Reviews of Aomassai 10
by Parfumerie Generale

Pierre Guillaume’s scents for his own Parfumerie Generale line have been hit-or-miss for me. Some, like Querelle, Yuzu Ab Irato, Coze, and L’Oiseau de Nuit, have been “just OK” as far as I’m concerned. Others, including Intrigant Patchouli and Jardins de Kerylos, have been out-of-the-ball-park hits. Though as a gourmand oriental Aomassai is not the type of scent I normally enjoy, I must now group it with those last two among my favorites from this house.

Smoky vanilla, toasted nuts, and burnt sugar support a smoldering heart accord of incense, licorice, and spices. This dark, dark composition is ideally balanced: the intense smoky quality keeps the structure from teetering into oppressive sweetness. What could have been a trite, cloying scent is instead a paragon of warm, brooding mystery. Aomassai demonstrates what so many inferior gourmand scents could be but aren’t. A marvelous achievement in a difficult genre.

Though now I am a big fan, I wasn't so sure about Aomassai for the first week I was getting to know it. I originally found the caramel opening lacking in richness, as though it were cut 50/50 with water, a very strange sensation. But I came to appreciate the way this less intense sweetness melds so seamlessly with a grassy accord which I can't say is the straight up vetiver note I've come to know. No, this really smells like grass, but again, smoothed out, almost watered down -- a painting in water colors. Toasted hazelnuts, watery grass and watered down caramel whose warm, burnt notes come into focus later on in the development, soft spice, silky woods: The result is a very intriguing, modern, somehow sophisticated and chic combination. This grassy accord, I just can't get enough of how oddly satisfying it is juxtaposed, or I should technically say, woven into, these softly sweet gourmand notes.

I also thought of Mechant Loup while trying to get at the heart of this fragrance. Though they don't smell alike, I think Mechant Loup is an easy fragrance to draw a parallel with to a certain degree because they have a similar "weight" (come to think of it, Aomassai has a very L'Artisan sensibility while retaining commendable lasting power) and they both have gourmand notes and a gourmand feel but intriguingly, they are initially not warm fragrances, but rather, almost cool, wistful, melancholic, evocative of something outside their sweet notes. I know I'm falling prey to the perfumer's description of his own scent but when I wear this, I do feel transported somehow to a vast, open African plane, sitting in the tall grass, the wind carrying something sweet, burnt, cooking above a distant fire. I'm sold. Aomassai is not only a wonderful work of art but also an incredibly satisfying, wearable and versatile fragrance.

Aomassai is a distinctive gourmand that opens up complexly with roasted hazelnuts, caramel, and a melange of spices, drying down to a simple accord of vanilla and woods. It's an EDT, so longevity and sillage is just average despite the strong start.

This is beautiful, complex, mysterious and perfectly balanced. It's a little tangy at first with a strong vetiver and wood before settling into the wonderful sweet but never cloying mix of vanilla, caramel, nuts and woods. The dry down is extremely pleasant. Staying power seems fantastic with 11 hours and counting for me. I absolutely love it.

When I put this on, I immediately thought of reading a book in a cozy home library, wearing a rich robe and fuzzy slippers. The perfume immediately engendered a "comfort" feeling for me. At first, the initial smell was a bit too sweet (even for me and I am generally a huge fan of sweeter gourmands) but the drydown just made me fall in love. It brought back memories of walking through the crisp fall leaves in damp weather, smelling the smoke from chimneys and the smell of hot chocolate wafting through the air. An amazing perfume.

Toasted hazelnuts, caramel and licorice open this stunning gourmand with flair! Not too sweet either. Enticing and amazing, just can't help but snorfle my wrist! Soon after these sweets have tickled my palate, the warmth and smokiness of incense & spice slowly come forth. Underlying is a constant wafting of balsam, keeping balance with vetiver and 'dried grass' accord. If ever there was a scent offering "tidings of comfort and joy" - this is it! Clever, well crafted, bottle-worthy!

Many of PG's line have gourmand notes, so it's not surprising that a full gourmand would be so rich and full. Caramel and licorice are the primary notes, but as with Yohji Homme, there is a distinct roasted quality to the entire fragrance that keeps it from becoming sweet and cloying. Take Yojhi Homme, roast it for another couple hours to take out the sweetness, and you'd be close to this.

There are definitely some background notes of wood and incense that give body and depth to the Aomassai, but in a discrete way that never interferes with the gourmand-ness of the entire fragrance. The incense becomes somewhat more noticeable in the base, at which point the composition in general becomes slightly musky. Serge Lutens' Un Bois Vanille is a similar fragrance in that it recreates an aromatic atmosphere (of say, a coffee shop or a bakery), but for some reason Aomassai is less sweet and more wearable. Perhaps this is because Aomassai does not rely on vanilla or coffee notes, as most gourmands do.

I'm perplexed at the reviewer that experienced poor longevity. I literally dabbed the back of my hand with the sample vial - not even one spray - and I could smell it for hours and hours. Two sprays would be more than enough for a morning-til-bed application for me.

If you like the PG line you have to try to this - but avoid at all costs if you don't like gourmands.

Published notes: caramel, toasted hazelnuts, licorice, bitter orange, spices, wenge wood, vetiver, balsam wood, incense, dried grasses, resins (per Luckyscent.com)

absolutely lovely, thought not for everyone. suitable for colder months (i've already worn it during summer and it's fine, but the colder months and wool scarves and pullovers let the scent stand out more). imagine gourmand caramel paired with burning leaves and maybe a hint of dark bitter chocolate and woods.

A favorite gourmand. I get quite a bit of licorice, but for some reason it's not bothersome to me, though I usually dislike licorice accord. Probably because it's expertly blended with nuts, vanilla, a hint of caramel, and a deep dark chocolate that comes on slowly in the fragrance's prograssion. Despite the above it is NOT sweet, so you gooey sticky sweet dessert gourmand lovers might not like it. I'm finding out that I love most gourmands, sweet and not. Extra points for creativity-for coming up with such an interesting & grownup gourmand. I understand the Angel analogy brought up by LisaWood, and I can see aspects of Aomassai where that rings true, but to me it's much better, without the skank/b.o. accord that makes Angel unwearable on my skin. A wishlist item.