Reviews of Oriental Lumpur
by Les Néréides

So many times when I've opened my spice chest to cook, lifting the lid and getting a heady rush of the accumulated powders, seeds and dried herbs inside, I've said to myself "if only I could capture *this* exact scent."

Oriental Lumpur has done that exactly. Don't believe me? Come to my house, we'll go to the kitchen and you can have a whiff.

Curry is of course not one spice but a generic tag for all kinds of spice mixes from the Subcontinent - and Oriental Lumpur is it's own unique curry (or balti, actually. Yes, I'd say it's a nice, zesty balti).

Now here's the truly artful part: not one of those spices overpowers any of the others. Perfect balance. I've read repeated reviews of Kingdom that talk of nothing but the cumin, or complaints that Piment Brulant is nothing but a bell pepper. Definitely not the case here, the blend is the thing. Ginger, turmeric, coriander, cardamom, galangal, a hint of saffron and several others. In the middle there is the tiniest hint of clean soapy sweetness - just enough to bring back the perfect childhood memories of cooking lessons from my father - clean dish towels, fresh washed hands, and lots and lots of spices.

This is such a keeper - and I fear terribly that it will be discontinued for lack of sufficient market. Until then, I horde.

Oriental Lumpur really does smell like spices. Not like spicy perfume, like cooking spices. Harissa, sambal oelek, chilli, curry... I find I enjoy it on a hot day, instead of wearing something cool and fresh (I'm not much into cool and fresh scents generally). It's red hot and spicy but at the same time "clean" - it almost has a soapy quality underneath the spice, like an oriental soap market next to the spice market. Normally, I would find the combination off-putting, but I don't. An addictive scent.