Un Jardin Après La Mousson (2008)
by Hermès

I read the notes and I wonder if I was awake enough when trying it on at the airport. It’s nearly only sweet melon and cucumber to my nose. May be a slight woody bitterness. Where are the spices?

Might be on the masculine side. Strong in sillage, good longevity.

I don't know why but I had a misconception that the whole Jardin series must all be soft scents. So I gave myself several good spritzes and oh my! How spicy!

Ginger and Cardamom are the most prominent to my nose. It's a juicy ginger smell and it gives a cold and wet feeling, which goes well with 'Après la Mousson'. Though I've never been to India, I would imagine Kenzo Jungle l'Elephant is India under the sun, while Après la Mousson is India after the rain. I'd love to wear it in summer for its cold and wet attitude, and in winter for its spiciness. A fragrance with edges but versatile as well.

Originally written in 2013

Beautiful sadness
As sun dries away water's
Fragrant sun promise.

Before the Light - Penleigh Boyd - 1921

Here and now in (almost) 2017, it's easy to forget that when Mousson came out, melon perfumes were very much a mainstream cliche and were fairly loathed by serious perfume people. I'd argue that Mousson was probably the best of the thousands that were churned out at the time, but there are a LOT of old bad reviews out there because of all this.

So what does it smell like? To me, mostly black pepper and a fresh, vegetal cucumber, along with that round aquatic 00's fake melon. There are some artificial greens in there, as well as some cilantro and a nice white flowers accord that classes things up.

I've always liked Mousson for its bright and deceptively complex mix of wood, spice, flowers, and greens. I have a bottle and find it useful as a scent that won't offend anybody without being cliched or dumb. That being said, I can see how chypre enthusiasts or lovers of complicated classics can find Mousson kind of dumb, though I'd argue that it's actually quite multi-layered. Thumbs up.