Jiaolong

[Casablanca]

Sugared coffee bean, black musk, and sugar cane.

This one takes me back to college days, when I inhabited a rickety chair in an off-campus cafe back courtyard, drinking a pint-sized iced coffee and scribbling on crosswords.

The coffee I drank then was black and sweetened, resurrected here in a black coffee scent blackened further by a mellow vetiver musk, and then sugared and a little vanilla'ed. I even think sometimes I smell a little half-melted, last-surviving ice cube in it.

It lasts a few hours on me, longer than average. This is what I wanted.

[aiobhan]

On me, this is black must and sugar, period. I get no coffee. It's not a creamy or foody sugar - just sweet. I do like it, but I'm hoping after the bottle settles for a few weeks, the coffee will become more prominent.

 

Overall, it has a medium throw and is pretty strong, but not in an off-putting way.

[Dark Alice]

Low throw sexy coffee, with sexy sugar, and a hint of black musk. I love it. NO CREAM! Heavens Rejoice!

[zankoku_zen]

Sugary musk with a tinge of coffee. Sugary, sweet, musky. Medium throw and wear length.

[galahad]

In the Vial:

Sweet, dark musk. Smell like Crowley

On the Skin:

Gorgeous sweet black musk. This smells so much like Crowley or Mme. Moriarty to me. I love it. Not much in the way of coffee to start with but it is providing an interesting backdrop.

On the Drydown:

This is a no-brainer multiple bottle scent. Further into the drydown the coffee emerges and it is a sweet, mellow white coffee. LOVE

[brineydeep]

This is not my usual type of scent, but I thought I would try it and I'm glad I did.

 

This is is pretty much hello dark musk! on my skin. It honestly reminds me a bit of the musk in Smut but less complex and sweet. I think the coffee is under there making everything richer but it's not strong.

 

Based on previous reviews, it sounds like skin chemistry is a huge factor here. I thought I would have problems with the sugar, but apparently my skin also loves musk.

 

This blend has good throw and longevity, with the musk smoothing out over time. It's been a pleasant scent experience.

[annemathematics]

dark musk with the coffee working here like a resiny base note. the sweet factor here is perfectly balanced for me and isn't over the top toothache-foodie-kinda-sugar-rush.

 

this reminds me of destructive vagina of the fox spirit and dusky shroud. I love it! might be my fave of the grindhouse gang.

[Little Bird]

Black musk can either be smoky and remind me of men's cologne or it has a plush, deep, dark, resinous cloud that I adore. This is the awesome, resinous, sweet black musk that makes me think of rich incense cones. Almost like a black amber note. On me, Jiaolong is like 70% black musk and 30% sweet, warm, toasty, sugared coffee. Gourmand-but-not. A little powdery and vanilla-like on me in the drydown. Black incense/resins, vanilla and warm, sweet coffee.

[VioletChaos]

In The Bottle: Lots and lots of black, sugary coffee, and an edge of black musk.

 

Wet On Skin: The black musk has morphed into more of an indigo musk and the sugar remains a strong secondary note. The coffee is still there, but is more like a lighter, sweeter "instant" coffee now.

 

Dry Down: Usually I'm not a fan of the darker musks, but this is really nice. Not too overpowering, doesn't turn to cardboard on me. I'm disappointed that the coffee went away, but I'm going to see what happens with aging. If nothing else, I can layer it with single note Coffee Bean and all will be well

[DiesMali]

In the bottle: Thick, rich, sugared black musk and coffee.

 

Wet on my skin: Same as in the bottle, but my skin almost immediately starts playing nicely with the musk and toning the coffee down a bit.

 

Dry: This. Is. GORGEOUS. Unf, it's so good, and I can't wait to see what a bit of aging does to it if it's this good a week or two after arriving. The coffee is somewhat short-lived as a foreground note, fading after half an hour or so and then providing a sexy, dark-roast coffee undertone to that thick, sugar-sweetened black musk. This is entirely unique in my BPAL collection, and I might have to get a second bottle before the Carnival goes dark. I might also have to see how it smells on my friend, who looks exactly like the guy on the bottle...

[roseus]

This has to be one of my favorite coffee scents. The coffee is dark and roasty and strong! The musk and sugar compliment it nicely. Will need a bottle!

