The Harmonist — Hypnotizing Fire

Spice over vanilla, and warmer than almost anything else here.

Pimento berries and cloves open it hot and dry — pimento is allspice, the berry, and it carries pepper, clove and cinnamon all at once. Pepper tree adds a crackle on top.

The heart is where it turns: Bulgarian rose against praline, floral and confectionery at the same time. Then vanilla, benzoin and opoponax take over and stay for hours — resinous, balsamic, faintly smoky.

Guillaume Flavigny composed it as the Yin Fire element in The Harmonist's five-element system. It is their bestseller, and reviewers split on it: some find soft patchouli and beautifully judged vanilla, others find it linear with modest projection. Both descriptions come up often enough to be true of the same bottle.

Winter, evenings, and cold hands.