D.S. & Durga Amber Teutonic and D.S. & Durga Amber Kiso Review + The Art of Illusion Draw

Amber, photo Natural History Museum of Los Angeles

What comes to mind when you think of amber perfumes? A sumptuous, vintage oriental such as Fath de Fath? Or boozy, rich concoctions like Maitre Parfum et Gantier Ambre Precieux? And yet, amber, the fossilized tree resin, doesn’t have much aroma. Perfumery’s amber is, rather, an imagining of a scent, one that typically combines vanilla with labdanum and other resins such as benzoin, copal and styrax. Now rethink all that. Brooklyn indie house have come up with their own take on the familiar accord with two new perfumes –  D.S. and Durga Amber Kiso and Amber Teutonic – that turn amber on its golden head: rich, saturated woody scents with not a drop of amber in sight.

David Seth Moltz and Kavi Durga of D.S. & Durga 

This is the first time David Seth Moltz of  D.S. & Durga  has put amber – or, rather, the concept of amber – at the center of a fragrance. Amber Teutonic and Amber Kiso are inspired by “myth, history and ritual associated with places that produce amber materials.” The first of the pair, D.S. & Durga Amber Teutonic, is a perfume imagining of one of Gustav Malher’s composing huts, with all the grandeur and unorthodox complexity of the Fifth Symphony. Out of the bottle, Amber Teutonic is bold, rich and boozy, immediately conjuring classic ambers past. But it is soon joined by a whole forest of woods that summon the small houses built on lakesides or in the woods Mahler to which retreated to work.

Mahler's Hut, South Tyrol

First, the fresh lumbar smell of cut cedarwood mixes with that spiritous note, smelling like a newly constructed house frame in which the builders are having a well-earned tipple. Then, a dusting of cardamom becomes apparent, adding some coffee-ish, dark spice. A squeeze of juicy sweetness from mandarin trickles in just at the right time, a rivulet of lightness at the perfume’s center. As the perfume travels onwards, the velvety-pepper smell of geranium leaf emerges as the woods intensify and a dry musk edges in. In the dry-down, everything merges together harmonically into a bold, woodsy take on a classic amber. It’s so convincing you’d be forgiven for sneaking a second look at the listed notes.

D.S. & Durga Amber Teutonic notes:  alpine cedar, geranium, Austrian pine, cardamom, European larch, opoponax, green mandarin, templin cone, musk.

Buddha by Art of Daniel

The hinoki-dominant  D.S. & Durga Amber Kiso is Amber Teutonic’s inverse, as introspective and primeval as Amber Teutonic is forward and opulent. Like its sister, Amber Kiso is also built around wood notes. But where amber Teutonic goes big, Kiso moves inward. Its blend of quiet incense, green moss and stronger notes of hinoki and cedar hint at something old and elusive: Kamakura statues deep in some ancient forest; the drift of ceremonial smoke from a hidden temple.

Kiso, Tai Ping, photo by Yabu Pushelberg

A distinctive, medicinal note opens D.S. & Durga Amber Kiso which soon becomes apparent as hinoki wood. Just discernable is the rainy smell of iris hiding behind the tree notes that enter in gradually. A green coniferous note joins with a dryer, more brittle cedar than that found in D.S. & Durga Amber Teutonic. The calming aroma of wood-based Japanese incense take over the mid-section, where it meet an unexpected, assertive leather. There is an aged, distant quality about this note that is hard to put a finger on, but it is similar to the smell of old woven leather you can sometimes catch in museum displays of leather armor. Throughout Amber Kiso’s development, hinoki stays centered, anchored in the dry-down by the loamy smell of patchouli. While other perfumes have traversed similar ground, Amber Kiso has a heft and opacity that makes it stand apart.

Close-up of Baltic amber, photo via Shutterstock

With their intensity and depth, D.S. & Durga Amber Teutonic and D.S. & Durga Amber Kiso could easily trick you into thinking they house an amber accord. Sharing a woody DNA and unorthodox touches that remind you of whose scents these are D.S. & Durga first two forays into amber might make you reconsider what an amber fragrance can be. D.S. & Durga  Amber Kiso notes: Japanese cedar, incense, cypress, maple, patchouli, iris, hinoki, leather and tree moss.

