Pear Tree

lat. Pyrus

Group: Woods and Mosses

Odor profile: Fantasy note evoking the tangy-sweet fruity and woody notes of the pear tree.

Pear wood is one of the most prized materials in production of high-end furniture and woodwind instruments. Pear wood is harvested from pear trees, any of several tree species of genus Pyrus, which are typically cultivated for their edible pomaceous fruit. This slow growing tree can take decades to grow before the wood can be harvested, which makes it relatively expensive type of wood.

The sensual pear wood has a distinctively hard composition which requires the sharpest tools for woodwork. On the other hand, this very same property of pear wood allows carving of the finest details of the most delicate shapes, without splitting or breaking. The wood is fairly light and golden but the colors can easily mature into reddish pink with burgundy undertones. There are often many different shades within a single piece of pear wood, fused together imperceptibly in dewy, fine grained, light-colored texture. Pear wood is commonly used for making various flute-type instruments, as it gives a nice mellow sound to the music.

Pear tree was one of the backbones of the ancient Greek orchard, sacred to Hera and Aphrodite, even though it rarely appears in the ancient myths. Due to its longevity, pear tree was a symbol of immortality for the ancient Chinese. In Chinese language, fen li designates both "sharing of the pear" and "separation". For this reason, the Chinese believe, lovers and friends should never share the same pear, as it would lead to separation.

In Serbia, where I come from, pears are favorite fruits. In fact, there are more pear trees in Serbia than there are people, and we’ve found a good use for every single one of them. One of the national drinks here is a luxurious type of brandy, a strong alcoholic beverage known as viljamovka (made of Williams pears), distinguished by a fully ripe and grown pear inside the bottle. According to the old prophecy, one day there will be so few Serbs left that they will all be able to fit under a single pear tree. Many of us would agree that it is comforting to know we’ll still be able to enjoy a great pear brandy even in the last days. :)

Like other fruit woods, pear wood smells slightly sweet and dense. When burnt, this wood releases a tangy smoke aroma that is often described as the scent of pears in bloom. This wood is often burnt for cooking and smoking, to add a nice and easy flavor and sweeten the meat. Pear woods produce slightly less heat than other types of hard wood, but create wonderful ambiance and release a honeyed fruity scent as they burn.

Pear tree is one of the rarest perfumery notes, typically used to offer a concept of earthy, sensual, and somewhat bohemian olfactory experience in which the sweetness of fruity notes blends together with dryness of the wood. The pear tree note serves as a fragrant interpretation of golden dewiness of pear wood, its delicate texture and distinctively sweet, almost floral scent.