Angélique Noire Guerlain 2005

As a long-time fan of the Guerlain classics, I have tried to keep the faith, but I must say that their string of plasticky quasi-gourmands do not work at all for me.

ANGELIQUE NOIRE begins with such beauty and grace as a vanilla floral that I was sure I loved. Until, that is, it developed to the drydown, where once again, as in INSOLENCE and IRIS GANACHE, the dreaded plastic crept in.

IMNSHO, there is something awry with the idea of plastic mixed with edible elements. It reminds me of the time when I was making a batch of cookies that required a boiling of sugar, cocoa, butter, and milk for a full two minutes. I accidentally dropped the cocoa bag in the boiling concoction, and the edges of the plastic immediately disintegrated before I could fish the remains out. I couldn't decide whether to toss the batch out, especially given that these sorts of things apparently happen all the time unbeknownst to us in restaurants, factories, etc...

But I do not want to *perceive* the plastic in my gourmand delights! ANGELIQUE NOIRE is too gourmand to be rolling in a plastic note and causing me to wonder whether I should throw the whole batch out.