Colère d'Épices
by Esteban

Esteban Colere D'Epices

It is always a joy to discover a new House and in this first effort that I've tried from the Parisian niche House, Esteban its even better when the scent is good, too. Esteban's stated purpose is to marry Mediterranean and Japanese aesthetics in their perfumes. The 2007 release Colere D'Epices is translated as the "Wrath of Spices" and is part of the Collection Couleurs. This is another case of the name having little to do with what it smells like on my skin. The spice part is accurate but I feel anything but wrathful over this scent. Cardamom and ginger start things off and this is a beautifully subtle start. Cardamom adds a hint of lemon and in conjunction with the richness of the ginger makes the top spicy and breezy. The transition into the heart begins with the appearance of a clove note which then moves into a light floral dominated by heliotrope. It is here in the heart that the stated Japanese aesthetic is most prevalent. The floral nature is kept at arm's length and it never moves into a full frontal floral. The heliotrope is an equal partner with the clove. The base is also a finely balanced mix of amber and musk. The musk comes off as a sheer white musk mixed with a strong, not sweet, amber. To my nose Colere D'Epices definitely succeeds at making a scent which has Mediterranean influence but done in the way of a zen garden where as you focus on each individual component it is nice but taken as a whole it transcends its ingredients. I am now very curious to try more from Esteban.

The initial blast is a bit shocking for some reason: It is full of spice but that isn’t what shocks… What shocks are the spices sitting in a background of neutral… ozonics(?) synthetics (?) AIR(?). The background to the opening smells very synthetic to me and I’m not sure I dislike it… It is interesting, and it is genuinely attractive in its own unique way. Unfortunately, the interesting opening is gone in a flash, and what’s left is a floral amber that is generically presented... Then that, too is gone in a flash. I’m not sure that I’ve experienced a fragrance that disappeared as fast as Colere d’Épices... A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and... “Who was that masked man?…”