Centzon Totochtin

[SarahScent44]

The Four Hundred divine rabbits of the Aztec pantheon that preside over parties and drunkenness. Bittersweet Mexican cocoa with rum, red wine, and a scent redolent of sacrificial blood.

In the imp, this is all cocoa and rum.

On my skin, I only get chocolate. Interesting, but pretty one-dimensional.

When it dries, the chocolate is mixed with the rum, which calms it down and smooths it out. It's nice on me, but not awesome.

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Coffee and wine, odd!

 

Wet: Coffee, chocolate and wine. Hard to wrap my nose around this one!

 

Drydown: The wine is sour, like it's too fermented or something! This is not for me!

2.0 outta 5

[pensarepink]

In the bottle: dark bittersweet chocolate and brandy

Wet: Chocolate note is still prominent but there's something lurking in the background -- a spicy edge, perhaps cinnamon

Drying: Gloriously complex! This is a serious chocolate scent, not flirty. I wouldn't characterize this as a foody scent either. With the dry down I'm getting a hint of something old and powerful hovering behind the heart-quickening of chocolate. A tart/sour note that could be wine or blood.

 

I like this one a lot. I'm glad I opted for a bottle (based on these reviews alone). If I smelled this on someone in passing I would certainly be drawn to them.

[CrazyPretzel]

Wet: it's deep rich red wine paired with dark chocolate. How utterly decadent!

 

Dry: Still wine and chocolate but with an earthy, almost leathery scent underneath. Rich and dark but the wine adds juiciness.

 

In the long drydown I'm left with a slight cocoa and berry scent on my wrist.

 

[Rovylern]

In the imp: COFFEE!

 

Wet: COFFEE! It's screaming. I'm picturing someone hyped up on 15 espresso shots chanting coffeecoffeecoffeecoffeecoffee. It's nothing but coffee. If I liked coffee it would be wonderful, but I don't drink it and I'm not a big fan.

 

Drydown: This is still screaming COFFEE! at me. It's very in-your-face. Every now and then a swirl of booziness will bubble up, like someone trying to sober up after a long night, but only rarely. This would be perfect for the teacher my kid had last year who adored coffee and was a wine connoisseur, and I think I may pass this on to her for her birthday. It's very well done, it has a good throw and it lasts a long time, but it's just not for me.

 

Edited to fix spelling. Apparently, I need some of the caffeine from the coffee in this perfume. *L*

Edited January 21, 2008 by Rovylern

[Pika]

In imp: A strange, tangy kind of bittersweet smell. Coffee, chocolate plus something really *sharp*.

On skin: Wow, complex! Coffee, and the more I sniff the more cinnamon I get, oddly enough. A bit wine-y, kind of dry, and "ominous"... something like the effects of ozone; there's a spark in it, puts me on edge.

Drying: A very dry cocoa scent, kind of earthy/dusty/dirty smelling too. Still sweet though.

 

Very interesting scent! I really like the gut-level reaction it pulls from me, very edgy, kind of a rush, with the grounding elegance of chocolate and coffee. The dry down is nice too, even though I can best describe it as "old chocolate dust with a drop of dried-up wine"! Not your average, comfortable scent. But I like it all the same, maybe more, because of that.

[vintagedlust]

This was one of the first BPAL scents I ever bought. I fell in love with it quickly but then didn't wear it for awhile. Today I wore it and now I remember why I love it so! It totally goes through different states on me throughout the day.

 

6AM: When I first put it on all I could smell was cocoa...it almost smells like the unsweetened cocoa powder people cook with.

 

8:30am: While I was working with my student in Econ class, the red wine took over, adding an even drier element to the perfume.

 

Now (4:30pm): It doesn't have the throw it did at the beginning of the day, but I still get wafts of it. It smells sweet and chocolaty.

[sapote3]

The first whiff out of the vial was very potent, a little dark and heady - chocolate, but I'm not sure I'd want to eat it. I rather slathered this on, and at first I was getting this sweet cocoa, inside-of-a-Starbucks smell, but the more I sniff, the more it smells like the fermenting sweetness of a cacao pod, and the forest around it. It might be the power of suggestion, but something about it reminds me of standing in the ruins of Quirigua, the rainforest growing up around the white marble.

