Indigo Smoke • Arquiste
Category: Fragrance
House Arquiste
Released 2022
Perfumer Calice Becker
Fragrance Family Woody Resinous
Notes bergamot, bigarade orange oil, lapsang souchong accord, vetiver, apricot accord, cassia oil, carrot seed oil, guaiac wood, vanilla absolute, maté tea absolute, cedar leaf oil, pine tar, and incense
Description May 1646, Wuyi Mountains, Fujian.
For centuries, diligent monks in the Wuyi Mountains have grown tea and indigo plants in neatly terraced plantations. In 1646, their monasteries were attacked by Qing soldiers from the north. As the monks were forced to flee, they smoked batches of tea leaves over pinewood fire to preserve their crops. This would become the smoky lapsang souchong tea. Mixing with the fresh mountain air and the incense from nearby shrines, the intoxicating plumes of indigo smoke captured the colors of the Wuyi Mountains and their dramatic river narrows.
Indigo Smoke is a creamy, smoky, rich, and comforting composition. The combination of teas, vanilla, guaiac wood, and incense work together to create a textural experience that is unfortunately and undeniably rare in perfumery, and worth celebrating when executed at such a high level.
