Nolença Rosca Ametlla photo by Nolença
I was born in Paris 48 years ago, and I have always lived there, except for 6 years, from 2004 to 2010, when I left for Perpignan, for professional reasons. I discovered French Catalonia, a region next to the Spanish border and the Mediterranean Sea, whose ancestral and varied culture was completely unknown to me… and not necessarily easy to access as a “foreigner”. But if there is one area that allows different cultures to come together, it is food. And in France, it is a profoundly serious matter! Among the few peculiarities of Catalan gastronomy, there is one that immediately won me over: the rousquille (the name comes from the Spanish word “Rosca”, which means “crown”). It is a pastry with Middle Ages origins, that was a fried donut you would buy in the market, with multiple toppings… Then at the beginning of the 19th century, a French recipe was initiated by Robert Seguela, a Catalan pastry chef. If it has kept its torus shape, the French rousquille was now an almond flavor shortbread, covered with a thick lemon or anise icing. An absolute sweet treat, extremely popular in the region … and the only place you can find it in France. Of course, when I left Perpignan for Paris, I missed rousquille a lot.
Anais and Laurie, Nolença founders – photo by Louise Skadhauge
Late May 2019, I attended the launch of a new brand called Nolença (“fragrance” in Occitan) created by Anaïs and Laurie, two young entrepreneurs passionate about perfumes, one French, the other Belgian. Inspired by Toulouse, the Occitan city where Anaïs was born, they designed a graphic identity based on the Terracotta color, the one that identifies Toulouse as the famous “Ville Rose”, thanks to its colorful bricks. They were also very committed to an eco-friendly and well-being philosophy: perfumes are produced in Grasse (the perfume mecca in France), the alcohol used is organic wheat alcohol, the components are between 85 % and 91 % of natural origin (according to the creators), with all the bottles being recyclable, and no cardboard packaging since the perfumes are sold in a small cotton pouch. The quality of the creations was of course essential; Anaïs and Laurie worked hands in hands with prestigious French “nez” such as Mylène Alran, Sidonie Lancesseur, Michel Almairac and Patrice Revillard. And among the 5 perfumes presented, one immediately attracted me: Rosca Ametlla (“almond wreath” in Catalan). Presented as “a gourmand fragrance, but not sticky” (what an excellent description!), it evokes Spain, sexy Almodovar muses, but most of all my dear rousquille. I immediately tried it… and fell in love with it.
Rousquille – photo by Biscuits et Compagnie
The startling opening of orange, lemon, almond and orange blossom explode with sweet and sparkling power. It is like a scented battle between these four solar notes, a smell of a very sunny Mediterranean summer. Then badian brings a green and anise note, quite unusual in perfumery, which breaks the roundness and gives pep to the composition; it urges you to plunge your nose again and again into the heart of the perfume … or into a rousquille! The first 30 minutes are extremely intense and for those with a sweet tooth, it can even turn your head a little. Then, over the hour, Nolenca Rosca Ametlla calms down a bit. Just imagine you bit into the rousquille, the icing melting in your mouth, with a little taste of sugar left on the edge of your lips. The palate is conquered by the tender biscuit. On your skin, the thunder of citrus has been stolen the spotlight by orange blossom, driven by the sweet scent of cinnamon, an olfactive return to childhood, with the sweet smells that attracted us to the fairgrounds.
Nolenca Rosca Ametlla bottle, photo edited by Emmanuelle
It is the memory of the fresh rousquilles bought at the Perpignan market on Sunday mornings, the package that I would delicately open and the first one that I would bite into, out of pure indulgence. The duality between the taste (and the smell) of sugar is counterbalanced by the delicacy of orange blossom, almond and vanilla. Several hours after spraying Nolença Rosca Ametlla, its sweetness has completely disappeared. Orange blossom, vanilla and tonka bean makes it delicate, but still sunny. Nolença Rosca Ametlla reminds me just a bit of Traversée du Bosphore (Bertrand Duchaufour, for l’Artisan Parfumeur). Both are sweet gourmand, one inspired by the rousquille, the other by Turkish delight. I am usually not a big fan of gourmand perfumes. And yet, I have been loyal to Nolença Riosca Ametlla since first spray; it is a ray of light in the daily life that we currently experiencing. It is a great summer scent, but one that I love to wear in cold weather -especially this winter of 2021.
Notes: Orange, Petitgrain, Lemon, Almond, Badian, Cinnamon, Orange Blossom, Vanilla, Icing sugar, Tonka bean
Nolença fragrances – photo by Nolença
The Nolença universe, is composed of four more fragrances: Swing Feather (a very carnal violet), Et si ce matin, (a fresh and spring-like orange blossom), D.D.D. (a woody rose, inspired by the famous ballerinas of the French painter Edgar Degas), and Le thé (a slightly smoky Earl Gray). It is a young brand full of ideas, always on the lookout for the best perfume (they will launch concretes made with shea butter in mid-February) and sustainable packaging. Available on the Nolença website
Disclosure: I purchased Nolença Rosca Ametlla-opinions are my own
Emmanuelle Varron, Contributor
Thanks to the generosity of French brand Nolença, (pronounced no-lehn-sa) we have a 30 ml bottle of Rosca Ametlla for one registered reader in Europe ONLY If you live in the USA you are eligible for the Nolença perfume sample set. Please leave a comment what you thought of Emmanuelle’s review and about the brand, where you live and if you want the sample set should you win if you are in the EU. Only EU readers qualify for both the sampler and the 30 ml. Draw closes 1/14/2020
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