 

I caved ten minutes into the drydown and read the lab description, and yep: now that I know what I'm looking for, there's the bite of the rum. It's a fairly boozy smell, on me, amplified by the blowsyness of the chocolate. For the first ten minutes I was thinking this one was a swapper, but by minute fifteen I realized that I'd had my nose pinned to my wrist for five minutes; moreover, I was finding my own wrist sexy. Eep. Potent stuff. It is very boozy, though, and the longer I wear it, the more the wine comes out; it would be kind of awkward to wear to the office, then.

[Electric Maenad]

[Lab frimpage - muchas gracias!]

 

Nom nom nom... this smells like those brandy beans that only seem to come out at Christmas (around here, anyway). Dark chocolate and thick, syrupy booze. Lasts about 3-4 hours, which is average for my scent-devouring skin.

 

These rabbits sure know how to party!

[lainevierge]

I got the chocolate right away and it's thick, spicy scent reminds me of El Dia Des Reyes, but with a grapey undertone which must be the red wine. The chocolate isn,t overpowering and it reminds me of a good night with friends. Wine & chocolate is a perfect ending to most nights.

[ClareN]

I agree with several other reviewers that there is vetiver in this. In fact, I have noticed that when a BPAL description mentions rum, there's usually some vetiver in it. I didn't pick it up on the first try, but it's definitely there. (This is not a bad thing! Do not fear the vetiver!) It's one of the sweet, light, grassy vetivers, not a heavy smoky variety.

 

Cocoa doesn't always work on me, but it's behaving well here, only occasionally turning a bit "off". The cocoa combines with the vetiver to make a sweet, rich scent that works surprisingly well. Those are the two standout notes for me; there's a little wine in the background, but it's not nearly as strong and grapey as BPAL's wine note sometimes is. I may or may not keep the imp of Centzon Totochtin; I love the concept, but I do have other vetiver scents I prefer, like Baron Samedi.

Edited April 18, 2008 by ClareN

[coldandsleepy]

To me, this is the same town that El Dia De Reyes happens in, but it's not a holiday.

 

It starts out smelling a great deal like raisinets or a ruby port to me. Big, sweet, candylike grapes with a hint of chocolate and booze underneath. As it dries down, it mellows into a really nice rich cocoa scent with something distinctively red in the background. (It's not wine-y at all. More like red musk or maybe dragon's blood? Dunno. Definitely red-smelling, though. )

 

I don't remember getting anything like vetiver and didn't mention it in my notes, but maybe I need to give it another sniff! As is, even without picking up on any vetiver, I like this quite a bit and will probably hang on to my imp.

[but6682]

In the bottle: black licorice to my nose

On my skin wet: Very vanillaish/bitter cocoa

Dry skin: it's slightly powdery, but not in a bad way when it's dry on my it smells like powder/vanilla

 

I like it overall

[mgrazulis]

In the vial: yummy, exotic, strong ,dark cocoa and rum

 

Wet on skin: smokey spiced wine, toasty cherry resin, dark spices and coffee

 

Dry: Aromatic, dry, vivid and insistent cocoa underneath wine. The rum more of a backdrop. Fascinating interplay. And deep beneath it is a smokey incense, not foody at all!. Just a mere hint of musk for warmth.

 

Verdict: This is magical! Reminds me of Tita de la Garza in Like Water for Chocolate. No ordinary cocoa is this--it has the salt of tears and years of passion, hundred years old mystical recipes that transform the lives of those who partake of them. Not the food itself, but the essence of Tita. Unusual!!!

 

Although DH has seen hundereds of rabbits en masse romping through the Santa Elena foothills. I'm not sure I want to know how that would smell!!! But this is just divine.

[diamondstars]

I've wanted to try this one for a while now, and unfortunately I was disappointed..

 

In the bottle it smells like rich cocoa, but on skin it smells like chemicals. Just my dodgy chemistry s'pose.

[Reenah]

Revisited this one and was much happier with the results. What I love about this scent is the bitterness. Bitter cocoa, biting alcohol, bitter blood all running freely. Extremely dark. It really conjures up the image of dark sweaty nights filled the sound of screaming insects and screaming drunken madness as people start to worship some dark version of Dionysius. And yet....I kinda want to wear it ALL the time. I feel very edgy.

