Landshark321

Ingenious Ginger is one of the more recent release from Goldfield & Banks, a fresh, spicy, invigorating blend fittingly featuring ginger, which I can sometimes find to be overdone in heavier offerings, but this rendition is fresh, with additional notes of citruses in the top, jasmine and rose in the heart, and a base of vanilla, sandalwood, and patchouli, giving it a bit more subtle depth as it dries down. It lands in a comfortable middle ground between the provocativeness of the ginger and (eventually) patchouli vs the familiar comfort of citruses, flowers, and woods.

Ingenious Ginger has the current standard pricing for most of the brand, $190/130/36 for 100/50/10ml, and is sold through great boutiques like Perfumology, from which I’ve now sampled the entire line to date. I love the option of 10ml travel sizes in most (all?) of their scents, a great way to try extensively before committing to a larger bottle, or just to have a more travel-friendly option. This fragrance does not perform too loudly but is satisfactory and inoffensive in having moderate performance and being a largely agreeable scent.

7 out of 10

Sampling the latest release from Marc-Antoine Barrois, Tilia, a robustly fresh and nectary yellow floral with first listed notes of linden blossom and broom jasmine, neither of which I specifically know, but the blend has a sweet, almost vaguely honey complementary aspect to fresh florals that manage to be bright and dewy without being powdery, springy without the green allergies. It’s really pleasant without breaking the mold, a well-rounded and smooth creation that does not provoke too much, a sort of comfort floral that anyone can appreciate, I’d wager. It’s fittingly a little mellower in the dry down than in the opening, albeit with a similar balance.

Tilia performs quite well, with good density, at EDP concentration, pricing of $280/160 for 100/30ml (similar to other perfumes in the line), sold at boutiques like Perfumology that carry the line.

7 out of 10

This is my first wearing of Mancera Amore Caffe, a 2023 gourmand that has gotten a lot of buzz in recent months, this year’s Tonka Cola, in that respect. Right off the initial spray, it’s sweet and even a little syrupy, but not overly heavy, a quite pleasant coffee scent that, while not having a ton of coffee in it, nonetheless does not fall into the category of smelling like a bakery or other desserts. It’s lightly spiced and boozy, with notes of amaretto, speculoos, and brown sugar, without too much evidence of non-gourmand notes. It genuinely smells like something that could be part of a dessert.

I find it much more wearable than Aoud Cafe and as such it’s the best coffee scent under this brand. It’s not terribly innovative or different but hits the mark very well. I could see this being a great option for gourmand fans that are generally turned off by too much coffee or too much sweetness, and even non-gourmand fans can probably appreciate its pleasantness. It’s not a particularly loud performer but satisfactory for its genre.

The retail pricing of Amore Caffe is the same as most of the house, at $180/105 for 120/60ml via the house website, department stores, and some great boutiques like Krystal Fragrance.

8 out of 10

First proper sampling of Ormonde Jayne Montabaco Cuba, a fresh, spicy, slightly sweet blend that’s smooth and easygoing and highly pleasant while having just a bit of provocative sharpness at its opening. Its main notes are a blend of citruses, florals, and spices—most notably bergamot, juniper, jasmine, magnolia, and tea—with a base of tonka and tobacco. It has a great blended effect that defies categorization somewhat; it operates at the intersection of a handful of different genres and themes without being too over-the-top in terms of being a freshie or tobacco scent, but somewhere in between, with the abovementioned ensemble of citruses and florals providing a bit of a laundry-fresh aspect in contrast to the tobacco or sweetness in tonka. This is an easy one to love and I can easily see how its reputation has gotten so strong so quickly.

This particular release from Ormonde Jayne, a limited edition, is on the pricier side of the brand, at $275 for 88ml (sold via boutiques like Perfumology), but its utility is extremely high, as this could easily be an everyday type of fragrance that is nevertheless very sophisticated and special.

I quite love it but I’m not sure I’ll ever spring for it, a comparable situation for me to the Lubin Aristia collection—especially Sinbad and Galaor—that I undoubtedly regard as excellent but perhaps just do not need a full 100ml of, given the price point.

Still, this Montabaco Cuba is very special and I would highly recommend checking it out, as it could be extremely useful to some.

8 out of 10

This is a long-overdue proper sampling and review of Cult of Kaori Onsen Minerale, one of the house’s first two releases in its late 2023 debut (along with Melon Masu). For those that don’t know, Cult of Kaori was founded by owner/perfumer Chris Undi, local to Philadelphia, with inspiration from his experiences in Japan. Onsen Minerale takes its name from Japanese hot springs sometimes used for bathing, and the notes of this fresh, deep creation include some of the natural elements that coincide with the onsen, including a robust freshwater/steam accord, lychee, mandarin, and hinoki wood, among others, a fulfilling experience that has a dry drydown while also being an immersive freshwater-reminiscent journey. It has the cleanness and natural smells of a spa without the human element, an intersection of woods, citruses, and water that’s positively therapeutic, and it’s no wonder why the reception to this fragrance has been so glowing in the months since its release. Additionally, it has rich quality and very good performance, particularly for a fragrance that that shines because of its fresh and natural aspects.

Both fragrances in the Cult of Kaori line are priced at $220 for 50ml and sold via the house site and boutiques like Perfumology, at 25% concentration, generally equivalent to a parfum/extrait.

8 out of 10