New Perfume Review:  Kerosene Fragrances Follow (John Pegg) + Wake Up and Wear The Coffee Draw

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Steaming Coffee  apped by MC

Can you imagine what a scent looks like as it travels through air?  In my mind’s eye I see tendrils of odors swirling and curling toward me – just like in the old cartoons – pulling me along, powerless to resist, on a fragrant magic carpet ride.  I follow wraiths of cinnamon, vanilla and coffee through back alleys and busy streets into shops and bakeries where I whiff up the thick, warm, sweet atmosphere.  I wasn’t surprised to learn, a few months ago, that the old animators were very close to illustrating the unseen.  Recently scientists, in an effort to give robots a sense of smell, discovered that smell travels through a medium in much the same way as do those tendrils and filaments pulled from the animators’ imaginations. 

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Kerosene Follow courtesy of John Pegg and photo courtesy of John (apped)    

Cult favorite artisan perfumer and former Youtube reviewer John Pegg of Kerosene Fragrances has a new perfume named Follow.  Launched early October 2016, Follow is a coffee fragrance with a strong visual presence that has captured me, like those old images of scent, and given me a new take on the coffeehouse and patisserie experience.

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Nighthawks  Edward Hopper 1941

I love the taste and fragrance of coffee – from the finest fresh ground and roasted Kona coffee beans to the smell of freeze dried decaffeinated.  But as much as I love the smell and the flavor I can’t drink the stuff.  I love coffee but coffee just doesn’t like me at all.  That being said, I can still enjoy coffee whenever I want to – as a fragrance instead of a beverage.

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Bob Dylan Drinking Coffee 1960s

In another study researchers determined that the smell of coffee (yes, just the smell) has similar effects to drinking the real caffeinated thing. I have several coffee fragrances that I partake of from time to time, notably DSH Café Noir and Olympic Orchids Café V, among others. Until last week I really believed that I didn’t need another brand of coffee.  Then I sampled Follow.

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 Coffee Tasters Flavor Wheel via Coffeebooks.com

What sets Follow apart from my other favorite gourmand/oriental coffee perfumes?  Well, for the first five minutes or so, Follow smells more like a real cup of rich, sweetened, dark-roasted coffee than any other fragrance I’ve tried.  I would probably want it just for that effect, but there’s a lot more to Follow than that morning cuppa.  After lingering over this warm, rich brew for five minutes I find myself tasting a hint of maple, cinnamon and fruity spice. 

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Giulia Bernardelli via instagram @bernulia creates art “accidently by spilling coffee

Every few years, in mid winter, I decide to tap our big leaf maple trees.  I make maple syrup (a very time and energy consuming project that I don’t recommend as a fun hobby).  I also use the maple water – the sap, fresh from the trees – to make coffee and tea.  This same ever so slight breath of maple-y goodness is what I smell in Follow.  After an hour or so the coffee scent flows into vanilla, cream, tonka bean and amber with a hint of evergreen trees.  Follow leaves a dark and strong initial impression.  For the first ten minutes or so there is definitely enough sillage to attract nearby coffee lovers and have them following YOU!   Follow also lasts a long time. I was still enjoying the vanilla and the full-bodied coffee fragrance six hours after my first “sip”. 

The perfume’s listed notes include roasted coffee beans, vanilla, benzoin, tonka bean, maple sap and amber. John Pegg has brewed a fine cup in Follow and a new favorite fragrance for my husband, my son and me.

Gail Gross – Sr. Contributor

Disclosure: I received my sample of Follow from Indigo Perfumery, opinions my own…Thank you Ann!

Art Direction: Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief

Editor’s note: If you would like to watch Contributor Sebastian Jara’s brief interview of Looking Feeling Smellling Great with John Pegg click here  John was featured in our Profiles in American Perfumery series here

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Thirteen plus samples in a tin case

Thanks to the generosity of John Pegg  of Kerosene we have a  draw for a US  registered reader (you need to do this) for a sampler set of ALL THIRTEEN of his (1×13) perfumes including Follow PLUS bonus samples of Blackmail and Canfield Cedar. To be eligible, please leave a comment with what you enjoyed about Gail’s review of Follow, if you have a favorite coffee blend and your favorite Kerosene fragrance. Draw closes 10/27/2016.

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

 

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17 comments

  • Sue k says:

    I used to work at an artisanal coffee roaster warehouse where we grabbed hot beans from the roaster hopper and ground them. My favorite blend was Sumatran+Colombian+Guatemalan, or Kenya AA by itself. What I liked is that Gail doesn’t drink coffee and for a few of my friends who love and had to stop for health reasons, , well, maybe this will help. My favorite Kerosene fragrance is Dirty Floer Factory.

  • ringthing says:

    Thanks so much for this review, it literally made my mouth water. I am fascinated to find out that the old animation of scents – picturing Pepe LePew here – are the way that scent actually travels. I’ve been reading about Follow on John’s Facebook page and can’t wait to try it. My favorite coffee is Starbucks French Roast, straight up, and I like every Kerosene fragrance I’ve tried so far, Black Vines the most, I think. Thanks Gail, John and CaFleurebon!

