Borneo 1834 (2005)
by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

The idea of a cocoa/patchouli accord appeals to me and thinking how Lutens are generally sweet, I wrongly presumed that Borneo 1834 would be so. It is not. I should have read the reviews first to adjust my expectations. The scent comes across as bitter and dry with camphorous undertones. The cocoa is there, as is the patchouli. Regrettably, I do not like Borneo 1834.

15th January, 2012.

I spent some days trying to define clearly this scent 'cause it is somewhat complicated. From the outset I can say that I enjoyed the hell out and Serge Lutens and Sheldrake are geniuses. This frag has its main focus on patchouli and is subsidized by the roasted cocoa.

Early on, it opens with a smell of camphor dissolved in a cocoa and patchouli basis, a little bit different, like some kind of root, like a bitter licorice. After a few minutes, camphor decreases and open space to patchouli, that "tones up" and becomes more leafy, yet bitter, but this patchouli is a totally different from how it was used by White Patchouli - TF. In Borneo it is opaque, dense, smoky, as ike the cocoa note, but it seems to be formed by dry leaves, not fresh ones.

Indeed, the more time passes, the more opaque is the scent, it gives the impression that you're in the middle of a dark rainforest, but close to a cocoa farm (who has been to Ilheus, here in Brazil, should know what I'm talking ). The scent reminds a lot this environment. This is because the dry down enter the galbanum and laudanum notes, leaving the frag resined and incensed.

But though opaque, cocoa becomes more pronounced, like a 70% chocolate but with a layer of dust on top of it, or as if it was a little moldy. You can not exactly feel like eating, but getting lost in the midst of the bushes and rushes out to smell the cocoa beans that are drying up. It has a very good sillage and fix.

15th October, 2011.

Straight forward patchouli-cacao. Rich yet not too sweet, masterfully crafted but not incredibly original. After the camphoraceous/spicy opening it settles haflway between A*Men and Parfumerie Generale's Cozè. A beatuiful composition that you'll surely dig if you're into bold head-shop patchouli. Me? A bit too overpowering for my likes. I stuck with the PG.

23rd September, 2011.

I wrote a review that I think got lost to the aether. No matter. The general idea is this...

1. Deep, dark cacao bar in the upper 80 percent range (that's a super dark chocolate bar to you non-chocolate lovers).

2. Subtle patchouli

3. Multiple ladies gave me unsolicited compliments on test day.

4. Very unisex

And I fifth point that I forgot to add is that I will be putting it on my to-buy list.

29th May, 2011.

As others have said, patchouli, cocoa, and camphor stand out. The patchouli in Borneo is one of my favorite renditions of this note that I've yet encountered. It's dry, earthy, even a little dusty. There's no amber or vanilla to soften it or smooth it. The cocoa, likewise, is all grown up - no sweetness here. The camphor-like note seems to provide a little lift, keeping this from being too dark and heavy. I have come to think of this as a grown up and warmer weather alternative to, of all things, Angel for Men. The tarry heaviness and sweetness of A*men is just too much for warmer days, and, frankly, becoming more challenging to wear with every passing year. Borneo provides similar notes presented in a very different - and IMO more mature - way.

26th May, 2011.

I say "DIRT" - and I love it.

Like L'Artisan's Poivre Piquant, a fun and creative take on perfumery - The Driest dark chocolate and rich earth (that others will smell as a camphorous Patchouli... but for me, it's pure rain forest soil, damp but sandy and aromatic - the smell of which hovers around every relic of indiginous amazonian heritage in my apartment.) Therein lies the magic: NO FRAGRANCE is swifter in lifting me to another place, albeit highly personal, as this Serge Lutens. His Marrakesh is my Rio Juruá, and the stars above this imagined woven hammock are all the more numerous.

22nd April, 2011.