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Fragrant perfumes filled with alluring notes and scents are always coveted, no matter if you prefer floral options or spicy, exotic blends. If you lean more toward exotic blends, you’ll definitely be intrigued by the fragrance of cardamom. The common Middle Eastern spice is made from the seed pods of different plants in the ginger family. It has a strong aroma that’s very distinctive and alluring. The smell is very masculine, with hints of mint, lemon and smoke all combined into one exotic note. But the complex scent isn’t as heavy as many believe, and it does have some sweet notes that are more duskily floral than anything.
The spice dates all the way back to Vedic times, which were about 3,000 BC. Cardamom was then mentioned again 1,500 years later in various Ayurvedic texts, which dates how old the spice is. Although it’s used in fragrances today, it’s primary uses are in medicine and cooking. For medicine uses, cardamom has stomach-calming properties, while extracts of its seed also have anti-inflammatory qualities.
Cardamom seeds and fruit are used in the kitchen for their spice and warmth in a variety of things, including coffee, chai tea and even rice pudding, adding a richer taste to these items and more. In fact, drinking cardamom-infused coffee is a ritual in the Middle East that dates back centuries.
The plant itself can grow up to 4ft. in height and has small yellow flowers. It can grow fruit, which takes about four years to mature. The fruit has seeds, which is how the cardamom oil is extracted. So just before it ripens, the cardamom fruit is collected via steam distillation. Because the fruit takes so long to mature and the extraction process is pretty in-depth, cardamom is the third expensive spice for a perfumer behind vanilla and saffron.
Cardamom is mainly used in Indian and Middle Easter cuisine, yet it provides fragrances with a very deep smell that lingers on for hours at a time. This is why it’s widely used in fragrances. The mysterious, darkish smell combined with hints of subtle sweet notes usually marries well with other spice and fruit notes to create unique scents. Many times, it’s used often in citrusy fragrances, since it blends pleasantly with citrus notes like sweet orange, lemon, grapefruit, bergamot, petitgrain and neroli.
However, it can also be fused with other popular notes, which is why it’s a perfumer’s favorite scent! It can blend well with grassy and woodsy notes. Cardamom can be quite sumptuous when added to sandalwood, oudh, amber or patchouli, while florals like rose and tuberose smell spicier when combined with this exotic spice.
While it can be used in women’s fragrances for some depth, cardamom is especially impactful when used in men’s fragrances, especially those with spicy, oriental or green perfumes. It was first used in men’s fragrances in 1902 when it was used in Parfums Berdoues Mandarine & Cuir’s cologne. The use of it adds sophistication to the fragrance, even though it’s hardly ever the notable note in a perfume. Yet it’s ability to blend perfectly with other notes is why it’s a favorite for many perfumers.
If you’re intrigued by the rich scent of cardamom, you’ll want to try Mutamayez, which is a warm, aromatic fragrance with strong notes of the spice. The word “Mutamayez” means “something special” and this exclusive fragrance from Swiss Arabian is just that. It was created for the man who is truly comfortable with himself and isn’t afraid to show it. Although the fragrance starts off with notes of enticing orange and pine notes, it leads up to middles notes of clove, cedarwood, cashmir wood and caradamom.
All of these deep aromatic scents combine for one sensational olfactory experience. Base notes include amber, musk, agarwood and vetiver, while cardamom scents linger on. The highly concentrated perfume for men continues to allure one’s senses throughout the day, providing the wear and those around him a pleasing aromatic experience.
