back from a splendid hiking weekend that featured it all: sun, muscle pain, jogging in the morning and watching the sun rise and the cows steam on the pasture at 2200 meters above sea level, snow in the morning, falling from a grey sky yesterday.
Some of you may have seen the picture on my facebook Tauer Perfumes site already. On the left you find it again: This is Sunday, 7.10 am, after 30 min jogging, a fantastic view over a little mountain lake, the surrounding mountains waking up and putting on some color to start their day.
Since yesterday I am back, made a few samples since then and mailed my e-mails. And for the rest of the week we will be in production mode with a focus on open orders from perfumeries.
Finally, I sketched a first view of the EAU D’ÉPICES, going from the four axes over to a web kind of view.
I will continue to work on it, as I feel this is important and fun, thinking about how these lines might all be interconnected. And I learned that you like it, too. Although I am not sure whether I am really spreading the important message.
Here is a line for your day: A perfume is a fragrant picture that each of us sees in a mirror made of memories.
Actually, I like this line. Hmmm… having said that: One word, before leaving this blog, on Tonka beans. Tonka beans are the fruits of a tropical tree, originally from South America. They used to be used for cooking (you can make great desserts) but due to their natural coumarin content some countries banned the fruits for cooking. Tonka beans are full of coumarin (about 50% of natural tonka beans extract (resinoid) is this single molecule COUMARIN), there exist different tonka extracts, such as the resinoid (creamy woody foody spicy) or the absolute. I like to work with coumarin directly, and “bend” it into the form I like to have it by adding other compounds. Coumarin is one of those wonder molecules that you find in about 50% of all perfumes out there. Like the natural extract, coumarin is quite affordable.
One great advantage of using coumarin: You do not have to worry about the waxes of the resinoid that are very annoying when doing larger batches >1 liter, as these waxes tend to agglomerate and precipitate and give you all sorts of troubles in dilution.
And now: back to production mode … hmm: Here’s a shorter version:
“Perfume is a fragrant picture that we watch in a mirror made of memories.”
I love this line of the mirror of memories. Memories that encompass those that we readily can recall, but also the others that have slipped away into the realm of the subconscious, or the ones that have transformed into mythical impressions.
Dear Andy, “Perfume is a fragrant picture that we watch in a mirror made of memories.” – Is excellent and very sound definition.
By the way some English firms use Tonka beans and coumarin in manufacture of pipe tobacco:)
Love that “line of the day”! Sounds totally poetic..and so true.
I’ve heard that in some bars here,tonka beans are used to “dress up” your gin&tonic..it’s supposed to enhance the flavour of certain gins…doesn’t that sound great?!mhhhh!
Thanks for your nice little diagram of the Épices!
Hugs from still hot Spain!!
Good afternoon, Vladimir
I did not know that (Tonka bean and coumarin in tobacco) ,but I am not astonished as tobacco is enriched with benzoin, incense, sandalwood etc …
Pro fumum!
Good evening to you, Stephan
Glad you like it. I wish you a lovely evening!
Good afternoon, Silvia
I think I will work on the sketch, though. the diagram is not finished. I would love to indicate for some how things related and are connected…
Fragrant hugs from quite cool Switzerland!
Andy Tauer, the poet of fragrances
….I like so much your words on perfumes…
and the “web” description of the Epice is so meaningful..sometimes simple things turns simpler…and a world is open to mind..
thank you Andy…
A photo that beautiful transports you just as quickly as a heady scent – both are 100% good for the soul! Now, you KNOW what movie music your lyrical line about memory of scents conjured, don`t you?? `Memories` from The Way We Were… Ms. Barbara is an institution!
Silvia!! – please stay around & chat! The Atl shares your weather – and I`ll grin and take it! How are Jicky & Johnnie, and how grows your garden??? 
Hi Andy, Welcome back from your hike–it looks like it was beautiful. And thank you for the diagram (which I will be looking at closer) and the explanation about tonka beans. It’s interesting to note that coumarin is (relatively) affordable and (relatively) easy to work with, as it seems to me tonka is marketed in certain perfumes is as something rare and hence, expensive. I also really liked your “mirror talk”. There is no doubt that when it comes to perfumes we can’t forget about the memories it conjures up both past and present. Have a great day.