Rasasi
Rasasi
117 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Cardamom and cinnamon crash onto the skin with immediate pepper-sharpened intensity, whilst mugwort introduces an almost resinous green bitterness that prevents any caramel-tinged sweetness from taking hold. Saffron weaves through it all with a slightly dusty, spice-rack authenticity that feels more Damascus bazaar than dessert course.
The spice begins to crystallise around a warmer centre as gurjum balsam surfaces, its balsamic-sweet character tempering the opening's aggressive angles. Lavender emerges to anchor the composition, introducing a herbaceous coolness that transforms the middle passage into something more contemplative—less about assault, more about sophisticated counterplay between warmth and botanical restraint.
The woods take full command as the fragrance settles into its final hours—vetiver's earthy minerality, cedarwood's dry pencil-shaving dryness, and gaiac wood's resinous-woody character forming an almost austere base. Amber Xtreme acts as a subtle binder, preventing the woods from becoming entirely skeletal, leaving behind a composition that smells less like wearing fragrance and more like carrying the scent of an old library lined with aromatic timber.
Sotoor - Waaw announces itself as a fragrance for those who find comfort in spice markets and smoky wood-lined rooms. The opening salvo of cardamom and cinnamon immediately establishes an almost culinary warmth, but this is no gourmand—the saffron threads through with a slightly metallic, almost medicinal character that prevents any descent into sweetness, whilst pepper and mugwort inject a herbal bite that keeps the composition bristling with energy.
What makes this scent compelling is how the gurjum balsam in the heart softens the opening's sharp angles without entirely surrendering them. Lavender enters as a grounding agent, its floral-herbaceous notes providing counterpoint to the spice rather than competing with it. This is where Sotoor - Waaw reveals its true nature: neither wholly spicy nor properly floral, but a deliberate tension between warmth and restraint.
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4.0/5 (159)