour by.