[LizziesLuck]

So, I drink coffee like it's going out of style. Coffee is comfort to me. So I have to try pretty much every coffee scent, and I own quite a few bottles of them, and still want more! Excited to see how this stacks up (I think currently my faves are the Guatemalan Single Note and Morning In New Orleans)

 

Wet: Mmm! Sweet coffee and black musk, what an interesting combo! It's kind of masculine, but still deeply comforting to me.

 

 

Dry: OK, so nose-to-skin, it wasn't great for a bit - kind of musty/dusty, but the throw from it was amazing, so I went for it and slathered it all over. It's FANTASTIC. So comforting, the mesh of two of my fave comfort scents, coffee and musk. I need a bottle, and I will wear it (likely during cold months) when it's late in the evening and I want a cup of coffee and can't have one because it'll keep me awake. Gorgeous!

[violetvorpal]

When I first saw the label art for Jiaolong, I was blown away. Not only is it a gorgeous guy, but he is also an aerialist! I am an aerialist as well (aerial silks, hammock, and lyra), so I knew I had to buy this bottle even before I knew what the notes were. As soon as I read the scent description, it was an insta-buy. I love coffee scents (Café Mille et Une Nuits, Dusky Shroud, Guatemalan Volcanic Coffee Bean SN, etc.)

 

Wet: Dark (but not like a bitter black coffee; dark as in mysterious/complex) coffee with vanilla sugar. This reminds me of Dusky Shroud without the opium petals. There is no vanilla listed but there is definitely something with the sugar cane that is reminding me of gourmand vanilla.

 

Dry: This is absolutely luscious. It isn't foody, it is sophisticated coffee (I got that impression from Dusky Shroud too). However when dry, it isn't as dark/mysterious as Dusky Shroud because there are no opium petals. Yet, I enjoy this more than any other coffee scent I have tried. I seriously cannot stop smelling it! The sugar cane, black musk, and coffee make a brilliant combination. Multiple bottle worthy.

[agirlnamedfury]

This smells more like black jelly beans than coffee beans on me. It's mostly sweet dark musk. I don't hate it, but it's NOT the delicious coffee scent I was expecting!

[rawgirl75]

Yes, this smells like Smut musk! Thank you brineydeep. It was driving me crazy trying to figure out what scent Jiaolong was reminding me of. On me, I get almost no coffee. Just straight up sugar Smut musk without the patchouli. It even smells a little bit boozy on me. Oh it's gorgeous alright. I'm pretty sure my eyes rolled up into my head the first moment I sniffed this.

[fenharel]

Oh, Jiaolong. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways....

 

The first time I wore Jiaolong, he was instantly a favorite. The musk is sweet, deep, dark, and boozy - yes, just like the musk in Smut. The coffee has a distinctly 'ground' quality - it truly is a coffee BEAN, not a brewed coffee. Initially I tried Jiaolong because I was searching for the perfect 'just brewed a pot of coffee' scent. Jiaolong is not that, but I love him very much anyway. The coffee note is a 'floaty' note - I can almost smell it better when I'm not trying, or when I don't have my nose shoved into my wrist. He's sweet and masculine without being TOO masculine. It's like someone melted vanilla ice cream (the really good kind that has little vanilla beans actually in it) and poured it over spent coffee grounds, and then topped it with a shot of Kahlua. I can wear him any day, any occasion, and feel powerful, competent, and happy. Throw is perfect and wear time is excellent (lasts even overnight)

[whisperstilled]

Coffee and black musk are both very hit or miss for me, and this one was DARK in the bottle. Reminds me a bit of Zory Utrennyaya. There's something medicinal about the deep, dark mixture of coffee and musk. The vanilla starts arcing over both after it sits on the skin for a bit, like the back of the dashing aerialist on the bottle art. As it settles, as others have mentioned, it gets much more appealing. This feels like a perfect fall/winter scent to me, and wonderfully sophisticated despite the simple combination of notes.

[doomsday_disco]

In the decant: Lots of coffee bean and black musk, backed by the warm sugar cane.

 

Wet: The coffee bean is the most prominent note on my skin, immediately followed by the black musk, and then the warm sugar cane.

