Scorched Clove, Cinnamon Bark, and Tobacco Absolute

[Seajewel]

No further description.

[Casablanca]

This trio comes out thick with a chewy sort of leather-shop tobacco swinging hard, but a blackened clove and cinnamon follow close behind. 

 

I cannot get away from some leather-shop impression, here, from the horse-riding days of my youth. Yet, this dark spice combo also pulls some of my focus toward a cinnamon-broom craft shop place... leaving a bizarre bazaar of rustic shops in my nose on balance.

 

I'm just going to put the word rustic here for this one. This is a Wild West craft shop party.

[deadlyves]

A solid blend of all three notes. It's warm, spicy, and deep. I dont get any particular associations with this, just exactly what it says it is and I love it!

[starbrow]

The order of the listed notes in this trio are spot-on. This is scorched clove coming out hot and heavy, truly intimidating in the bottle, with a very dark-maroon cinnamon as a just-as-intimidating sidekick. A tobacco that I believe is Bulgarian, a dry and not too smoky or chewy kind, plays third fiddle. Plop this on the skin, and a visceral enactment of crackling clove and sinuous cinnamon plays out. This is fiery darkness. This is not for the faint of heart.

 

As you might expect, the drydown brings the heat down to a low simmer, staying dark and spiced but also a little dusty and a little skin-sweetened for me, since I have skin that naturally leans towards sweetness. There is really good throw still, and this is almost crying out to be layered with other oils or hair glosses that need some dark spice in the mix. But more on that later  Meanwhile, the tobacco peeks out with a smoky, almost cedar-esque touch, but I wouldn't have blindly guessed there was tobacco in this blend, the cinnamon and clove remain so strongly present, and there is no giveaway of chewy caramel French tobacco to clue me in. 

 

I also have the Cinnamon and Clove Duet from 2021 Yules for comparison. Do you need both? I mean, they are definitely very similar. Smelling the duet, the spices read a smidge sweeter, a bit more in that baking-spices direction. The trio brings the fire and brimstone; these are not kitchen spices, but elements set ablaze and blended down into a wrathful perfume. Side by side, the tobacco is more present (not surprisingly) and lends a nice grounding depth. I am keeping both bottles, but I love both spices a LOT so I think it comes down to if you want a more mellow version (duet) or the Hulksmash version (trio).

 

Finally, LAYERING. This goes really beautifully with the new Apple Pulp Amber Frankincense trio, or Lambswool or Prairie Witch, for apple pie spice vibes. Not quite pie, because none of those have the pie crust or intense sweetness, but the pie filling. Start with just a drop of the Scorched Clove trio and add as needed, because this one is STRONG. I recommend if you are a hardcore lover of the notes and either missed the Duet or like me, you can't ever get enough.

 

I would wear this while: feeling spicy 🔥 

[LavenderCoffee]

Not much to add really: badass scorched clove kicks the door down and sidekick cinnamon follows swiftly behind. Also not a surprise based on the notes, but I am getting an angry patch on my arm where I applied this.

I put a long sleeve tshirt on over it and I'm finally able to smell the tobacco through my sleeve 😅 ...and it smells awesome!

[Little Bird]

The tobacco smells like spicy, dry, crunchy dead leaves, but the clove never shows up on me (and clove is one of my favorite scents) and the cinnamon is too much for me.  My skin got red and welted where I applied this and the cinnamon is a very bright, sharp, dry, cinnamon potpourri and kind of like an overly spiced cider where the fruit and citrus notes aren't showing up.

[zankoku_zen]

Clove, cinnamon and a touch of tobacco. Spicy. Medium throw and wear length.