White Lotus Aromatics Newsletter - Absolute 5
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Absolute 5 Geranium -- Hops
Geranium Absolute
Geranium Absolute is extracted from the leaves and branchlets of Pelargonium graveolens which grows in Morocco, Egypt (main center or extraction), India, France, and China.
The absolute is an olive green or green colored liquid with a powerful, penetrating, sweet herbaceous, green-leafy odor, with a fine fresh, minty-rosey undertone with good tenacity and radiance.
In perfumery it imparts a rich mellow body to rose perfumes. It finds use in herbal bouquets, colognes, fougeres, chypres and floral blends, lavender colognes and bases.
Blends well with Eucalyptus macarthurii, bucchu leaf eo and abs, rose abs, beeswax abs, davana eo, hyssop eo and co2 extract, yarrow eo, sage eo and co2 extract, wintergreen eo, sweet birch eo, tarragon eo and abs, oakmoss abs, ylang abs and eo, petitgrain sur fleur neroli, petitgrain sur fleur rose petals, tagetes eo, genda attar, narcissus abs, jonquil abs, basil eo and co2 extract, bergamot eo, peppermint eo and co2 extract, frankincense eo and co2 extract
"Then, a moment later, it changed into the south chamber that
had been his mother's bedroom--he could even detect the faint
scent of rose-geranium that always hung about her; he noticed
that the green shutters on the west windows were bowed, and from
between them a line of sunshine fell across the matting on the floor
and touched the four-poster that had a chintz spread and valance."
--from The Way to Peace by Margaret Deland
Ginger Absolute
Ginger Absolute is extracted from the dried rhizomes of Zingiber officinale which grows in India, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Jamaica and many other countries.
The absolute is generally a viscous orange brown or dark, yellow brown liquid, just pourable at room temperature.
The absolute displays a fresh, rich, warm aromatic-spicy, pleasantly pungent odor with a mellow
resinous, slightly camphoraceous, tangy, sweet-spicy bodynote.
Ginger absolute is valued in perfumery for the unique notes it introduces to high class perfumes, spicy men's fragrances, after shave lotions etc. It is fine addition to oriental bases, gardenia bases, tuberose bases and tropical bouquets in general, adding warmth, depth and exotic spiciness to the heady floral bouquets. It also plays an important role in liquid incense perfumes and culinary perfumes
Blends well with costus, ambrette seed, angelica root co2 and eo, labdanum abs, sandalwood eo and abs, patchouli eo and co2 extract, vetiver eo and co2 extract, frankincense co2 and eo, elemi eo, opoponax eo,
bergamot eo, clove eo and co2 extract, cinnamon eo and co2 extract, ylang abs and eo, fenugreek co2 and eo, black pepper co2 and eo, coconut abs, orange blossom abs, mandarin petitgrain eo, mandarin eo.
“Ginger? Do I smell ginger?” suspiciously asked Stubb, coming near. “Yes, this must be ginger,” peering into the as yet untasted cup. Then standing as if incredulous for a while, he calmly walked towards the astonished steward slowly saying, “Ginger? ginger? and will you have the goodness to tell me, Mr. Dough-Boy, where lies the virtue of ginger? Ginger! is ginger the sort of fuel you use, Dough-boy, to kindle a fire in this shivering cannibal? Ginger!—what the devil is ginger?—sea-coal? firewood?—lucifer matches?—tinder?—gunpowder?—what the devil is ginger, I say, that you offer this cup to our poor Queequeg here.”
--from Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
Hay Absolute
Hay Absolute is extracted from various common ensilage grasses during the period of inflorescence, that have been dried. It is mainly produced in France on a small scale.
The absolute is a dark green, amber or brownish green viscous liquid with a sublime sweet, warm, very rich, coumarinic -herbaceous odor with a delicate mellow sweet fruity, fresh,herbaceous undertone.
A central and essential ingredient in "new mown hay" fragrances in combination with flouve as and eo, tonka bean abs, sweet woodruff abs, deertongue abs, etc. It is valued for the rich, sweet, herbaceous note it introduces into lavender colognes, fougeres, chypres, tea bases, tabac-notes, forest notes etc It introduces unique notes into jasmin, ylang and orange flower bases.
Blends well with broom abs, blue and english chamomile eo, helichrysum abs and eo, fir balsam abs, tonka abs, sweet woodruff abs, melilotus abs, araucaria eo, bruyere abs, ylang abs, marigold abs, tagetes eo, genda attar, hyssop eo, yarrow eo, melissa eo, verbena abs and eo, lavender abs and eo, lavindin abs and eo, tarragon eo and abs, beeswax abs, rose abs and eo.
"Pyotr Sergeyitch himself took the bridles off, and led the horses to their stalls. I stood in the doorway waiting for him to finish, and watching the slanting streaks of rain; the sweetish, exciting scent of hay was even stronger here than in the fields; the storm-clouds and the rain made it almost twilight."
--from "A Lady's Story" by Anton Chekhov
Helichrysum Absolute
Helichrysum absolute is distilled from the flowering tops of the small perennial plant, Helichrysum italicum that grows wild and is cultivated in France, Italy, Bosnia, Corsica and several other Mediterranean countries.
The absolute is a olive-green to dark-brown very viscous sticky liquid (not pourable at room temperature) displaying a warm herbaceous, spicy, hay-like odor, with a bright, mellow sweet, fenugreek-like, curry, dry woody undertone. Tenacity is excellent.