 

The cocoa is initially the strongest scent, completely unsweetened, though it dies down quickly, dusting the surface of the rum, which is full, dark gold, and rich, but, all the same, very bitter. The "red" notes, wine and blood, accent everything well, making the overall effect deep and complex. The weird thing about me and red wine notes is that for about five minutes after application they smell kinda salty, like onions or potato chips or even BO! (This was the case with Prospero. I still have nightmares of B.O. and grape candy from Prospero.) Luckily, that went away quickly this time around, leaving just a dark, translucent red wine.

 

The strange thing about this is how similar it is to The Death of Autumn to me. They share no notes, but the people who keep mentioning vetiver might be on to something. It was something in the rum I think, that also makes them similar. Either way, I definitely need a bottle of this.

[Elvena]

I just received this as a frimp from the lab, and I don't know what to say, but to whomever plucked this out and put it into my box, I'm not sure if I should bless or curse you.

 

I didn't read the description or the notes in the perfume. I knew nothing about it.

 

8 years ago I moved from the New Mexico desert to New England and...Centzon Totochtin IS the southwest. I don't care what the description says. I do smell the hint of chocolate and rum, but beneath it is a pungent sharp cedar. This is what sitting by a bonfire in the desert smells like. EXACTALY. It also has hints of leather.

 

My father used to have an incense burner, it was really cool it was an adobe pueblo and it burned this ceder/juniper incense which smoked from the chimeny. I loved that burner. This scent also reminds me of that incense. It reminds me of Sunday afternoons with my father. We lost him in a car accident almost ten years ago and smelling this makes me profoundly homesick. I expect to walk outside and see sun scorched soil, blue gray sage brush, and gnarled ceder trees. I should be hearing the hum and click of the desert bugs. Smell the desert soil. Instead I am in moldy, mossy, green New hell England.

 

My heart hurts now. I am in tears. I don't think should be opening this imp anytime soon. But you know I will.

[lemonade]

I received my order of Bliss today from megan in france... and she included very celverly an imp of centzon...

MEGAN.. youre so spot on!!

 

I fell in love instantly.. an aroma of expensive mocha wafted out ..

 

 

i absolutely love this scent and i think it would smell amazing on a crisp autumn day in an oil burner.. but it works just as well on my skin.. and summer and and and... well you get the drift i adore it...

I did get hints of vertiver but then those hints tunred into teasing prods.. almost as if it was there but not there.. im not sure what part of this scent was causing that but theres a definate earthy leathery greeny muddy background that seems to dance in and out... definate five stars

 

 

Visually I imagined a Mayan princess walking up the steps of her ancient temple ... and the offerings of dry smoke scented leaves mixing in the heavy air whilst dark unatrual coffee-bean sprites chased by mischieveous cocoa fairies work their magic... they dance intoxicatingly around her in their paralel world as she is fixated only on her destination.. the inner sanctum...

 

as the princess vanishes into her holy temple.... a swirl of ethereal smoke erupts from the very tip of the ancient pyramid.. and drifts slowly and purposefully into the hills beyond...

Edited July 2, 2008 by lemonade

[greenranger]

I tested this at work, with no list of scent notes. It makes things interesting to try to figure out, sometimes. =)

 

In the imp, cocoa, and possibly sandalwood.

 

Wet, on me, chocolate, and red peppers and then fruit and flowers mixed with chocolate and red peppers and sandalwood. Lots and LOTS of scent, and they aren't playing nice at first.

 

Drying, to about 20 minutes in, the scents are still really not playing nice. Red pepper, and chocolate and flowers and fruit and just muddy ick.

 

 

Dry, after about 20 minutes, it starts to settle down into something very nice that reminds me slightly of Velvet, because I think I am smelling chocolate and sandalwood with fruit and possibly a touch of the pepper over it. The chocolate isn't as dry as the cocoa in Velvet, and the whole effect is creamier and sweeter.

 

Dry and a couple hours in, it's a creamier sweeter fruitier version of Velvet. Very very nice, and possibly addictive. I just need to get past the wet and early dry stage to get here.

 

It fades to just a faint hint of chocolate about 5 hours in.

