Licorice with Date Syrup, Smoked with Myrrh and Frankincense
I never thought I would be into a licorice-myrrh-frankincense combo. But Ajwaa is simply amazing.
From start to finish, you have licorice that is harmoniously accompanied by the other fragrance notes, sometimes more, sometimes less. At the beginning, it is briefly fresh due to the bergamot, but that doesn't last long. It quickly becomes resinous and smoky, and thus the licorice is initially surrounded by it. In my perception, the date joins back in the drydown and adds a sweetness to the whole thing, but it's never too sweet. It is generally never too sweet, too smoky, too resinous, or too licorice-y (?). Everything is perfectly dosed, at least for my taste. Well, almost everything. Unfortunately, I have an aversion to (for me) overly noticeable musk. There is a brief phase in the first hour and a half where the musk comes through a bit too strongly for me, but fortunately, it fades away after a few minutes. I perceive vanilla and benzoin extremely minimally. But that's not a problem for me; I really like what I clearly perceive.
Ultimately, the drydown is just as described in the title, as if you have licorice with date syrup in front of you, embedded in smoky notes.
