Top Notes 
Indian calamus
Malabar pepper
Egyptian papyrus
Moroccan coriander seed
Heart Notes 
Spanish labdanum
Chinese osmanthus absolute
Spanish cistus concrete
Turkish rose absolute
Base Notes 
Omani frankincense
Mexican vanilla
Spanish prickly pear
Oud
04/10/2024
Axiomatic
64 Reviews
Translated
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Axiomatic
Top Review
43
With the Olmecs
One of the questions I constantly ask myself about the fragrance family is the category "oriental".
As soon as a resinous base comes into contact with vanilla, the fragrance is consigned to the Middle East.
Yet vanilla is not native to this region and has only been known to the West as a spice and fragrance for a few centuries.
I have deliberately not classified the following fragrance as oriental and would like to give a slightly different suggestion for categorization.
Without the daring Parfumo Kokusai, this fragrance adventure would not have been possible.
He deserves the noble badge of the Jade Jaguar.
Hiss!
Sweetly tart, slightly earthy calamus with its medicinal healing properties for the digestive tract welcomes you on this adventure of discovery.
Further north along the Gulf of Mexico, this marsh grass thrives and was given to us as protection against stomach upsets and to strengthen us on the way.
Logbook entry on resistant, dry papyrus.
"The scent of the rhizome is calming and relaxing. Unusually accessible camphor-like."
We stocked up on pepper at the market, as a preservative for meat provisions and to clear our lungs.
We assumed the spice came from southwest India, but we were wrong.
Xocosuchil is what they call the local variety of pepper here, slightly larger and thicker grains, rich in aromas.
In addition to the traditional warm smell of pepper, some cloves and fresh coriander seeds are mixed in and broaden the fragrance spectrum.
The saleswoman smiled mischievously with her bright and colorful ribbons, artfully braided in her hair.
"This is how the jaguar lures you into the jungle, senores.
Take the jade amulets with you, there are deceptive flowers there!"
So we entered the dense rainforest of this subtropical region of Mexico between the states of Veracruz and Tabasco.
The usual flooding of the rivers piled up rotten mahogany and cedar wood on the banks, the smell so ethereally animalistic. In the become-and-die cycle of the feathered serpent.
In Xalapa, old-timers from the Spanish Extremadura advised us to impregnate not only our leather boots but also our cotton shirts and pants with labdanum, and even a pomade for our skin to protect us from insects.
Dried cistus roses in the right breast pocket comforted us in the darkness of the Olmec kingdom.
The huge and enigmatic stone head of this culture had been the impetus for our journey.
But what could we expect?
Were we up to it?
The impregnation, the rotten wood, the spices, all of this colored our visual filter in brownish shades.
Disastrous.
They were the colors of the nauyaca, that lance viper with dreaded excitement and deadly venom.
The leather of the boots withstood its bite and saved our lives. We escaped in time and defeated the viper.
Was it because of the clear calamus that we were hypnotized and anxious to reach the cedars entwined with vanilla?
And then, like a ray of hope, a jade-green parrot with beautiful plumage flew proudly over our heads.
The delicate scent of its feathers, powdery diffusion of orange and pink flowers.
He settled down on the climbing plant and chattered away as if he were telling us the fateful story of Princess Morgenstern and her kidnapper, Prince Young Stag.
How they were hunted down and killed by the priests of the harvest goddess.
He was reborn as a powerful shrub, she as an orchid caressing him.
And from her blood grew the vanilla.
Several centuries later, the Aztecs would call it Tlilxochitl, the black flower.
Here it was simply called the hunted flower, Caxixanath.
The night-black pods dazed our senses, deep dark and leathery their deceptively sweet and carnal smell.
The hummingbirds were no different. Attracted by the greenish-yellow flowers, they helped pollinate the precious plant during the brief window of flower opening.
The strange splendor of this climbing plant cast a spell over us, making us forget our surroundings.
The hissing of the jaguar woke us up.
Without moving, we stared at the king of the jungle as if spellbound.
When the big cat caught sight of our jade amulets, it strutted a few more steps and settled down in front of the ball player.
The unthinkably old, artfully carved image of the brave sportsman, conqueror of the snake, protector of the birds and admirer of the jaguar.
There he sat in front of the native cedars, the noble one.
Everything fell into place and we were rewarded with this mystical image.
And secretly we looked forward to that well-deserved refreshment, the smell of which wafted through the earthy ground and dense woodland Somewhere in the distance, we knew, the noble drink was being prepared.
Only earthy cocoa and tart vanilla.
It smelled so different, so invigorating, so painfully far away.
It was the vanilla that was to give us salvation.
We left the jungle and reached our home.
We were welcomed with great joy by our hosts.
