Sultan Pasha Attars Basmati Rose via Sultan Pasha
“This love is the rose that blooms forever.” ~ Rumi
Sultan Pasha Attars Basmati Rose extols a courtship between the celestial and the staple, and this is where we encounter rice – the life-giving grain which sustains a multitude worldwide, both privileged and downtrodden alike.
Photo of Rose: Michelyn NYC /May 2020
Beloved Sufi poet Rumi enjoins us to love the Infinite One and one another; to savor the gifts which surround us and embrace our fears, for they reveal a portal to spiritual growth. The rose figures prominently in all Abrahamic faiths, and in Islam it is associated with the Prophet; the rose and its thorns depict one’s path to the Divine.
India Family ©Diwali meal
“Inspirations for Sultan Pasha Attars Basmati Rose are from all my festive memories of my beloved late grandmother’s cooking, especially her rice pudding and her absolutely addictive biryanis – alongside memories of warm Christmas puddings with lashings of spices and roasted chestnuts.” ~ Sultan Pasha
via unsplash apped by Michelyn
It goes without saying that I am besotted with Indian food, spice, attars, culture…To think of the perfumer’s grandmother (Dadi or Nani, Sultan? Your paternal or maternal grandma?) preparing him kheer (rice pudding) or biryani in his childhood makes my mouth and eyes water: the former with greedy anticipation, the latter with tenderness. Sultan describes the English Christmases he shared with my husband as a young boy – the season when B’s Northern European parents labored to pull out all the stops in an attempt to emulate their adopted country’s traditions. It’s a sweetness which lingers on the tongue and memory, dear beyond price.
Rose petals on Hafiz’ marble grave in Shiraz, parabola.org
Our perfumer harbors a sweet tooth. He has created a number of attars leaning toward the gourmand, whether they are floral or oud-based – and they sing very differently from anyone else’s. As bright as some attars may be, there are many which possess that poignantly solemn undercurrent to them – and Sultan Pasha Attars Basmati Rose begins as a dark romance between the rose and rice which unfurls into a joyful, radiant union.
Michelyn Camen, Ida Meister and Sultan Pasha lunching last year at Esxence 2019
Sultan Pasha’s compositions are earmarked by their astounding complexity and the high quality of his palette: you don’t have to be an expert to recognize this characteristic posthaste. It echoes the well-known aphorism, “I don’t know much about art – but I know what I like.” Basmati Rose is seamlessly satisfying and nonlinear, which translates into an exquisite olfactory journey replete with the twists and turns which an abundance of fine natural materials contributes. (N.B. – linear can be beautiful as well, but given the choice I prefer my nose to be led down the primrose path when it comes to fragrance. Perfume as narrative is powerful; I’ve yet to experience anything which can ‘replace’ Bulgarian roses, white rose otto or Mysore sandalwood.)
Ancient Ochre samples Discover Magazine
Straight out of the gate the supreme comfort of a toasty basmati rice accord greets you, gilded by potent saffron: it smells rich, savory and a deep ochre hue. This is music of the ancients, a part of our DNA, the aromatic equivalent of those colors we see emblazoned on cave paintings the world over.
katabara.com
Basmati lingers and soon melds into heartbreaking rose petals red and white – a flurry of sumptuous virtuosity – and the mood lifts. Rose sings of fruit and flower in full voice, wooing rice in the process. A honeyed spicy chorus insinuates itself: honey absolute, tonka, benzoin, Shamamah amber (a centuries-old earthy Indian amber distillation which may include saffron, oud, herbs and spices). How comprehensive would Basmati Rose be without the inclusion of Mysore sandalwood, ambergris (mild and subtle, as it is white), olibanum and musky animalics such as civet, styrax, ambrette accented with a grounding aged patchouli? As time progresses Sultan Pasha Attars Basmati Rose mellows, softens to a murmur – but even amidst the murmurings, Rose is Queen. It is a beautiful destination.
Notes: Basmati rice accord, Iranian saffron, rosa alba otto, Bulgarian rose absolute, rose absolute accord, tonka absolute, Mysore sandalwood, sandalwood accord, Shamamah amber, honey absolute, ambrette, musk, civet, spice mix (fenugreek, star anise, black cumin, and others), olibanum, aged patchouli, white ambergris, Siam benzoin, styrax
My bottle was sent for perusal by the perfumer, and I treasure it! My nose is my own…
~ Ida Meister, Senior Editor and Natural Perfumery Editor
Sultan Pasha Attars
Thanks to the generosity of Sultan Pasha of Sultan Pasha Attars, we have 3 ml of Basmati Rose (£150.00) for three registered readers anywhere in the world. You must register if you have not done so here. To be eligible, please tell us what appealed to you most in Ida’s review of Basmati Rose, and where you live. Do you have a favorite Sultan Pasha attar? Draw closes October 18, 2020
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