Xocoatl Fueguia 1833 2010

Xocoatl smells like it's straight out of Kilian's "The Cellars" collection. I'm definitely drawing parallels to Straight to Heaven, White Cristal Perfume. There's a similar woody/boozy patchouli/rum thing going on here, just not as "dirty" as Straight to Heaven's patchouli. The notes listing on Parfumo seems to be incomplete, as on Fueguia's website, patchouli is listed as a note. To me, the whole vanilla/cacao theme that Xocoatl is supposed to be based on is very subdued in comparison. It suffers from similar projection issues as Straight to Heaven as well, but it lasts much longer on skin. Not a bad fragrance, the subtle vanilla tones with the creamy florals and soft woods work really well with the rum booziness.

What is in the vial? There is an exotic drink called xocóatl (xocoatl — "bitter water"). Chocolate recipes Mayan - made of ground cocoa beans, cooked in water and seasoned with tropical spices. Sweet and spicy with bitter taste and slightly salty taste. Sometimes I hear the sweetness of fruit, fresh, still on the tree, bushes with berries. You feel like you're with a Cup of hot chocolate in the rain forest in the season, when the trees bow under the weight of juicy fruits. Salty note and a spicy bitterness Xocoatl differs from all other chocolate flavors I have ever tasted. There is no hint of the modern bakery, candy or other edible treats. And the alcohol can be captured only if much smell. Probably it the most reliable bitter chocolate in a bottle.

I believe that Fueguia, somehow, is the South America Jo Malone with a better and luxuous presentation and fragrances between the same style of the british brand, creations that seems linear and made to be combined, and creations more complete and complex. I had doubts if the notes they released were simple on purpose or if they reflected what was created, but from what i sampled briefly at saturday the are faithful to the scent. Xocoatl is inspired on the Aztecs drink that gave origin to our chocolate, with the word used to name it having the meaning of bitter water, which reflects the dry and dark roasted taste of cocoa. Apparently the Aztecs also used the vanilla orquid to enrich the cocoa drink, but wine and also spices were used. The focus here is on the chocolate and vanilla, which makes Xocoatl quite literal on skin. Sometimes i get the impression that i'm wearing a very straight version of Very Irresistible Homme idea of cocoa and coffee, since something on the cocoa in Xocoatl reminds me a lot of cocoa powder and roasted coffee at the same time. This is the main focus for me, with the craemy sugary of vanilla work as a background to provide it some smothness.I also notice something very masculine on the rum smell, as if they used a mint licquer to give it the beverage notion to the cocoa and vanilla combination. I think that Xocoatl hits perfectly the concept, but for me it could have been a little bit more dynamic and complex.

The brand Fueguia 1833 is a pure natural fragrance brand. The website states that the owner and perfumer Julian Bedel exclusively uses natural plant ingredients and that these are subject to the fluctuations of nature. Therefore, the fragrances are always produced in small batches and are considered limited editions. All batches of the same fragrance can smell different from one another.

My Xocoatl primarily smells of vanilla orchids - or what I imagine vanilla orchids to smell like. In any case, it has a vanilla floral scent for vanilla skeptics like me. The second player is cocoa; I don't smell rum. At the beginning, Xocoatl has a slightly sour note that clashes a bit with the rest of the fragrance. Just like how the colors light brown and orange would clash (or other color combinations). This discordance remains throughout, but only if you stick your nose to the scented spot, while what surrounds you as a fragrance cloud is pure madness. It is soft, creamy, and lovely, not unpleasantly sweet, and above all: It is different from anything I have smelled so far. This fragrance stands out without being jarring. It is special yet not overloaded. This little sour troublemaker that has been incorporated here is, in my opinion, responsible for making Xocoatl so unique.

In my workday, I can only imagine it being used sparingly; it is more of an evening fragrance. The sillage is good and the longevity is excellent - at least 2 days in the hair.

The fragrances I have encountered from Fueguia so far are mostly exciting and all have a special twist. For me, this is a natural fragrance brand that can compete with the big perfume houses like Guerlain, which is quite rare.
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I got my bottle through a blind swap with the lovely Tofog. Thank you for this discovery!