NICOLAI
Caravanserail Intense

2023

PERFUMER
Patricia de Nicolai

coffee absolute
plum
raspberry

cardamom
cinnamon
patchouli
clove
sandalwood

dry amber
Tonka bean absolute
vanilla absolute
immortelle absolute

‘Towards the Levant: the desert adventure begins. A link between several lands, Caravansérail Intense is a stopover at the crossing of the coffee and spice roads. A historic site of hospitality not far from arid deserts, pioneer explorers and traveling souls are welcomed by a hot, addictive traditional coffee whose swirls reveal the fresh facets of cardamom seeds. Fruity, sweet notes enhance this divine mixture delicately sprinkled with cinnamon and clove, while a duo of patchouli heart and sandalwood provides a woody intensity. Finally the powerful sandstorm of dry amber notes highlights immortelle, vanilla and tonka bean.’ – Nicolai Parfumeur

Looking at the notes, this fragrance could go in two different directions, mostly dictated by its texture. Either it’s a thick, gourmandish, dense fragrance or it’s a more airy, sharper, spicy scent. The latter is what you get with Caravanserail Intense.

Very sharp spices for how sweet they are. Plum and raspberry are listed, but they add more of a fresh, acidic edge; behaving like citrus more than deep rich fruits. Meaning they also fade quickly, aside from a hint of plum.

The coffee I get a lot of at first, which I really like. But it’s not a creamy or drinkable coffee. The freshness and the coffee and sweetness make it more of a contrasting spicy scent. This feels like a spice packet that you need to add liquid to to mix into a drink. There’s one fragrance that smells quite similar to initially and that’s Balint Balcafe, but that is much more ‘liquid’ in texture, making the Nicolai come across more mature. This coffee vibe also fades quickly.

I get a lot of sweetness especially from the mid of the wear. More so in a cinnamon way and tiny hints of coffee and vanilla. It also reminds me a lot of the immortelle that I smelled as raw ingredient (the Grand Cru from Les Indemodables), which is like a sweet liquorice-esque spiciness. Not the same as for example in Ganymede. The cardamom is the last straw that pulls it back in a fresher direction.

I really loved this opening, but after about an hour it becomes more earthy. Very heavy on the patchouli and dry earthy, slightly bitter and smoky. Still somewhat airy in texture, but powerful at the same time. The brand’s description of a ‘sandstorm’ is apt.

You would expect a fragrance to get more vanillic after several hours, but Caravanserail Intense manages to remain quite harsh, spicy, woody and smoky. Sweet still yes, but still not overly vanillic or gourmand; more like dry tobacco to my nose.

A nice scent, but not the most easy going. I wore it in warm weather and I’m sure this would be significantly nicer on a cold day.