Celebrity pastry chef François Payard has launched Inspirations by Payard, a trio of chocolate based perfumes developed by perfumer Calice Becker:
Bergamot Truffle ~ “A citrus with a twist, this seemingly fresh creation hides within its heart a deliciously dark secret…
A round-up of chocolates from Demeter:
Some time ago, I reviewed Demeter Jelly Belly Hot Fudge Sundae and noted that it smelled more like brownie mix than a hot fudge sundae. I wondered at the time how it compared to Demeter Brownie, and I'm sure many of you have been unable to sleep nights waiting to see how that would all turn out; well, here is your answer: they're pretty close, but Hot Fudge Sundae is creamier and richer, and more chocolate-y. It smells more like brownie mix than the Brownie fragrance does (neither smells like an already-baked brownie), and it also has better (albeit considerably less than excellent) lasting power.
I'd never really noticed it before, but Tootsie Rolls don't have much of an aroma. I tried heating one in the microwave to see if that would help, and the result was a very light but vaguely unpleasant odor…
It's spring, that time of year when many women (and men? is this universal?) start knocking off the sweets in a last-ditch effort to lose a few pounds before swimsuit season officially begins. Or so I'm told. Happily, no such impulse has come over me as of yet. Here are seven dark chocolate bars, listed in order of my preference from outstanding right on down through disgusting, along with the usual random perfume recommendations because this is a PERFUME blog.
Starting out with awesome! eat three!, we've got the Calindia bar by Vosges (cardamom, organic walnuts, dried plums dark chocolate, see image above). This doesn't have quite the same rush of cardamom as Dolfin's Noir Cardamome, but it's still a generously spiced bar…
Man cannot live on perfume alone; every so often, we must talk about chocolate instead. Continuing with the same theme as my last dark chocolate with “stuff” added post, here are a few of the chocolates I’ve tried recently, and once again, I’ve sprinkled in a few perfume recommendations in a vain attempt to keep things on topic.
First, let me just say: OMG, OMG, POCKET COFFEE!!1!!1! Where have these been all my life? I had never even heard of them until Kevin sent me a generous handful. Pocket Coffees are bite-sized chocolate cubes lined with caramelized sugar and filled with sweetened espresso. They’re made by the Italian company Ferrero, and they’re apparently only sold during cooler months (no Pocket Coffee for you in August, sorry). They seem to be marketed for the caffeine jolt as much as anything else…
We try to stay on topic around here. I did blather on about teas recently (see red & green, oolong post still to come), and today I'm going to blather on about yet another of my favorite addictions: chocolate. Dark chocolate, to be more precise, and dark chocolate with “stuff” added, to be even more precise. I like plain dark chocolate, but I like flavored dark chocolate even better. To keep this vaguely related to perfume, I've included a few “what to wear while you eat” recommendations.
One of my favorite brands for flavored dark chocolate is the Belgian company Dolfin. They've a wonderful selection. I recently sent March over at Perfume Posse some little Dolfin squares, including their Noir Cumin. March commented that “while we can’t decide whether we really like the cumin bar, it is strangely addictive”, and that is entirely true…