R Tramble

These tinctures are a highlight of Ms. Olson’s creations as a natural perfumer, making scents without any of the synthetic aromas used in commercial perfumery. Each solution comes from a laborious process of steeping plants in 190-proof alcohol, a drink that could drop a horse. Other flowers have been pressed into fats, like palm oil shortening, in an old-fangled process called enfleurage.

There’s a witch hazel tincture from the herb garden that smells curiously sweet, nothing like the drugstore astringents used to punish teenagers with spotty skin. A tincture of smoked clamshells, gathered from the seashore down the hill, recalls a pot of Lapsang Souchong tea. Or the smell of a lover’s T-shirt after a bonfire on the beach.

Nice article on natural perfumers and their gardens in the NYT. Note the reference to Lapsang. Hmmm. Must find seashells.

If you have trouble viewing the video, here’s the direct link.

Am I the only person having problem posting posts with photos using WordPress iPhone app? The photo doesnt show, just the code for it. See below. The pic should be there, not the code.

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I discovered Lapsang Souchong tea a few weeks ago. It’s a black tea with that’s dried over a smokey fire. You can taste the smoke. It’s like drinking barbecue.:-)

I love it. I’m trying to figure out what perfumery ingredient would come close to it. I pored through my collection looking for a sample of nakh choya (made with smoked seashells) that I thought I had, but I guess I dreamed I had it. Nakh would probably come close to Lapsang.

If you know where I can find some nakh choya, please let me know.

On another note, I want to hijack Trygve Harris’ life. I’ve been following her blog, Absolute Trygve, for a bit…and dreaming.

Harris owns Enfleurage, an essential oil company in New York. I’m still not sure of exactly how she does what she does, but she seems to spend part of the year in Oman researching and purchasing materials to distill the essential oils she sells in her store.

In her latest blog post, she details the dirty work of distilling frankincense. But the dirty work is actually very beautiful. She also shares bits and pieces of EO knowledge and life in Oman.