Osmanthus - Subtle Note Par-Excellence
7 years ago
My attention has been recently twoken by the idea of osmanthus in perfume. From what I can gather, and from my (very limited) experience of 'fumes broaching it as a note, it seems to be a ^subtle^ note par-excellence. Does it have an aroma similar to that of a freshly-opened packet of Ceylon Orange Pekoe tea? That seems to me to be the element that °osmanthusy° 'fumes have in common.
One of my earliest very-striking olfactory memories is that of opening a packet of loose-leaf Indian tea (not necessarily Ceylon Orange Pekoe) at my grandmother's house. The experience was so acute, it left the memory of the room I was in at the time and its details - lighting, etc - indelibly y-stampen on my memory. Also the amusement of my mother & grandmother: "... it's ^tea^! It's what we put in the pot when we have a cup of ^tea^!".
I thereafter thought tea was pretty cool! (& haven't stopped thinking it!)
Also - not wishing to open too many threads in a short space - when is ~iris~ actually ~orris~? I thought I had an accurate conception of an ~irisy~ 'fume - quite sharp & astringent & °sneezy° or °tickling of the respiratory tract° - and also a reasonably adequate conception of an ~orrisy~ one - more subtle, softer, gentler, creamy°. But I keep seeing, in notes-lists of 'fumes that I have lodged in my scheme as orrisy 'fumes, iris only, or at least primarily. I know sometimes ~orris~ gets roughly comprised under ~iris~, but I don't know for certain that I haven't just gotten it wrong. I don't have ready access to elementary perfumery substances, unfortunately.
Hey, pœps! look at this quote fræ ~nstperfume.com~.
"
I think of osmanthus as the scent of happiness. It smells of warm, ripe apricots, good black tea (maybe a Ceylon, with its floral notes and natural sweetness) and soft leather.
"
You probably won't believe now that I've only just read that.
One of my earliest very-striking olfactory memories is that of opening a packet of loose-leaf Indian tea (not necessarily Ceylon Orange Pekoe) at my grandmother's house. The experience was so acute, it left the memory of the room I was in at the time and its details - lighting, etc - indelibly y-stampen on my memory. Also the amusement of my mother & grandmother: "... it's ^tea^! It's what we put in the pot when we have a cup of ^tea^!".
I thereafter thought tea was pretty cool! (& haven't stopped thinking it!)
Also - not wishing to open too many threads in a short space - when is ~iris~ actually ~orris~? I thought I had an accurate conception of an ~irisy~ 'fume - quite sharp & astringent & °sneezy° or °tickling of the respiratory tract° - and also a reasonably adequate conception of an ~orrisy~ one - more subtle, softer, gentler, creamy°. But I keep seeing, in notes-lists of 'fumes that I have lodged in my scheme as orrisy 'fumes, iris only, or at least primarily. I know sometimes ~orris~ gets roughly comprised under ~iris~, but I don't know for certain that I haven't just gotten it wrong. I don't have ready access to elementary perfumery substances, unfortunately.
Hey, pœps! look at this quote fræ ~nstperfume.com~.
"
I think of osmanthus as the scent of happiness. It smells of warm, ripe apricots, good black tea (maybe a Ceylon, with its floral notes and natural sweetness) and soft leather.
"
You probably won't believe now that I've only just read that.