 

Looking at the actual listed notes, I get slightly confuzzled.

 

"Bittersweet Mexican cocoa with rum, red wine, and a scent redolent of sacrificial blood."

 

I suppose the red wine is likely the source of the fruitiness that I got, but the sandalwood...does the sacrificial blood scent have sandalwood and red pepper in it? I smelled several things that aren't on the listed notes.

[brsis]

Initial thoughts: Another one from my first ever imp order - I'm now very, very unsure over how chocolate and alcohol behave on my skin, so I'm more tentative over this than I thought I would be.

 

In the imp: The scent hits me straight away - booze. Alcohol! Sweet alcohol! Maybe even chocolate liqueurs. Urgh. This is making me naseaus straight off the bat (I'm allergic to alcohol) but I'll test it gingerly for the sake of science.

 

On the wrist, wet: Now why does this smell like vetiver to me? I suppose it could be a sort of bitter chocolate. The alcohol is still making me queasy, and there's a sharpness to it I'm not sure I like. Hmm. I think I'm going to go lie down for a bit.

 

Twenty minutes later: THIS. SMELLS. LIKE. VETIVER.

 

It is completely, unmistakably, for some BIZARRE reason, EXACTLY like a vetiver blend on my skin. I can kinda get how it might be construed as cocoa and blood, but still. I like vetiver, but I have too many vetiver scents and this one has an ugly booze note lurking in there, making me feel ill. Definately a hands-down failure.

 

Verdict: Swap

 

Tl;Dr: Heavy on the booze, and suspiciously reminiscent of vetiver.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Rum, ahoy! A little bit of cocoa in the background

 

On Application

Rich cocoa and wine

 

Dry Down

Dark, dark molasses in the initial stages of the drydown, almost tar-like, and then beer/wine and cocoa - a little unsettling. Sweetens up a bit as it warms so that it almost smells like my father's pipe tobacco (tobacco, rum and vanilla). This is all winey and beautiful after 10 minutes or so which makes me like this so much more. Keeping the imp.

 

Rating (0-5)

3.5

[mazaru]

Cocoa, rum, red wine, coffee, in that order. This is one of the few 'dark' BPAL scents that feels like I could wear it all day - it's biting and bitter without being harsh or so woodsy that it makes me sneeze, and I absolutely adore it. Gorgeously thick and complex.

[Lamia]

For whatever reason, this smells like, banana pudding on me....

 

*fidget*

 

My husband says he really likes it, so I'll keep the imp, but I won't be looking for another one.

 

(Bananas??? Where did BANANAS come from??)

[naeelah]

This is a very sweet blend, much sweeter than I was expecting. I tried it on without referencing the notes and I smelled chocolate and what I thought was fig, with a slighty dry tartness on the edge.

 

I think it's the wine note that I was mistaking for the fig, perhaps with how it smells in conjunction with the rum. I don't feel this is boozy, just very sweet and grapey. There's perhaps a slight sour edge from the wine. It reminds me most of the wine note in Madrid. Quite syrupy. Chocolate isn't the main note, for me. It just colors the scent of the booze.

 

It's strong and it has good staying power. I scrubbed it off to make room for testing other scents, and I can still smell it quite clearly, although it's much lighter. Blotted, it's less grape-y and I can smell more of the bittersweet complexity.

[modillian]

DIVINE RABBITS! THIS IS THE SMELL OF DIVINE RABBITS! YES!

 

In bottle: Something sweet, rum, and a whole lotta alcohol.

 

Wet on skin: Well, yes. Cocoa and rum and wine. I really don't care for wine scents, even as much as I like boozy vanilla and intoxicating sweetness. Ugh, this is too much wine. It's more like alcohol and grape juice. *gag* No blood, just spices from the rum and a bright red wine.

 

Drying: Uuuugh, gross. I can see how some people would like to smell like wine, but I sure don't want to. It's so cool how Beth can make it smell so exactly right, though. Thumbs up to the amazing Lab! It certainly smells like the afterparty where everyone's spilled their drinks and left it to congeal and rot. I wish I had gotten cocoa and chocolate like the others, but all I get is sickeningly boozy grape juice.

Edited September 14, 2008 by modillian