The Organ Grinder (2006)

[tajana]

Almond milk, sarsaparilla, tobacco smoke, black patchouli and white pine bark.

Wet: I'm immediately taken aback by the strangeness. It's a cohesive smell, not cacophonous at all...but definitely creepy... like some weird tune played by an organ grinder with a creepy monkey by his side, I suppose. Milky almond with the distinctive, difficult-to-describe smell of sarsaparilla (kind of root-beery) and a dark, smoky undercurrent.

Dry: A cup of creamy almond milk, flavored unexpectedly with sarsaparilla and a splinter of sharp pine, perverted with smoky tobacco and dirty patchouli. It's kind of buttery, yet bizarre enough that I can't bring myself to think of this as foody, or even gourmand. After a few hours on the skin, it settles down and the complexity fades as everything kind of blends together into a woody, creamy scent with a funky-crazy sarsaparilla edge. It's really very pleasant at this point, but it's downright distracting for the first couple of hours.

Overall: A weird and unsettling smell... much weirder than I even bargained for based on the notes. I can't think of anything to compare this to that I've ever smelled, in BPAL or otherwise. I don't ever need to smell or wear this again, but it's one hell of a memorable scent, and I'm glad I got to sample this really unique oil. Edited December 19, 2009 by tajana

[Dharklady]

In bottle: Oooo almond and sarsaparilla!

Wet: Mostly almond and sarsaparilla, and yet it doesn't feel foody.

Dry: A good throw and lasting power. The heavy almond is mellowed by an emergence of the patchouli and wood and combines wonderfully with the sweet sarsaparilla.

Notes: Very enjoyable blend, I'm loving the sweet sarsaparilla!

 

[kjirstiben]

This was a very interesting scent on me. It went on vaguely fruity, sort of root beer in a non-sweet way (that would be the sarsaparilla, of course), with some of that almond milk and pine.

 

I loved the sweet milky almond with the pine, especially as this was in its initial stages. Over time, the scent turned slightly sharp and medicinal, and I eventually ended up with a sort of sour-milk end stage. (skin chemistry issue) Pity, because this was so nice in its initial stages!

[grrrlennyl]

Organ Grinder

 

On: Wow. Amazing almond milk and sarsaparilla with lovely black patchouli (one of my favorite notes) and pine.

Half an hour in: This is amazing. I can pick out every note and they just smell so great together.

1.5 hours in: This is sweeter and is mostly almond milk and sarsaparilla, with a bit of patchouli.

2 hours in: This is just delicious almond milk. I'm dying.

2.5 hours in: Siiiiiigh...so lovely.

3 hours in: So milky and delicious.

Overall: I'll definitely be getting a bottle of this.

[SophieCedar]

Wet: the almond milk is creamy, nutty and fragrant, followed by slightly sharp pine bark. The sarsaparilla adds a spice that amps the pine bark and patchouli.

 

Drydown: patchouli and pine bark take over. the almond milk and sarsaparilla are now staying in the background. This has turned sharp on me because I'm amping the patchouli and pine. Pine variations get lost on me sometimes and just turn into "strong pine".

Edited January 28, 2011 by SophieCedar

[Helas]

I love the artwork and inspiration behind this one, but I'm afraid I'll have to chalk up the scent itself as one of my losses. The Lab's almond note so far has been a deal-breaker for me. In Organ Grinder, as usual, it is sweet to the point of cloyingness, but with a musty, decayed quality. Rich but stomach-churning, like a long-forgotten bar of marzipan. I can't even blame my skin chemistry, since the blend probably smells like what it's supposed to on me - it is foody and masculine with a pleasant smokiness, and I'm sure that many people would love it. I just don't respond well to the almond note.

 

This someone else's scent, and I have to let it go. Two out of five stars.

[Urpflanze]

This fella puts me in mind of a lighter, creamier, more feminine The Antikythera Mechanism without hardwood and with a touch of root beer. It also bears some resemblance to Tombstone. The tobacco and almond milk blended with sarsparilla are most prominent, I don't get very much patchouli or pine. A soft, sweet stunner. In fact, I find it a little too soft for me. Decent throw and wear length. Smells wonderful on DW. If you want sweet Wild West, I would check out Organ Grinder. To me, it surpasses Tombstone in every way (though I hear tombstone ages well...)

[oaustinsmall]

TOG is my favorite scent! I am so sad to see it on hiatus. If you have any to sell/trade, please message me. I'd love to make a deal!

 

O.

[moonjelly]

TOG is my favorite scent! I am so sad to see it on hiatus. If you have any to sell/trade, please message me. I'd love to make a deal!

