Tsechu Tiger wall painting in Rinpung monastery, Bhutan

Tyger Tyger, burning bright, the forests of the night;

What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies. burnt the fire of thine eyes?

On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand, dare seize the fire?–  “The Tyger” by William Blake, 1794

Tiger's Nest monastery fashion shoot, photo Her World.com

Perched precariously on a cliffside, the Taktshang Palkung, or “Tiger’s Nest,” monastery seems to tumble down from the clouds above Bhutan’s upper Paro Valley. This is a place of veneration where mythical tigers rule. In local lore, Guru Rinpoche, the “second Buddha”, was said to have flown to the mountain on the back of a fiery tigress. Others say it was the empress Yeshe Tsogyal who transformed herself into a great cat to carry the Guru here from Tibet. The site has for hundreds of years since been a sacred place. Journey-inspired Memo Paris’ newest fragrance pays the Tiger’s Nest tribute with a balsamic incense offering blanketed with absinthe, as dreamy as the mist that cloaks the rocky outcrops.

Alienor Massenet

Unexpected bursts of lime and aldehyde chase the great puff of incense that billows from Tiger’s Nest as it leaves the bottle. The incense has an immediate moist, foggy quality. But Alienor Massenet, Memo’s in-house perfumer, does not allow it to weigh down the perfume. She makes clever use of aldehydes to hoist the incense into the air where it hangs like a low cloud. This gives Memo Paris Tiger’s Nest space to host a succession of singular notes that fall away from each other like flower petals before finding harmony in the middle. 

Child monk, Bhutan, photo by Guillermo Farregut

As the perfume progresses, it alternatively darkens and lightens. The sparkly lime and aldehydes of the opening stick around longer than usual and continue to lift the incense. But, as the licorice savor of absinthe begins to take hold, the bright notes step off to the side. Anise is a bold herb, smacking of crushed green leaf, hot rubber and dark sweetness. Its prominence in the middle stage imbues Tiger’s Nest with an earthy quality, a distinctive nature note contrasting with the churchy incense. It takes a while, but the next clear aroma to emerge is the woodsy richness of balsam. This tree scent brings another echo of place to Memo Paris Tiger’s Nest as it joins with the incense and absinthe.

Photo by Mary F. Calvert

The dusty aroma of saffron then eases in, bringing smokiness that underscores the incense and marries effortlessly with absinthe, creating a swirling, duskiness. I almost missed the osmanthus here, but the slight tang of leather and undercurrent of peach tell me it has arrived. Breathing in Memo Paris Tiger’s Nest as it settles down, that damp incense takes on a soothing, vaporous quality that comes to rest on a soft, thick bed of amber. A drizzle of vanilla right at the end is a delicious surprise.

Karen Elson in Bhutan, photos by Tim Walker for British Vogue, May 2015

Massenet handles sparkling notes with unusual adroitness (her Jack for Richard E. Grant is one of the most joyous citrus fragrances of the last few years), but she is no slouch with heavier, diametrical ingredients. Memo Paris Tiger’s Nest dries down to a serene, woody incense fragrance, balanced between nature and temple, and sparked by a lasting effervescence that keeps it burning bright.

Notes: Oil of absinthe, aldehyde, lime, amber, safran, incense absolute, osmanthus, ylang ylang, rose, papyrus, vanilla, balsam of tolu.

Disclaimer: Sample of Memo Tiger’s Nest graciously provided by Europerfumes, distributor for Memo. My opinions are my own.

–  Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor

Memo Paris Tiger’s Nest

Thanks to the generosity of Europerfumes, we have a 75 ml bottle of Memo Tiger Paris Tiger's Nest for one registered reader in the USA. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what appeals to you about Memo Tiger’s Nest based on Lauryn’s review, and what legend you’d like to see inspire a Memo Paris perfume. Draw closes 9/2/2018.

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