Barrister and Mann

This is my first lavithan I'm going to have to buy a back up. I could use it anytime of the year. I like darker soaps and AS's.

*grin* Okay, you're really going to think me insane, and probably be pretty grossed out, but bear with me.

Coffee contains a striking quantity of the compound skatole, which is one of the molecules that makes feces smell so charmingly pungent. When I was a kid, I realized that coffee and fresh dog poop actually smell pretty similar. Obviously they're different, but there's a distinct similarity between the two substances. Chemistry, as I mentioned, bears this out.

When leather tanning was perfected in Russia, a specific offshoot was developed by the monks of various orders in order to preserve the books in their monastery libraries. Since they found that books bound in leather (the cheapest, most durable, and most readily available book binding material) tended to attract parasites and mites, they began tanning the leather using birch smoke tinctures, which they found repelled insects. This is what gives the leather its distinct smoky character, and was the basis for the various Russian leather perfumes that have been developed over the course of the last century.

HOWEVER, in early leather tanning methods (not just Russian ones), there was another important ingredient as well: animal feces. Very old leather has a distinctly primal, animal character to it as a result of this inclusion, and old Russian leathers, especially those used in book binding, are no different. It's not enough to be offensive, but it is DEFINITELY enough to be identifiable, and is replicated in Russian leather accords with the use of castoreum (which smells like beaver musk) and civet (which smells like, well, poop). So Russian leather perfumes often have an underlying slightly fecal character that lends them a velvety, musky scent profile. It seemed obvious that the complimentary characteristics of a good coffee fragrance, which contains TINY amounts of skatole, and a good Russian leather accord, which contains tiny amounts of civet, would be perfect for marriage in a soap.

I had also been inspired by a sample of MPG Santal Noble I had received from @"uncle_dubya". It's a brilliant work, a marriage of coffee and sandalwood, and arguably one of the greatest reference sandalwood perfumes of all time. While musing on the combination of coffee and Russian leather, it occurred to me that a really fine or unusual sandalwood accord could be used to smooth out whatever rough-and-tumble, angular edges might arise as a result of the assemblage. I chose a distinctly strange sandalwood for the purpose (which, in fact, only remotely resembles real sandalwood), but the sweetness of the design tempered the rough, feral edges of the coffee/leather combination.

Thus, Leviathan was born.

That's was a *crappy* post. See what I did there???

In all seriousness. Awesome. If I could "love" a post, I would. These are the fascinating stories I appreciate hearing about how your scents come to be. You sir, should write a book sometime!

I'm told that I'm very engaging when talking about perfume in person, so I've actually been thinking of starting a YouTube channel where I talk about perfume, perfume history, my scents, other people's scents, etc. Thank you very much for the kind words.

I'd subscribe to that.

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I'd definitely be interested in that YouTube channel.

What's a cologne that goes with lavithan?

What's a cologne that goes with lavithan?

The one that I mentioned inspired it: MPG Santal Noble.

...In all seriousness. Awesome. If I could "love" a post, I would. These are the fascinating stories I appreciate hearing about how your scents come to be. You sir, should write a book sometime!

I'm told that I'm very engaging when talking about perfume in person, so I've actually been thinking of starting a YouTube channel where I talk about perfume, perfume history, my scents, other people's scents, etc. Thank you very much for the kind words.

Red Tipped Cobra is on to something.  I'm in for the YouTube channel, but please don't rule out the book idea. Your notes, with incorporated history, are just fascinating.  The book, of course, would have to Russian leather bound.

Coffee contains a striking quantity of the compound skatole, which is one of the molecules that makes feces smell so charmingly pungent. When I was a kid, I realized that coffee and fresh dog poop actually smell pretty similar. Obviously they're different, but there's a distinct similarity between the two substances. Chemistry, as I mentioned, bears this out.

Thats very interesting, I wasn't aware of the chemistry, however, I've been roasting coffee for over 20 years and one of the descriptors used to describe a coffee's scent profile is "soiled nappy" or just "poopy diaper" - and contrary to what you might think, its a desirable characteristic in some single origin varietals, particularly Ethiopian coffees but there are others as well.  Next time you're having a cup of high quality ethiopian coffee that was correctly prepared and hasn't got any cream and sugar in it give it a sniff and see if you can identify soiled nappy.  Those of us who've had children and actually changed diapers will pick it up.  You don't forget that smell.

*grin* Okay, you're really going to think me insane, and probably be pretty grossed out, but bear with me.

Coffee contains a striking quantity of the compound skatole, which is one of the molecules that makes feces smell so charmingly pungent. When I was a kid, I realized that coffee and fresh dog poop actually smell pretty similar. Obviously they're different, but there's a distinct similarity between the two substances. Chemistry, as I mentioned, bears this out.

When leather tanning was perfected in Russia, a specific offshoot was developed by the monks of various orders in order to preserve the books in their monastery libraries. Since they found that books bound in leather (the cheapest, most durable, and most readily available book binding material) tended to attract parasites and mites, they began tanning the leather using birch smoke tinctures, which they found repelled insects. This is what gives the leather its distinct smoky character, and was the basis for the various Russian leather perfumes that have been developed over the course of the last century.

HOWEVER, in early leather tanning methods (not just Russian ones), there was another important ingredient as well: animal feces. Very old leather has a distinctly primal, animal character to it as a result of this inclusion, and old Russian leathers, especially those used in book binding, are no different. It's not enough to be offensive, but it is DEFINITELY enough to be identifiable, and is replicated in Russian leather accords with the use of castoreum (which smells like beaver musk) and civet (which smells like, well, poop). So Russian leather perfumes often have an underlying slightly fecal character that lends them a velvety, musky scent profile. It seemed obvious that the complimentary characteristics of a good coffee fragrance, which contains TINY amounts of skatole, and a good Russian leather accord, which contains tiny amounts of civet, would be perfect for marriage in a soap.

I had also been inspired by a sample of MPG Santal Noble I had received from @"uncle_dubya". It's a brilliant work, a marriage of coffee and sandalwood, and arguably one of the greatest reference sandalwood perfumes of all time. While musing on the combination of coffee and Russian leather, it occurred to me that a really fine or unusual sandalwood accord could be used to smooth out whatever rough-and-tumble, angular edges might arise as a result of the assemblage. I chose a distinctly strange sandalwood for the purpose (which, in fact, only remotely resembles real sandalwood), but the sweetness of the design tempered the rough, feral edges of the coffee/leather combination.

Thus, Leviathan was born.

That's was a *crappy* post. See what I did there???

In all seriousness. Awesome. If I could "love" a post, I would. These are the fascinating stories I appreciate hearing about how your scents come to be. You sir, should write a book sometime!

I'm told that I'm very engaging when talking about perfume in person, so I've actually been thinking of starting a YouTube channel where I talk about perfume, perfume history, my scents, other people's scents, etc. Thank you very much for the kind words.

I miss reading the scent blog you used to have on your website. You did a few in your newsletter but I liked having the blogs all archived in one place. I also liked reading new ones periodically. I think a youtube channel where you did your blogs in person would be very cool.
Mark

Will... I love all your releases and look forward to everything you create.

May I make a request though?

Please bring back Nocturne, for next fall, or something like it, with spice and apples and leaves. Something that smells like fall festival.

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Will... I love all your releases and look forward to everything you create.

May I make a request though?

Please bring back Nocturne, for next fall, or something like it, with spice and apples and leaves. Something that smells like fall festival.

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I'd forgotten about Nocturne, thanks for reminding me. I have some rummaging around to do .