I acquired a sample of Parfumerie Generale's Hyperessence Matale from Les Senteurs a couple of weeks ago and have been enjoying it a lot.
There are a lot of Parfumerie Generale fragrances I enjoy, but must state that it was incredibly refreshing to encounter a fragrance of theirs that is not gourmand in any way. Having said that, the fragrance is not that far removed from food in the sense that it is mostly about tea, a slightly smoky tea at that.
The notes, according to Luckyscent, include citrus, black tea, cedar leaves, musk, pepper and jasmine. The fragrance starts quite fresh and citrusy, which while very nice, does not prepare one for what is to come. The first time I tried it, after smelling the citrus I forgot about it for a while, then a bit later got an intriguing smoky waft, entirely unexpected (I had not read any notes at that point). While the tea accord is smoky, it doesn't have that uber-intense, almost repulsive smokiness that one encounters, say, with Lapsang Souchang tea. It is more toned down than that, thankfully.
I have to admit that I don't get any floral accord. Jasmine may be listed but my nose doesn't pick it up. The pepper goes very well with the tea and smoke and is lent just a hint of sweetness by musk and grounded with the cedar. While fairly straightforward in construction, Hyperessence Matale is, in my opinion, very well balanced, with a good diffusion, and never boring. I have read some reviews that complain of its relative short staying power, but I can't say that I've experienced that.
I like a lot of perfumes from Parfumerie Generale, but I have to confess that Hyperessence Matale is fast becoming possibly my favourite perfume of the line.
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