NEW FRAGRANCE Review: Mona di Orio Les Nombres D’Or Oud: “The di Orio Recipe” + NIB 3.3 oz Oud Draw

Stop! Wait! Don’t click that link!

I know you are looking at the title and thinking to yourself, “Good Grief another oud!”

I’ve said it before and I will say it again it is not the ingredient that is boring but the lack of imagination in using the ingredient which makes it pedestrian. That is why you need to stop and read this review because Mona di Orio has created an amazing oud fragrance and she has also created a blueprint on how to make something special out of something overdone.

Step 1: It’s the real thing baby

One of the reasons for “oud overload” is there are synthetic equivalents that are much cheaper available for perfumers to use. I have had the opportunity to smell real distilled oud essential oils and the source of where they come from creates a specific unique character in each of the different oils. This variation and depth will only show up when you are using the real thing. In her interview with Michelyn Camen, Mme di Orio talked about working with the oud essential oil:

“The first time I smelt a sample of an oud essential oil, I was not convinced, there is also many different qualities and origins, as I was not seduced I was not really interested to work with it… Last year my provider called me, he just have received a new quality from Laos and this time when I smelt it, I was totally subjugated, intoxicated… Such an aura, such a essential oil, at this moment I realized deeply why this product was so mystical, intimate and secret for thousands of years and through many religions in the world.”

I have also had a chance to sample a number of oud essential oils and the one that has also stuck with me and invaded my consciousness is one from old trees in Laos. I am sure her source is different but just like Mme di Orio the Laotian oud I smelled intoxicated me with possibilities.

Step 2: Blaze your own path

Another reason the spate of recent oud fragrances have been so forgettable is it seems perfumers aren’t taking the time to try and look for different partners. Instead of falling back on the typical, and now almost trite, dancing partner of oud, rose; Mme di Orio went a different way with spectacular result. Again from her interview:

“I wanted to create something unique and I thought about blending oud with somethimg rare and also precious, really different and unexpected like the absolute osmanthus from China which smells a little like jasmine and apricot confit and finally such a good match.”

This choice of osmanthus is part of what makes Oud such a dramatic success.

Step 3: Give your soufflé time to rise

Amateur chefs often rush when attempting to make a soufflé and while the result isn’t unedible it is not as complete as it could have been. I have a hypothesis that when perfumers start working with real natural sources of materials they are not careful enough to allow these natural ingredients a little more time in the macerating oven so that they rise to create a fluffy fragrant soufflé. In her interview Mme di Orio speaks to this:

“Until now, the Oud has been the perfume the most difficult I've created. It is such a particular essential oil, with an incerdible strong personality! I never experimented an ingredient which needs to macerate for such a long time before being totally integrated to the other components. Normally I'm used to wait one or two days before being able to smell my sample and checking where and how it goes. But with the Oud essential oil, I had to wait for several days before to be able to smell a sample totally and perfectly blended, this product needs a lot of time to integrate the other ingredients. So it was a very long and complex creation which drove me crazy sometimes ! Perhaps because I wanted the Oud to complement the absolute Osmanthus which also has a 'big' personality and it took a while before to find the ideal proportion.”

Mme di Orio spent the time to understand all of the possibilities that her central combination of osmanthus and oud could supply before taking the time to put it into the oven for the proper time.

These three seemingly simple steps are what Mme di Orio used to create an oud fragrance which I think is going to become one of the measuring sticks by which all oud fragrances are measured.

Les Nombres D’Or Oud starts with a brisk palate cleanser of mandarin, petitgrain and elemi. These three top notes have the effect of setting the stage for what is to come. Like a good opening act they appear, do their job, and get off the stage because the stars are about to show up. Make no mistake even though this fragrance is called Oud it is a two note show and that other note is osmanthus. .As Mme di Orio mentioned it is a little bit jasmine and a little bit apricot but it also has a further complexity which makes osmanthus stand out. In the heart there is a touch of patchouli also which eventually gets pushed aside as the Laotian oud comes forward to snatch the osmanthus’ attention.

As this amazing luminous, smoky, exotic oud strides forward the osmanthus rushes into its arms and together create a mysterious floral accord that is simply fantastic to experience. Mme di Orio also understands this because Oud holds on this high note of development for hours on my skin. It is a long time before the ambergris and musk are detectable to my nose. There are other things present in Oud but if you notice them over the osmanthus and the oud you’re a better perfumista than I Charlie Brown.

