New Perfume Review Baruti Tindrer and Indigo- Lighting the Fuse

I like to believe I am out on the edge of new perfume discovery. It is probably good to learn that I miss as many as I find. That lesson was learned anew when I reviewed Zoologist Koala by independent perfumer Spyros Drosopoulos. I had never tried the perfumes he made under his own brand. Many of my readers wrote to tell me how much they liked them. After receiving a sample set, I shared their enthusiasm. There are currently nine Baruti perfumes and I’m going to spend the next couple days with the ones which are best in the warm weather. Next month I’ll follow up with the ones which should be better in the fall. To start I chose Baruti Tindrer and Baruti Indigo.

Spyros Drosopoulos

Prior to receiving the perfumes I read through the press materials. There I learned Baruti means gunpowder in Greek. It is an apt description of this collection. Although it represents different forms of that material. The two perfumes today remind me of when I peeled open firecrackers to expose the gunpowder. I would make a long line on the sidewalk and light one end. Watching the sparkling crackling glow travel the length was the power of gunpowder given light. Tindrer and Indigo feel like this type of gunpowder to me.

Tindrer is a perfume of walking in the forest after a summer thunderstorm. Dr. Drosopoulos forms a humid hike through the tree canopy. It opens with a set of green notes; grassy oximes, lemon-tinted verbena, and buchu leaves. The final ingredient is what provides the damp vegetation effect to the other two. This is that scent of damp enclosed greenery. The heart is a beautiful overload of violet peeking out from between the trees. The violet is an ideal contrast to the green of the top accord. It takes a bit of the edge off while making its own presence felt. The trees as represented by fir balsam comes next along with a bit of wet soil accord. It leads to an opening in the forest coated in soft green moss. As pillowy as the opening is not.

Tindrer has 12-14 hour longevity and average sillage.

Indigo is that rare feat of perfumery; a summer weight amber. I only own a few in this category to which I will be adding this one in the future. The effort is to keep the heavier ingredients in a place where they aren’t weighty but are given some lift. Dr. Drosopoulos finds that balance. He opens with a fresh rose which is joined apace by a creamy sandalwood. All the fireworks take place in the base. By using the freshness of the rose he can layer in an edgy amber without it becoming too much. The keynote in the base accord is mastic. Its balsamic effect is lighter in nature which also allows for some lift. A high-quality silvery frankincense completes things. This is that slightly metallic resinous version. It snaps into place to form an amber which glowed in the summer sun.

Indigo has 10-12 hour longevity and average sillage.

I’ll review Onder de Linde and Voyance tomorrow.

Disclosure: This review is based on samples provided by Baruti.

–Mark Behnke