Disclaimer: samples of Amber Teutonic and Amber Kiso graciously provided by D.S. & Durga. My opinions are my own.

Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor

 D.S. & Durga Amber Teutonic and D.S. & Durga Amber Kiso

Thanks to the generosity of D.S. & Durga we have a 10 ml bottle or a sample set of Amber Kiso and Amber Teutonic to give away to one registered reader in the U.S. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what appeals to you about D.S. and Durga Amber Teutonic/ and or Amber Kiso based on Lauryn’s review, which prize you prefer, and if you have a favourite D.S. and Durga perfume. Draw ends 11/17/2018.

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We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Çafleurebon and use our blog feed … or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

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28 comments

  • What appeals to me is Amber Kiso. It seems like a meditative and soothing scent. My choice would be Amber Kiso. My favorite D.S. & Durga scent is Radio Bombay. Thank you for the giveaway!

  • Amber Kiso appeals to me, based on the Leather, Patchouli, and incense notes. I’m not familiar with this house, but I want to be!

  • Amber Teutonic contains a note that I never heard of – templin cone. So, naturally I’m drawn to it. I’m also curious as to how “ambery” it smells without any amber in it. USA

  • I like the notes from Amber Kiso, i think it is a great fragrance. I would prefere the 10ml bottle, thanks for the chance. Oakland US

  • Interesting descriptions. I am terribly curious about Amber Teuton’s non-amber take on amber, with no vanilla or anything sweet in sight.

  • They both appealed to me. I went back and forth. However, I choose Kiso should I be chosen. I do like me some tree moss. US

  • middleagedandmixed says:

    I love that Amber Teutonic and Amber Kiso are described almost as a yin and yang of amber fragrances — one is bold and the other is introspective. If I were to win, I would choose the 10ml size. D.S. & Durga is one of my favorite houses. My most favorite being Burning Barbershop. Thanks!

  • The description of Amber Teutonic sounds amazing, so many great adjectives to describe it. Kiso on the other hand didn’t sound like my kind of thing, medicinal doesn’t click with me. Never tried any DS and Durga, heard good things. If I won I’d prefer 10ml of Amber Teutonic.

  • Amy Leonhardt says:

    Amber Teutonic sounds mesmerizing. How could it be named after amber without amber? I’d love to experience it. Nice review. They’d both be nice to try, but not a fan off moss personally. My favorite D. S. and Durga scents are El Cosmico, Debaser, and Radio Bombay.

  • DS&Durga is one of my favorite houses because they know how to execute a concept. Burning Barbershop was my introduction to the world of perfume. I remember smelling it, then reading the description and being filled with glee at how clearly defined the scent was to the concept. My favorite DS fragrance has to be Mississippi Medicine. The scent reminds me of the dry wood of old abandoned slave cabins found in the orchards of the GA town I grow up in. Each whiff brings me back to a place of reverence and magic.

    I’m excited to experience both these scents (and would prefer the samples). I love a bold woody fragrance. Lauryn’s description of Teutonic has me chomping at the bit. In my mind’s eye I imagine wearing Kiso while meditating in a Japanese Zen garden.

  • Monica Beaton says:

    Wonderful review and story Lauryn. I’ve only recently discovered the beauty and warmth of amber and have fallen in love. Both of these scents sound interesting and innovative – amber without amber. Wonderful wintry woody scents – I can’t choose! I live in Australia – not eligible,

  • Not in the US, so no draw for me. – Still I wish to express that especially Amber Teutonic sounds promising, like D.S.&D. swing back from their latest exerted modern fragrances to their origins of natural inspirations, yet commodified in a good way.

  • I am an amber junkie so I am intrigued with these non-traditional takes on it. Boozy and woodsy with hidden iris? Sounds amazing. And introspective incense is kinda my thing. I would love to win the sample set- thanks for the opportunity.

  • wow, the fragrances sound incredible. Woodsy and warm amber. Great review. I would like Amber Kiso if I win. Thank you for the chance. I live in California.

