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Post by Sister Mary Magdalen, Patron Saint of Perfumers
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Fragrance lovers, today I pray your indulgence as I sing a hymn to my favourite note in perfumery: Violet.
So unfashionable, I know. She has not the vampish allure of look-at-me Tuberose. She lacks the ballsy ubiquitous oomph of oudh. No, gentle reader, I languish in the limpid embrace of a shy flower. Her beguiling gaze from a by-gone time first lured this poor soul into the bottomless, limitless, wallet-emptying world of fragrance obsession.
My adoration for her is such, that I am not content merely to spray and smell, I must also consume violet creme chocolates, candies, liqueurs… anything really. Recently, after much searching, I procured a bottle of violet flavouring. Power up! Now I can have violet cereal. Violet anything!
Hence last week saw me whipping up a batch of vanilla butter cupcakes. They were in the oven and I was taste-testing the intensity of the violet white chocolate ganache that would soon adorn them, when I heard the all-too-familiar knock of my parcel postman at my front door. “My Tauer Explorer Sets!” I realised but even more delight was in store for that Swiss devil had included samples, one of which I had been fantasising about since first I read the list of notes:
Pentachords White by Andy Tauer for Tauer Perfumes 2011
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Vanilla, violet, amber, iris, Brazillian rosewood, orris.
Of course I sprayed away without delay and was immediately delighted by a clear violet and vanilla that stunned me with pleasure. Perhaps this explains my weakness: violet is key to a bliss lock in my brain. Andy Tauer shares his process via a generous and genial blog, so I know that he has used the particularly narcotic violet aromachemical – alpha ironine – in Pentachords White. Despite these gourmand sounding notes and a subsequent dusting of icing sugar that seems to fall on the starring pair of violet and vanilla, the overall fragrant impression is very dry. The blog tells me this is because the composition rests on Ambroxan. The salty, buzzy rasp of it is evident, but to my nose, exquisitely balanced. It radiates and gives structure, but does not dominate.
Photo Stolen Flickr
The longevity of Pentachords White is impressive, and the fragrance holds together. No element outlasts the others. To my nose, this is an all-night heavenly disco where Violet and Vanilla dance on a warm wooden floor whilst the Iris smoke machine and Ambroxan mirrorball add haze and scatter.
I’m fascinated by the idea of these Pentachords. I have now tried them all, and Pentachords White is truly the standout for me. This is not just due to my love of the violet, but also to my perception that this one much more than Auburn and Verdant successfully translates the 5 note concept. White truly is an unresolved tension between 5 points in space. It shimmers.
Photo Stolen Flickr
The play of oppositions in this scent is enthralling. Somehow Pentachords White manages to be sheer and abstract, yet alive on my skin. It oscillates between warmth and coolness. One moment a toothsome hologram of a violet ganache vanilla butter cupcake will loom in view (such synchronicity with my baking!), then a buzzing menace reminds that this sweet little treat just might bite back.
Further Reading: Smelly Thoughts and Now Smell This
LuckyScent has $150/50ml
Tauer Perfumes has $34.70/5 x 1.5ml Discovery set
Which of the Andy Tauer fragrances have you tried or did you like?
Sister Mary Magdelene, Patron Saint of Perfumers.
Australian Perfume Junkies 
I love your disco metaphor! I’ve never tried this one, but it could be worth it for the bottle alone – it’s gorgeous. My favourite Tauers are Une Rose Chypree and Noontide Petals, though I like quite a few of the others too.
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Oh yes, isn’t that green glass enticing? I could dive in 🙂
If you like the pretty buzz of Noontide, you just may make friends with White… at least for a little shimmy shimmy shake on the dancefloor!
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Hey Sistah!
Good to see you. Tried lots. Like a few.
Love and own Le Maroc Pour Elle.
My favourite way of ingesting violet is sucking on those fab little Parma Violet sweeties. A far superior breath freshener I find.
Cupcakes sound lush. Need a job?
Gospel Greetings
VtCQ XXX
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Maroc Pour Elle, eh? The original diva! Now that’s one Grande Dame of a ‘fume. Do you wait for an occasion, or just bust her out all casual-like when you’re whipping up some Cookie Dough, Cookie Queen?
Since I now have a wealth of violet flavouring, I have made violet sweeties. But the violet white choc ganache beats all!
xOx
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High summer scent. Nah – I don’t wear it for making cookies, it would probably kill me. xox
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I have tried White, and liked the dry violet of it, in fact it reminded me of a little lump of orris butter that I have in my stash. Not sweet but rounded by the vanilla.
You have reminded me how much I like this, O evil temptress. Get thee to a …..Oh.
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Bwahahahahah! you’re funny Jackie b!
And quite right, the iris is quite *true* in this. I have an iris root that I dug up from the bed behind the cloisters here and that scent, like your butter is the one in White.
*Rounded* by the vanilla, what a good way to put it. And such a clear pure vanilla, did you find? Like a choirboy’s voice holding a strong sustained note throughout.
And yet, there he is on the dancefloor with Violet. The quiet ones I tell you…
White is such a strange compelling beauty overall Jackie b, courage as you wrestle temptation… 😉
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Oooh. this seems great! I haven’t tried any pentachords yet.
Love LDDM, Incense Extreme, Dark Passage, also others like Maroc Pour Elle though it feels less ‘me’.
thanks for the review and now I want cupcakes!
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Oh! You’ve smelled Dark Passage mim? I’m curious… do tell!
I do think Maroc Pour Elle is striking, but perhaps not an *everyday* scent…
Whereas LAdDM, I could wear that from matins to vespers. Very comfortable.
Hope you found some sweet treats!
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Hey Sister Mary,
Nice to see you. Love Andy Tauer’s work and have quite a few in my armoury, I think my favourite is L’Eau d’Epices. Followed closely by Auburn, or is it the other way? HMMMM Definitely need to re wear them both.
Portia x
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Ah! Now I found Auburn so *singular*! Struggled, but could not wrest five notes from that Pentachord. It smelled like a big bush of sweet yellow Broom in full bloom to me. And I so wanted to get a good tobacco note. I love a good tobacco note.
Must get nose on the Eau d’Epices – I think it must be a beauty!
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Auburn? It smells like broom?!? Seriously? Oh Sister, if that’s the case then you may be the cause of my next blind buy which as you know is a sin. I love the smell of broom when it’s blooming out back. I am so easily led astray…
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Please get a sample first Sister,
Blind buying is wasteful. We should probably talk about it.
Portia xx
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Broom eh? Now you have my interest. I spy a sample set featuring White and Auburn being ordered from Mr Tauer’s site in my not too distant future.
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I want a bottle of White! And please, please, please share your recipe for the violet white chocolate ganache frosting!!
I am another violet fiend. 🙂
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Well the ganache part is easy Tara, a good white chocolate melted in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water, do you know the method?
Remove the bowl from the saucepan and let cool a little before adding half the quantity of cream (or one third for a firmer result).
The key of course is the violet flavouring, and your taste, just as in fragrance, is what you must go by in the essence you choose and the amount you like to add.
Happy searching. And Happy baking!
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Very poetic prose, sister Mary! Keep up the good work 🙂
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Oh! you are most kind! Thanks indeed for stopping by this scented corner…
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My word! Those notes sound delicious, just like an “all-night heavenly disco”. Love your writing Sister 🙂
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You are too kind Melita! How lovely to see you on this fragrant dancefloor.
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