The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2020 - Issue 27

bite perfume woods, temple incense, and leather Bushi armour. The 50 ml and 100 ml EDP contain top notes of Japanese cedar, in- cense, and Sawara cypress; heart notes of Asahi zuru maple, patchouli, and iris; and base notes of hinoki, leather, and tree moss. Interestedly, the Japanese forests contain numer- ous trees with wood that are sacred in traditional religious ceremonies. The strong hinoki wood found in the Kiso forest has been used for building temples, Noh theatres, baths, and masu. It was sourced for the holy Ise shrine in Mie Prefecture. Sawara is a sturdy lemon-scented ‘false’ cypress with a red stringybark which is used for building temples and shrines. It grows wild on the islands of Kyushu and Honshu. Asahi zuru, which means ‘dawn swan’ is an ancient variety of ma- ple native to Japan with beautifully ornate pink, white, and green leaves. Italian Citrus is a bracing cologne of coastal Italian citrus rinds with ambrette and clean musk. In a 50 ml and 100 ml EDP bottle, the top notes are pressed lemon, chinotto (or- anges), and blood orange, with heart notes of green manda- rin, violet leaf, and incense; and base notes of copaiba bal- sam, musk ambrette, and oakmoss. While classic colognes do not last long beyond the out-of-the-shower scent, DS & Durga have varied the formula in a few ways to create a fresh citrus scent that lasts into the dry-down. The founders even have perfumes named after them - DS is a pure vision of India with Kashmiri saffron, frangipani, gardenia, yellow lotus attar, and damask rose with fine Sri Lankan sandalwood vetiver. Durga has palatial doses of the finest floral absolutes - tuberose, orris butter, orange blos- som, samba jasmine, chrysanthemum, and ylang-ylang which is unimaginably narcotic. Another interesting fra- grance is Notorious Oud with Indonesian oud, papyrus, saf- fron, bulgar rose, and other ingredients. The latest fragrance to join the perfume family is Crystal Pistil which has interesting top notes of orange flower water, dew-on-petals, pink pepper; heart notes of crystal flower parts, paradisone, jasmine water; and base notes of civet- tone, white musks, and ambrette seeds. David said he made this soft crystalline perfume to highlight the humid parts of inside a flower from a memory he recalled of orange blos- som water being sprinkled in the air upon entering a market on the back streets of Fez in Morocco. He goes on to explain his inspiration. “Orange blossom wa- ter is shockingly inviting - like the smell of freshly baked bread. I always wished the water could be worn like a per- fume but it doesn’t last. And the oil you extract from the flower, though lovely, doesn’t have the same balmy water vibe. Crystal Pistil is my attempt to make that fresh humid flower note last in all its crystal glory.” This scent certainly has a clean lasting aroma with a refreshing tone I love. “The power of scent is equal to that of sight and sound. A great scent is a world you can return to over and over - a keyhole into another realm” - DS & Dur ga.