ALGHABRA
KING OF FLOWERS

2018

PERFUMER
Cem Cetinkaya

Bergamot
Grapefruit

Iris
Lavender

Amber
Sandalwood

I guess that King Of Flowers was the most popular Alghabra at the time I reviewed it and for good reason. This is an absolute gem that unites spicy and vanilla in a perfectly balanced and mature way.

The listed notes and the name might give you the wrong expectations. The only top and heart notes listed are bergamot, grapefruit, iris and lavender. To my nose there’s a lot of cold spices, like cardamom. It has the dry vibe of iris, but not with the floral or carroty scent. The opening is full-on spicy on my skin, and I can see aromatics like the lavender in an abstract ‘traditional masculine leaning’ way as well.

The beauty of King Of Flowers is the transition. It takes a rather sharp turn into vanilla territory. At first still combined with the spices, a rather refreshing, cooling kick and a woody base. In the drydown however, this goes nearly full gourmand, ending up close to the drydown of Casamorati Lira. It smells like a rich vanilla desert.

What sets this apart from something like Lira is the more mature feeling and I think it leans slightly masculine. Lira is a guilty-pleasure sweet bomb to me, it’s fun and quirky. King Of Flowers is more serious, but with the same comforting, straight-forward vanilla drydown, that will uplift anyone that loves vanilla fragrances. King Of Flowers has a transition so stark that you don’t see it coming the first time you wear it, but it hasn’t failed to impress me yet.