ARABICA

A classical, dark and very vintage spicy oriental.

 

HEAD

Green Bitter Orange*, Bergamot*, Nutmeg, Black Pepper

  HEART

Coffee Absolute, Coffee Flower Absolute, Egyptian Carnation*, Anatolian Rose*, Bulgarian Rose Otto*, Egyptian Jasmine

BASE

Indian Sandalwood, Texas Cedarwood, Vanilla Absolute*, Somalian Myrrh, Bourbon Vetiver*, Vintage Patchouly, Siam Benzoin*, Tolu Balsam

 

*certified organic, organically grown

 

ingredients

 

ANNETTE NEUFFER DUFTMANUFAKTUR – ARABICA by Bernardo Borsé, Dec 15th 2017


”SERRPENTINE PATHS”

One of my last reviews for this year goes to beautiful and very distinguished Bavarian lady, Mrs. Annette Neuffer and her creation “Arabica”.

To speak in Annette’s own words “Arabica” is one of her “difficult creations”. I love her “Arabica” precisely for the mentioned difficulty.
Arabica is wide-ranging and unusually rich scent. It has this certain richness, which can turn demonic and wistful, terrifying and tender. You need to know that Annette is an uncommonly thoughtful artist. So everything she does (jazz music or perfumes), it’s got to be perfect. However, she’s never truly satisfied. Don’t ask me why. It’s her nature.

“Arabica” opens with a crescendo. If you consider the tempo and the richness of used notes you might find some similarities to Dawn’s “Foxy”. Not the smell but the eerily tension, as if it belongs to Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries”. Annette’s ingredients are almost individually perceptible. The notes are separable. Green bitter orange and bergamot are offering an unexpected fruity start, but not for long. Nutmeg, one of my favourite ingredients, rushes hasty forth together with slight peppery echoes.

Annette moves on serpentine paths when the notes heat up with overbearing power and dizzying moments that attempt to knit together into dreamy lushness. After a while strong coffee odour arrives. But it’s not the roasted coffee moment. Arabica coffee and Coffee blossom unite with Egyptian carnation and relatively sensitive floral rose-jasmine hints to dramatic and somewhat dark accord
that is hard to describe. This is also the high point of Annette’s work on Arabica; a strange and brief moment with a breathless flash of fiendish chords.

There are no perceptible starts and stops within the development. There’s plenty of bite and some hazy parts, but also lightness and sparkle. At the end Annette buries everything with a web of thick harmony and soulful gentleness. The base is so wonderfully sublime, made of gloomy and enshrouding notes. I deliberately refrain here on enumerating the individual notes. The moment is warm and woody-sweetish with a hint of earthy tones.

Overall, “Arabica” has an outstanding development with tight tempo. It starts with a rich tension, elevates to own dramatic flashy point and dries down to become gently burning torch.

In steady steps, Annette had me wrapped around her finger with her daring creations. “Annette Neuffer Duftmanufaktur” is definitely more than just a hot tip. Trust me on that.