Terra Preta
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements

In short, Terra Preta smells like potting soil.

That’s all you really need to know. The impression fades to a more vetiver-dominant scent as the fragrance wears, but I can’t shake the photorealistic association of cutting open a bag of Miracle Grow, complete with perlite and vermiculite.

Is it interesting? Assuredly. Is it wearable? Eh… it’s a more difficult wear than something like Encre Noir, but outside the opening salvo it isn’t entirely unwearable. The fragrance drys down to more of a “damp earth” smell, helped by a touch of patchouli. I daresay it’s actually almost agreeable at this stage. Fans of the aforementioned Lalique or perhaps Tom Ford’s Noir Anthracite might give this a shot.

Projection is modest (I’m reviewing the aftershave/cologne). It lasts 4-6 hours on hair and clothes.

As a personal (functional) fragrance, I’m neutral, leaning negative here, but as an artistic work, it certainly is interesting. It isn’t an objectively bad fragrance, but for an ostensibly functional product (“aftershave/cologne”), I would rarely use it, so be aware of what you are getting here.

Neutral.

One final note: PAA notes that Mega Flora was designed to be worn in combination with two of their spring limited releases: Terra Preta and La Tierra Mojada. You can read my reviews of those individual fragrances, but I’ve also worn every possible combination of these three and here is what I’ve found:

Terra Preta with La Tierra Mojada: Terra Preta’s “potting soil” accord overwhelms in the opening, but doesn’t add a ton of depth in the base, where I’d really appreciate it. This combination is less a “weaving” of the two and more an unrefined mashup. I’m not a fan, mostly because Terra Preta is my least favorite of these three and it’s prominent here.

La Tierra Mojada with Mega Flora: This combination is an intriguing green mix. These two together lean more feminine in the opening, as it’s mostly green stems and white florals, but I wouldn’t call it a “pretty” fragrance. A more noticeably pungent accord from Mega Flora keeps things fairly unisex, and the drydown feels almost soapy. The overall experience is nice, but not such an improvement over either fragrance individually that I’d consider a purchase.

Mega Flora with Terra Preta: This pairing is better than I anticipated. Mega Flora’s greenness helps tone down Terra Preta’s almost overwhelming accord, making it feel a little like literal potting soil and more in the realm of a very earthy vetiver. This actually may be my favorite pairing. It reminds me ever so slightly of Shalimar at times in the drydown, though the effect is less smolder and more boulder. Call it Shalimar L’eau, if you will.

All three and overall impression: Worn together, I find this triptych better than the sum of its parts. It feels like a complete and complex fragrance, like a better performing version of PAA’s Otra. Dosed with preferences in mind, the trio forms a nice little vignette of soil, stem, and blooms, and it’s kind of fun to get a feel for how each part contributes to the whole.

However, considering the aftershave/cologne is priced at a $26/100 ml, you’re looking at $78 to achieve the effect. That’s not unreasonable, but it’s a lot to ask when the individual fragrances (and some of the “duets”) don’t quite stand on their own. The price of admission jumps even more if we’re talking the EDP, but YMMV.