 

O.

Edited January 15, 2012 by moonjelly

[brilliantcat]

In the bottle: Tobacco smoke, pine, and a smidge of sarsparilla.

 

Immediately after application: Mostly pine with a creamy hint of almond milk.

 

Warming up: Almost all pine with a little patchouli. It has a definite masculine vibe.

 

Fading: It softens/sweetens as it fades.

 

Faded: Average throw, average wear.

 

Overall: Probably not one I'll get a bottle of but it was a lovely piney scent. No icky Pine-Sol or anything.

 

Rating: 2.5/5.

[captnklaus]

In the bottle this one is strong! I'm blasted by the tobacco first and foremost. I then catch a sharpness from the pine and a sweet edge thanks to the almond milk and sarsaparilla. It's pretty delicious!

 

On my skin it's not as strong. While fresh it's mostly tobacco and pine, which I love. As it dries down the pine takes a backseat to the almond milk and isn't as sharp. It's still definitely there but everything is softened and sweetened by the almond milk and sarsaparilla. It's a very unusual scent, and not what I thought it would smell like.

 

All in all I LOVE this scent! Good throw and it lasts a good long time. Even after its been several hours and its faded, I keep catching whiffs of it. Delicious. So glad I took a chance on a bottle I found for sale.

[porcelina]

i ordered this unsniffed before the carnival went away because so many of the notes seemed like they would agree with me! the only thing i'm a little scared of is the almond milk.

 

thankfully, the almond milk in the organ grinder is light, delicate and creamy- not the strong, overwhelming, sharp almond i get from a lot of other scents! it really just adds a soft, slightly creamy nuttiness to the blend overall.

 

the notes here blend beautifully. almond, patchouli and pine are all scents that tend to stomp all over every other note but here they are all playing nicely. the tobacco is like sweet pipe smoke when it meets the sarsaparilla. the patchouli is dark and earthy but not sharp or dirty. the pine is the first thing i notice on repeat sniffs but it doesn't dominate- it's almost subtle.

 

it dries down to a lovely sweet, slightly smoky scent that stays close to the skin.

[Caper]

I get coconut? And a hint of pine.

 

It isn't bad, and I will probably test it a time or two before passing it on.

 

I an actually liking the two hour dry down more than the wet stage.

Edited March 16, 2013 by Caper

[fufu_berry]

Wet: Ack! The almond is more like marzipan, a really sugary candy smell. Nooooooooooo!

 

Drydown: Almond getting a little less sweet and a little more creamy; some pine fighting through.

 

Dry: Wow - this changes so much from wet to dry. Now it's a really well-blended patchouli/pine, with just a hint of spice from the sarsaparilla and some creamy nuttiness in the background. I could still smell it a little on the sleeves of my coat the next day, and it was really nice, just lightly smoky and spicy.

 

This would be a top-ten scent if I could just get rid of the nauseating wet stage - I'm experimenting with different layering combos to try and kill the candy smell, or at least hide it until it goes away on its own.

[Jangzonrice]

bought this from a forum member. I bought this just for the sarsparilla note, but the almond milk simply takes over wet: almond milk...creamy and sweet (not what I wanted, but it's still pleasant). dry: more almond milk....I normally don't like almond scents (had wayyyy too many almond cookies as a kid and got sick), but this is quite nice and I think I will keep this bottle anyway. throw is great and I could still smell it after 10 hours!

[Alaeidrel]

This is smoke and soft almond? I love it on the drydown but the wet stage is noxious powder.

[Ava Lux]

Saparilla?Probably is this that causes me a little of nausea...yes, overall it's creamy,quite interesting, never tasted somethingh like this, but the almond is very,too, strong in the first stage,and then the combination of all notes make me nervous...not my cup of tea, sorry..

 

I agree with who says that it has to pass 10 hours before appreacheate it...

Edited September 30, 2014 by Elmifra

[goodnightnightvale]

In the bottle it reminds me of root beer, with a little bit of smoke. I got no pine at all, but that's just me.

 

On, it's sweet, almond-y, and smokey. I loved it so much I bought two more bottles. Top marks from the American judge!

[roseus]

While I love sarsaparilla, I assume the white pine and patchouli would push this more into my guy's territory (who also love sarsaparilla). However this smells equally good on the both of us. On him its woody mingling with sweet sarsaparilla, though the patch and almond milk grounds it in a way that it is not as dry as Tombstone. On me the creamy sweetness of the almond milk is more apparent (though not foody). Definitely will have to try the new one as well.