FLORAIKU
ONE UMBRELLA FOR TWO
2017
PERFUMER
Alienor Massenet
genmaicha
blackcurrant absolute
puffed rice
cyclamen
white musk
cedarwood
tea accord
‘One Umbrella for Two, a sweet, fruity and gourmand Blackcurrant absolute encounters a Genmaicha Tea extract and a Cedarwood oil to form a perfect matching trio. Inspiration: A traditional Japanese umbrella named wagasa adorned with a pattern of dragon, welcomes under its roof a delicate perfume done by the French Maison de parfum, Floraïku Paris, One Umbrella for two.’ – Floraiku
One Umbrella For Two was my first Floraiku and after sampling 13 of them, it remains clearly their best. A lot of the brand smells nice, but not interesting enough for the prices and most of their releases are plagued by far below average performances. One Umbrella For Two doesn’t have either of those qualms.
Only three notes are listed officially by the brand: blackcurrant, genmaicha tea & cedar oil. There are two clear connections I get from the scent. One is the obvious one: a murky, opaque blackcurrant tea. It’s quite a fruity, slightly sweet, but also sour and greenish blackcurrant note. I’d expected it to remind me of Amouage Jubilation XXV, but One Umbrella For Two is more vibrant, uplifting and bright.
The other connection I get, is to a slightly nutty bread or bread pudding. I am not familiar with genmaicha tea, but from what I read, it’s a green tea infused with roasted popped brown rice, so I imagine that’s where this savory, gourmand element originates. I think it smells awesome and it’s a very smooth blend straight from the opening. It’s quite linear, although that roasted quality fades and instead of getting darker or just sweeter, as most fragrances, this one gets more feminine in the drydown for sure, although it remains unisex in my opinion.
It feels like a high quality composition and One Umbrella For Two is one of the most unique fragrances I’ve come across. It’s niche for sure, but versatile and easy-going. Unisex, all ages and although it maybe a bit too much for high heat, otherwise wearable year-round.
Two fragrances with a similar roasted rice vibe worth checking out are Teo Cabanel Je Ne Sais Quoi and especially the much subtler One Day Oolong Tea. On the other hand, for a heavy-handed blackcurrant, I can recommend checking out Olympic Orchids Blackbird.