Les Nombres D’Or Oud has 24-hour longevity and above average sillage.

Les Nombres D’Or Oud is my favorite fragrance of 2011, so far. If you had told me that my favorite fragrance this year would be an oud-based fragrance I would’ve thought it unlikely. If you love fine fragrance you really need to try a sample of this. It might not convert you to loving oud, if you’re not a fan, but it is such a good example of great perfume architecture that it is something to experience. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it once again, “It ain’t the ingredient, it’s the artist.” Brava Mona di Orio you are proof positive I am right.

Disclosure: This review was based on a mini sample provided by Luckyscent

Thanks to Mona di Orio we have a 3.3 oz bottle of Les Nombres D’Or EDP Oud for a draw. To be eligible leave a comment naming your favorite flavors or ingredients you discovered by experimentation that created something surprisingly memorable. Draw ends September 6, 2011.

–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

Art Direction: Michelyn Camen, EIC (Art by Amadeo Modigliani: Amedeo Clemente Modigliani (July 12, 1884 – January 24, 1920) was an Italian artist who worked mainly in France.Mona bears an uncanny resemblence to many of his female models, and has a French and Italian background)

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78 comments

  • your vintage avon lady says:

    I’ve always loved patchouli, and have worn patchouli oil. I also have always wanted to find the perfect complimentary scent to go with it. I finally came up with a patchouli/tuberose combo, and I just love it!
    Thanks for the wonderful chance to try this quality scent.

  • Michele M says:

    Rich vanilla ice cream with chunks of juicy McIntosh apple drizzled with cinnamon pear Balsamic vinegar. You wouldn’t think the whole thing went together, but sooooo yummy!!

  • TaffyJ says:

    What a great review! I definitely want to try this scent.

    I put together a pasta salad with shells, red grapes, walnuts, green onions and gorgonzola cheese. I accidentally added the cheese while the pasta was hot and the cheese melted. The grapes ended up hiding in the shells. It turned out delicious and everyone ate it up.

    Thanks for the wonderful draw!

  • Tama says:

    Strawberries with fig vinegar!

    I’ve been reading a lot about this fragrance and really want to have some!!

  • matildaben says:

    I would love to be entered in this draw. My favorite snack this summer has been jicama drizzled with lime juice and sprinkled with a dry spice mix called pico de gallo. The cool crunchiness combines with tartness and piquancy and is very delicious.

  • naheed says:

    My new discoveries are oudh,amber and aldehydes and I am glad to have explored them. Oudh, its sweet bitter aroma when settles on the skin works wonders. Amber is like a warm hug and aldehydes are just amazing which I never realised using them years ago.

  • Undina says:

    I was testing some perfume on my wrist and smelled it over the cup of a freshly brewed earl grey tea. The combination was absolutely perfect. Unfortunately, I can’t remember what perfume it was.

  • Alica says:

    I spent vacation in Corsica two years ago where I had chance to stay near the cypress grove. The smell of it, especially of the needles crushed in my fingers has made me to search for a true cypress scent, unsuccessful so far. Every scent I have tried is closer – farther but far away from real cypress trees. Another similar story is lavender – again crushed dried flowers in Provence. Fantastic smell and another search, without success :-(. Many thanks for entering me in the drawing.

  • Evgeniy says:

    A great review!
    The best surprising combo I met recently was in Mona’s Vetiver!
    I was always in love with vetiver scent but not so fond of ginger – it reminds me of susi rather then of perfume:) But in Mona’s fragrance the very combo of vetiver and ginger creates that beautiful effect of “liquid glass”, when earthy root becomes transparent and brilliant. This opposition (and balance) of vetiver and ginger creates very original texture of a scent. Beautiful and memorable work on a theme of vetiver that seemed “nothing new to propose” already..

  • Paul-Laurentiu says:

    Thanks for the great review!

