A Taste of Heaven Absinthe Verte Kilian 2007 Perfume

After having this scent in my collection for a while I have to pay tribute to it and write a comment.

Lavender + Vanilla but neither Jicky not Pour un Homme. How is that?

You can find the recipe of this dream-scent at
http://www.bykilian.com/en/les_fragrances/a_taste_of_heaven/

What you see are mainly high-quality naturals, amber seems to be the only component that is synthetic. And they make us pay for it (although lavender is not particularly expensive, it must be the real vanilla and tonka) - but the travel refils are affordable.

I've just sprayed some on my arm - in summer (original written in august) the sweet vanilla notes are a bit more prominent, I think.
The scent seems quite linear for quite some time. The vanilla is present from the beginning, the lavender is very long lasting. The transitions between the different stages are veeery smooth. I suppose that this is due to the high concentration of perfume oils and the technically very good composition. The longevity of the scent is very good and the sillage very noticeable but not too overpowering.
In this scent Kilian uses costus oil as a fixator. Together with Barrême lavender this ingredient seems responsible for the slight animalic touch of this scent. The Barrême seems to dominate the other lavender oils although it doesn't have the highest percentage (I own some decants of different lavender oils, and I clearly smell the Barrême in this one). Animalistic and sexy - yeah. But very different from Jicky, which has a good dose of civet and herbes provencales. Actually I don't think that it ressembles Jicky that much at all. In taste of heaven the lavender note is more dominant and more long-lasting, while the drydown of Jicky is more carnal and muskier.
To be honest, I have no clue what absinth smells like, but I don't think that it contains that much even though this perfume owes its name to this component.
Luca Turin calls A taste of heaven a "refined version of Pour un Homme" (more refined but one star less than the Caron). I don't agree with him in this point for one simple reason. I love taste of heaven but can't stand Pour un Homme. To my nose Pour un Homme is pure synthetic and not well composed. It does have a civet note (I think) that strongly reminds me of bad breath.

Taste of heaven is a unisex scent. Due to its classic fougère structure it leans a bit towards the masculine side. But the vanilla sweetness makes it very wearable for women. Despite its classic character I wouldn't consider it dated at all. Due to its intensity it is more of a special occasion scent and not an everyday-to-work-scent. Especially in summer I wouldn't wear it to the office. Actually I don't have many opportunities to wear it. I think it would be very suitable for formal occasions (suit+tie / coat and skirt), for theater, opera, work dinner amongst others - as long as it may be less subtle than Pour Monsieur. Don't misunderstand - it is not a terribly loud fragrance, but it does have presence and you will get noticed.
Simply beautiful, classy, perfectly balanced.

Addition: Later it starts developing a herbal, slightly bitter note. Especially when you stick your nose close to the skin. Might be the absinth.

By Kilian A TASTE OF HEAVEN initially smells quite green to my nose, and I immediately caught the absinthe note, familiar to me from a recent wearing of Tokyo Milk Dark ARSENIC, which boasts a very powerful dose of absinthe (albeit combined there with salt--a very eccentric and unique composition, it seems to me).

After a couple of minutes, the lavender and vanilla really crescendo and take over for a while. However, I still detect the absinthe in the background. Eventually, as this perfume dries down, the absinthe reasserts itself. I really have the sense that the absinthe is woven into the lavender-vanilla complex, making it less sweet and less brash. All in all a nice journey!

I compared A TASTE OF HEAVEN with Caron POUR UN HOMME, and I have to say that I like the By Kilian much more. First, the absinthe adds real interest to a combination which is not really beloved to me: lavender and vanilla. But the lavender in the Caron creation is also quite a bit more harsh to my nose.

All in all, I would recommend A TASTE OF HEAVEN both for the absinthe facet and for the smooth-wearing lavender.

This does not deserve the 7.6 rating.

A Taste of Heaven is a lovely lavender barbershop fragrance with a warm rich vanilla and amber undertone. The absinthe gives this fragrance just enough green and herbal vibe to make it different from other fougeres.

I will be the first to say that I’m not a fan of barbershop fougeres. I tend to gravitate towards sexy evening scents and not into gentlemanly type office scents. I have the private blend Beau de Jour by Tom Ford and Masculin Pluriel by Maison Francis but never reach for them. This on the other hand is smooth & sexy. It’s warm, inviting and welcoming. I can see myself wearing this to dinner/evening out.

Also, A Taste of Heaven does not have performance issues like some of the other Kilian offerings. This is really sticking to my skin nicely and I don’t have to find the scent. The sillage is really above moderate.

Many say this is similar to Pour Un Homme de Caron. I’ve never smelled it and to be honest probably never will since I have this.

I recommend giving this discontinued gem a try because it is an excellent choice from the house of Kilian.

As far as I am concerned, this should be renamed "A Taste of Hell". It could be I just don't care much for lavender fragrances, but all I can say is I find this completely unwearable and sickeningly floral. Bad smelling and relatively high priced equals an easy thumbs down from me for this 1 star out of 5 abomination.

Usually I put on a lavender dominated scent when I suspect I will have troubble getting some sleep. And then I turn to basic lavender with not so much else going on. More complex kind of lavender fragrances seem to not work as well as sleeping pills and I have, until I tried A taste of Heaven, not found any other lavender I fancy to wear during daytime. To me lavender usually is something either sleepy/relaxing or something clean, starched and somewhat old fashioned.

By Kilians A taste of Heaven is an outstanding exception. This is a "dirty" (but, not as dirty as poor old Jicky!) sensual and also, almost melancholic lavender to me... There is something dusky, something gloomy, yet very soothing about it.

The lavender is very prominent, but kind of muted, mellowed down and I do belive it can be that absinthe... making it more aromatic, with an almost haylike note and something that to me also smells close to buttery (in best possible way, there isn´t anything oily or fatty about it).

The opening is addictive. Maybe that´s also absinthe related? Even though I really, really like the whole scent, the opening and heart is what makes it so outstanding to me. The drydown is powdery, slightly sweet and well rounded but also add a little more "masculinity" to the fragrance, which I don´t mind, but not like as much as the rest though. But, on the other hand, A taste of Heaven also works just great on my husband.

Prett much a must try if you have the slightest interest for lavender or looking for a little more modern take on this classic perfume ingredience.

Longlasting, utterly well made, smoth, sensual and luxurious.