Piment Brulant by L Artisan Parfumeur

Zhara

Ian Anderson could easily compose a followup to his Habanero Reel with this one. Perhaps it'd be called the Piment Brulant Jig. A bright fragrance, a dancing fragrance. One I'd regulated to summer use only, but today is in the 30's and a spritz of this dazzler is just what's needed to combat the cold; not even a bit out of place with my suede and jamawar.

The pepper that is front and center here is not quite a bell - but it is spot on for the nearly inedible Aja Dulce - a pepper that looks just like a scotch bonnet, but is instead quite sweet, with zero heat. What the Aja Dulce does have in habanero-like proportions, is an overwhelmingly perfume-y flowery flavor that makes it useless for anything other than a novelty candy or perhaps an oddball canape. Piment Brulant is it's own novelty candy, and embodies this unique, standout individuality of the Aja Dulce perfectly.

It also is one of those few fragrances that very noticeably morphs on my skin, becoming amplified, richer and deeper the longer I have it on, and noticeably different from it's aroma on inanimate cloth or paper. Short phrase - it works with my chemistry, everyone should test first.

The chocolate does not come out for me. Instead, it is this amazing rare variety of capsicum, a hint of raspberry, a touch of 12-year old Scotch with all it's complexity and depth, and perhaps some unisex 'clean' notes... a few indescribable bits, and all around terrific. I definitely hope it's around for a long time, but these unique quirky jewels are not made for mass appeal.

Another one to horde.

Trvevil

Notes are verry intriguing!
In fact... it's called after peppers it smells like a pepper. A green pepper and some red chili ones. Very interesting in my opinion and hell a lot original.
It's very rich and may not be loved by many people, but it's worth to try! I can't feel chocolate or vanilla or cinnamon. Pure pepper. My grandma grows peppers (the hot ones) in pots and they're looking fab when you look at her windows and see them standing there. Peppers are very small and if you pick one and tear open then it will smell like Piment Brulant.
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I smelled it from paper, but I'll try it later on skin..

lilinah

Edited to Add: Scents generally have more ingredients than those listed. The L'A P website lists notes as: hot pepper (i.e., chili), clove, cocoa, tonka, vanilla.
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The nose behind "Piment Brulant" was apparently inspired by the Aztec drink "cacahuatl" (from the Mayan, "xocoatl"), along with a recipe published in Spain in 1631 which blends the New World ingredients cocoa beans, chilies, vanilla and annatto (aka achiote) with Old World ingredients anise seed, cinnamon, almonds, hazelnuts, and white sugar. Besides, it is now fashionable to make chocolate bars and chocolate ice creams with chilis, vanilla, and spices, which i enjoy.

Also, i often cook Medieval, Moroccan, Levantine, Persian, Indian, Thai, and Indonesian cuisines. So the collection of fragrance notes in "Piment Brulant" intrigued me.

Still, i was surprised by this perfume. It was so rich and complex and sophisticated - more so than any of the other L'Artisan Parfumeur fragrances i've tried so far (and i've loved nearly all of them). The combination of aromas is astonishing, perhaps counter-intuitive, but it works beautifully!

At first spray i smell citrus (apparently not in it - perhaps it was the raspberry listed on some fragrance blogs), vanilla, red bell pepper, and capsicum (chili). As the scent develops more fragrances emerge, although none stand out individually. A non-specific, non-girly floral. Intriguing spices (fragrantica lists cinnamon, some fragrance blogs list clove). A hint of chocolate, strengthening slightly during dry-down. And a slight warm animal undertone. But it is absolutely NOT "gourmand", thank goodness. I want to bury myself in this! Yet it isn't overpowering - somehow it remains light and gentle (and has the infamous L'Artisan Parfumeur short staying time).

The only drawback is that i can "taste" it for a short while, although i only sprayed it on my arms. Certain scents have this effect on me, one reason i avoid lemon verbena - the flavor stays in my mouth for hours, even though i haven't ingested it. With "Piment Brulant" it isn't so unpleasant and only slightly distracting, and it diminishes over time. Given how wonderful this unlikely amalgam of fragrance notes is, that won't stop me from wearing this.

As it dries down on me, the complexity remains, and fortunately neither the vanilla nor the musk becomes domineering.

Assigning this to a time or a season based on conventional associations would point to nighttime or cold weather. But i love spicy food, which is typical of hot, even tropical, cultures, so i'll wear it anytime!

Robert White

I really like this I'm a cook, and my restaurant sells spicy food...I brought my smple in, and I said "Hey guys, I've got a perfume that smells like Salsa Verde!" "Get out of here, Bob, what are you drunk again?" (Salsa Verde is a sauce that has a lot of green chile peppers and tomatillos in it...delicious!" I gave everybody a drop on the wrist...and, "God damn! Your'e right! Salsa Verde and tomato stems!" "See guys, there's more to this hobby than just vanity!" I got a little more respect for my "girly" hobby that day. Anyway, this would be the dream perfume for my fantasy date with a beautiful Mexican girl...on both of us! Truly creative and daring...hats off to L'Artisan and Duchafour (who is a genius for the Aedes de Venustes). This is definitely a perfume that you can wear to dinner!

tessture

Darn. I get no chocolate whatsoever. I get red bell pepper with the tang of the green leaves from the pepper plant and maybe, just maybe, if I plant my nose on my wrist and inhale until I'm dizzy, a touch of wood. It's clean and fresh and definitely different, but I'm not sure it's really "me."

asilverfire614

I wore this twice over the weekend...the first time, I was really turned off by the strong peppery notes in the beginning. I didn't pay much attention to it for awhile. But then I realized that the peppers had gotten sweeter and warmer. I never thought I would like the combination of vanilla, dark chocolate, and pimento...BUT I DO!

This is a very unique and musky gourmand that may not appeal to everyone, so make sure to sample it first. It lasted all day and got more and more delicious as the day progressed.

rebella

I´ve tried it a coupple of days ago, and I didn´t get impressed at all. One note dominate totally; green pepper (or paprika). The other notes stand quitely in the background almost unnoticed.

Definitly try before you buy.

(I was also intrigued by the notes!)