Bond-T by Giovanni Sammarco

Cocoa, Castoreum, Patchouli, Tonka, Vanilla. Osmanthus.

Giovanni Sammarco is a relative newcomer in the artisan perfume market. By newcomer I mean 2012 going into 2013. He is part of a slowly emerging group of independent perfumers that create substantial fragrances and ones that you won't find mass produced or marketed. Bond-T is the only one if his line I've tried so far, but it has the DNA and tenacity you'd expect from high concentrations and the use of numerous absolutes.

So far, I've worn Bond-T a number of times and have no problem stating that, at least for me, this is a fall-winter scent. It has gravitas and disdains conventional "transitions" as most artisan scents I've sampled seem to have in common. What's conceded in the top-to-heart-to-base and beyond is made up for with substance and longevity.

Bond-T is one of those scents that will envelope you in a shroud of aroma and still be detectable the next day. Fragrances made in this fashion, with ingredients of this nature are an acceptable trade off if you ask me. The trick lies in the "application".

First, allow me to say I experience the "suggestion" of an intermittent and wispy cherry tobacco. I don't mean smoke or outright tabac. Surrounding this phantom is a pungent and dusty cocoa and earthy woods. The listed Castoreum reacts, on me at least, as a subtle animalic as opposed to a leathery quality. You may perhaps experience something a bit different.

The blueprint in this accord is something I've encountered before in a Slumberhouse and Lutens creation. Bond-T has its own fingerprint however and gives its own spin on something done before. Osmanthus will evoke plummy raisin to some, yet the rendition here is responsible for my smelling a soft cherry-tabac as it plays off the other culprits.

Overall, Bond-T is a straightforward and linear semi- gourmand that highlights cocoa, woods, earth tones and hints of tobacco. Sillage is very good and gives the envelope effect for quite some time. Longevity is also impressive and can be easily detected 24 hours later. Thumbs up from Aromi for Giovanni Sammarco's Bond-T and as always, a sample wear is highly recommended.

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