    I was taking a walk through the forest that is near my grand-mother’s house a couple of months ago. It rained that morning so the soil was wet. It’s salty aroma combined with a slightly floral vibe and the fleeting whiff of pine trees brought back to me memories that are forgetten and that have been forgotten for many years. When I smelled it I was teleported back in time, remembering the girl, the only girl, I think, I loved, I truly loved. Unfortunately it was an impossible love for she was from another religion than me so their parents were against us. When I smelled it a flash pierced my brain, my heart, my whole body. In a moment I remembered all the stolen kisses, all the warm hugs, her cosy body that warmed me up in the cold autumn days spent in the forest, all the dreams and all the plans that we had for the future, all the birds singing just for us two a symphony for love, all the nights that we have not slept thinking about our meeting the next day, thinking if it was going to be the last. Unfortunately, as I was expecting, she left one day. Her parents moved away. I never heard of her again and I would like to know her happy for I feel happy and sad at the same time if I think she is happy and I would like to believe that she remembers from time to time our days spent together when youngers live intensive and when they can only love for forever, when they have shames, they dare, when they fall in love suddenly, when they make love poems that are full of passion, when they have the charm of candour, when they are naive and idealist, impetuous and impertinent, innocent and stubborn, full of life and ready for any sacrifice in the name of love.

  • Diana says:

    What a great draw !
    I was trying to make patchouli smell somehow sweet and floral so I added magnolia and red orange. The combo is absolutely fantastic. Thanks for the draw.

  • saran says:

    Please enter me in this lovely generous draw. A recent combination that I find intoxicating is strawberry and tomato salad with fresh basil and mint leaves.

  • chayaruchama says:

    I love the use of Modigliani !
    The first time I saw Mona, that similarity hit me like a brick !

    One of the additions to my picadillo of beef is cardamom; if you look in many chili recipes, it isn’t there- but it makes a huge difference, along with cloves.

    Another pleasant surprise, was adding ylang ylang to chocolate.

    What a wonderful draw- thanks to all !

  • Ines says:

    This is an incredibly generous draw!

    My favourite flavours are spices. I adore trying new spices and for the time being, I stick with recipes and don’t mix them on my own (I still need to learn more about the spicy possibilities).
    And my cooking experiments brought me into contact with Thai food and that’s where I discovered that coconut milk and coriander give a truly seducing aromas to the palate.

  • Tara says:

    This perfume combining oud and osmanthus sounds fabulous! My favourite flavours are usually those that combine sour with sweet such as a salad with artichokes, chicken, balsamic vinegar and mango. Surprisingly wonderful!

  • Francesca Belanger says:

    Yes, Oud and Osmanthus does sound fabulous. Looking forward to sniffing this one.

    I like this all-ginger dessert: an ice cream soda of ginger beer (so much spicier than ginger ale), ginger ice cream, and some minced candied ginger on top.

  • Kathryn says:

    It this is Mark’s favorite fragrance of 2011, it must be stunning! As is the art you have chosen, Michelyn.

    A combination of flavors I really like is a roasting a fresh fig with a bit of really good dark chocolate tucked inside. Served in a pool of creme anglaise, it’s almost sinfully delicious. It smells wonderful, too.

  • Asali says:

    Wow, how you keep surpassing yourselves with marvelous draws. A Mona Oud, and I’m all in, forgotten are all the hundreds of fashionable oud releases this year:-) I love all Mona’s fragrances, I’m certain this can be no exception.
    In food I love the smell of fresh basil, and think it’s amazing how many wonderful combinations you can create. One of my favourites is strawberrys with basil, and it’s a great extra in drinks too;-)

  • Candice says:

    OOh…I was not going to even try this until reading this article. It sounds fantastic:) As for favorite combos, I’ll stick with perfume. I blended patchouli, orange, amber and warm spices and it was truly wonderful. Thanks for the draw!

  • Bellatrix says:

    Experimenting with essential oils showed me great combination: incense and basil. After that, I didn’t know how to continue with perfume making. For me, it was enough:)

  • Laurel says:

    Yum! Food-wise, I stumbled upon chocolate zucchini cake when I had to make something for a housewarming party and had no interesting ingredients except fresh zucchini and high-quality cocoa powder. It’s delicious.

  • stellaglo says:

    my first and maybe favorite oil blend was lavender/lime, millions of years ago.in the winter, i diffuse patchouli and ylang, they complement each other wonderfully.
    this is a wonderful review, and this perfume is now a must try for me. thanks!

  • d3m0lici0n says:

    I’m just reading everywhere that this is an amzing perfume, all the reviews and comments about MdO Oud are just raving about it! I would love to at least try it but if I can win it … cheez it would amazing.
    My favorite flavor is coconut for sure, and also in perfumes I am always looking for the perfect vetiver, what a quest! it’s fun! Also this past days that were really hot I layered Selection Verte with Fleurs du the rose bulgare and it was an amazingly refreshing combo.

