As I fell deep down the rabbit hole that continues to be my love affair with all things fragrance there were so many turning points. Most of us who were using the internet to bond together in our perfume love looked to find out as much as we can. One of the great discoveries was this blog by a Swiss perfumer by the name of Andy Tauer. For someone who wanted to know how perfume was made here was a perfumer explaining all of it. The beauty of this is Hr. Tauer continues to do this as he has blogged for over ten years now. He has continued to share his creative process with readers. A couple months ago he wrote a post which reminded me of the perfume which introduced me to him; L’Air du Desert Marocain. Released in 2005 it was one of the earliest examples of the difference between independent perfumery and the large brands. I consider it one of the modern masterpieces of perfumery; it is damn near perfect.
Andy Tauer
Hr. Tauer has decided to revisit the architecture of that perfume with his latest release; Au Couer du Desert. That translates to “heart of the desert” which also serves as a description of the perfume itself. Hr. Tauer’s first change is to make it an extrait formulation at 20% fragrance oil concentration. Right away this has the effect of blurring the edges making things softer. This desire to soften continues throughout the development as Hr. Tauer makes a sepia toned photograph of L’Air du Desert Marocain.
This softening effect comes right at the top as Hr. Tauer switches up the spices into a softer palette over a juicier citrus. Things get more defined as the next phase is frankincense framed by cedar even that is made softer than it would be due to concentration. The final base accord is where Au Coeur du Desert breaks with its inspiration. The mixture of patchouli, ambergris, and vanilla provide an opulent plushness to finish upon.
Au Coeur du Desert has 12-14 hour longevity and low sillage.
All memories tend to have a soft filter applied to them giving them some pliability. If Hr. Tauer had just upped the concentration across the board of L’Air du Desert Marocain I don’t think it would have worked. Instead he retools the fragrance in a way which brings back memories while also delivering new treats. While I was wearing this I thought of the old 1980’s song “Heartbreak Beat” by The Psychedelic Furs. There is a line which felt like an appropriate summary of the way I felt about Au Coeur du Desert, “and there’s a perfect kiss, somewhere out in the dark”. Au Coeur du Desert feels like that perfect soft kiss in the dark.
Disclosure: This review was based on a sample provided by Tauer Perfumes.
–Mark Behnke
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