Terre Inca by ID Parfums

Never heard of LA ROUTE DES EPICES before, but the name immediately conjured Rajasthani palaces and caravans under the sun. I stumbled upon this TERRE INCA, a hidden gem in our local perfumeries, thanks to globalization. Although the description says woody-spicy, I perceive it more as an aromatic oriental where both blend seamlessly. The scent is enchanting, neither annoying nor confusing. It’s frustrating when perfumes list notes that don’t smell like that; the declared citrus (lemon, bergamot) feels to me like a restrained red pepper, since both are bright and our brains often confuse them. In the heart, the cocoa and coffee are so veiled they smell like that generic “chococino” that tastes like neither, just as mayonnaise tastes like neither egg nor oil. In the base, I only detect patchouli, not cedar or vetiver. Forget about top, heart, and base stages; most perfumes are a straight line. This smells of omnipresent pipe tobacco, undeclared, with a delicate red pepper that others might perceive as spicy citrus. That touch of cocoa and coffee leaves a lingering taste of freshly made Belgian waffles, but it’s not gourmand or fruity. It’s Ottoman sweetness and palace intoxication. I do detect the earthy patchouli, and above all, tobacco mixed with ambroxan (or amber), which smells like old books and pipe smoke in an ancient library. Add a honeyed sweetness and a soft, maternal, ritualistic benzene-like evaporation, like my distant Córdoba. Above all, it’s tobacco and ambroxan, with flashes of rose, sandalwood, and vanilla that enhance the spice without overdoing it. The more I learn about perfumes, the more I doubt my own judgments; just as citrus can be red pepper, declared coffee and cocoa can turn out to be tobacco and ambroxan. For me, pipe tobacco always smells like coffee, cocoa, rum, and wood. That’s why I explain my sensations, even if it’s verbose. It’s unisex, with a slight sillage but lasts hours on the skin without overwhelming anyone. It works in any season, though it prefers fresh weather. Any human can wear it if they like. It doesn’t smell like “Tierras Incas”; that’s just my imagination. Enough about pepper, citrus, ambroxan, cocoa, coffee, and tobacco to avoid further dizziness from my ramblings about Incan lands or Ceylonese delights.