White Lotus Aromatics Newsletter - October 2006
NewsNeNwsNNewsletter Archive ewsl
Marula Newsletter Updates
Dear Friends-
We will be away from October 2nd-11th. We are processing orders up till September 28 and will resume packing orders on October 12.
Suzanne and I send our kind greetings to all of you with hopes that you are well as the Autumn Season approaches.
Kind regards,
Christopher and Suzanne
Image Gallery Update
Suzanne has been busy the last 6 weeks or so totally redesigning the website so it might be more useful and enjoyable for all of you to use. During that time she was not able to work on the Image Gallery but today she has restarted the project. The gallery for traditional distillation of attars is in progress:
http://whitelotus.smugmug.com/gallery/1906217/1/96217853
A few new essences have arrived which you may enjoy knowing about...
Prices are posted on the web site.
Pine Needle (Pinus sylvestris) Absolute -This is a fine absolute, very thick(non-pourable at room temperature) and deep forest green in color . Its aroma captures the rich balsamic, resinous odor of sunwarmed pine needles and cones which we enjoy when walking through the forest. It is quite different than Fir Balsam Absolute which has a balsamic-sweet fruity bouquet.
The Pine Needle Absolute is a wonderful addition to all conifer based essences giving them a depth and richness that the essential oils alone do not possesses. Combing the absolute with Fir Balsam Absolute, Giant Fir eo, Douglas Fir eo, Oakmoss absolute, Silver Fir eo, etc can begin to create the ambiance and feeling of the treasured experience of meandering through a grand forest and deeply inhaling the charged air that exists there.
Fenugreek CO2 select-As many of you know the CO2 extraction process is used for many of the dried seeds, roots, herbs, etc that play an important role in the food and cosmetic industry as the process by which they are extracted does not require high temperatures so the basic chemical components as they exist in nature are basically preserved. People encountering CO2 extracts for the first time often find them milder in overall aromatic profile than the corresponding essential oils(if they are used to the essential oils) but on close olfactory exploration find the CO2's to have a great and sublime richness of odor that is unique and totally enjoyable.
The Fenugreek CO2 select extract possesses a fine powdery-spicy aroma, with a balsamic sweetness underlying the spicy notes. One also finds in the bouquet the hint of the angelica root-lovage root complex. The aroma of fenugreek is intimately associated with Indian curry powders as it forms a central ingredient in the same.
Regarding its use in natural perfumery Arctander states-"The diffusive power of the odor of this material is generally underestimated by far. Traces of fenugreek extract can ruin a perfume for flavor if the extract is used in 'wrong' combination; but equally minute concentrations of fenugreek extract can do wonders in certain compositions: Orientlay bases, aldehydic-herbaeous topnotes, chypres, fougeres, lavender compositions, new mown hay bases, etc."
Frangipani Absolute is a thick reddish-orange waxy massy possessing a lovely soft sweet exotic floral bouquet. The fresh suave aroma of the absolute exudes a gentle neroli-fruity-honeysuckle like aroma. One needs to gently heat the absolute so it becomes pourable. After that it mixes well with other essential oils, fixed oils and absolutes. The warmth and elegance of this absolute lends itself well to blending with other fine absolutes like tuberose, jasmine, orange flower, mimosa, champaca and ylang and forms a central ingredient in the Amrit Perfume, the recipe for which is posted on the internet.
Tonka Bean Absolute from South America is prepared from the communited tonka beans. It is a crystalline mass of pale amber of pale brownish yellow color. Its odor is very rich, sweet and warm, very comarinic-herbaceous with a prune-like or carmellic-sweet undertone. Its sweetness is fresh and delectable, a full tropical delight. It is used as a fixative and nonfloral sweetener which introduces warm notes in chypres, fougeres, new mown hay bases, lavender bouquets, Oriental bases, etc. It blends very well with lavender, lavandin, clary sage, flouve, styrax extracts, bergamot, oakmoss extracts, fir balsam absolute, broom, roman/english chamomile, german/blue chamomile and helichrysum. Its effect in a composition should not be underestimated as even trace amounts can have a marked effect. The tenacity and aromatic aura of this absolute is remarkable
Aglaia odorata Absolute is extracted from the communited seeds of the Chinese Perfume Tree also called Chinese Rice Flower Tree. A deep olive green liquid displaying a rich warm and suave floral fruity aroma. It is layered on top of a an intriguing precious woods, herbaceous tea-like body note. In perfumery its unique qualities can be used in elegant floral bases of many types. Aside from its specific olfactory qualities its depth, warmth and mellowness acts as a unifying medium between other ingredients. Blends well with boronia absolute, champaca absolute, carnation absolute, cassie absolute, henna leaf absolute, mimosa absolute, ylang absolute, saffron attar, lily magnolia co2, orange blossom absolute, jasmin absolute
Possible Procurements in the Future
Concretes: From time to time customers request the floral concretes such as Jasmin grandiflorum, Jasmin sambac, Frangipani, Lavender, Champa, White Lotus, Pink Lotus. Several extractors are willing to sell them to me if I place minimum orders of 4 ounces per concrete. If you have individual needs in those quantities then I will do my best to procure them for you.
As I have proceeded forward with my own experiments in solid perfume creation I have done a bit of experimentation with the concretes and find them to be very lovely materials to work with. One may think that the concrete and absolute share all of the same olfactory properties but in fact there are some differences. The concretes of course are less concentrated than the absolutes but they also contain some lovely aromatic properties that do not appear in the absolutes. One can understand this much better if they have ever smelled the true aromatic waxes that precipitate out when the concrete is being converted to absolute at the point where the solution is chilled and filtered. These waxes have a really wonderful aroma which means that some fraction of the total bouquet found in the concrete is lost in the conversion process from concrete to absolute.
The main drawback for the concretes is that they are not soluble in alcohol so if one is thinking of making liquid perfumes then they are not so highly desirable but in the realm of solid perfumes one does not face this problem. In most cases they should blend very well with the carrier oil and beeswax once is using.
Here is a list of concretes that are possible to procure listed by country:
Bulgaria-Zdravetz/wild geranium, Lavender, Damask Rose
Egypt-Orange Blossom, Geranium, Rosa centifolia, Violet Leaf, Carnation, Blue Chamomile
India-Frangipani, White Lotus, Pink Lotus, Champa, Jasmin sambac, Jasmin grandiflorum, Jasmin auriculatum, Rosa bourbonia, Oleander/Nerium indica, Mimosa/Acacia spp., Tuberose