Fève Délicieuse Christian Dior

by: Serguey Borisov

In anticipation of the new Sauvage Christian Dior bottles hitting the store shelves, and Johnny Depp burying his mystic treasures in desert sands on TV screens and advertising posters, let us remember the less popular new perfume of the House -Fève Délicieuse of La Collection Privée Christian Dior, that was launched in spring this year.

At the center of the perfume composition: the delicious tonka beans from Venezuela. Fragrantica readers are probably mainly familiar with the perfume qualities of this material. For example, tonka beans absolute manifests its piquant sweetness with that somewhat bitter-spicy character in most fougère and oriental compositions.

Christian Dior perfumer-creator François Demachy said about the idea of the perfume: “I wanted to compose a fragrance that would be a personalized representation of the Tonka Bean and celebrate the duality between its sweetness and its surprising touch of bitterness. This avid appeal and love of harmony naturally espouse the Dior spirit”.

Christian Dior's chief perfumer managed to build the perfume as a desserts-chef would do. The main perfume chord here is made from tonka beans absolute from Venezuela and Madagascar vanilla, with a dash of vanillin and heliotropine (a sweet, powdery smell with the tone of almonds and cherry-pits), which stretches its sweet and sticky net more widely in order to catch more perfume lovers with a sweet-tooth. In many countries, tonka beans do not have much of a culinary use, and in some countries they are even banned from sale. To taste the unusual, spicy, bittersweet beauty of grated tonka beans, you need to visit one of the countries nurturing chocolate fetishism (Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, France), where you can find the best combinations of tonka beans with vanilla and coconut on a chocolate background. Adding the ephemeral and translucent vanilla increases the opacity of tonka beans and delivers a certain thoroughness and  full-bodied feeling that makes you almost want to take a bite.

The much-loved combination of “vanilla pods and tonka beans” (or “vanillin one part, coumarin three parts”) is known to perfumers as well as to gastronomes. Most of you have definitely tried such a gourmand dessert option in perfumes like: Le Male Jean-Paul Gaultier and Chergui Serge Lutens, in Vetiver Tonka Hermessence andTonkamande Parfumerie Générale, Tobacco Vanille Tom Ford and Shalimar Guerlain, and in dozens of other fragrances – you could add your own examples from any price segment. Tonka Impériale Guerlain and Vanille Tonka Nicolaï Parfumeur Créateursound as if they have been specially created to offer a certain tonka bean gourmand temptation. Fève Délicieuse Christian Dior was launched in the spring of 2015, adding another piece of golden brown color into the La Collection Privée mosaic.

The main “vanilla-tonka-heliotropine” accord was not left without some additional vignettes and ornaments. The fragrance's start is transparent, light and mobile,reminiscent of flavored syrup on a piece of chocolate cake – I can discern some of the notes, like licorice, anise, lavender and coriander. It’s clear that this is only the first move, an invitation to pick up your dessert cutlery, and put the first piece into your mouth, after which you'll utter some unarticulated exhale of pleasure “ummmmfff!”, that is so anticipated by all cooks and waiters. The main Fève Délicieuse chord, bitter and sweet, tobacco and vanilla, powdery and almondy, pit-like and even rubber-talc-like, which is mainly brought up by coumarin, is great on its own. But still it is intertwined with a light woody patchouli, imparting a powdery chocolate accent and the fluffy feeling of mimosa balls, as well as a mild coconut and roasted nuts undertone. And while I would use the words “sexy and seductive” describing a similar scent, Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford, for Fève Délicieuse I`d choose epithets like “bold, colorful and contradictory”. I cannot say it`s edible per se, but it lasts a long time on my skin, while not being loud and rather staying on a skin-level.

Men who are sickened by any mention of sweets in fragrances can focus their attention on the courageous bitter taste and fougère sillage in their effort to get to know Fève Délicieuse better and to find its relationship with the old perfume granddadFougère Royale Houbigant. Ladies would find the gourmand character much more pleasing, and in times of the La Vie Est Belle Lancôme invasion, this bitter Christian Dior dessert may even become a safe heaven. Though being quite linear (except for the start accord), the perfume is deep enough to dive in the syrup and explore someunderlying details.

Fève Délicieuse Christian Dior

Top notes: Bergamot, Lavender, Freesia, Anise;
Heart notes: Heliotrope, Tonka beans, Jasmin;
Base notes: Benzoin, Caramel, Patchouli, Cocoa, Vanilla, Praline, Musks.