Reviews of Blue Agava and Cacao (2006)
by Jo Malone

I found that this fragrance was too foodie and couldn't detect different notes. It does however pair well with Jo Malone's Wild Fig and Cassis.

"Stale chocolate" describes this well. Cloying, 'sweet'ish -- almost headache inducing. Can't imagine either a man or a woman wearing it well.

Straight from the sample vial this reminds me VERY much of the smell of one specific sun lotion. When I smell this, I can easily imagine myself laying at my favourite beach, under the clear blue sky and burning sun. Eyes closed, I hear sounds of playing children and moving water.
Overall this is unbelievably beach-y scent to me, because along with that lotion, I also sense something else that is reminiscent to that place….Probably the smell of cool and sweet salty lake water, warm sand and even some snacks that I have brought with me….

What a pleasant, enjoyable association!

Dry down makes this potion a tad darker, and it also becomes quite powdery as the cacao and vanilla kicks in. Still that sun lotion accord with other nuances of the beach in the mix as well.

Overall this is to me very summery fragrance. Could be quite uplifting to wear this on some cold winter day. I have to try that sometime soon, and see if it’s really capable of transporting me (again) comprehensively into that beach on a warm day in July.

I don’t know what to make of this. I get a dose of aloe, and a streak of undetermined sweet which is not at all impressive. And the cacao is there quite strongly, but it is not very like the chocolate-types that I’m used to in fragrances… this is more a dusty, stale cocoa… an indifferent note as far as I’m concerned. I get a cinnamon and a musk from the base, but the orchid comes to me too strongly and not very pleasantly. That orchid is a minor annoyance, but its influence on the rest of the notes negatively influences my appreciation of the rest of the accords. I wish I could appreciate this fragrance more – I was looking forward to it because the juxtapositioning of chocolate and agava sounded interesting to me - almost Aztecian. Unfortunately, I don’t find Blue Agava and Cacao working for me.

The vanilla and spice make their appearance almost immediately, freshened by citrus at this early stage. The chocolate is a velvety sort. Quite a foody scent, and it seems very feminine to me. Although initially I can stand the vanilla, I find that it gets heavier and sweeter, and thus my mild appreciation withdraws. I just don’t like vanilla.

I LOVE Blue Agava and Cacao. I like it best on its own, and it is nice for layering. Blue Agava and Cacao is a vibrant, energetic green fragrance that is sophisticated and sultry. The topnotes are citrus-floral and sweet. The sweetness calls to mind the Blue Agave Nectar I've tried in Baja California. Blue Agave (aka Tequila Agave) is a succulent (not a cactus) that's related to lily. Its "nectar" is extremely sweet, and tastes something like honey. My range of tequila expertise begins and ends with Jose Cuervo, which, to me, tastes like oily asphalt, so I can't personally say I get a tequila note in Blue Agava and Cacao. However, I can say I sense Blue Agave Nectar. If the incredibly beautiful, delicate cacao flower could have a scent, Blue Agava and Cacao would suit it perfectly. Blue Agava and Cacao is slightly sweet, with the acerbic, coffee-like note of cacao seeds. It's spicy, too, like Aztec cacao (sweetened with Blue Agave Nectar.) Its base is of green woods and musk, enhanced with cinnamon and dry vanilla. I've never smelled anything that comes close to this scent; it is unique and bewitching. Lasting power is excellent.

It sounds interesting in theory, but I found the cocoa note dominated and overpowered an otherwise unremarkable blend

Ok, I understand the criticism of this fragrance used by itself – but give it a second chance by combining it with something deeper and you may like it. I like it with Jo Malone’s 154.

I am truly mystified why someone thought it would be good to create a scent such as Blue Agava and Cacao, much less why anyone would willingly spend money to purchase it. Blue Agava and Cacao has a sickly sweet top note reminiscent of bubblegum and is overall, an intensely fruity mess. It became more tolerable as time wore on and it wore down. Some spice notes eventually appeared (but no cacao as far as I could tell) but overall, I did not find it pleasant or wearable. Afficionados of Satellite's Ipanema or Armani Privé's Rose Alexandrie would enjoy this.

Here are the notes, courtesy of The Perfumed Court: lime oil, grapefruit, birgaradia, cardamom, red berry, agava flower, sea salt, orchid, geranium, white lily, cocoa, vetiver, cinnamon, musk and vanilla beans.

This is great if you want to walk around smelling like a hershey candy bar.....I'm not feeling this one.

I like it. It's very smooth and velvety. If anyone has seen the movie Chocolat, this is what I imagine that thick, beautiful hot chocolate that tempts everyone in the town to sin smells like.

This is not a one note chocolate scent though. I definitely detect the green agave cactus note that gives the scent part of its name. A funky, unique, and totally unexpected note that brings back memories my childhood in Texas, where my Hispanic friend's mom would would fry up whole pieces fresh picked agave for lunch, or mince it in with eggs for breakfast. The cinnamon is the icing on the cake, and perfectly rounds out the base of this treasure.

This might be bottle worthy for me because of these associations and because this is the first chocolate scent I've really liked.

Bitter & fruity settles into spicy without being loud about it. I for one, if left smelling of having had a night of drunken revelry would like to at least have actually HAD a night of drunken revelry, so I was wary of all the reviews with references to liqueurs. Contrary to popular belief, to me, it does NOT smell "alcoholic" at all. An interesting and relieving discovery.

This is a very peculiar Jo Malone, and is really different from the rest of the line. Even more different than Pomegranate Noir, as it not only combines notes that are very unusual and not often used in perfumes, but also notes that don’t really go very well together… This starts off kind of aromatic and green (must be the lime, an oil that is often used in household cleaning items), but you can smell the cacao bitter-sweetness in the background, which is kind of intriguing and a bit dry, which makes you think of cocoa powder. For some reason, this smells like a toilet duck to me. I usually try to stay away from such associations to describe scents, but this is what this reminds me of initially, in a peculiar, perfumey kind of way. Thankfully, it’s a well done toilet duck and it actually smells pleasant in its own odd way. The dry down smells to me almost exactly like Coty’s Musk Vanilla, which is quite nice. It does improve when you layer Grapefruit cologne on top though.

Sprayed it on. Chocolate. Loud, sweet chocolate. It went from that directly to overly sweet and sticky smell with no definition. I love almost all Jo Malone's fragrances. I have no idea who ignored her sensibilities and opened a bag of instant hot chocolate and called it a scent. Scrubber.

Upon application I first smelled the cacao. Directly after that the red fruits and the floral heart; and next to that a soft cinnamon note. Rather quickly, after about 5 minutes, all the different notes become one. The result is something not too far from Dolce Vita by Dior and Féminité du Bois by Shiseido, but not exactly the same either. There is this strange oak barrel note in the base that further reminds me also of Cellar candle by Pierre Frapin.

I would say Blue Agava is unisex even with it's floral heart, the woody notes make it masculine enough. Of course in true JM style you could layer it with another fragrance to make it either more feminine or masculine. The JM website advice to layer it with the Amber & Lavender cologne.

For a cologne Blue Agava has a good staying power, something JM improved upon with Nectarine Blossom & Honey and Pomegranate Noir.

Overall a nice, different Jo Malone!