Blocki Press Club photo via the brand
“The aroma of woods and spices drifts over the table as perfumer, John Blocki, cues a game of three-cushion. It is 1925 and the newsgatherers in the Press Club billiard room are determined to get the scoop. Rub shoulders with these social buccaneers and the cosmopolitan celebrities, sharp-witted orators, and famous artists and writers that flock to the Press Club’s legendary soirees.” ~ Press Club copy via Blocki website
John Blocki, founder of Blocki
Founder and perfumer John Blocki of Blocki initially set up shop in Chicago, 1865 – right on the heels of the American Civil War. He had been apprenticed, at a young age – as a chemist to a local pharmacist. American perfumery was in its infancy then: admittedly, Caswell-Massey preceded it by 113 years, in 1752 (Newport, Rhode Island). Clearly, no one can compete with claiming the patronage of first president George Washington – but John Blocki certainly proved his place. New Orleans’ Bourbon French came into its own in 1843, Hové in 1931, and Crabtree and Evelyn in Cambridge, Massachusetts as late as 1971. Although the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 demolished Blocki’s business, he quickly rebuilt and flourished. He was a determined man indeed.
Blocki: San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Toronto via the brand
Perfumer Michelle Bruckmann of Berje has brilliantly employed the elegant materials of this family-owned-and-operated fragrance house (both Berje and Blocki fit this description) to splendid effect with her evocation of the nexus of pundits and wits: Blocki Press Club.
image via the brand
She might have elected to depict a smoke-filled room populated by the ardent and profusely perspiring; instead, she has chosen to paint a contemporary portrait of the well-groomed and erudite literati who congregate, combining leisure with competitive amiability and astute observation. Press Club is all this, and considerably more: with soigné aplomb, it culls the allure of herb, spice, a kiss of conifer, and the precious attributes of incense and amber – deftly executed with a lightness of being, a measure of finesse.
“The pen is mightier than the sword if the sword is very short, and the pen is very sharp.” ~ author Terry Pratchett
Original Blocki Press Club of Chicago image via brand
Overstuffed, well-worn leather chairs are tucked into the corners of this close chamber where business mixes with pleasure; we are aware of their august, shabby presence as we sling our legs over a tatty arm. All deals are not brokered at the billiard table, perhaps – but the dissemination of information surely is, especially as liquor loosens both tongue and inhibition. Gilded saffron infers leather; clove and amber recall what is best about the barbershop and a straight edge shave. The impeccable tonicity of bergamot, armoise (artemisia or mugwort), and rosemary promote a sense of wellbeing and good grooming – the seemingly effortless art of single-minded sophistication. Serpentine coils of incense are woven throughout the fragrance, imparting intrigue while grounding Blocki Press Club for those amongst us who find ourselves earthbound. After all, true journalism requires both feet firmly planted in the real world, not a fantasy. The chosen Press Club participants never skip a beat while smelling like a million.
Blocki Press Club may have commenced, at its conception – as a scent intended for men, but limiting its prospective audience pays it short shrift. Deliciously dry and faintly piratical, it is a pleasure to be shared. Its waggish charm glows on every skin.
Notes: bergamot, armoise, rosemary, saffron, cypress, clove, olibanum, amber
Flacon kindly provided by Blocki – many thanks! My nose is my own…
~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor
Thanks to the generosity of Blocki, we are offering a 50 ml. flacon ($165) of Press Club to one registered reader in the U.S. To be eligible, please tell us what appealed to you in Ida’s review of Blocki Press Club. Draw Closes 4/15/2023
Please read Lauryn’s review of L’Esprit dAmour
Co-Founder Tyler DeLaBarr Kraemer was featured in our Profiles in American Perfumer Series and is a descendant of John Blocki
Read more about Blocki Perfumes in Michelyn’s Perfumer’s Workshop Legacy Brands
Former Contributor Tammy Schuster’s review of This Granhd Affair Walks
Blocki Sanrovia was one of Lauryn’s top ten of 2018
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