Statik Olfactive Crème de Menthe Café – AI generated image

I’ve always had a weakness for After Eight mints. You know the ones, the dark chocolate squares hiding that cool, creamy peppermint center, the kind of treat you swear you’ll stop at “just one”… and then somehow the whole sleeve is mysteriously gone. For me, they were the Proustian madeleines of my very eastern European breakfasts, back in my late teenage years, when the usual choice meant black coffee, my Rothmans cigarettes, and at about three or four little squares of minty heaven.

After 8 chocolate, fair use

So when I heard there was a fragrance built on the idea of chocolate mint melting into a hot cup of coffee, I knew resistance was futile. The fact that the perfumer is Hez Binkowitz only sealed the deal – as his work has a mysterious way of turning guilty pleasures into something literally addictive (ahem, looking at you Bourbon Street, Plum Conficture and Banana Banshee). Add Chris Martin of Statik Olfactive to the mix as creative director, with his sharp eye (and nose) for turning his visions into scent, and suddenly I knew this wasn’t going to be just another gourmand. It felt more like a tailor-made conspiracy to target my cravings…and win. Or maybe I’m just a paranoid in reverse – like Andy Warhol once said, I suspect people (or in this case, perfumers) of plotting to make my nose happy.

Coffee mood photo, via Unsplash

Coffee, of course, is another lifelong obsession of mine. At one point I even turned it into a profession (as I have a habit of doing with most passions) and working corprorate for a coffee company, naturally, I couldn’t stop at the boring spreadsheets and board meetings. I had to taste, to learn, to understand the subtleties – the roast levels, the origins, the extraction times, the whole alchemy of it. I even earned a barista certificate – courtesy of a hardcore Italian training company – now living somewhere in my garage, between my old camera lenses, enduro bike gear, and other trophies of obsession. So you can imagine my eyes turning into hearts when I read the notes list, as Hawaiian Kona is a rare treat in the coffee world – light, delicate, and clean, with a bright, balanced profile and an aroma that whispers of caramel, butter, and cocoa – in short it’s like a tropical lullaby in a cup. And Colombian coffee is layered, lively, and endlessly interesting – as it offers incredible diversity – from rich chocolate and caramel notes to  bright citrusy acidity.

Statik Olfactive Crème de Menthe Café  – photo via the brand

The opening is cool and refreshing, that first snap of a mint-chocolate shell. Then the fragrance warms, and suddenly I’m back behind the espresso machine: steam hissing, dark-roasted beans crackling like a jazz rhythm, the ritual and choreography of making that perfect cup. Just as it starts to feel like I’m taking both myself (and the coffee) a little too seriously, in drifts a swirl of coconut milk, vanilla, and the boozy wink of Irish cream – softening the edges, loosening the mood, and turning the indulgence into something easy, relaxed, and just decadent enough.

There is no secret that after running away from gourmands for the better part of my fragrance journey, I am now a convert, maybe even an evangelist of the genre. And yes, Statik Olfactive Crème de Menthe Café is a gourmand, but it’s one I’d recommend even to those who usually shy away from the category. No sugar-bomb gimmicks here: it’s a photorealistic piece of mint chocolate, slowly dissolving into a cup of hot, dark-roasted coffee with a complex, deep, resinous drydown.

This is Statik Olfactive storytelling at its best: refreshing at the start, cozy at the heart, resinous and sun-warmed at the end. If you like coffee, prepare to fall hard this autumnl!

 Hez Binkowitz, via the brand

Hez Binkowitz, perfumer, via brand website: “With Crème de Menthe Café, we wanted the notes to feel like they were telling a story — not just of a drink, but of that comforting, slightly indulgent moment it represents. I used both coffee tincture and coffee bean absolute because I love how they play off each other. One gives you that smooth, just-brewed aroma, and the other brings this dark, roasted bite. Then I layered in brown sugar, rum, and a little cocoa butter to melt right into that coffee warmth, almost like you’re stirring in a chocolate mint. The peppermint and spearmint were key, as they had to be cooling and fresh without going toothpastey, so I balanced them with creamy notes, such as milk, coconut milk, and bourbon vanilla. That’s where the ‘Irish cream’ feeling comes in – soft, sweet, a little boozy, but mellow. The base is built on amber, myrrh, and benzoin to give it that golden, cozy depth, and I used sandalwood, white musk, and Iso E Super to keep it light enough to wear every day without losing that rich alluring edge. It’s a scent that feels like a treat, but it’s still grounded— it wears like a memory you can reach for whenever you need a little warmth.”

Note from the brand- Crème de Menthe Café is 30% Extrait de Parfum concentration

 

Top notes: Peppermint, Chocolat À La Menthe (Mint Chocolate), Crème Mousse (Frothed Cream), Lait De Coco (Coconut Milk); Middle notes: Rum, Hawaiian Kona Coffee, Colombian Coffee, Sweet Orange, Milk, Coconut, Bourbon Vanilla, Myrrh, Chocolate Syrup; Base notes: Australian Sandalwood, Coffee Absolute, Brown Sugar, Cognac, Cocoa Butter, Benzoin Resin, Labdanum, Olibanum, Gray Ambergris, White Musk

Nicoleta Tomsa, Senior Editor

Disclosure: A bottle of Crème de Menthe Café was kindly offered by the brand; opinions are always my own.

Statik Olfactive Crème de Menthe Café  – photo by Nicoleta 

Thanks to the generosity of Statik Olfactive we have a 50 ml bottle of Crème de Menthe Café for one registered reader from the EU or USA. You must register or your entry will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what sparks your interest based on Nicoleta’s review and where you live. Draw closes 9/12/2025.

Also check out the reviews for Into the Wild and Scarlett Lady and the American perfumer’s profile with Hez Binkowitz

Michelyn’s Note: Meet Hez Binkowitz and Chris Martin at Sniffapalooza Fall Ball in NYC October 18, 2025 where they are guest speakers at the Lunch at La Mela.

Follow us on Instagram @cafleurebonofficial@nicoleta.tomsa @StatikOlfactive @hezparfums

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