Basil
Dark chocolate
Pepper
Spices
White chocolate
Woods
08/12/2025
ClaireV
969 Reviews
ClaireV
1
Interesting if not all that wearable take on chocolate
Apparently, Hilde Soliani created this perfume to capture the scent memory of her grandmother's homemade liqueur with notes of spices, basil, pepper, white and dark chocolate, tomato leaf and woody notes. It's an interesting take on the chocolate theme, to be sure, because it introduces a fresh, herbal transparency to the mix, which serves to lighten the heft of the cocoa notes. The dark chocolate note starts out crisp and defined, like a square of thin, ultra-dark chocolate that breaks off from the rest of the bar with a pleasing snap. It is also spicy and peppery. Quickly, though, the green, herbal elements push through, which give the dark chocolate a minty feel. It's kind of musky, dirty, and woody in feel: the chocolate element here is definitely not of the edible variety. I like its freshness, as well as its lack of literalism.
Overall, though, I don't find this fragrance to be particularly satisfying. One reason for this is that I find the mash-up between watery, green garden elements and the dark chocolate to be a dissonant pairing at heart. It also ends up somewhere in the territory of mint ice-cream, which I am sure is not really what the perfumer intended. Also, the projection and longevity leave a lot to be desired. It is an ambitious scent, but it falls off a ledge somewhere after the first couple of hours and quietly dwindles into a musky skin presence that makes you yearn for the bold and unusual beginning to be replayed from the start.
Overall, though, I don't find this fragrance to be particularly satisfying. One reason for this is that I find the mash-up between watery, green garden elements and the dark chocolate to be a dissonant pairing at heart. It also ends up somewhere in the territory of mint ice-cream, which I am sure is not really what the perfumer intended. Also, the projection and longevity leave a lot to be desired. It is an ambitious scent, but it falls off a ledge somewhere after the first couple of hours and quietly dwindles into a musky skin presence that makes you yearn for the bold and unusual beginning to be replayed from the start.
Serafina
