A Worthy Addiction: By Kilian A Taste of Heaven / Absinthe Verte

On my recent trip to Paris, I happened to sniff the By Kilian scents in a small shop in St Germain.  At first whiff, none of them overtly appealed to me except for A Taste of Heaven (idiosyncratically subtitled Absinthe Verte).    I applied it to my skin and went on my way, only to find myself going back to the spot where I had applied it over and over throughout the day, mesmerized by it's aromatic bittersweetness, completely devoid of the traditional anise or licorice, which has, in this case, been replaced by Lavender.  Now I am addicted, like the bohemian Victorians and Parisians were to Absinthe, and I am happy to report that I have not suffered any undue effects.
This might be the only scent I love in which I can actually sense the underlying structure, and experience the layered elements working sequentially and in harmony, to become a scintillating entity.

Absinthe is one of the most overhyped libations in the uber- hip world of California cocktail culture.  While the idea of Absinthe has always appealed to me, because I adore the creative period in England and France that seems to have been drenched in this notorious substance, the drink itself has disappointed me.  I am not a licorice fan, and I always feel that in its presence,
I cannot sense the proper bitterness of the Artemesia Absinthum, or Wormwood itself, to drink the bittersweet elixir I have imagined.

When I became aware of Absinthe used in perfumery several years ago, I was intrigued, then disappointed by the syrupy nature of the Grandiflorum scent, and Luten's Douce Amere is similarly more Douce than Amere.  I have tried Absoluement Absinthe and L'Artisan's Fou D'Absinthe, both rather fresh and light, when I wanted something darker and more pungent.  After I read Mandy Aftel's Essense and Alchemy, I ordered a collection of natural essences from her supplier in Portland before going there.  I picked up a small carton containing my essences, and the largest bottle, also the cheapest, the Wormwood extract, had oozed the tiniest bit and completely pervaded the box with it's intensely acrid odor.  I was terrified, and have not ventured near it since.

What is it exactly, I wondered, what are the components of the perfume epiphany I have experienced in A Taste of Heaven?   One visit to the By Kilian website offers us the precise formulas for all of their fragrances!  I know it's goofy, but I want to make a stab at it at home (after all, I have the Wormwood!).  I will use the formula the way I use recipes in my kitchen, replacing intuitively the things I don't have with things at hand, and seeing if I can come anywhere near the aromatic bittersweet nectar I seem to need. 

I used to love my chemistry set as a kid, and one of my nicknames in Art School was "class chemist," so this is a great chance for me to revisit my youth.  I was far more gifted in the ceramics glaze room than I ever was with my chemistry set, although I deeply enjoyed both pursuits, and I doubt I will come anywhere near Calice Becker's vision with the meager assortment natural essences in my  cupboard.  If only we had rainy days here it would be the perfect project, but I'll have to settle for an overcast one instead.   

Strangely, the formula for A Taste of Heaven contains only 5 grams, or 5/1000 Absinthe / Artemesia/ Wormwood (which echoes my experience of it in my cardboard box -- this stuff is strong), while it contains fully 50% or 500 grams total of four different types of Lavender!   

I'll report my findings in this very space.  In the meantime, A Taste of Heaven is available at Luckyscent. 

Comments

[ScentScelf]

I tend to agree with you re: absinthe being much less than "all that." Methinks that perhaps the fact that it was largely unavailalble (and perhaps also that it was illegal) merely heightened the drama, but not the actual taste. Hmm...wait...lack of availability affecting desire...never heard of that in in things culinary, perfume, or for that matter, human relations... ;)

Would be very curious to hear the results of your at home lab experiment.

So very nice to see a fresh post from you. I only became interested in perfume a short time ago (shoes and cake are an old interest, but from before one could even troll blogs), and enjoyed finding your site. I returned from time to time, just in case, and..voila! You returned! (...like the long MIA absinthe?)

[Qwendy]

Hi there, thanks for stopping by after 9 months without an entry on this blog! I aim to do it more, especially since I've roped myself into an experiment!

You're right of course, the hype has been about the illegality/unavailability, although for me it was more the elusive nature of the mythic substance that fed a great artistic period.

And although the drink itself is not too interesting as far as I can tell (perhaps I need to test more?), let me tell you, the scent and attendant properties of the Wormwood itself is special indeed!

I love having my elusiveness being compared to that of Absinthe, can I use that?

[ScentScelf]

==tee-hee==
Why, yes, of course...use the wormwood analogy to your heart's content. Just be leery of all that testing... :)

You have piqued my curiosity about the scented properties of wormwood...I do not have this particular artemisia in my current or any garden planted, let alone have a sense of how the essential oil behaves. Maybe I should get on that....

[Always In Style]

I'm intrigued by the addition of Lavender -- will have to check it out.

[Roxana]

Terrific post Wendy. I too am fascinated by Absinthe. I came into contact with it while at an Visionary Art Workshop in Austria. It was a regular nightly past time in the evening...loads of fun. The green fairy inspired me to take a stab at creating an Absinthe perfume. Its been many years and I am still tinkering with it. Artemisia absinthium is toxic and tricky to work with. Haven't cracked the code yet, will be happy to share when I do!

How about posting about your trip to SIP with Tom and Robin? Tom teased us and now we are all waiting with baited breath.

[Qwendy]

Roxana, thanks for stopping by! Perhaps Absinthe would be a good collaboration for us, so laced with history and mystery. You only need a drop of the stuff to have a huge effect, perfumewise, don't you? It's SO STRONG! I'd love a true Absinthe scent that isn't as sweet as most seem to be, sort of overbalancing the bitterness of the Wormwood. I'll try to post more soon, I promise!

Always In Style, yes, the lavender is one of the elements that makes this scent so addictive, I'm certain. Such a wonderful idea!

[ScentScelf]

Oooh, a potential collaboration!

Not meaning to put the cart before the horse, but do let us know if you ladies end up concocting together... :)