ONE DAY
811 TAIPEI
2023
PERFUMER
Michael Wong
soy milk
rice
taro
iris
guaiac wood
vetiver
sandalwood
musk
Initially exclusive online and to Taiwan District & Taifragrance. A wider release followed in February 2024.
‘Ground soy, steamed glutinous rice and taro; Scent and nuance of beans, grains and roots. Soybeans strained and boiled into milk, the aroma of steamed rice and taro rising in the air. Flour and dough kneaded into taro balls, rolled hearty in bowls. The gourmand sweetness enters the Taipei morning, moves into mid-day alleys and into the night. Through rusted concrete and its rigid colors, the aged scent remains in the wooden builds between cool-toned concrete lofts. The rootyness stains the narrow alleys between the low-rises downtown, brushing through the gates and chairs, kitchens and windows. The rice lingers and weaves into the background, meeting the underlying tone. The scene of old temples by the night markets. The intimate human touch of town. The warmth of the software that runs between the solidity and old, in the air and things that flow.’ – One Day
From my (limited) experience with One Day, Taipei is the most artistic, conceptual so far in its opening. A very true to life rice scent that a general audience may not expect to find as a perfume, but it moves into more familiar territory after the first hour.
The rice here is not overly aromatic like a basmati, but smells like the steam coming off cooked white rice. The opening is a bit more pronounced even and Taipei is not as delicate as plenty of rice-related fragrances. You get hints of rice crackers with a slightly roasted quality and a more gourmand sweetness creeping up.
That being said, it doesn’t go overly sweet; it remains clean and focused on a less conventional actual rice scent. As expected from the notes, it goes in a more woody and iris direction, moving into the territory of Affinessence Santal Basmati for example as it dries. Lactonic, but not fully, as there is also an airy quality to it. The brand’s description speaks of cooler tones as well and I think that is defining here. It has a sweetness, a warmth, a coziness, but it also has that more clinical, cool, contemplative vibe alongside it. At least until later in the drydown, where you get the full iris-woody experience, without any eccentric tinges.
I like Taipei more and more as I wear it, and it’s a cool style of fragrance to test, although it is not beating out my favorites from One Day thus far (Oolong Tea & Seoul).