  • I’ve never tried anything from this perfume house before. But I love the combination of amber and woods. Amber Kiso would be my pick!
    I live in the USA

  • These two sound very different from one another and that makes it very difficult to choose which one. I’ve never tried anything from this house, but these two sound most impressive. I think I’d go for the Amber Teutonic, even though the Kiso sounds beautiful and meditative. thanks for the draw. I’m in the USA

  • Elizabeth T. says:

    These both sound beautiful! I was all on board with Amber Kiso until I came to the patchouli note, which doesn’t always do well on my skin. Still, the blend of notes sounds absolutely amazing despite this. And Amber Teutonic sounds beautiful with the cedar and classic amber. My favorite DS & Durga is Isle Ryder, which I love wearing especially in the fall. I would choose the sample set. Thank you for the draw!

  • I found Amber Teutonic to be especially enticing for me because of many reasons. I have special memories of renting a cabin in the woods and inviting friends & family to go with us. I enjoyed learning about the concept of amber and how the ingredients make the lovely warmth that I gravitate to in fragrances. I love the sound of cardamom, generanium and the other notes, too. I have not tried other fragrances from this house yet.

  • I think I’d like the Amber Teutonic because of the notes. I loved the description which says “As the perfume travels onwards, the velvety-pepper smell of geranium leaf emerges as the woods intensify and a dry musk edges in. I don’t have any favourite D.S. and Durga perfume.
    I live in California.

  • Lauryn’s description of Amber Kiso smells like Berkeley, CA, street vendors pushing incense and patchouli oil, and wet zen meditation flyers taped to light post. My 16 year old self was repulsed because the smell in the air cut through my heavily applied Curve cologne. But me now embraces such scents and particularly one that may induce an inner calmness. I don’t have a favorite D.S. &Durga scent but I do own two of their candles which I never lit. If I were selected I would choose the 10ml. Here in the U.S.

  • These both sound appealing being a fan of both warm, cozy, amber based scents (especially in the fall) and also Honoki wood! I tend to reach for scents that are dominated by these accords in the fall and winter so I’m sure that these will appeal to me. I would be happy with trying either of these fragrances but the one that appeals the most to me is Amber Kiso which I would be inclined to pick. I have never tried a D.S. & Durga perfume. Thanks for the draw. I’m from Niagara Falls NY.

  • I am not fond of sweet ambers so these sound particularly great
    I would like the sample set or kisu for hinoki Wood
    I am a fan a radio Bombay and burning barbershop

  • A contemplative amber seems really nice right now – as opposed to out there voluptuous amber, so – Kiso. My fave from them is Pale Grey Mountain Small Black Lake

  • I love amber – the real thing, although it’s unscented, it beautiful for its natural history, its warm colors… I love milky amber and transparent amber alike, especially when it features inclusions and fossils! It warms up on the skin in a way different gems do not, and I remember my mom telling me an old folk belief that it has healing properties. Amber in perfume is one of my favorite accords, there are so many interpretations out there! Some of my favorites are the ones that play up herbal or woodsy notes, so both of these DS and Durga scents sound appealing! But Lauryn’s description of Amber Teutonic drew me in with mentions of rustic, fresh-hewn lumber and cardamon spice! Interesting about the “coffee” aspect to the cardamon; I use cardamon wherever it fits (and sometimes where it doesn’t… oops!) and I do like to take it in my coffee. I’ve never tried a perfume from this line but I’d love to win Amber Teutonic. I’m in the US, thanks for the draw!

  • I like the idea of the two simultaneous ambers each moving in their own different, but still ambery direction. I love those woodsy Oriental ambersi haven’t tired anything by this house. My preference would be for the Amber Teutonic 10 mL bottle. I live in the US. Thanks!

  • Pretty cool to make two amber scents without out using and amber accord. This is my first time hearing of the house and they got my interest. Both scents sound interesting, the Kiso sounds like a more ethereal fragrance with the incense and hinoki. The Teutonic sounds more like a traditional amber with some touches to make it stand out. I don’t know which one I’d like to smell more.

  • Amber Kiso is most appealing to me because of the hinoki and incense. I love that it opens with something slightly medicinal and that is the Hinoki. I am so excited to get my nose on these two releases. Thanks for the draw and I live in the US!

  • “i don’t wanna be shattered i like fluff with angst and then fluff again i like my emotions to be thrown around like a sex doll at a brothel”
    – @purpleisarevolt