Behind Shadows, photo by nocturny

Most incense fragrances are smoky affairs, calling to mind the censers swinging during liturgy or the contemplative aromas of the mountain temple. Hazy, dreamlike, sooty … these are the descriptors that usually come to mind. But brightness? Not a word that word I’d normally associate with a scent centering on two incenses and a multitude of woods. But then, I had never smelled Laboratorio Olfattivo Sacreste before. The newest edition to the brand’s Black Collection, Sacreste pops with unexpected, brilliant fizz before eventually revealing its warm incense-woods heart.

Luca Maffei and Roberto Drago collage by MC

Created by Luca Maffei, again working with creative director and founder Roberto Drago, (they co-created 2017’s Vanhera, 2016 Nun and My Lo)  Laboratorio Olfattivo Sacreste is a complex, woody incense with unexpected bright touches, like the sparks from a roman candle igniting against the dark.  The incense is right there from the start, but is buoyed by that springy, alcoholic, acidic top note. This zingy start gives the multilayered incense room to spread out without becoming heavy.

Incense burning in temple, Vietnam, stock photo

There are two different incenses at work here: a bone-dry, sandpapery smell and a second incense that rapidly takes on some sugar. I swear for a few moments that I smell root beer, with its old-fashioned, horehound birchiness. That citrusy note of the opening comes back in small ripples, this time accompanied by a punch of black pepper. As I continue to smell Laboratorio Olfattivo Sacreste, the incense notes start to take on a variety of subtle characteristics: gasoline, wood ash, the vanillic tinge of papier d’armenie.

Austria, Styria, Stuebing, Weathered roof of wooden house, photo by Westend61

Layers of woods join in the middle stage. Notes from several trees gather, dominated initially by the turpenic greenness of cipriol. I don’t really pick up guaiac, but the cedar comes barreling in, smelling of pencil shavings and old wooden sheds. Now, the Turkish coffee aroma of cardamom swirls in, adding its dusty off-sweetness. Given all these dense notes, it is a testament to Maffei’s deftness that Sacreste does not get weighted down by them, even when joined by the resins that follow.

One of the nicest surprises of Laboratorio Olfattivo Sacreste is that late in the composition’s trajectory, elemi and labdanum get their moments rather than disappearing into the musk and woods base. That unmistakable animalic tang of labdanum is a perfect complement to the sweeter incense note, while the piney smell of elemi is a smart partner for cipriol. Hours later, I’ll be damned if the notes are not still overlapping and receding around each other. I get hits of arid incense, then of sweet; of cedarwood, then pepper and cypress. And every so often, that party girl fizz of the beginning crops up, as if to say incense can be celebratory as well as reflective.

Notes: Cistus labdanum, elemi, cardamom, saffron, hyperessence of incense, fumencens, hydrocarbon resin, cipriol, black pepper, Virginia cedarwood, guaiac wood, cashmeran, ambermax, musk.

Disclaimer: Sample of Laboratorio Olfattivo Sacreste kindly provided by Laboratorio Olfattivo. My opinions are my own.

Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor

Laboratorio Olfattivo Sacreste

Thanks to the generosity of Laboratorio Olfattivo, we have  two 30 ml bottle of Laboratorio Olfattivo Sacreste to give away to one registered reader in the U.S. or EU. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what appeals to you about Laboratorio Olfattivo Sacreste, where you live and whether incense conjures any memories for you.  Do you have a favorite Luca Maffei or Laboratorio Olfattivo perfume? Draw closes 12/16/2018.

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