Tango
by Aftelier

I a of Argentine heritage and I assure you Ms. Aftelier brialliantly captures, the dualities of Buenos Aires culture, remote yet cosmopolitan, intellectual and raw, but this is a street tango, less precise but most captivating.

I cannot compare this to any other scent ever created. It is composed of all natural ingredients and there were no shortcuts. It stands alone as does its creator.

I see the cafes, the poverty, the colors, the passion every time I wear this, tears well.

Yo Quiera
Gracias, Mandy!!!

With advance apologies to everyone who knows what "champaca" is or smells like (I've never heard of it), Tango's top and middle notes smelled to me like a warm Swedish-style spice bread with notes of honey, saffron and cardamom. It was definitely more like a European-style baked good than an American one because in places like Germany and the Scandinavian countries, their pastries seem to have half the sweetness of similar American-style desserts. With Tango, think of an authentic "Lebkuchen", "St. Lucia Bun", etc...

After an hour or so, Tango evolved into a beachy, sun-tan lotion, white-musk scent (in a nice, soft unassuming way). At that point, I could definitely envision sitting on a wind-swept beach in Northern California or Oregon at sunset, wearing a cozy soft sweater next to a crackling bonfire after a long languid day of sun-bathing.

Opens up smoky and spicy, with hints of both coffee and tobacco, (neither listed,) soon joined by a note that calls to mind burnt sugar. The smoke billows in great clouds, joined by a rather dirty, raw leather that throws the whole composition into cowboy boot territory. This accord calls to mind a rougher, drier variation on the Dzing! theme, though this circus (or is it a rodeo?) has an audience of heavy smokers.

As the scent develops the smoke comes even further forward, and Tango starts smelling like a barbecue. By this point the sweet notes from the opening are submerged, and in their place come astringent herbs and conifers, with something like the leafy chill of wintergreen (?!) behind the smoke. This phase of the dance reminds me very much of Tauer’s Lonestar Memories, though Tango is cooler, more resinous, and quite a bit less dry.

It’s quite some time before the floral notes emerge, and when they do they’re sweet, potent, and exotic. I soon recognize the champaca flower from Ayala Sender’s wonderful Rebellius, with its fleshy, sweet-smoky aura, and it’s this, along with leather and spices, that forms the heart of Tango. The whole effect is indeed strangely Latin in its steamy, smoky extravagance.

The drydown adds vanilla to the persistent sweet florals, with the smoky elements pulsating in the background. It’s a sultry base with a nocturnal character that suggests a dark club in some slightly seedy tropical port. If you love Habanita, Havana, or Giacobetti’s Dzing!, you’re liable to enjoy Tango. It’s a potent brew with plenty of depth and development. It’s not quite as deft as its equally complex champaca cousin Rebellius, but it sure holds my attention.

Tango is one of my favourites from the Aftelier line. And one of the newest addition to it (it was launched this winter along with Orchid – which is my absolute favourite perfume by Mandy Aftel). Tango is a subtle and sexy perfume that leaves you with a taste for more, and is an example for the complexity and versatility of the champaca flower.

Tango starts smoky and rubbery with notes of myrrh and Choya Nakh (an essence of toasted seashells from India). Like asphalt heating in the scorching sun, it may feel overbearing but at the same time casts its magic upon the pedestrians as long as they don’t get burnt...

Than it softens into a soft, almost buttery floral perfume dominated by the rich, full-bodied and slightly fruity spiciness of red champaca and the creamy powderiness of tuberose. The dry down is complex and interesting, mostly a continuation of the tropical floral accord, but much softer, and well blended into the skin. A note of tonka bean helps balance the headiness of the florals and bring sweetness to the initial burnt impression. This olfactory dance lasts for a very long time, in a soft, muted manner –calculated like the controlled passion of the Tango steps, and never overpowering. The Tango dancer here really knows how to restrain her feelings and maintain her dignity through a brutally painful romance.