TAUER PERFUMES
HERAUD
2024
PERFUMER
Andy Tauer
bitter cocoa
bergamot
fruity milky cocoa
dried date
white florals
timber wood
cedarwood
vanilla
musk
ambergris
‘HERAUD: Middle English and Old French for maker of proclamations, a crier; a distinguished messenger, King’s messenger. One of the central pillars in the perfume formula is the double distilled extract of COCOA beans from the Ivory Coast. Very hard to get, not available every year, produced in smaller batches: HERAUD might not be available at all times. This is the sacrifice we have to pay for quality. Here is a technical detail for you: this cocoa beans absolute is overdosed in the perfume formula and radiates lovely throughout the entire perfume. Head notes: an uplifting Bourbon bergamot oil, balancing a bitter cocoa head note. Heart notes: fruity, milky cocoa with the sweet notes of dried dates. A natural touch of clean white florals. Base notes: dry timber and spicy cedarwood, sensual Planifolia vanilla, clean powdery musk and crisp amber gris.’ – Tauer
This one definitely matched the listed notes and expectation, in a somewhat bold and strong manner for a Tauer.
Straight away, I get dry, semi-sweet chocolate powder, like a dusting of confectionary cacao. Someone on Fragrantica mentioned a cup of hot chocolate and I can see that as well. The chocolate is my favorite part, but when that vanishes, it becomes a slightly different animal.
The dried fruits facet is quite strong though, especially as the wear progresses. As well as a slightly acrid tinge, that some may find off putting. It’s not quite Les Indemodables Vanille Havane, but it veers into that direction.
In the late drydown I feel like very dry, more earthy cacao and a tangy (almost ginger-like) dried fruit make for a pretty intense and long-lasting base. It goes in a similar direction as Bon Parfumeur 502 – Iris Cartagena for me here.
Overall, really nice, but (despite everything I’ve said above) somehow feeling a tad generic once the chocolate becomes less prominent. Like a sweet-fruity tobacco scent. I’m not sure how much I’d like this on a frequent basis, nor would I prefer it over Iris Cartagena and probably not over Vanille Havane either.