Cacao Aztèque
Eau de Parfum, Perris Monte Carlo (2017)

Cacao Aztèque Eau de Parfum by Perris Monte Carlo (2017) is honestly more of a woody perfume than one based on cocoa, even if it is trying to emulate the spicy somewhat-dry version of cocoa popular in Mexico with products such as Abuelita. I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate scents, but I really like this one for that precise reason, although I admit how liking a chocolate fragrance precisely because it fails at smelling like chocolate sounds to someone not knowing the context. Overall, this is pleasant and surprisingly green in feel.

Cacao Aztèque uses pittosporum to create an almost dry orange blossom-type opening, bombarded with black pepper and dry red sandalwood that reminds me of Santal du Pacifique by Perris Monte Carlo (2016) from the year before. There are shreds of that Mexican chocolate here and there, but the main stars of the show past the opening are the dry woody materials, and a bit of lactonic feeling that could be mistaken for fig, perhaps an attempt at emulating the milk emulsion of Mexican cocoa itself. Performance is good all around.

The note pyramid for this scent is a bit confusing to me, as rum and tuberose notes are listed and I get absolutely none of that when I smell Cacao Aztèque, unless something has happened to my sample as I've owned it for a few years before going in to try it out (a problem I have since my written reviews have drastically lowered in frequency post-pandemic). Any booziness, or fleshy florality provided by these listed materials is absent from my experience, and I just get a bunch of pepper, woods, dry aromatics, and traces of cocoa with a faux-fig feel throughout. Interesting stuff. Thumbs up

What a spectacularly well blended fragrance Perris Montecarlo Cacao Azteque is!! Definitely one of my favorite from this italian niche house that I appreciate so much for its exotic inspiration and the absolute quality of the implemented raw materials. For starters this is not a straightforward Cocoa-based fragrance a la Chocolate Makes Me Happy by Unique'e Luxury, Il Profvmo Chocolat Amere or Demeter Fragrance Dark Chocolate, just to quote several. Actually the main element in here is the fizzy peppery floral Pitosporum, a floral plant the florals of whom smell really close to neroli but in a little bit grassy and fizzy medicinal way. Dark cocoa is in here laced to it for finally providing toasted dustiness and hints of smoky bitterness. Despite it the juice smells floral, partially bright and lifely along the way. Basically Cacao Azteque is a super peppery fragrance with a dominant green spicy accord of peppery boozy cardamom and pitosporum with its neroli-like kind of aroma, all of it surrounded by florals and by a touch of "counteracting" dark toasted cocoa with woody nuances. Cacao Azteque by Perris Monte Carlo could be labelled as a spicy/floral oriental fragrance for women and men (actually I prefer it on a man). It was launched in 2017 and the nose behind is the talented Mathieu Nardin (By Kilian, Miller Harris, Etro, Nobile 1942 and much more). A super subtle cacao-rendition by which the main raw material (in here barely adumbrated or anyway not utterly dominant unlike ylang-ylang, patchouli, rose or vetiver as they perform by protagonists in different Perris Montecarlo-creations as for instance Ylang Nosy Be or Rose de Taif..) appears as a delicate toasted dark seasoned part (feature) of a more complex and articulate olfactory orchestra. A really peppery boozy opening is noticeable under my profane nose. The presence of pink/black pepper, cardamom, white rum and (most of all) pitosporum creates a sort of naif art decò vaguely tropical/exotic and salty/fizzy/floral "cologney" atmosphere as neo classic (but in here re-interpreted in a more contemporary vest) background vaguely conjuring vintage classics a la 4711 Original Cologne or various Guerlain Aqua Allegoria or Roger & Gallet as ideally combined with a sort of tropical floral mélange (lifely, sensual, vibrant). I definitely get more orchid than tuberose. Pitosporum, rum and spices provide a sort of neroli/Maraschino-like vibe on which keep emerging florals (a refined orchid/tuberose tropical combo) and vibrant dark enveloping cocoa combined with sandalwood. Cocoa is well calibrated and provides a darkly restrained and kind of organic final trail which is toasted and slightly dusty. The note of cacao is barely sweet (just minimally) but it's neither yummy nor gourmand. Florals are still there till the end, never redundant and surely delicate in the general exotic weird peppery ambience. The final outcome is a well balanced and delicate structured peppery floral fragrance with cocoa-nuances. Performances, as usual for a Perris Montecalo-fragrance, are more than satisfactory.

It seems to me like a woody fragrance that I have seen before. I don't get much cacao from it. It has a heart of tuberose and orchid covered with sandalwood and some spices. It's warm and relatively dark with sensual sparkles. The scent really showcases the sensual side of tuberose and that was the only forte of this fragrance for me. Do not expect a gourmand scent.

Authentic Mexican hot chocolate is very different from the more conventional hot chocolate known in the Western world. It's milky and spicy and not aggressively sweet.

This Cacao Azteque gets the aroma exactly right, though if you're not familiar with what it's recreating you're likely to regard it as a spicy floral rather than anything gourmand. In this way, it's a rather clever non-gourmand gourmand. It creates the impression of that familiar, spicy Mexican hot chocolate by way of a milky tuberose blend accented with spices and a gentle fruity-earthy cacao undertone.

In its contrast between milky and spicy elements, it follows a parallel path to Philosykos, and is no less tastefully done.