  • Claudia says:

    Reading all those flavor combo’s here makes mine sound simple, but my favorite flavor combo are fresh Tostones, made from somewhat riper Plantaines with Chili/Lime Powder. The sweet with the tangy/spicy kick gives my taste buds a jump start. I heard many good things about the Mdo Oud and would love to try it. Great draw.

  • Cristina says:

    As flavor, I’m rediscovering rose. The essential oil in tea or truffles, or whatever concoction, seems to make everything interesting and luxurious.

  • Jan says:

    I always find the combination of red wine-boiled pears with black chocolate sauce very appealing, because wine as much as pure chocolate both have a yin-yang opposition between sweet and bitter that makes for a sheer gourmand rapture when combined. As for perfumes, the blend of fig and lemon in Annick Goutal’s Ninfeo Mio is a combination that in my opinion balances both ingredients and creates a truly evocative image of an Andalusian garden in summer. You’re first smelling the very green fig, and in that same whiff, you end up smelling the most uplifting lemon and all you can think about is sun, sun, sun.

  • dissed says:

    I don’t think there are too many oudh scents, and there aren’t too many orris scents, or too many cedar scents. Bring them on. Smoky oudh with osmanthus and ambergris must be stunning. I would love to wear it.

    Years ago, I added freshly ground nutmeg to banana custard in my hand-turned ice cream maker. No ice cream had come close to that one, until I substituted cardamom pods for nutmeg. Both are perfect.

    I’m obsessed with the scent and taste of fresh marjoram. I would love for a perfumer to catch the soft, delicate scent. Most herbal perfumes are too sharp.

  • ololiuqui says:

    I do agree about how difficult is to work with oud and find the right amount of natural ingredients in mixed perfume.I tryed to layer some western alcohol based perfume with Black musk oil but result was disaster.I found in oil form it’s quite easyer to mix this tipical ingredients for eastern perfumery oud,musk,rose.I do love this combo and I found a mukhallat dominated by rose which perfectly layer with the black musc oil and tiny amount of indian oud,reminding me the complexity of some of the most expensive eastern perfumes.
    This sounds quite interesting oud and osmantus again a floral but different vibration from rose I would love to try this. I’m looking for the best oud in spray form,so this is a must try.

  • Aster says:

    I love the scent of honey which is kinda interesting since you won’t ever see me eat any. And it is also great on my skin, chemistry wise is a perfect match. However, I couldn’t wear something that is just sweet so there has to be a flavour from an opposite spectrum, like oakmoss for instance. I think this is so thanks to the Gemini in me who always wants both sides of the coin, trying to bring balance where sometimes can be none.

  • Magnus says:

    I could write about my cooking experiments that went wrong or right. You know, the part where you want to bring out a flavour and you can best achieve that by adding a dash of its opposite. You want your meal to be spicy, add a bit of sugar. Just a bit, you will not want the food to be sweet you just want to enhance the opposite. Someone who feels at home in chemistry could probably explain eveything with some molecules and chemical reactions but that would just be a bore. The principle remains. And it applies to perfumes too. At least where I am concerned. Do not come to me with easy to wear stuff, bring out the big honkin’ guns, the complicated things. Add some smoke to the leather with some jasmine on the side and just heeeee haaaaaaa! Or mix tobacco with coffee and here I am, Bell’Attila. Get some woody incense with spices in a bottle and I am ready to roar! For I am as complicated myself as the scents I wear.

  • lavanya says:

    Oh my! This does sound fabulous! I love sweet and savory pairings..once I used oranges in a thin south Indian lentil soup (rasam) which tasted lovely..I’ve also used lemon basil in such Indian soups and it provides a very ginger-like effect..yum!

