Countdown day 14

What to choose for the 14th day of our Christmas Fragrance countdown? That decision has been easy for me today. I am at my city church surrounded by Coffee shops, they close me in on every side. They are mortal enemies, staring angrily across Cheapside with Stale Croissants at the ready, and yet they unite to trap me in caffeinated mediocrity. There is probably somewhere close by, doing wonderful and life enhancing stuff, but I am lured like a sad Latte Lemming to Starbucks. So the obvious answer is to escape and leave behind the nuked bean. I think Turkey might work. In the days of Concord I could probably depart and return within the lunch hour. For the time being I content myself in a little bottle of Turkish Coffee magic from Killian Perfumes. Intoxicated (2014) By Killian, is a modern masterpiece from Perfumer Calice Becker. It is not a great pyramid of notes and layers, rather it is a straight up Turkish Coffee, it is rich and opulent and I love it. We open proceedings with a dose of Cardamom, which provides a bitter and bracing aroma. It is as if you have just bitten into an otherwise quiet and shy pod, which then explodes in anger. It is as dramatic an opening as I can imagine. I must admit, that when I first tried this, I didn’t enjoy the opening, I found the Cardamom to be too much. Yet, after several times wearing this, I came to realise that I was being challenged by its boldness, and I was running instead of exploring. This was a valuable lesson to me and my nose. I also pick up a slightly dark Cinnamon in the opening, which adds to the heady and spicy opening. The first blast begins to calm down a little, leaving behind a stunning dark roasted Coffee and a Bitter Chocolate combo, I also detect a Resinous Tar finish. This shares some similarity to the infamous Mugler Amen, yet operates in a different league altogether. The depth and realism is glorious, and blended to perfection. It is wonderfully earthy. So, that is it. Sounds simple? Well it is, compared to some fragrances containing vast numbers of notes, and yet this is in no way less rich and inviting. By virtue of what it sets out to do, it has to be direct. If you have ever had Turkish Coffee, you will know that there is no room for anything or anybody else when you first close your eyes and bring that Biblical Broth to your nose. That is why you will never find me ordering a Vanilla, Mocha, Orange, Soya, Skinny anything. I like my Coffee like my Intoxicated, Black and Brewed beyond Bethlehem. Happy Smelling, and remember not to drink it. J xxx