Perfumer Andy Tauer has created some of my favorite perfumes over the years of my growing enthusiasm about scent. I always look forward to his new releases, and even if they do not become loves, they are still intriguing and beautifully crafted. When I heard he was creating another rose-based fragrance I was excited to smell it, as his Une Rose Chyprée is one of my top rose perfumes.

Rose painting by Alexei Antonov

PHI – une rose de Kandahar is part of the Tauer Perfumes “Collectibles” line of perfumes made with rare or special ingredients. The rose oil used in PHI, grown in the Nangarhar region of Afghanistan, is of limited availability. I am always taken by the idea of roses growing in such a devastated land, dry and rough, like there is hope for peace where such beauty can grow. It makes the oils that much more precious in my mind.

Apricots with Apricot Tree Branches by Hall Groat II

PHI opens with an interesting and unexpected aroma of spiced apricot. It is rich and jammy, with the cinnamon adding an olfactory surprise. Like the rising sun in the desert, the piquant rose begins to peek out after a few minutes. This perfume is intriguing to me in that it feels familiar, yet I know I have not smelled anything quite like it. Sometimes a perfume just becomes a part of me with ease; it is just how I happen to smell that day. Effortless and comfortable, just right. PHI has done that, but it differs in that usually those old-comfy-sweater perfumes are fairly simple. PHI is not simple at all, and every whiff I take reveals a new aspect.

Monsieur Fournaise (Man with a Pipe) by Auguste Renoir

Tobacco features prominently in the drydown of PHI. It is compelling, with the vestiges of the apricot adding sweetness. One day many years ago I was out shopping on a crisp day downtown, and a man walked by smoking a pipe. The scent of the smoke made me follow him for a couple of blocks; it was so reminiscent of the pipe-smoking men in my family when I was younger. It was a sweetly-flavored tobacco, and I relished that man’s scent trail. This perfume has a similarly alluring and satisfying aroma.  The rose is still there, holding court like a queen, with the other notes dancing around it, hiding and reappearing as if by whim.

Still Life with Rose by Jean Miró

I know that Mr. Tauer has created a few lighter weight scents, but I am accustomed to his perfumes being pretty heavy hitters with big waft. PHI is a glorious, complex perfume, but it’s rather quiet in its glory. The sillage just shimmers above my skin. Of course, everyone’s reactions are different and I might have a different story in hot weather. The longevity is good, which is another characteristic of Tauer perfumes. PHI – un rose de Kandahar is definitely worth a try, and when you try it, let it sit and grow and swirl and surprise. It’s a lovely experience.

My sample was graciously provided by Tauer Perfumes. PHI – un rose de Kandahar is currently available on the Tauer Perfumes website.

Tama Blough, Senior Editor