Teisenddu by Frassai

This fragrance is one of those gourmands that make me turn into a zombie for my own flesh. I don’t have a better way of expressing how wonderfully delicious, all at once fresh, yet never cloyingly sweet it is. Teisenddu was created by the first woman-owned niche fragrance house from Argentina, and this particular fragrance is inspired by a dish out of Patagonia.

Welsh emigrants hoping to establish settlements arrived in Puerto Madryn with a reinvented dessert that could be kept easily for long periods of time—i.e. the indestructible fruit cake. “Torta Negra” many generations later is still a beloved dessert in the region and has been commemorated in this juice. Something that specific could only yield a very* unforgettable perfume and this truly is.

The minute I put a sample on my arm I could not stop sniffing—and then we all know how obsession sets in. What I find so unique is the beautiful spice up front that mixes with juniper and really gives you a sense of the landscape it was created in. All of this moves into a wamm, cozy tea room where you know some cake is about to go down. I can’t overstate that it is a wonderful gourmand, but not one that will leave you feeling like you at an entire log of panettone.

Notes include bitter orange, rum, juniper, nutmeg, mimosa, dark sugar crystals, and leather. In real life you’re going to smell like eating a leg off a gingerbread man and chasing it with a spiced rum cocktail. All at once festive and naughty.