Zurich, March 3, 2011 (A farewell to fire tree)
Dear Mandy,
How are you?
This last month was so intense and passing by so fast that I did not find time to write a longer letter to you. One reason for this was my trip to Russia which was just lovely. There, in the eastern part of Europe, I learned again how the sense of smell brings us together and why perfumes do not need a translation. It is the passion and the joy, bottled in little flacons, that is understood all over the world. I am convinced that perfumes can bring us together.
Another reason why I did not find time to write to you in detail was a couple of ongoing projects that I need to keep confidential here as they involve third parties, and of course the upcoming launches in spring and the preparatory work for launches in September. The launch in spring is the linden blossom theme that we discussed so passionately over the last year. I feel that this discussion was unique and I feel that without it there would be no linden blossom theme in April coming from my little manufacture. I thank you for this.
The linden blossom work was (lucky us!) an ideal example of success after a few hills that we needed to climb and rivers that we needed to cross. We discussed our travels and ultimately we both saw the sun rising, shining sweet and brilliant, like our creations that are both in all difference sunny sweet and full of warm light from the natural linden blossom.
Mountain sunrise – picture by Andy Tauer
Unfortunately, it does not always work like that. We discussed it briefly in our e-mails. I have a drawer (or an Excel program) full of formulas that are partly finished, or almost finished but still in a waiting position. I do not consider these perfumes a failure, but I look at them as dormant. They are in a waiting position until I have a clever idea of what is missing, or of what is too much. Or they wait until I feel the passion and urge to continue working on them.
My take on the fire tree, the last creation that I sent to you and Nathan as little samples, might turn into such a dormant beauty, waiting for a prince to wake it up. I love it a lot. And my partner who needs to sniff whatever comes out of my laboratory, even the weirdest creations, loves it a lot. I like the base, how the vetiver, patchouli, vanilla and tonka form a chord with ambrein and talk to the fire tree. The base notes in the fire tree are such a treat!
Yet I feel there is something missing. I have not figured out yet what exactly. My instinct tells me that I need to work on it again, but, to be honest, I am a little bit clueless where to continue and I feel I need to put it aside for a while. Maybe it is my anticipation of spring around the corner, bringing the spicy silver green hyacinths, the fragrance of narcotic sweet lilac, the finest olive green scent of tulips and the honey narcissus, that makes me dream of spring flowers instead of exotic fire trees.
Lilac blossoms in spring – picture by Andy Tauer
I need to put the fire tree aside and want to come back to it again. And I hope you do not mind. I look forward to sharing more thoughts with you later. Maybe we will find another natural delight in the future to work and discuss together like we did with the linden blossom? I hope so very much.
Dearest Mandy, let me finish this letter and this series of letters for a while, by saying thank you again and by sending you a big fragrant kiss, with my best wishes for spring. May it be fragrant!
Warmly yours,
Andy
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Berkeley, March 5, 2011
Dear Andy,
Thank you for your latest letter; I’m glad that your perfume adventure in Russia went well. I agree with your comments about my fire tree samples #6 and #7 – because I sent them so soon after making them – without any aging – they definitely “grew” in the bottle in ways that don’t please me. I have made incremental improvements, getting as far as the sample #9 that I sent to you. For the top this time I tried Methyl-Methyl-Anthranilate, which I find to be something of a cross between grape juice & candy. I’m still not happy with the overall result, but it had improved enough that I felt I could try it on more people than the previous versions.
When I took fire tree #9 to New York with me last month, I found out something remarkable about this perfume-in-progress: it smells different on everyone who tries it. I’m not sure what causes this mercurial effect, but on some people it’s fabulous, and on others not so good. It may be like a fragrance “mood ring” that illustrates some revealing characteristic of the wearer, but I have no idea what it’s trying to say. It seems to like men more than women.
Mood ring in a bottle – picture by Aftelier
In any case, my fire tree efforts are not ready for prime time. I definitely have a catalog of “unfinished projects,” but once something wanders out of my range of interest, I don’t usually get back to it. I would either sit with the project in the first place — in an obsessive fashion –- until it was finished, or file it away, never to really revisit it. I guess my “recycle” bin is really my trash bin, and I empty it pretty often. In my process of finding what’s interesting to me, I can usually trust my instinct, and once the feeling is gone, it doesn’t come back.
I am certainly pleased with the results of our joint excursions with linden blossom, and thank you for that. I liked working with the fire tree as well, but if I ever attempt it again, it will likely be from scratch. I have really enjoyed our refreshing and creative exchange of letters, and appreciated sharing the personal glimpses behind our processes. I am grateful too for the forum and commentary that Nathan provided us on his blog.
I hope you have a wonderful spring, and that you will find a way to visit when you come to California.
Fondly,
Mandy
***This is the conclusion of the first “Letters to a Fellow Perfumer” series. You can find the previous letters between Mandy Aftel and Andy Tauer at the links below:
#1): Letters to a Fellow Perfumer (ep. 1)
#2): Letters to a Fellow Perfumer (ep. 2)
#3): Letters to a Fellow Perfumer (ep. 3)
#4): Letters to a Fellow Perfumer (ep. 4)
#5): Letters to a Fellow Perfumer (ep. 5)
#6): Letters to a Fellow Perfumer (ep. 6)
#7): Letters to a Fellow Perfumer (ep. 7)
#8): Letters to a Fellow Perfumer (ep. #8)
#9): Letters to a Fellow Perfumer (ep. 9)
#10): Letters to a Fellow Perfumer (ep. 10)
*NOTE: The Letters to a Fellow Perfumer series will continue in the near future with an open correspondence between other independent perfumers, including reflections on the creation of natural body products, artisanal teas and more.
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