Roja Parfums Taif Aoud bottle, Photo by Michael Devine

 

“The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size.” — Gertrude S. Wister

It’s 5:00 PM on a Saturday. I lift my Manhattan toward my television in salute to Lawrence Welk who, surrounded by floating bubbles, is leading his orchestra in a brass-bending rendition of “Winchester Cathedral.” While I bask in the bygone glory, I think for the millionth time: I was born in the wrong decade. Then the ding of a notification on my iPhone snaps me back to 2023 and with it, the realization that I’m gratefully able to watch this technicolor epoch on a streaming service over Wi-Fi. With a whisky-infused confidence I declare these certainties: 1) The Lawrence Welk show is egregiously underappreciated and 2) a classic can only be a classic through the percipient lens of modernity.

 Taif Roses, Courtesy Roja Parfums

It is another certainty that Roja Dove has a masterful ability to create timeless compositions that honor classic perfumery through the assured understanding of both the golden-era and the here-and-now. Roja Parfums Taif Aoud, a glorious addition to his Aoud collection that honors the exemplar of tradition with contemporary appeal. Inspired by the mountainous region of Taif in the summer capital of Saudi Arabia, Taif Aoud is an homage to the fields of distinctively-dewy red and pink roses that grow specific to this mystical region, blooming through wafts of the ubiquitous scent of burning Frankincense and Oud Bakhoors. Taif Aoud was originally an exclusive to London’s Fortnum and Mason and is now, thankfully, getting a wider release.

 Roja Dove, Courtesy Roja Dove

This gorgeous composition opens with an aldehydic radiance akin to the distinct sunlight that foretells our release from winter. Whereas Amber Aoud conveyed a cozy fireside warmth through a deft use of ambergris and vanilla, Taif Aoud portrays a glimmering sun-drenched warmth further intensified by Roja’s sparkling signature bergamot note. Amid the Taif Rose, this opening burst is as buoyant and promising as the first day of spring. Roja’s Taif Aoud is atomized optimism. Where there can be no “good old days” without the vantage of modernity, there can be no spring without winter.

Lady Heather Semple Roses, painting by Jean Bastiste Robie, public domain

In the heart, the lush rose is joined by ylang ylang and geranium, creating an almost-abstract floral accord rounded by herbaceous and fruity elements, further jucified through the addition of cassis. As the composition evolves, earthy notes of clove, patchouli and, of course, Aoud reveal themselves like the vestiges of autumnal foliage beneath snow melting in the sun. The Aoud is regal, but approachable and blends seamlessly with the Taif rose while the delicate, sweet smoke of frankincense burns in the distance. Classic, but never old-fashioned, the “Roja-nade” base of labdanum, vanilla and benzoin bestow a signature regality that reminds us that this composition is vastly distinct amid a score of oud/ rose combinations in the perfume world. All the while, the rose remains—evolving from dewy to spicy to gold-dipped. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence.” As is Roja Parfums Taif Aoud.

Top Notes: Aldehydes, Bergamot

Heart Notes: Geranium, Rose, Jasmine de Grasse, Ylang Ylang, Clove Buds, Cassis

Base Notes: Patchouli, Aoud, Benzoin, Vanilla, Frankincense, Labdanum, Musk

 

Disclosure: This review is based on a bottle of Taif Aoud graciously gifted for review from Twisted Lily. Opinions are my own.

 

Michael Devine, Senior Contributor

Thanks to the enormous generosity of the folks at Twisted Lily, we have a full bottle tester of Taif Aoud to give away to one registered reader in the contiguous U.S. only. To be eligible, please leave a comment indicating what intrigues you about Roja Parfums Taif Aoud and note if you live in the contiguous U.S. Draw closes 3/18/2023.

You can find Roja Parfums Taif Aoud on Twisted Lily here

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