  • kastehelmi says:

    Oh, there will never be enough aouds! Mona di Orio is a master, I expect nothing less than something that smells of an underground palace hidden by a light garden!
    I have trouble thinking of a flavor experiment in cooking I’ve had with as polar opposites as Oud and Osmanthus, but as a fan of intense flavors I made a trip to the gourmet market, bought some umeboshi plums and chili tamarind candy, and tried a bit of each, tamarind chili candy first, then ume plum. The rush of salty, spicy intense sweet and sour in my mouth was really heavenly. What a strange desert they make, and it would have way too much salt to eat often, but these flavors from India and Japan go marvelously together! Pistachios and mango also go together like delicate tea blossoms and some of the heart of ancient majestic rotted out tree stumps 😛

  • Sandi says:

    Great Article! I think the experminting with a new fragrance combo and I loved Vetiver with Mint, and yellow mandarin. Lovely combo at least to my nose. I love true OUD! Have a wonderful private stash that has aged so gracefully over the past 8 years. I agree Loas Oud done from family distillers that have done it for ages is amazing…

  • Jim says:

    I used to work in a coffee shop with top quality beans – both flavored and traditional. And I mean real flavor – not the synthetic flavoring. If you wanted a coconut flavored roast, it had REAL flakes of coconut in it. Same thing with orange flavored with orange rinds, etc.

    Anyway, I would get creative and make my own personal blends: part raspberry chocolate truffle and part coconut. Or there was almond joy (real almond slivers) mixed with vanilla bean. I’d get awfully creative mixing several of these together and end up having customers ask what blend smelled so wonderful and if they could get a cup of that.

    Several years later, I was amazed when I visited a different branch of the store and saw they actually implemented my idea – listing ingredients for various mixes right on the containers of beans. All of these were “happy deliberate accidents”, brought about experimenting. But my favorite was the chocolate raspberry truffle with just a hint of coconut.

  • Ela says:

    Oh, my heart still beats faster when I read word “oud”, even there are too many new launches within this category. And Mona di Orio name guarantees something spectacular!

    My unexpected, but lovely combination- mixing rose and incense oils, it turned-out to be great, mysterious composition. Later I have found it in some perfumes, but that time it was superb discovery.

  • Marcin says:

    I was surprised after mixing lime essential oil with patchouli. It went out like sparkling lemon cola with strange, not obviously beautiful, sweaty note. The smell was energising and great for early morning use.

  • Aimee L'Ondee says:

    An unexpected pleasure I’ve recently discovered is fresh curry leaf. I always assumed it would smell like curry as a sauce, but I was experimenting with herbs and discovered how amazing and fresh and green it was all by itself. I’m intrigued by the review and yes, please enter me in the draw!

  • Holly F. says:

    Thanks so much for the wonderful review, I really enjoyed reading it! A combination that surprised me was actually my mother’s recipe for chicken soup, and it was the use of cinnamon that both stood out as odd, yet blended seamlessly with the rest of the savory ingredients. What great questions are posed for these draws, they always make me think, whether back or forward… I appreciate that.

  • Masha says:

    Mmmm…fresh rock shrimp and key lime zest! And I would very much like to try Mona di’s oud, her combinations are always unusual and thoughtful.

  • Hernando says:

    Most excellent review. Great read. Thanx Mark and Ms. M.

    Love the oud, and it wouldseem that Mona di Orio is the Rolls Royce of ouds! Oud for the ages? So, I would love to be able to concur with the praise I’ve read here.

    Well, let me see…do not have a combination that qualifies per the above ones (some wonderful ideas!) but I enter my interesting re-mix: dinner in reverse order. Dessert (chocolate natch with coffee/ brandy) first and working backwards to champagne (my fave) with hors d oeuvres. Most certainly a taste bud extravaganza! A most rewarding experience to enjoy (with the right person(s).

  • Barbara says:

    This sounds fantastic! This is probably pedestrian but I really like the scent of lily of the valley paired with grapefruit. As for spices I love the ingredients of the Persian blend, advieh that contains rose petals along with all sorts of spices. It’s great in rice.

  • Sue says:

    Wow, Mona di Orio’s Oud sounds spectacular! I have a lot of respect for her artistry as a perfumer and am certain that if she has created an oud fragrance, it can only be as unique and groundbreaking as the art in your review. I would love to win a bottle of this exquisite elixir.

    While not exactly ground-breaking, I have been experimenting with a few interesting flavor combinations this summer. One favorite is fresh grapefruit slices with cinnamon and maple syrup – sour, spicy, and sweet. I’ve also been putting Nori Komi Furikake, a Japanense rice seasoning, on rice, popcorn, or really any starch. The Nori Komi is a blend of sesame seeds, seaweed, salt, and sugar, an interplay of savory, fishy, salty, and sweet that is a wholly new flavor profile for me.

