Tindrer
Baruti (2016)

Spyros Drosopoulos gets high marks for his creative Parma Violets, but no Love Heart from me.
This odd mix of cucumber juice, chalky violet sweets, pepperminty undergrowth and sweaty ambergris is too contrived; a tortuous solution to the longstanding problem 'what shall we do with granny's violets?'
His answer is busy with invention but the masterplan is weak, and too close to spiky woods for my liking. It makes me feel I'm Wearing Perfume, or - more like - the perfume is wearing me.
The pepperyness is too strong, and the novelty of the slightly rancid cucumber doesn't make up for a sense of unease it engenders. This is only compounded by the ambergris, which smells a bit like -Something- rotting in a ditch.

Sure, I get the idea - this is a 'scent provocateur'
and I probably don't like it because I don't understand it (or vice-versa).
You could object that I'm not trying hard enough, but to be quite honest: so many perfumes - such little time.
And if that's the case, when a perfume irritates - as opposed to intrigues - the best thing to do is avoid it, which I intend to do, assiduously.

This opens with a cold blast of green, quite a floral green. It gives the sensation of pulling open a large freezer door, icy air hitting your nostrils as you reach for a verbena and violet ice lolly. I think it must be the buchu that gives it this cold, frosty, alpine characteristic; the cool bracing tickle of mint without being minty in odour.

There is also an unusual, slightly sweet, lactonic, grassy note that muzzles the violet and keeps the composition from becoming too blousy. It works well. Later, I detect a little sweet cumin but, like most Baruti's, the whole composition is fairly linear. There aren't any stages to speak of. I'm not even sure there's a base. This doesn't stop it from being interesting, ethereal even; like vapours rising from the hood of your car on a scorching Summer's day, you can almost see this fragrance. It has an extra dimension that I'm not even sure how to describe.

Baruti's output is unusual without being aloof. I can't say I've ever encountered a bracing green floral like this before but the synthy pitch does remind me a little of Indigo's floral notes.

Go easy on application as it's pretty loud. I can still smell it on the back of my hand, albeit faintly, 14hrs later (one spray.)

BLUF: Spyros does a green one in his signature style, an amazing green one. Earthy, vegetal, green/damp (almost watery), and eventually woody. Touches of sweet violet. Heliotrope is not prominent (thank g*d). Review could be considered biased: the reviewer f***ing loves this house.

I haven't seen anyone talk about this fragrance since it came out in May (I think it was May...), not on Basenotes anyway. I personally think it is his second best work, next to Berlin im Winter. Although perhaps they cannot be directly compared, being in very different genres. It certainly is my second favorite Baruti. Created as "a happy/sad" perfume, Tindrer is pure joy for this guy.

To me, this clearly seems to share a commonality with Melkmeisje. Almost like a remix, the way Berlin im Winter (aka Indigo RMX) is a remix of Indigo. It has that same sharp, natural snap in the opening, but instead of it feeling bright pastel yellow in Melkmeisje, in Tindrer it is a deep sparkling green. They both strike me as sort of paradoxical, in that they simultaneously seem futuristically synthetic and natural smelling. Like all from the house, this Extrait de Parfum lasts forever on my skin, and any clothing it touches.

It certainly seems like the most "wearable" fragrance from the house. As much as I love the ones I do, I'm not surprised when people are uneasy about wearing them; they are not common fare. Everything seem to be in balance here, even the dose of white musk in the base. Like other Baruti releases this smells like nothing else I've tried from other houses (except for the new Dama Koupa, not yet in directory at time of review, which reminds me of Dior Homme Parfum).

Tindrer is probably the most unique green fragrance I've tried to date, and one of my favorites. Those include Eau de Campagne (classical), Palais Jamais (unique and dusty/smoky), and now Tindrer (unique and futuristic). Oddly enough I own none of them, but come spring, I will have this.

Bravo Spyros. I love what you do and I hope you keep doing it for years to come.