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Drseid
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Dragon Pearl Jasmine Tea...
Jasmin de Pays opens with yellow marigold to meld with underlying white floral jasmine before transitioning to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart the jasmine highly intensifies, taking over as the star while eschewing the yellow floral's green tinge and gradually adding mild supporting clove. During the late dry-down the jasmine remains though subdued, as it slowly fades to reveal subtle, just slightly animalic musk in the base that hangs around through the finish. Projection is excellent, as is longevity at around 12 hours on skin.
It is no secret that I love jasmine when done right. In truth, a different jasmine soliflore (Jasmin Antique by Rogue Perfumery) released this year (2020) with similar listed notes impressed even beyond my wildest dreams. As Jasmin de Pays, a soliflore from the prior year has almost the same official notes (except the added marigold) would it too impress? Are the two compositions nearly interchangeable?
Let's answer the key question right away for those that don't want to read further... The answer is absolutely, "No." As a matter of fact, for two jasmine soliflores with similar notes, the fragrance profiles are about as dissimilar as can be. It turns out that despite the similar notes, the materials used and the implementation of the two different perfumers (Mr. Manual Cross for Jasmin Antique, and Mr. Jean-Claude Ellena Jasmin de Pays) couldn't be more striking. Jasmine de Pays comes off as seeking the scent of jasmine tea, Dragon Pearl Jasmine Tea in particular. It has a bit of an airy floral nature, presenting as somewhat thin and sanitized. This actually is a very close approximation of the Dragon Pearl Tea I love so much. That said, while in short doses while brewing and drinking the tea it can be quite appealing, but it tends to annoy as time passes, and Jasmin de Pays doesn't really develop much to add new revelations to the mix save for an unwelcome piercing green aspect not present in the tea from the marigold. By contrast, Jasmin Antique (reviewed separately) is deep, heady, narcotic, more nuanced and evolving, capturing the smell of jasmine grandiflorum in the field complete with its indolic presence perfectly. Each will appeal to jasmine lovers to a degree with no overlap, but for *this* jasmine lover, only one is a "must have," masterpiece, and it isn't Jasmin de Pays. The bottom line is the $200 per 100ml bottle Jasmin de Pays captures the scent of Dragon Pearl Jasmine Tea quite well, but it wears thin as time passes with its lack of development and nuance, earning it a "good" 3 stars out of 5 rating and a neutral recommendation except to Dragon Pearl Jasmine tea lovers that can't get enough of its fragrance.