    Thanks again to CaFleureBon and Mona di Orio for the great review and giveaway! 🙂

  • Warum says:

    I think that oud and osmanthus is a memorable combination which has a great potential! I am incredibly impressed and interested, especially because I love osmanthus and appreciated oud with floral notes in some fragrances I’ve tried.

    One of my favorite combinations rose out of necessity. I had nothing in my frig except some cauliflower, onions and carrots. There was some cheese. I ended up stir-frying onions and carrots with a little soy sauce while the cauliflower was steaming. I mixed them up when they were done and put some cheese on top… voila! You still won’t like it if you don’t like cauliflower, but if you do, it is a delightful way to have it.

    Thank you for this marvelous draw!

  • David W says:

    I’ve been trying to deal with an overload of fresh herbs this summer, including more basil than I know what to do with. I started with basil butter for corn, then basil-lemon ice cream, and finally a basil chocolate cake that was far better than I expected! It seems that basil tastes great with almost everything.

    The other surprise taste combo this summer has been watermelon and feta cheese. It’s a pretty addictive salty-sweet mix…

    Thanks for the review and the wonderful giveaway; I’d love to give Mona di Orio’s Oud a try.

  • ElizabethN says:

    Some of my favorite surprises have been more taste than smell, but they are closely related, right. I made a lovely peach-ginger-nutmeg ice cream that really rocked my world. I would love to win this scent, being a big oud lover. thanks!

  • Rita R says:

    i have 30 perfumes in my collection, but my spice collection for cooking easily outnumbers that. My favorite combination this year has been fresh cherries mixed with a very good cherry preserves, ground coffee and black pepper mixed together and used on quick sauted duck breasts with a little cognac to deglaze the pan. Oh my yum. The duck breasts have enough flavor to carry the heavy sauce/glaze. I intend to try this on NY strip another heavy flavor item that can take a heavy glaze. For perfumes I have been combining Sonoma Scent Studio Incense Pure with her Velvet Rose. A wonderful incense rose ala Andy Tauer-but lasts much longer. Also yum. Love heavy hitters like ouds. Have tried her Vanilla and love it. Am saving up for a bottle. Would love it to have a ‘brother’ bottle.

  • Karen B says:

    A very refreshing combo I discovered one summer was cubes of Papaya and Avocado tossed together with lime juice and pickled ginger (the pink slices that go with Japanese food). Delicious.

    Thanks for the informative review, it definitely puts Mona di Orio’s oud on my list.

  • sonia garcia says:

    I can’t believe that I’ve been reading so many glowing reviews of the new MdO Oud, people are already considering it a masterpiece!
    My favorite ingredient coincidentally is Osmanthus! I just love that smell, it makes me feel totally relaxed, i cant imagine paired with real oud (something that I don’t really know how it smells, the real stuff I mean)
    My favorite flavor is coffee, I just love it and the smell of fresh brewed coffee is simply amazing!
    I am just going to cross my finger because i’d love to win this amazing perfume.
    Thanks for this amazing article and review.

  • Monica H. says:

    Teas, coffees and chocolates are among my favorite flavors. If you stick any of those on the menu I’m likely to order it to see where it goes~ Cumin is another spice that intrigues me, mixed lightly into Chinese dumplings it is actually QUITE amazing =)

  • Lisa says:

    When I was an undergraduate in college, I stayed in the college town over the summer to work at an unpaid internship. I had only the little money I could earn bartending one night and one day a week,

    I shared a house with four other students who were similarly penurious, and I became famous that summer as a gifted cook. Now, I am not a gifted cook, nor have I ever been. But twice a week, when it was my turn to cook, I managed to make a dinner for all of us out of the very sparse fare to be found in the cabinets and the refrigerator.

    My triumph, I think, may have been the raspberry chicken served over couscous with raisins. We had no raspberries, but I glazed the chicken (thighs, of course!) with raspberry jam. I think the raisins in the couscous may have served to trick the palate into thinking actual raspberries were present in the dish.

    I wouldn’t serve this dish today, but as a flavor experiment in trying to satisfy five hungry students, well, not bad!

  • Joe says:

    I am ever in awe of di Orio’s artistry and very much look forward to smelling her Oud creation that has been so talked about lately. Osmanthus is a wonderfully exotic note and I’m excited to see how it combines with the oud.

    One of my favorite desserts, which I experimented with upon reading a recipe, but which is also a classic in Persian cuisine, is an ice cream combining pistachio, saffron, and rosewater. Truly sublime.

