Perfume Calligraphy Saffron
Aramis (2013)

Perfume Calligraphy Saffron is what falls into a category that I've created: the crepuscular fragrance. It is the olfactory metaphor for a caliginous sky, mysterious and somewhat cabalistic.

The opening curiously has a saturated herbal facet that reminds of the top notes in Aromatics Elixir. There is the impression of chamomile throughout, perhaps imparted by the marriage between the marigold and lavender. The saffron seems more so to play a supporting role rather than the lead; it is certainly evident, but being that saffron tends to be a bold personality when not dosed judiciously, it seems that the perfumer took care for it not to bury all other components. It is actually refreshing to have it appear for once somewhere where it isn't playing second fiddle to oud. The rose is a cameo that ties together all else like an accent.

The dry down is all about the interplay between styrax and tonka, dusky, plaintive yet warm and enveloping into the night. Its puzzling why mediocre releases prevail and unheralded treasures such as this are discontinued so abruptly not long after their release. Such are the whims of the perfume industry.

Wow, I paid less and had a much better experience with this than some of the previous reviewers. It's not a hugely complicated fragrance, and it sure doesn't have much saffron in it, from what I can detect, but it's a very very nice boozy amber that smells much more expensive than it is (or was: sounds like the price has gone WAY up) and smells very niche.

In its natural state, saffron has a beaming and mirthful smell.
When the word "saffron" is used in the name of a perfume, firstly it's expected that it really smells like saffron, or at least have an atmosphere close to saffron. Secondly, we should feel it from the beginning to the end, not just in one step. Unfortunately, Calligraphy Saffron doesn't have these characteristics. It's disappointing, cheerless, heart-rending, glum. with a withered "Habit Rouge"-type rose. We hope the scent gets better over time, but the opposite happens and the slight smell of saffron that was there fades. The scent becomes sweet and flat in the drydown. Saffron is heavily flavored in itself and alone can be a distinct perfume. Very disappointing.

TLDR: Excellent (4.2/5). Slightly sweet, slightly white floral, slightly citrus, but mostly a warm saffron scent with a touch of leathery rose/oud.

East meets West in Calligraphy Saffron from Aramis. The saffron note here is frequently included in heavier Middle-Eastern focused oud scents like Montale Aoud Saffran or Arabian Oud Asalat Al Sharq. Here, saffron is presented on center stage in a rather western type composition--warm and smooth with less sharp spiciness than is typical in Eastern perfumery and some supporting floral notes, particularly marigold.

Many Eastern scents have floral notes that read "feminine" to western noses. As a decidedly non-metro, CisHet male, this floral scent doesn't trouble me even a little bit. It gives the saffron some traces of sweetness and makes this fragrance easy to wear and something of a surprising compliment-getter.

While projection here is moderate, particularly in the cooler season for which this fragrance is best suited, the fragrance has major longevity. In the later stages of its all-day progression, this fragrance has a slightly sweet rose and oud note. The oud here is clean and westernized. It combines with the other scent notes to produce an inviting leathery scent throughout the drydown.

All together, this scent is warm and inviting. It is very easy to like Calligraphy Saffron. It is an intriguing Oriental fragrance with just enough of an Eastern vibe to be different.

Unhyped as this fragrance is, it is available for reasonable money from time to time at the discounters. It is certainly worth a try for folks who like oud, saffron, or leather scents.

Also, the presentation is high quality, as is the atomizer. The golden Arabic script on the bottle looks cool and suggests the fact that this Aramis Calligraphy line was originally principally marketed in the Gulf.

I really enjoy this stuff. Recommended if you can find it at a decent price (that is, around the original MSRP of $125 or less).

The opening is a mix of bergamot in the background and saffron in the foreground. It is a rich and voluptuous saffron, and not the dry saffron I get in Comptoir Sud Pacifique's Sultan Safran for instance. A nice dyad of top notes, with the bergamot adding brightness.

The drydown sees the development of a lavender and, more predominantly, that if a rose impression. The rose is quite rich, fairly dark and is imbued with a raisinous styrax undertone. The base adds a somewhat restrained tonka, but overall the sweetness expressed in the creation is quite balanced and never richly sweet, intrusive or cloying.

I get moderate sillage, very good projection and ten hours of longevity on my skin.

This scent for cooler spring evenings is quite original in its concept, and whilst clearly dominated by synthetic ingredients is never too overtly annoyingly artificial. The saffron nites is well done. 3.25/5.

Just really wonderful stuff, but discontinued. Once a staple on all the discounter's sites at quite reasonable prices, but when checked recently, none of them had it in stock, so the supply may be drying up. E-bay prices heading way up now too.

Just one release of this, so no worries about reformulation.

A regular go-to for me, so I've picked up a back-up just in case.