We must have made an impression on them with all the smells.
The calamus smelled fresh and medicinal, broad pepper, dark, bold woods, protective labdanum, airy flowers, earthy mysteries and a strangely tart vanilla.
From now on, we belonged to the jaguars.
Did we now smell Mesoamerican?
As soon as a resinous base comes into contact with vanilla, the fragrance is consigned to the Middle East.
Yet vanilla is not native to this region and has only been known to the West as a spice and fragrance for a few centuries.
I have deliberately not classified the following fragrance as oriental and would like to give a slightly different suggestion for categorization.
Without the daring Parfumo Kokusai, this fragrance adventure would not have been possible.
He deserves the noble badge of the Jade Jaguar.
Hiss!
Sweetly tart, slightly earthy calamus with its medicinal healing properties for the digestive tract welcomes you on this adventure of discovery.
Further north along the Gulf of Mexico, this marsh grass thrives and was given to us as protection against stomach upsets and to strengthen us on the way.
Logbook entry on resistant, dry papyrus.
"The scent of the rhizome is calming and relaxing. Unusually accessible camphor-like."
We stocked up on pepper at the market, as a preservative for meat provisions and to clear our lungs.
We assumed the spice came from southwest India, but we were wrong.
Xocosuchil is what they call the local variety of pepper here, slightly larger and thicker grains, rich in aromas.
In addition to the traditional warm smell of pepper, some cloves and fresh coriander seeds are mixed in and broaden the fragrance spectrum.
The saleswoman smiled mischievously with her bright and colorful ribbons, artfully braided in her hair.
"This is how the jaguar lures you into the jungle, senores.
Take the jade amulets with you, there are deceptive flowers there!"
So we entered the dense rainforest of this subtropical region of Mexico between the states of Veracruz and Tabasco.
The usual flooding of the rivers piled up rotten mahogany and cedar wood on the banks, the smell so ethereally animalistic. In the become-and-die cycle of the feathered serpent.
In Xalapa, old-timers from the Spanish Extremadura advised us to impregnate not only our leather boots but also our cotton shirts and pants with labdanum, and even a pomade for our skin to protect us from insects.
Dried cistus roses in the right breast pocket comforted us in the darkness of the Olmec kingdom.
The huge and enigmatic stone head of this culture had been the impetus for our journey.
But what could we expect?
Were we up to it?
The impregnation, the rotten wood, the spices, all of this colored our visual filter in brownish shades.
Disastrous.
They were the colors of the nauyaca, that lance viper with dreaded excitement and deadly venom.
The leather of the boots withstood its bite and saved our lives. We escaped in time and defeated the viper.
Was it because of the clear calamus that we were hypnotized and anxious to reach the cedars entwined with vanilla?
And then, like a ray of hope, a jade-green parrot with beautiful plumage flew proudly over our heads.
The delicate scent of its feathers, powdery diffusion of orange and pink flowers.
He settled down on the climbing plant and chattered away as if he were telling us the fateful story of Princess Morgenstern and her kidnapper, Prince Young Stag.
How they were hunted down and killed by the priests of the harvest goddess.
He was reborn as a powerful shrub, she as an orchid caressing him.
And from her blood grew the vanilla.
Several centuries later, the Aztecs would call it Tlilxochitl, the black flower.
Here it was simply called the hunted flower, Caxixanath.
The night-black pods dazed our senses, deep dark and leathery their deceptively sweet and carnal smell.
The hummingbirds were no different. Attracted by the greenish-yellow flowers, they helped pollinate the precious plant during the brief window of flower opening.
The strange splendor of this climbing plant cast a spell over us, making us forget our surroundings.
The hissing of the jaguar woke us up.
Without moving, we stared at the king of the jungle as if spellbound.
When the big cat caught sight of our jade amulets, it strutted a few more steps and settled down in front of the ball player.
The unthinkably old, artfully carved image of the brave sportsman, conqueror of the snake, protector of the birds and admirer of the jaguar.
There he sat in front of the native cedars, the noble one.
Everything fell into place and we were rewarded with this mystical image.
And secretly we looked forward to that well-deserved refreshment, the smell of which wafted through the earthy ground and dense woodland Somewhere in the distance, we knew, the noble drink was being prepared.
Only earthy cocoa and tart vanilla.
It smelled so different, so invigorating, so painfully far away.
It was the vanilla that was to give us salvation.
We left the jungle and reached our home.
We were welcomed with great joy by our hosts.
We must have made an impression on them with all the smells.
The calamus smelled fresh and medicinal, broad pepper, dark, bold woods, protective labdanum, airy flowers, earthy mysteries and a strangely tart vanilla.
From now on, we belonged to the jaguars.
Did we now smell Mesoamerican?
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