Top Notes 
Maté absolute
Heart Notes 
Assam tea
Virginia cedar
Base Notes 
Chinese cade juniper wood
Russian birch tar
loewenherz
916 Reviews
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loewenherz
Top Review
20
competent / unfriendly
When I reflect on the people I have had professional dealings with - in my current position or any past ones - they can essentially be categorized into a very simple matrix: on the X-axis competent / incompetent and on the Y-axis friendly / unfriendly (or vice versa). The most favorable combination is, of course, competent and friendly, and fortunately, there have always been quite a few of those. One can manage with those who are less competent but friendly - once you know that - somewhat reasonably (and sometimes this improves over time). And even with the pairing of competent but (generally) unfriendly, it somehow works - if it has to, and most of the time it does, which these people are well aware of (this rarely improves). The truly unfavorable combination is solely the - unfortunately also quite common - pairing of no clue and perpetually grumpy (have experienced that too).
Translating this to perfumes, the competent-friendly candidates are probably those we generally refer to as our favorite scents: we find them pleasant and, moreover, always intriguing, which is why we like to have them around us. In direct contrast, the incompetent-unfriendly perfumes are those that, even after prolonged sniffing, reveal nothing lovable or interesting, so: away with them! Friendly-incompetent scents (=nice top note and nothing behind it) are sometimes hastily purchased but usually do not stay long in the collection (or gradually become forgotten, largely unused). The perhaps most difficult group to categorize and evaluate are the competent-unfriendly scents, meaning those that are interesting and somehow exciting but still do not truly reach us sensually-emotionally. Bohdidharmas Black Lapsang is such a scent.
Black Lapsang is a good, above all, a really well-made scent. I thought so at the first sniff, thought so throughout the entire smelling experience, and still think so. There is a dark, serious, and very authentic tea accord - distinctly more Assam than Mate, a strong black tea of the kind that turns dark coppery after two minutes - blended with an almost leathery woodiness and a lightless tea note that can captivate the nose from the very first contact. Here is a tea scent that evokes thoughts of hard physical labor loading tea crates at the port of Shanghai or in the freight yard of Kolkata rather than floral drinking enjoyment in airy afternoon dresses on a shaded veranda. This is remarkably consistent and crafted fabulously - but it is almost more of an art scent than a true perfume. For it is not sensually beautiful, lovable, or pleasant to wear.
Conclusion: competent / unfriendly indeed. But when it comes down to it, one has to be able to deal with them.
Translating this to perfumes, the competent-friendly candidates are probably those we generally refer to as our favorite scents: we find them pleasant and, moreover, always intriguing, which is why we like to have them around us. In direct contrast, the incompetent-unfriendly perfumes are those that, even after prolonged sniffing, reveal nothing lovable or interesting, so: away with them! Friendly-incompetent scents (=nice top note and nothing behind it) are sometimes hastily purchased but usually do not stay long in the collection (or gradually become forgotten, largely unused). The perhaps most difficult group to categorize and evaluate are the competent-unfriendly scents, meaning those that are interesting and somehow exciting but still do not truly reach us sensually-emotionally. Bohdidharmas Black Lapsang is such a scent.
Black Lapsang is a good, above all, a really well-made scent. I thought so at the first sniff, thought so throughout the entire smelling experience, and still think so. There is a dark, serious, and very authentic tea accord - distinctly more Assam than Mate, a strong black tea of the kind that turns dark coppery after two minutes - blended with an almost leathery woodiness and a lightless tea note that can captivate the nose from the very first contact. Here is a tea scent that evokes thoughts of hard physical labor loading tea crates at the port of Shanghai or in the freight yard of Kolkata rather than floral drinking enjoyment in airy afternoon dresses on a shaded veranda. This is remarkably consistent and crafted fabulously - but it is almost more of an art scent than a true perfume. For it is not sensually beautiful, lovable, or pleasant to wear.
Conclusion: competent / unfriendly indeed. But when it comes down to it, one has to be able to deal with them.
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