While fetching a mid-afternoon beverage & pick-me-up at our neighbouring cafe, we fell into an enthusiastic conversation highlighting the synergistic magic that lays at the root of natural scent, flavour, and what unique environmental circumstances contribute to the terroir and its harvests. So much of the invisible is infused in the aromas we savour; an amalgamation of precise conditions impossible to recreate that combine into an inimitable palette of notes and subtle nuances. Environmental and agricultural factors alike leave their imprint on the plant. Climate, altitude, the health of the soil and the life that feeds and tills it - each eventual sip of brew imbued with the heart, soul, and aches of labourers devoted to their craft.
These and countless other factors – the result of ecological kismet, something as unique as the varying degrees and mapped out constellations of a birth chart – are what lead to the single-most enjoyable cup of coffee you’ve enjoyed and long to re-experience. A butterfly effect created by a series of variants as innocuous as intentional, that all too often can never be replicated in their original integrity. That one-of-a-kind quality, the magic behind that inimitable summit of enjoyment, is the essence of natural delight, and the awe-inspiring trade ‘secret’ for brewers, growers, roasters, and perfumers alike.
So; where is all this going, anyway? Today, highlighting two new additions to our Cabinet of Scents and line of raw materials, we're talking notes of comfort—both the familiar and unusual, how they contribute to a fragrance, enhance the mood, and carry with them a legacy of providing warmth through the harsh months.
The genus Coffea contains over 120 recognized species of coffee, with C. Arabica & C. Robusta at the forefront. One of the most consumed beverages world-wide, the aroma of coffee is widely recognized as familiar, comforting, and energizing - the smell alone capable of stirring even the deepest of slumbers. Coffee absolute is solvent-extracted straight from grains of the finest coffee available. A truly outstanding ingredient, it outshines the comparatively acrid essential oil with a dark, rich bouquet of freshly ground beans; warm, gourmand, bitter, nutty-savoury, profoundly deep, and expressive.
Something about Winter awakens old, slumbering beasts within us; slow, deliberate, ancient things that stir as the nights get darker and the cold laps sharply at our cheeks and fingertips. With the cold stillness of Winter calling us back inward and into the hearth, the desire for comfort and warmth increases—fleecy blankets, cozy socks, and soup stock. This is reflected in the fragrance industry as much as any, with the trend leaning toward the trusted cashmere-soft notes of warm woods, comfort foods, and musk. We briefly touched on Musk earlier this month over on Instagram, but wanted to contemplate & elaborate a little more on the industry oddity and latest fragrance fascination, wool absolute. Traditionally, ‘musk’ referred to the aromatic, glandular secretions of animals like the deer musk, muskrat, or civet. Over time, this definition evolved to encompass fragrances that could be animal, botanical, or synthetic in nature, ranging from mild and clean to down right dirty. The common thread between the two extremes? A sensation of closeness, warmth, and skin-on-skin contact.
Some purists will debate whether synthetic molecules are as capable of capturing the living, breathing, animal essence of these often unethically procured extracts, pushing the industry to present natural alternatives without the ethical, ecological, and moral drawbacks. Enter wool absolute; a byproduct of an enormous existing industry, extracted from the animal's wool after shearing (a necessary practice in husbandry). Though the herd is well-cared for and no sheep or lambs are harmed in the process, this extract is however still considered non-vegan, but does provide an alternative use to an over-produced and oft-wasted fiber resource by giving it new life and purpose.
But what of our own relationship with sheep's wool (especially in this northern climate of ours, where much of our own comfort and survival have historically depended on animal fats and fibers keeping our delicate flesh safe from the chill?) You must know by now that it's the intersections between fragrance, folklore, and the natural world that fuel our passion, so let's think on the significance of this precious gift.
