Coffee Beans via Wikimedia - photo by Nate Steiner
Did this headline catch your attention? Did you even know that there are perfumes made with coffee, or why? Wonder no more, for I am here to tell you that it can be a good thing.
Many years ago an inexpensive perfume that was made to smell just like sweetened coffee came out. It was very simple, but it smelled a little burnt to me, and it was definitely a novelty. You can probably still find it at those perfume superstores at the mall, but I have not looked for it, it was just not my style.
In 1988 the next wave arrived with the release of Comptoir Sud Pacifique’s Vanille Mokha, which is also still popular today. It is a delicious blend of coffee, cream and Tahitian vanilla. Unabashedly gourmand, it’s a treat for anyone who likes that sort of fragrance. Be careful though; this one will really make you crave coffee, sugar and all that goes with them, including a nice rich, gooey pastry.
Fast forward to more recent times and there has been a veritable explosion in the use of coffee as a fragrance note for both men’s and women’s scents. From expensive niche house Bond No. 9 comes New Haarlem, meant to smell like your morning latte, while the more affordable Jo Malone line offers Black Vetyver Café. And of the many variations on Thierry Mugler’s famous Angel perfume, one of the latest is a limited edition, AngelMen Pure Coffee, released in 2008 and the last word in sophisticated coffee fragrances. However, it does continue the theme of using vanilla and other accords to re-create the aroma of an actual cup of coffee, though a very expensive one. From niche perfumer DSH Perfumes comes Coffee Absolute – coffee and nothing else. I have not tried it yet, but this line is known for its high quality and natural materials, so I would not be afraid to order it, and samples are available.
Two recent discoveries for me are coffee scents with a less literal feel – rather than evoking an actual coffee drink, they use it to make an already good fragrance darker and more interesting. Café Noir from DSH Perfumes is based on the concept of a night in a jazz club in Paris in the 1920s. It is a dense, rich rendition combining coffee with black pepper and Tolu balsam. It’s definitely suitable for adults, as it is not overly sweet. Another good one is Eau des Îles by Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier, a nominally unisex but quite masculine fragrance based on the idea of spices and other riches from exotic islands. This one is not really very sweet at all; rich in woods, leather, herbal notes and patchouli, it is deep and complex and very smoky, and as elegantly made as any other spicy Oriental style perfume. The coffee note is bitter and dark and not gourmand like most coffee scents. It’s not for everyone, since it’s pretty intense and the lasting power is tenacious, but if you like that it’s worth a try, especially if you prefer a straight shot of espresso over a frothy, syrupy mocha.
I guess the biggest problem you might encounter while shopping for a coffee perfume is that many stores put out containers of coffee beans for customers to smell to clear their heads between smelling different fragrances. The jury is still out on whether this really works or not, but it would be interesting to find out how it affected one’s sensory enjoyment of a coffee fragrance.
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