Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

THIRTEEN (13) April 2007 (LE, Purple Label): (Company says: A base of cocoa absolute and white chocolate with thirteen baneful and beneficial bits: cardamom, fig meat, grains of paradise, rice flower, chamomile, sandalwood, catnip, clove, and a bundle of five blessed blossoms and herbs.)

In bottle: Rich chocolate over sandalwood and cardamom, mostly. The other elements are more background, but well blended and the overall effect is delightful. Wet: spicy chocolate with incense and herbs. It is a sweet, delicate thing with more bite than one might expect. I really like what the fig is doing with the chocolate, cardamom, rice flower, and sandalwood. This is what I really wanted from Velvet, I think. Its rich and complex, avoiding the dry flatness of many sandalwood blends. Dry: Sweet sandalwood with delicate reminders of the other elements. I think this is my favorite sandalwood blend, surprisingly nuanced. It’s a shame the chocolate was so volatile, but I don’t think that’s anyone’s fault.