    Thanks for this opportunity and for the wonderful review.

  • Tamara says:

    What a wonderful review and fantastic draw,thanks!

    The discovery of these ingredients mixed together was fantastic for me and for more reasons than one. For years now my dad makes his own bread,just because he likes doing it and it smells and tastes great. When i was at my parents house one day we made one together and i added cinnamon,dried fruits and sunflower seeds. Can you imagine how that smelled,so good 🙂 Well blended,the smell of bread op top and the other ingredients you can pick out of you smell good. Then my dad got very sick and we almost lost him to cancer but with the help of some big miracle he survived and is alive and kicking! When i was at my parent’s a few weeks ago he was going to bake bread again and we made the same receipe, now it even smelled and tasted a 100 times better than it already did 🙂

  • carol says:

    Your favorite perfume of 2011?!?! Wow, I must give that a try.

    As for mixing unusual ingredients, last night I made a fabulous salad. It was made with raw kale, blueberries, toasted pumpkin seeds and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Everyone wanted seconds (and thirds).

    Thanks for the great review. Sounds amazing.

  • Narriman says:

    First of all, english is not my langage, so I hope you will forgive my mistakes, and above all, I hope you will understand me !

    Thank you for this review. I have been following Mona di Orio’s work for some time now, and it is such a good news that her Oud is your favorite fragrance for 2011. I am not surprised, she is such an upstanding artist (I mean by “upstanding” : integrity)

    I was walking in the piedmontese moutain, not so far from Turino. And I found myrtle. It was a surprise, because I though myrtle was a mediterranean sea side plant. I immediately dreamt about a recipe (some game favored with myrtle), But I picked, by mistake, the berries (and not the leaves). Then I bought some veal, there were no more beef….And finally I was not able to run the cooktop. Well, I was just hungry, so I ate a veal tartare mixed with myrtle berries…the most strange dinner I have ever had. I will never forget the flavor of this tartar…And I am not anymore smelling “L’eau Trois” or “Blue Mediterraneo Myrto” in the way I was doing before this trip in the piedmontese moutains…

  • Queen Cupcake says:

    I had so much Thai basil one summer that I decided to make a Thai basil sugar syrup. From there, it went on to become a favorite cocktail flavoring! Shake 1 jigger of gin or vodka and 1 scant shot glass of Thai basil syrup over ice, strain, enjoy!

  • Isa says:

    I’m very bad at cooking, but I love teas and pastries, and I have discovered many delicious flavours miking different teas, like camomille, jasmine, and mint.
    And orange peels, orange juici, chocolate and saffron make a gorgeous chocolate mousse.

  • scentual healing says:

    Interesting and creative review.Jimmy Fallon has an ice cream by Ben and Jerry’s that is fair trade vanilla bean ice cream with a salty caramel swirl and fudge-covered potato chip clusters- sounds awful but it may taste delish

    my favorite part of the review was Mark Benke’s approach to comparing fragrance to baking a souffle. Tried it once and it fell flat 🙁 I hope I win , as I love osmanthus and oud,but cannot quite picture how they work together

  • samberg says:

    Last week I put some cinnamon in a risotto and the result was mahvelous, not rice pudding-like as I had feared. Now I’m going to play some more savory cinnamon combos to see where I can take them.

  • Jake says:

    I love to experiment with flavors- meat with fig, or in chocolate-chilli sauce. Lot of spices- so Oud will suit in the theme! Thank you for amazing draw!

  • MemoryOfScent says:

    When it comes to flavours I think Italian cuisine has the ability to combine two or three simple elements and end up with something completely different than the sum of its parts. Take saffron+rice+ parmigiana = risotto Milanese. Or Marsala wine+eggs+sugar=Sabayone. Somehow the end result is so densely woven that it cannot be broken down. Greek cuisine has some strange combinations with remarkable results as well, like feta cheese and watermelon. Or feta cheese and honey.

    When it comes to perfumes I am not that well educated but I have noticed that jasmine and berries have a cooling, metallic result.

  • Mika Elli says:

    For me one of the most interesting recent flavour experiences has been chocolate + salmiakki (a type of Finnish candy). The idea was not my own experiment, but I love it nevertheless! In perfumes I’ve recently been layering Annick Goutal’s Duel with Eau du Fier, they share a little bit of the same dna and create a fascinating mix of intense tarry smokiness, leathery effect and fresh aromatic notes.

