ATELIER DES ORS
Kawa Karda
2024
PERFUMER
Marie Salamagne
cardamom
coffee
vetiver
‘A powerful, addictive and contrasting coffee. Abstraction is the starting point for a new representation of reality. Beyond the ingredients, open up your imagination and let it guide you away from the usual reference points. Throughout conquests and explorations, in the pockets of adventurers or in the holds of merchant ships, coffee has accompanied a process of exploration at borders, of discovery of the world. A creation around a powerful, addictive and contrasting coffee, illuminated by a fresh and dazzling cardamom. Rich in natural and exceptional raw materials, this extract is crafted at 40%, with a concentration of ingredients seemingly amplified. It embodies their essence and the power of their imagination.’ – Atelier Des Ors
Kawa Karda is not my favorite of the 2024 duo of it & Cocoa Kimiya. I’ll make some comparisons between the two in the breakdown below. Full notes for these fragrances have not been disclosed by the brand; the notes above I saw listed at a presentation, but the official notes for Kawa Karda only list cardamom & coffee.
And more cardamom you get. While it’s also listed as note for Cocoa Kimiya, it’s much more pronounced and punchy in Kawa Karda. When I smelled it on paper, I figured I would dislike the cardamom, as I’m a bit over the cardamom trend and I find it too overpowering in many compositions (I just sold my BDK Gris Charnel for this reason). However, on skin, the cardamom isn’t as sharp or dominant; I think the high concentration of the perfume really helps in taking the edge off the spiciness.
In general, Kawa Karda feels less dry than its Cocoa sibling and it has more brightness. I get something akin to a fruity of floral edge to it. Like a fruity peach or plum syrup adding a golden lining to an otherwise darker and spicier scent. It brings in a welcome levity and makes this quite mass appealing in my assumption.
Despite this having the namesake reference to coffee, I get a lot more coffee from Cocoa Kimiya. Or at least, more of a roasted quality, whereas Kawa Karda would be more in an actual liquid, lighter coffee direction. It’s greener and ‘fresher’ for lack of a better way to put it.
When comparing Kawa Karda to Cocoa Kimiya, I think Kawa has more brightness coming trough. Kawa Karda is probably more mass appealing and smells more ‘perfume-y’, while Cocoa caters more to gourmand lovers in my opinion, with coffee and cocoa being front and center more. That being said, when you are not directly comparing them side-by-side, they don’t feel like they’re worlds apart; they are siblings that work in tandem. I do personally prefer Cocoa Kimiya by quite a margin.