03/10/2019
Taurus
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Taurus
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11
Would be, would be, bicycle chain
Yes, I know - the saying is of course different and is borrowed from our favourite citation acrobat Lothar Mättheus. But as bumpy as the headline is also Amber & Spices in its course. This Montale starts quite ambitious, but amberless. The prelude actually promises more of an oud scent in a classic way, i.e. heavy woody-resin with good brightening spicy and minimally rosy notes without becoming stalky. Simply noble, but for many already too common and established, if not boring.
Still, after a few minutes you wonder what just happened to the eponym Amber. Just can't be seen or sniffed.
Instead, after some time cumin takes the reins. Unfortunately in an increasingly dry, if not even dusty variant. In the further course it resembles also rather rubber, which one has lightly charred with cumin - a smell, which I was allowed to notice partly on India's streets and/or lanes more often times. There are definitely worse things that you can accidentally pick up olfactorically, but this cumin is definitely out of place in this way.
In the later final phase some oud together with woody notes but still without amber comes to light. A conciliatory conclusion, but one that leaves one wondering what the inlay should do with the cumin seed.
What would have happened to the fragrance without its questionable appearance? And would more amber and less eaglewood have done the whole thing better? Oud & Cumin would definitely have been a more honest name for the whole thing.
Still, after a few minutes you wonder what just happened to the eponym Amber. Just can't be seen or sniffed.
Instead, after some time cumin takes the reins. Unfortunately in an increasingly dry, if not even dusty variant. In the further course it resembles also rather rubber, which one has lightly charred with cumin - a smell, which I was allowed to notice partly on India's streets and/or lanes more often times. There are definitely worse things that you can accidentally pick up olfactorically, but this cumin is definitely out of place in this way.
In the later final phase some oud together with woody notes but still without amber comes to light. A conciliatory conclusion, but one that leaves one wondering what the inlay should do with the cumin seed.
What would have happened to the fragrance without its questionable appearance? And would more amber and less eaglewood have done the whole thing better? Oud & Cumin would definitely have been a more honest name for the whole thing.
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