 

Dry: The coffee bean note is softer during the dry phase, but still going strong, as well as the black musk, with the sugar cane adding a nice, sweet warmth to the scent. After a while, the black musk ends up overtaking the coffee bean, but the coffee bean isn't far behind it.

 

Several hours later, it is mostly sugared black musk grounded by coffee bean.

 

Verdict: This one is nice, and I am really happy that I was able to try it, but I think the black musk in this one is a little too strong for me.

[Lucchesa]

My skin chemistry mucked this one up. I had forgotten what was in it except for coffee, and when I smelled the imp, it was all luscious black musk with a little bit of sweet coffee. Mmm. On my skin it has terrific throw and wear length and smells exactly like strong, musky root beer. I have no idea why coffee would go to root beer on me. It's not unpleasant, and if I didn't have a couple of sarsaparilla scents I like, I would be keeping it, but it isn't what I was hoping for!

[theredkilt]

I am testing this from a 1-year aged bottle.

 

I get a smoky musky coffee drydown with some fuzziness from the black musk. It's very comforting and enchanting. 

[Mister Azure]

Sweet darkness in a cup.

 

Wet: Sweeted musk with a subtle back drop of coffee brewed comes out for a late morning brunch. The sweet sugar cane is a prominent part of this encounter. 

 

Throw is long on this and happily so. 

 

Dry: Such sweet coffee is placed in front me. Blissfully sweeted coffee and I swear a hint of dark vanilla. Only a drop or two. 

 

This continues to grow into a deep sweet coffee and musk scent on me. I’m not even keen on coffee but this is so delicious on my skin. 

 

The longer it wears the sweeter and deeper the scent becomes. I no longer smell a cup of coffee after 3 hours of wear but sweet roasted coffee beans and warmed split sugar canes. The looming musk has faded and I’m left with an even more enriching scent. 

 

6 hours in and it has a scent closer to sweet vanilla bean dusted with a well blended coffee. It does go borderline powdery but is still rather pleasant. 

 

Final thoughts: I want to lick my skin and just bask in this scent so much. I thought this was going to be a heavy coffee scent on me which I wasn’t too excited for but wow! Yeah. I really like this. It’s a buttery smooth and simple noted scent that is rich and has depth. Best part is that the throw remains long and is just pleasant. 

 

I will need to get more of this. A lot more.

[melandie]

I ordered this blind because I love coffee and am missing coffee in my growing scent collection. The blend is so perfect. I drink my coffee black but this is like a lightly sweetened coffee drink, with a dark aspect from the musk.

 

It lasts a really long time too, and whiffs of the scent are a comfort through the day. This will be one to repeat order.

[lilyluxe]

In the bottle, the coffee is nice and strong mixed with the musk. Unfortunately, after wearing, very very quickly the coffee dissipates for me and leaves a musk single note behind. It actually smells almost identical to Smut to my nose, which I love but I don't need more of. I am really bummed that the coffee note fades so quickly. It even seems to do that for me if I dab it on paper and let it sit! Not sure what is happening here, but I am a bit bummed about it. I have found that the lab's darker musks (black and red specifically) can really overpower whatever else is in the blend, and it seems to be doing that for me here.

[Rayleigh]

Coffee is usually pretty subtle on me, but here it is dark and bold. The coffee smooths out as it dries, and the musk steps up. It is reminiscent of the sugared musk from Smut, but the coffee provides a balance of bitterness and a lot of depth. It's intense, sophisticated, and velvety dark.

[cosurmyyne]

i love this. dark and slightly spicy black coffee, but it's warm and comforting. not too sharp or bitter. wet it smells like black coffee with black musk, and dry a slightly sweet note comes out but it doesn't de-rail the coffee and musk.

 

The throw is medium, and the lasting power on this is amazing. I put some on my wrist at around 7pm last night and at 11am this morning I could still smell the black coffee and sugarcane, although it has taken on a vanilla-ish aspect which i do like

 

Not sure if I'll wear this everyday just because it can be quite polarising for other people, but I absolutely love it. Definitely have to buy a few bottles

 

very interesting to see some other people say it smells like smut. I didn't get that at all (which is lucky since i absolutely hated smut)

Edited February 1, 2022 by cosurmyyne