‘Umami’ is the fifth taste. Not sweet, sour, salty or bitter, but ‘umami’ – a Japanese term that translates as ‘savoury pleasure’ or ‘mouthfeel’. And while this release by Florascent – a German fragrance house that apparently uses only natural essential oils – is not conspicuously gourmand nor notably edible, there is a certain texture or heft in this scent that is more than liquid; a soothing, binding, moisture-absorbing quality that is very comforting.
The main theme of Umami (which I bought as a new winter perfume recently from Charis, my favourite aromatherapy shop in Fujisawa), is tonka bean (a warm, nutty, aroma), fused with black pepper, a dry, unsaturated sandalwood, and gentle, unsweetened vanilla. Chewy all-spice, ginger and a barely discernible osmanthus form the heart, while the all too brief top note of Japanese yuzu gets rapidly subsumed in the heat. There is not a great deal of development here: what you smell in the bottle is pretty much what you get on the skin; but I was pleased I bought it. Perhaps the closest comparison I can make to this scent is Guerlain’s Heritage, which in the rare to find eau de parfum comprises a stunning and enduring note of black pepper, over tonka, vanilla and a smooth oriental base. But while the Guerlain, as you might expect, is luxuriant, fluffed up and recherché, Umami is merely huggable, particularly on a freezing winter’s day. An arran sweater lacking drama. But somehow that is what I liked about it: a completely dependable go-to scent that never really raises its head, so to speak, but stays tucked up and taut – and that’s exactly how you want it to be.
Notes: yuzu, black pepper, ginger, all spice, osmanthus, tonka, sandalwood, vanilla.
