Wazamba Parfum d'Empire 2009

Great experiences are worth being reported a second time and thus warmly recommended to others once again.

The Easter before last, I was in Milan with my family. A globally renowned sight is the Milan Cathedral, whose roof can be walked on. You can go up by stairs or elevator, and a small passage leads outside. Endless marble, tiny people far below, and a panoramic view over the rooftops of the city all around. But the cathedral itself also offers new perspectives during the tour: surprisingly narrow paths and niches alternate with wider sections leading to the vast open space on the left and right of the ridge. And that is simply overwhelming.

At one point, through some grilles that likely serve ventilation, not only organ music and singing from the Easter Sunday mass penetrated, but also quite distinctly the smell of incense. As a Northerner, I had no idea before how bright and sour, almost green it can smell.

I find a similar scent in the opening of 'Wazamba': bright-sour-resinous smoke, but here it quickly becomes fruit-accompanied. For a while, a haze like burning plastic is disturbing, but that settles down, and over the course of the first hour, more and more fruit and darker smoke join the initially dominating church-like impression. As it progresses, the fragrance spans a beautiful, wide arc from light to dark, from bitter to sweet.

I imagine chocolate-patchouli; after about an hour, dark wood appears, durable in its compactness. The interplay between the acidity from the incense and from the fruit is charming, Madame Plum secretly seems a bit (rosily) tipsy and leans, I think, on Mr. Cashmeran. Probably, vetiver in the background helps the bright incense idea over time. When I return to my office after an absence, I do not think "incense," but "vetiver."

Around noon, more sweetness appears, honey-like gradually replacing the fruit. Again, an interplay arises, this time between bitter-sour and sweet aspects of the smoke. I particularly enjoy the ethereal quality of it. And once again, I think of the cathedral, of the abundance of loving decorations, the somewhat winding corners on the roof that give the monumental structure - within the realm of possibility - a certain lightness.

This lightness remains in the fragrance for a long time, into the afternoon. Gradually, creamier additions and more dark wood emerge, balancing the swelling sweetness. Only in the late afternoon and evening does the gentle, increasingly honeyed sweetness take over completely, reminiscent of more passionate smokers like Tom Ford's 'Sahara Noir' or 'Calling All Angels' by April Aromatics.

Only the plastic from the beginning and the certain impression of having experienced practically everything multiple times prevent me from being overly enthusiastic today. This may be unfair, as among the numerous references (no twins, just siblings and cousins of various degrees, but plenty of them!) there are also younger representatives, such as the beautiful 'Incense Pure' from Sonoma Scent Studio (2010), which spans a similar arc, or the aforementioned 'Calling All Angels' (2012). It cannot be changed. Nevertheless: 8.5 points are quite decent!

Those who find incense fragrances too intense or overwhelming should dare to test this one and gradually explore it throughout the day.

I thank Yatagan for the sample.