Appreciated in perfumery both for its fixative effect and the deep, mellow sweet spicy bouquet that has a harmonizing effect on the compositions into which it is incorporated. A number of absolutes have this special property of uniting all elements of a composition from top to base note and helichrysum absolute is in that group. It imparts vitality and naturalness to the materials that it comes into contact with. Very effective in oriental bases and culinary perfumes. Imparts a fine rich not to herbal bouquets and spicy colognes. Valued addition to sacred perfumes.
Blends well with tonka bean absolute, hay absolute, flouve abs and eo, lavindin abs and eo, sage clary eo and abs, peru balsam eo, rose abs and otto, honey abs, clove bud abs and eo, frankincense abs and eo, labdanum abs, star anise co2 and eo, sweet fennel eo, hyssop co2 and eo, rosemary verbenone eo, rosemary abs, melissa eo, verbena eo and abs, bergamot eo, lime eo.
"Perhaps the herb everlasting (Helichrysum italicum), the fragrant immortelle of our autumn field, has the most suggestive odor to me of all those that set me dreaming. I can hardly describe the strange thoughts and emotions that come to me as I inhale the aroma of its pale, dry, rustling flowers. A something it has of sepulchral spicery, as it had been brought from the core of some great pyramid, where it was laid on the breast of some mummified Pharoh. Something, too, of immortality in the sad, faint sweetness lingering so long in its lifeless petals. Yet this does not tell why it fills my eyes with tears and carries me in blissful thought to the banks of asphodel that border the River of Life. "
--from Scent Memories by Francis Jacox
Henna Leaf Absolute
Henna Leaf Absolute is extracted from the leaves of Lawsonia inermis a shrub which grow widely in India , Egypt, Iran, Indonesia, China etc. Extraction is done on a small scale in India.
The absolute is a dark brown, almost black, somewhat grainy viscous liquid with a soft green, dry-herbaceous, tea-like, slightly medicinal, woody odor. In the dry out phase the sweet, rich, delicate tea-like notes become more pronounced.
Henna leaf is used in perfumery to develop the green leaf notes in floral bouquets. Also valued for the rich body it lends to fougeres, new mown hay or meadowsweet fragrances. Important role in cultural and sacred perfume creations.
Blends well with orange flower water abs, orange flower abs, jasmin sambac abs, jasmin grandiflorum abs, lavender abs and eo, tonka bean abs, arnica abs, tea abs, chamomile abs, narcissus abs, oakmoss abs, michelia leaf eo, clary sage eo and abs.
"The aged Mohmetan frequently perfumes his beard by holding his face over the vapor arising from a preparation of the odiferous henna. This reminds of that perfume, which poured upon Aaron's beard, was, in its sweetness, compared by the Psalmist to the delights of fraternal affection. In Egypt the henna flowers are carried about the streets for sale, and the seller, as he proceeds, calls aloud, 'O, odours of Paradise; O, flowers of henna!' "
--from Flowers and their Associations by Anne Pratt
Honeysuckle Absolute
Honeysuckle Absolute is extracted from the flowers of climbing vine Lonicera caprifolium. It is a very rare absolute and little authentic material reaches the market. One Egyptian extractor is reportedly going to offer it in the near future.
According to Steffen Arctander the absolute is a orange-green to dark green or brownish, viscous liquid with a intensely sweet, fatty-floral odor somewhat reminiscent of jasmin absolute from chassis and of orange flower absolute. He goes onto say that "the various absolutes which are available on the market do not truly represent the fragrance of the flower. It appears that the present extraction techniques(this was written almost 50 years ago) are imperfect, and it is very likely that the available honeysuckle absolutes are "compounded from synthetic and natural perfume materials.
If my colleagues in Egypt produce a genuine absolute I will comment on it later on.
"A wealth of honeysuckle, scent betrayed,
Is hidden somewhere in the tangled shade,
Known only yet to birds and drowsy bees
That pipe or harp their music 'mid the trees."
--from Woodland and Shingle: Poems and Songs by John Rowell Waller
Hops Absolute
Hops Absolute is extracted from the flower catkins of the climbing vine, Humulus lupinus.
The absolute is a semi-solid, dark green mass with a rich, sweet, fresh, green-herbaceous odor with a warm, fruity, dry-tea like undertone.
In perfumery it is used in colognes, chypres, Oriental bases, herbal bouquets, fougeres, etc as it add a deep herbaceous sweet body note to the compositions into which it is incorporated.
Blends well with Artemisia annum, davana eo, basil eo. lily magnolia co2, champa abs, cassie abs, mimosa abs, cistus eo, labdanum abs, ambrette abs, Laurel leaf abs and eo, tarragon eo and abs, black current abs, broom/genet abs, helichrysum abs and eo, english/roman chamomile, blue/german chamomile eo, spikenard eo, carob abs, , galbanum eo and abs.
"And on the tender evenings of these autumn days, when the gentle heat has been drawing fragrance from the pine-trees up the lanes, and the powerful aroma from the hops, till one would almost think the people must be overcome by the heavy scent, voices are merry as the pickers stand over the great wooden framed canvas bins divided down the middle into two parts, and calculate how many bushels they have picked during the day before the overseer comes round to weigh out the contents and write the quantity down in each one's little book...
The mothers who are of the villages of the neighborhood gather together the toddling children, and settle afresh the baby who has lain all day long sleeping under the scent of the hops, sheltered from the sun buy the big blue shade over its cradle, the lasses tie on their straw hats, or the their print sunbonnets afresh, and tidy up the remains of their dinners in baskets, the men light their pipes, the old women wrap their faded shawls about them-for appearance this time, and not for warmth-and all wend their way once more up the hills and lanes to their homes."
--from The English Illustrated Magazine, 1891