L’ORCHESTRE PARFUM
THÉ DARBOUKA

2017

PERFUMER
Amelie Bourgeois
Anne-Sophie Behaghel

Bergamot
Cacao

Spicy Notes
Immortelle

Styrax
Oud

‘Sahara. Desert. Dawn coloured by the nomadic rhythm of a darbouka. An imaginary tea.’ – L’Orchestre Parfum

Thé Darbouka is another winner from this pretty great house.

Every fragrance in the L’Orchestre line is accompanied by a piece of music; in this case a Darbouka (drum) composition. Darbouka’s are mainly used in Northern Africa and the Middle East as far as I know and that’s definitely the vibe that you get with this fragrance.

It’s a warm scent, but not overly dense or dark. I expected it to be heavier, but instead it’s a nice, almost airy, spicy blend. I don’t necessarily get the tea, but definitely the spices that could go in there. There seems to be some debate on the full notes for this one, but I mainly get a fig-like scent, with a sweet backdrop. As far as the spices go, there might be some nutmeg and/or clove, maybe even a hint of cumin, but I’m not sure. I also get a slight liquorice vibe in some wafts, that reminds me of anise.

The sweetness is interesting though, cocoa is listed and I do pick up on something akin to a syrupy, warm chocolate sauce. It starts off a bit sharper and powdery, as you would expect from a spicy opening, but it turns quite smooth within the first hour. I’d almost say it feels resinous, but not as dense. I don’t think I’ve smelled anything that I can really compare this to; if anything I’d say this falls somewhere in between Gallivant’s Istanbul and Tokyo.

Longevity was surpringly great. As I mentioned, it felt almost airy and light, which made me think it would be a shorter-lived lifespan, but instead, this was very noticeable for the entire day. This is perfectly unisex and I could see myself wearing this in any season.