    I have sampled Mona’s Oud and love the unusual osmanthus + oud partnership as well, I would be soooo happy with a bottle of this quite animalic (in my opinion) beauty… Thanks for the draw!

  • Elemi says:

    We like to add flowers to our salads (e.g. calendula). Another of our favourites is rose oil,/chocolate gravy with roasted chicken or rabbit. A nice combination are pears, strawberries with some sherry gratinated with goat’s cheese.

    I don’t like layering simply because there are enough well composed fragrances to choose from. I would be more intrigued in building a fragrance from scratch.

  • civava says:

    Strawberries with freshly ground pepper were such a surprising good combination. Pepper amps the flavor of strawberries.

  • Amy Bella says:

    Cantaloupe and peppers – green bell peppers, smoked paprika or hot peppers… I don’t know why, but it works!

    Thank you for entering me in the draw… I am intrigued. I typically love oud and can’t wait to smell “the real thing”!

  • Irena says:

    Would love to try some different oud fragrance, because all Ouds that I havetried smells pretty much the same. Well, my recipe is not on the igredients of perfume, it is more on a drink.
    One of my favorite beers is Schlenkerla (Smokebeer). Taste is, as expected, smoked with mild bitterness. So once I decided to put some cinnamon into my glass of beer. The effect was very intriguing – I felt like standing near the fire on Christmas..

  • Sean says:

    Hot peppers, chocolate and bacon are my favorite flavors. O wonder how that would work in a gourmand fragrance.

  • Chris says:

    Funny how many people have mentioned spicy and sweet combos. I found myself last winter playing around with putting cardamon, paprinka and cinnamon into my brownie mixture. I had heard of using chili pepper, and I’m sure it’s been done before, but not by my amateur cooking skills lol.
    While it wasn’t the resounding success that I had hoped for, I think I’m looking forward to trying to fiddle more with cardamom in winter cooking this time around.
    That’s a boss of a bottle, congrats to whoever wins it!

  • Calvados says:

    Reading the comments made me hungry!
    So many creative ideas.

    Fresh cucumber is very good drizzled with fresh honey.
    Fresh watermelon is amazing with crusty fresh bread.

    More common, yet still mindblowing combo is a simple salad made of tomatoes, cucumber, lots of dill, sour cream and black pepper. There is something simple and amazing about it, each time i make it i’m in love all over again.

    Mona di Orio is a great talent and this is a very luxurious draw!

  • Ccc says:

    Playing with flavors?
    I love basil so I enjoy my variation on mojito using basil instead of mint.

    I also love a cold summer infusion made with grated ginger , basil , mint lemon and ice cubes.

    Black figs are one of my favorites. Simple dressing: 1 balsamic : 3 thyme honey. To complement: any goat cheese.

    And hot hot hot homemade baguette with real butter and lavender honey.

  • Rich says:

    Incense and amber are just a delicious combination of basic notes that I absolutely adore in fragrances. The smokiness of the incense offset by the syrupy sweetness of amber is something I never thought would work well together, but they are a match made in fragrance heaven for me!

  • CMH says:

    One of my most recent favorite flavor combos was discovered in a chocolate bar. Milk chocolate + salty peanuts is good…. but add a bit of jalapeno for spicy kick. Delicious!

    Thanks for the draw.

  • Lynne1962 says:

    I love sweet and savory! So, I topped bread with hot jalapeno jam and put pickled cucumber and Valencia onion slices on it. Fantastic! Thanks for the draw! I love the new Mona di Orio collections!

  • Tourbillion says:

    My favorite flavors are chocolate, chili peppers and caramelized onions, but not all together! However, chocolate + chili works as does onion + chili just not the other way around.

  • ana maria says:

    ooh ooh! oud! this may sound simple but I add a tablespoon of curry to my spaghetti sauce–may sound weird but adds a touch of interesting spice to a sometimes bland sauce or I add a spoon of peanut butter to my mexican mole! the oud sounds amazing!

  • Lyubov says:

    Thanks for the generous draw!
    My surprising palate-caressing discovery is a sweet cake with zucchini, poppy seeds and cream-cheese! Almost like a carrot cake, but not as dry…Mellow, fluffy, and the poppy seeds give a nutty tinge! Marvellously unexpected and delicious!