  • Gentlemenscents says:

    I have to agree with the research study on the effects of smell especially coffee, I can definitely feel a change in mood and a sense of uplift when I simply just smell the aromatic bean. As for coffee blend, I have many to list but equally important is the setting in which to drink brew. I have not had the opportunity to sample any of John creations so this would be exposure at it’s finest.

  • Rae Lynn says:

    Yum! Coffee smells so good! Sometimes even skunky, which I also love. Follow sounds like a scent I would definitely “follow”. All of the perfumes for sale on Kerosene’s site sound divine.

  • jjlook says:

    I haven’t tried any kerosene, but have been looking for something with a coffee note lately…thanks to this review for bringing it to my attention (and the draw)!

  • fazalcheema says:

    You know, I am in the same boat. I don’t drink tea or coffee but I love the smell of both drinks. I have tried Cafe V, too which you have mentioned in the review. I believe Follow is quite a different offering from john because I don’t think he has done a fragrance in this style before. My favorite from John is kindred which was a limited edition. thanks a lot for the draw. I am in the US.

  • Elizabeth T. says:

    I love to hear that Gail loves coffee fragrances even though she can’t drink coffee! I love a good medium roast, but have been cutting it with decaf lately… more’s the pity. I have heard so many good things about John Pegg’s Kerosene, I’d love to try these! I’m in the USA. Thank you for bringing this coffee fragrance to our attention.

  • Laurels says:

    Like Gail, I love the smell and taste of coffee, but can’t drink it. (Unlike fazalcheema, I’ve found a tea I can drink–rooibos. Although I guess it’s not, strictly speaking, tea.) So I don’t have a favorite coffee blend, but do love Olympic Orchids Cafe V, with its coffee and woodsmoke. The review makes all the stages of Follow sound really appealing. Pretty Machine is the only Kerosene fragrance I’ve tried, and it is indeed very pretty. I am in the US.

  • Rox says:

    Oh, this is already making me crave my morning Cup and it’s 10 pm. I would love to try coffee made with maple water. Sounds divine. I remember when I visited my grandparents in the 60 ‘s and 70’s the smell of the coffee ( my parents didn’t drink coffee). Living in the Pacific NW I would probably be stalked if I wore this put on the street. I have never smelled any fragrances from Kerosene, this would be a great introduction. Thanks for the draw.

  • Steve A says:

    I remember the curls of odor in the old cartoons. I don’t drink coffee, but love the smell of it and coffee fragrances also. My favorite from Kerosene has always been Unknown Pleasures. Oh, and that Nighthawks painting by Hopper has been a fave for years. US

  • Patrick M. says:

    I am currently testing a decant of Follow and, like Gail, it is quickly becoming a new favorite fragrance. I particularly like the combination of dark roasted coffee with a slightly burnt maple syrup. The middle and base are linear but equally beautiful with a creamy coffee vanilla flavor. As this is my first encounter with a Kerosene fragrance it is obviously my favorite but I would love the sample set to prove that it was not just beginners luck that my first encounter was with the beautiful Follow.

  • Francesca Brice says:

    I drink it and I love the fragrance- having said that its not easy to get those finer points of a coffee fragrance-so this would be awesome to try. Thanks for a great tantilising review 🙂

  • doveskylark says:

    I can only drink one small cup of coffee in the morning. I treasure that one cup! I like that Gail said this fragrance will have coffee lovers following the wearer. I adore coffee drinkers. I think of my grandmother drinking coffee all through the day. I just love sitting in coffee shops. I love Mudspot in New York City and their blends so much. I also love Cafe Bustelo. It’s pretty cheap, but so good.
    My favorite Kerosene is Unknown Pleasures.
    I live in the US.

  • Martin says:

    Like Gail, I also love the smell of coffee and yet never drink it. I found it interesting that a study had determined that the smell had a caffeinated effect. I wish that Gail had offered a link to that study.
    Thank you very much for this draw. What a great opportunity to sample a complete set of all of John Pegg’s current work.

  • Cynthia says:

    I can’t imagine starting my morning without coffee. My current favorite blend is a HEB mix called San Antonio with cinnamon. But my staple is simple Columbian blend from Costco. I was intrigued to learn that the smell of coffee may give you that caffeine kick that you get from imbibing. I would love to be able to try this scent. My favorite kerosine scent isPretty Machine. USA. Thank you for the draw.

  • Hikmat Sher Afridi says:

    Nice review as always. What’s the first thing I do in the morning after rolling out of bed? Pouring a cup of hot, steaming coffee or a tea with a desired dose of sugar & milk. If the smell of coffee has similar effects to drinking the real caffeinated thing, then I would love to smell like the world’s most beloved elixir all day long. All the Kerosene fragrances are lovely and my favorite is Whips & Roses. I’ll give a try to taste FOLLOW.
    Thanks to the generosity of John Pegg of Kerosene for the draw & Cafleurebon for providing the opportunity by giving my relative address in NY, USA.

  • Wayne Hollander says:

    I enjoyed the romantic (well, in my mind’s eye) image of tapping the maple trees…though that does sound like a lot of work! I have never sampled ANY Kerosene, and have been dying to – ESPECIALLY Follow. I love gourmands….coffee, cinnamon, caramel, chocolate….some of my very favorite notes. I know this will draw scorn…but….I really and truly enjoy the coffee I get from street vendors in Chelsea. At home, I like Bustelo. I am in NY NY and thanks as always for a lovely draw!