Olympic Orchids Carosello and Olympic Orchids Kīlauea Reviews (Ellen Covey) + Carousels and Volcanoes Draw

December 17, 2018December 17, 2018

Olympic Orchids Carosello and Olympic Orchids Kīlauea bottles apped by Gail, courtesy of Olympic Orchids ©

On Saturday, December 1st at Tigerlily Perfumery in San Francisco, Ellen Covey introduced her two much anticipated Olympic Orchids perfumes for 2018 – Olympic Orchids Carosello and Olympic Orchids Kīlauea. The first, Olympic Orchids Carosello, is a scented remembrance of Ellen Covey's childhood in Italy, "an indelible association" between evenings spent, enjoying white wine with friends and family and an old Italian TV advertising showcase entitled "Carosello". The second, Olympic Orchids Kīlauea, the latest in Ellen Covey's spectacular "scents of place", is an olfactory recollection of the perfumer's 2018 visit to the Big Island of Hawaii and of the sights and smells of the recent eruptions of Mount Kīlauea.

My first breath of Olympic Orchids Carosello teases my palate and pleasures my nose with a bright, fizzy aromatic rendition of white Moscato wine. Moscato is known for its unique fruity, spiced floral bouquet. An aromatic mélange of mandarin orange, ripe pear, orange blossom, honeysuckle and sweet Meyer lemon characterize a typical Mosacto wine. Olympic Orchids Carosello, like the wine itself, opens with refreshing, fruity compote spiced with nutmeg and the green, minty, herbaceous scent of crushed geranium leaves. As Olympic Orchids Carosello begins spiraling toward its floral heart I find myself inebriated by the fresh rosy geranium, the zippy lemon and by one of my favorite modern, herbal woody notes, Clearwood®. Just as the name implies, the Clearwood® molecule, created by Firmenich, lends a suggestion of transparent light Patchouli, minus the thick, opaque leathery, rubbery aromas that often define the natural oils. In Olympic Orchids Carosello, Clearwood® creates the effect of a translucent green, woody sheen that supports and balances the bubbling fruits and flowers. After ten hours and more, the sparkling white wine and vibrant blossoms remain in place, fresh and effervescent, flushed ever so slightly with the warmth of a spiced, balsamic, powdery benzoin. Notes: Moscato wine, nutmeg, geranium, floral notes, benzoin, and Clearwood®.

As I write this post it has been over three months since there were active surface lava activities around Mount Kīlauea. But this summer, when perfumer Ellen Covey visited the Big Island of Hawaii, Mount Kīlauea and the volcano's goddess Pele were busy spewing spectacular lava fountains and creating glowing hot rivers of lava that destroyed "houses and farms, jungles, beaches, and tide pools, all the while creating new land" (Ellen Covey). With the Olympic Orchids Kīlauea Ellen brings her experience of the volcano and her love of the Big, beautiful Island of Hawaii to life in an amazing new "scent of place". The first blast of Olympic Orchids Kīlauea reconstructs the smells of ocean water steaming from hot rocks, the scent of crackling earth and the aromas of oozing sap and singed plant life. This lava accord, created by Ellen specifically for the Kīlauea perfume, immediately grabs my attention, transporting me to the once bustling (now closed) Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Jaggar Museum and Visitor's Center, still perched precariously atop the mountain. Olympic Orchids Kīlauea recalls memories not only of the scent of the volcano but also of the normally gentle, sweet air of the Big Island, an atmosphere laced with the delicate, ethereal aromas of coffee flowers, plumeria (aka frangipani) and the green fruity, tea and honey notes of pikake (jasmine sambac). As the lava of Kīlauea subsides, a fresh breeze clears away the "vog", revealing even more of the island's complex floral perfumes.

Golden Kahili Ginger via Wikipedia©

In addition to plumeria and pikake, the heart of Olympic Orchids Kīlauea is bursting with papery mimosa, creamy sandalwood, slightly medicinal myrrh and the warmth and spice of the ubiquitous golden ginger lily. Golden Kahili or yellow ginger is a plant that grows almost everywhere on the Big Island, even up to the very edges of the caldera. But as I smell these beautiful flowers and luxuriate in the scented island air, I can sense that, under the surface, the molten lava remains, ready to seep out of fissures or explode again at any moment.

Olympic Orchids Kīlauea settles down after twelve or so hours into a base of balsamic styrax and comforting vanilla. Kīlauea the shield volcano, the Olympic Orchids Kīlauea fragrance and the goddess Pele all share a common aesthetic, a spectacular contrast of danger and beauty, creation and destruction – the burning ancient fires of earth cooled and soothed by the Big Island's exquisite floral breath. Notes: Plumeria, pikake (jasmine sambac), ginger lily, mimosa, bergamot, sandalwood, myrrh, vanilla, styrax, benzoin, and lava accord.

Disclaimer: Many thanks to Ellen Covey and Olympic Orchids for my cherished travel duo of Olympic Orchids Carosello and Olympic Orchids Kīlauea, each 5 mls in perfume concentration. My opinions are my own.

Gail Gross – Senior Editor and Art Director

Editor’s Note: Dr. Ellen Covey is a 2x recipient of The Art and Olfaction Awards (Woodcut 2015) and Zoologist Bat (2016)

Thanks to the generosity of Ellen Covey and Olympic Orchids we have one prize – a duo of Carosello and Kīlauea perfumes in 5 ml travel sizes. The prize is available to one registered reader worldwide. Be sure to register or your comment will not count. To be eligible for the draw, tell us where you live and what appeals to you about Gail's reviews of Olympic Orchids Carosello and Olympic Orchids Kīlauea. Draw closes 12/20/2018

Be sure to check out the Olympic Orchids website for Winter Sales through 12/31/2018 enter WINTERSALE20 AT CHECKOUT.

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