Perfume Review: Fueguia 1833 Xocoatl + Food of the Gods Draw

JulianBedel&Ameodo

Julian Bedel and Ama Amoedo

This enigmatic Argentinian house founded by Julian Bedel and Ama Amoedo has intrigued me since they launched in 2010. The brand, artistically wrapped in a combination of astutely arranged historical and local geographical referencing, reflects Julian’s ancestry from a line of distinguished botanists and writers. The other main inspiration is the inevitable collision and subsequent associations centuries ago between Europe and South America. It is a line of complex and reflective aromas with the ingredients wisely sought close to home in South America; extracts and essences creating an evocative line tied in spirit and labour to the Patagonian land.

Fuegia1833BuenosAires

Fueguia 1833 is based in Buenos Aires, where every stage of the alchemical process is overseen from researching plants, filling the 100% recycled glass bottles, wrapping and packaging in the brand’s Patagonia map paper and the hand-crafted Patagonia boxes, made from fallen trees in the Valdivian rain forest on the west coast of south America. Everything about Fueguia 1833 is about process and minutiae, commitment and acknowledgment of source. In the midst of an admittedly complex web of acknowledgements and certifications are the perfumes themselves, quite a number of them, fifty at last count, divided into classifications, much like a botanical study. The categories include Personajes (People), Linneo (Inspired by Linneaus, the father of taxonomy, the study of classification), Jorge Luis Borges and Friends Collection, Fabula Fauna (Fauna), Destinos (Destinations), Armonías (Harmonies) and Amalia (Female Beauty). You can get a sense from these atmospheric names, the overall artistic intent of this ambitious niche house.

Fuegia'Xocolatl'botanicaldrawingsofcocoa&vanilla

The design of the brand is outstanding; Bedel and Amoedo have assembled a sensuous swathe of text, photography and artwork to support the swell of scent. Everything has an implied texture and weight to it; the use of shadows in the images is interesting, suggesting the work of Velasquez court art. The bottles, candles, boxes all have an implied gravitas. Therefore it follows the juice is desirable and noble. Bespoke perfumery is also very much a part of the Fueguia experience with Julian happy to invest time with serious perfume lovers to re-orchestrate any of the existing formulae or materials in the Buenos Aries lab.

FuegiaPatagoniaBox

My obvious choice as an obsessive chocolate and gourmand lover was Xocolatl, a surprising take on bitter chocolate inspired by the legendary cocoa seed paste libation of Aztec warriors and Emperor Montezuma who was reputed to drink up to fifty cups a day to reinforce his fighting spirit and beleaguered libido. A divine food of the gods that was considered sacred to the feathered Aztec deity Quetzalcoatl, god of power and wisdom.

Kakobohnen und Schokolade

Julian does things a little differently when it comes to representing notes and triangles; his scents may obviously contain a hundred or more ingredients, a mix of his precious locally sourced materials blended with more classical perfumery essences and aromachemicals. However he nominates only three dominant notes to signify how he sees the scent’s main emotional state. One main note is represented like a larger atom and the other notes rotate around it. It is in effect a referral back to the essential molecular state of all perfumery. Xocolatl is vanilla, cocoa and rum, vanilla being the more emphasised atom as it were. The opening is the sharp cut of steel into a fresh green chilli, the air suddenly buzzing with grassy, sweet heat. This fades as the vanilla rises, nuzzled by rum and the aerated froth of an oddly indole-infused chocolate haze.  It has an austere chilly woodiness; reflective I think of those ancient Aztec rituals when the frothed mix of water, cocoa seed paste and chilli was drunk cold. I keep imagining I can almost taste a wooden spoon or beater in the peculiar way the scent dries down. The vanilla is delicious, softly played and quite moreish. Close to skin, private and a scent you find yourself repeatedly inhaling to catch nuances and shifts.

If you are searching for erudition, difference and ethical commitment in the general morass of contemporary fragrance then I suggest you try Fueguia 1833, the brand will seduce you with artistic charm and thought-provoking perfumery.

 –The Silver Fox, Senior Editor

Disclosure – From my own collection

Thanks to Luckyscent we have a sample of Fuegia 1833 Xocolatl for a US reader. T obe eligible please leave a comment with why you would like win. Draw closes 1/16/2015

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume

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11 comments

  • I just told my husband about it — he’s very keen on spiced rum and lime, and I’m crazy about the chocolate and vanilla… and with the chilie (reminds me of a mole sauce, with the chocolate and peppers). Sending him a link so he can investigate it… sounds like an exceptional Valentine’s Day scent to me!

  • This sounds yummy. I’m not sure how I feel about gourmands, but I’d certainly love to try this as I do enjoy chocolate, vanilla and rum! Thanks for the draw, I’m in the US 🙂

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    oh no, Fuegia is based in Argentina..I always thought it is Italia or French brand. I have heard about their fragrances usually incorporating incense, benzoin, and vanillic elements and being quite dense. 1833 seems close to what has become the trademark perfumery signature of the brand. thanks for the lovely draw. I am in the US.

  • chocolate with an “austere, chilly woodiness” sounds really interesting. I am in the US, thank you!

  • Wow–chocolate! My favorite food group and one of my favorite notes.
    And … “as the vanilla rises, nuzzled by rum and the aerated froth of an oddly indole-infused chocolate haze”
    I want to try that! USA
    Thanks for the review and draw