Mukhallat di Corleone
Abdul Karim Al Faransi

Mukhallat di Corleone is an ambitious attempt to merge two distinct themes in perfumery, namely the rubied exoticism of an Arabian souk and the sunny brightness of Mediterranean citrus groves. I am not convinced it succeeds entirely, but I sure admire its chutzpah. The Mediterranean elements are supplied by a bright Amalfi lemon and resinous coffee, the Eastern by sandalwood and agarwood.

In all fairness, there’s no real reason it shouldn’t work, but things go a little wonky in the execution. The opening is a mixture of bright lemon and McVities digestive biscuits, with a side of the roasted hot sock accord from Jeux de Peau by Serge Lutens. It smells foody in a very wrong way. I attribute this queasy-making effect to pyrazines, which are burnt-smelling molecules used to mimic buttery popcorn, burnt toast, dark caramel, and roasted coffee grounds in perfumery. These molecules smell sweet and dense but also too close to the bitterness of burning to be entirely comfortable.

Eventually, the burned coffee and odd milky notes fade away, leaving a rich woody lemon scent that smells very natural, and quite close to the real scent of freshly squeezed lemons and oranges mixed together. Individual perceptions of those rich, burned notes will vary from person to person, however, so don’t let my lack of appreciation for that part of the mukhallat put you off. Coffee notes are notoriously tricky to get right in perfumery, and this is as valiant an attempt as any. It should, at the very least, be on the sample list of anyone interested in coffee gourmands.