On the 13th I finished tincturing basamati rice and Maté tea.  I had seen quite a few times on some perfumery sites that fellow perfumers had tried the basmati rice tincture for it’s properties as a fixative.  I can’t say I’m crazy about the smell of basmati rice but I wanted to give it a try see.  At the same time I got curious about some Mate tea I had in my cupboard and with absolutely zero expectations I decided, ah, what the hell, and in it went.

7 days later here’s the impression I get on the smelling strip:

Basmati rice tincture – soft, lightly coconuty, it does take me into gourmand territory I feel, which I’m not crazy about.  I also get a slight impression of the toasted effect here but not enough to make me want to use it in a composition.  This one has got to convince me in the dry down or it’s a definite “Nein!”.  I’ll evaluate it later in the day for a more well rounded opinion.

Mate tea tincture – the colour is a wonderful soft, green, almost mossy in quality.  The smell is definitely of tea! It reminds me of the smell of the tea leaves that remain in my cup after a few hours of sitting there, giving me a sense of comfort and anticipation because I love making and drinking tea.  Tea brings me solace, directs and grounds me. This tincture is light and so green, Spring-time, fragile green.  Think early fern fronds of Spring.  I can definitely feel this in a cologne composition so it’s a keeper!

This week I’m helping out family so I’ll be back on Friday with more scentual musings.  Have wonderful Tuesday!