Launched in 2010 by Andy Tauer, Eau d'Épices is described on his website as “An Indian basket of spices with cinnamon, cardamom, clove and coriander with red mandarines.” It’s that but so much more.

On me, it opens with a burst of spices: fiery, dry, aromatic cinnamon bark paired with minty, camphorous cardamom. This freshness links to the medicinal facets of pungent clove, which is rounded out by a note of dry, woody coriander. In the food world, these spices form the backbone of garam masala - the familiar scent of a traditional Indian spice basket. 

The spice blend here is perfectly balanced; those cooling, herbal undertones temper the fiery heat of the spice. The note of juicy red mandarins softens the bold spices and bridges to a note of orange blossom. But this is not an orange blossom I know – that rich, sweet, fleshy, heady, soapy white floral I love. No, this is deep and dark and warm. It’s as though fiery spices bonded with it, mutating it and concentrating its sweetness until it’s thick, carnal and seductive. A note of narcotic jasmine deepens the orange blossom, as orris root adds creaminess and smoothness. A sliver of smoky incense slinks through the flowers, counterbalancing the sweetness and adding mystery and drama. 

At the base, the fading spices and orange blossom are enveloped by woody, balsamic cistus ladaniferus resin that’s smoky, leathery, warm, and dry. A note of rooty vetiver is dry and woody, balancing the floral sweetness, while an undercurrent of salty, skin-like ambergris and powdery, almond-vanilla tonka bean gently softens the resins, creating a warm, seductive autumn scent.

NOTES: Cinnamon, cardamom, clove, coriander, red mandarins, orange blossom, jasmine, orris root, incense, cistus ladaniferus resin, vetiver, ambergris and tonka bean.