A*Men Pure Coffee (2008)
by Thierry Mugler

I found this one at nordstroms when it first came out they ,the fragrance makers found a way to use coffee in there creations, this is preaty kool,ever walk by and then you smell fresh coffee beans its like wow thats very nice so there now useing it in fragrance,and colognes as base notes and when the notes are perfect then the scent is very very nice, so i say keep going use the coffee in scents.

A*Men Pure Coffee is definitely an improvement on the original A*Men – the birch tar note has all but disappeared, now replaced by a very agreeable coffee note. Unfortunately, during the drydown, the coffee note morphs from something pleasant and natural into something synthetic and slightly annoying.

This would probably be great for layering but, on its own, could become boring after a few wearings. Also, I don’t like the fact that it’s only available in 100ml rather than the two usual sizes (and what a huge flask it is). Sillage and longevity are pretty good.

[Original submission date: 14 April 2008]

Thierry Mugler A*Men Pure Coffee

Flankers have become the perfume equivalents of movie sequels. Just like movie sequels the more numbers that go behind the title the less original and interesting it usually is. There are exceptions to both rules Cartier Declaration and its flankers and The Godfather. What makes both of those cases stand out is the artists behind them chose to use the original as a stepping-off place to create again as opposed to an original to be copied. In 2008 Thierry Mugler decided to turn to Jacques Huclier who created the original A*Men, 12 years earlier, and Christine Nagel to create A*Men Pure Coffee. One of the consistent criticisms of A*Men as a scent is it is too overwhelming and the notes and accords are layered on with a too-heavy hand. While it is true that A*Men could never be considered a subtle scent I am not one who agrees with that criticism. I think A*Men was an attempt to take a number of very strong notes and try and make them into a balanced whole, which succeeds in my opinion. A*Men Pure Coffee seems to indicate that M. Huclier has heard that criticism and in Pure Coffee attempts to turn down the volume. The way he does this is to use coffee as an accentuating note which allows particularly the chocoalte present in A*Men to come forward. The top of this starts with a roasted bean flavor of coffee. This is different than the coffee present in the base of A*Men which is more of a brewed coffee accord. This accord is the smell you get after you've ground the bean. The astringent oil is present as well as the coffee aroma. I've always noticed the chocolate in A*Men but in Pure Coffee it seems like the chocolate has gone from milk chocolate to dark chocolate as the accord now comes in as almost bittersweet in character. Thie interplay of coffee and chocolate is what makes A*Men Pure Coffee different than A*Men. What makes it the same is the base as patchouli comes in followed by that brewed lighter coffee note present in the original. I will say that while the base is unmistakably A*Men it does seem more muted than in the original. A*Men Pure coffee has proven to be that rare brew that actually improves on the original.

As Sir Slarty put it, its A*Men with coffee, not chocolate, thats exactly what it is. To pure coffee lovers (not that mochalattefrapaccino crap you get at Starbucks) it smells amazing. But how does that work out as a fragrance? It seriously smells like you just ground some coffee that morning and got some of the powder on you. Good smells, not that good to "wear".

i like it......to me it is more what New Haarlem should have been like.....the coffee note being stronmg yet not pungent and nowhere near bitter....there is a sweet nutmeg-vanilla like sweetness that begins to permeate in the background within 5-7 minutes of intitial spray....the gourmand sweetness is light and fluorescent and refreshingly simple without the overbearing tar effect of the original. Overall, an easy recommendation to at least 'try'.

I like this, I feel like they re vamped A*MEN and fixed everything I didn't like about it and gave me Pure Coffee! Glad I found it.