Akro Awake Review (Olivier Cresp): My Quick Coffee Fix Bottled

AKRO AWAKE by Olivier Cresp

Akro Awake 100 ml, photo by Akro

“I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.“ – TS Elliot

 Coffee. Ristretto at a cafe in the morning, cappuccino with a croissant around 10 AM, sometimes even five o’clock meetings over coffee and cakes. I miss having coffee, and I’m not talking about merely drinking the dark, aromatic brew. Not the early morning Turkish coffee I make at home, oh no:  there’s so much more to having a cup of coffee!

I miss sacred rituals involved, sun-lit terraces of my home town, chit-chat with friends over a cup of coffee, Saturday mornings spent going to open market and sitting for a cup of coffee afterward with shopping bags around us, a mix of seasonal flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Smiles and sunglasses on and everyday worries off.  A quality of life measured by having coffee, social-life bonding coffee, one of the primary requirements of happiness!

AKRO AWAKE review

Coffee Time, Elena Cvjetkovic, photo by Elena Cvjetkovic

Yes, the coffee here is more about a total experience and less about the beverage: you meet with friends over a cup of coffee, discuss business, have meetings, take breaks, flirt or sulk, and you never-ever rush things while having your coffee. I miss that often heard sentence: Let’s grab a cup of coffee together. Sitting close to each other, leaning in, laughing, touching: I feel now like a stray coffee spoon lost somewhere in a remote drawer, and I miss my matching set.

Let’s have coffee together…and I reach for perfume, a simple cup of black coffee is not enough, the accent is on together. My own collection and perfume samples archive became a source of joy, a means of travel in time and to places once visited, now popping up in different memory lanes on different social media, calling my name. Perfume bottles and small vials became doors that lead to those different dimensions, unlocking sweet memories, changing the mood or reshaping the reality around me: the power of closing eyes and letting perfume do the trick!

Akro fragrances awake review

Pour Some Coffee Over Me, photo by Pexels

Enter Akro Awake for my daily dose of black coffee, my quick fix bottled.

Between fantasy and reality, eyes wide shut:  Akro Awake opens with an accord of dark, freshly roasted, slightly bitter coffee beans, and I can almost hear the sound of a coffee grinder, rattling of cups and saucers in my favorite cafe, a hushed murmur of guests inside, the crisp sound of newspaper pages turning early in the morning and muffled traffic noise coming from outside.

I feel familiar scents, sounds, little details, the trained movement of a hand wiping quickly my table clean, and the first whiff of a black coffee ristretto served, touching my nostrils. Bitter luxury tasted before it even touched my lips, a promise of a familiar, good, experienced barista-approved coffee taste.

As the foam of intense caffeine steam dissolves, sweeter tones emerge. Now bitter-sweet, the fragrance shows it addictive side with smooth, nutty and creamy notes of cardamom underneath which a different kind of freshness emerges – just a slight touch of lemon, a brighter facette beneath the surface, feeling almost like one of those delightful coffee & lemon tarts on a fine, crispy crust.

I also feel a distant olfactory sound of tobacco leaves, like somebody opened a humidor in the cafe and rolled a freshly opened, fine cigar between their fingers.

Akro Awake, although an evident gourmand,  never oversteps into unnecessary sweetness or cardamom-saturated flatness: depth and richness are felt at all times in this finely blended, highly elegant fragrance. Classy, touched by refined minimalist gourmand nuance Akro Awake is my bitter cup of complicated simplicity of good, dark coffee.

Akro Awake

Akro Awake Sample, photo & digital editing by Elena Cvjetkovic for Akro Fragrances

As time passes, after the ristretto evolved in cafe-au-lait, a warm feeling of reassuring vetiver woodiness is soothing and relaxing: of all the addictions offered by Akro, this one is the most comfortable and assuring one for me. And the only way we can grab a cup of coffee together now: through perfume, bonding and connecting us.

#stayathome  #staysafe and enjoy your perfumes!

Notes: Balkans Santos Coffee, Green Cardamom, Italian Lemon, Haitian Vetiver

Elena Cvjetkovic, Editor and Author of The Plum Girl

Disclaimer: A 2 ml sample of Akro Awake was kindly provided by Akro Fragrances for my consideration. Opinions and feelings are – as always – of my own.

art and images ©Elena Cvjetkovic, Akro Fragrances, Pexels

Akro Fragrances awake, Night, Haze, Dark, malt, smoke reviews

Akro Sample Box, photo by Elena Cvjetkovic for Akro Fragrances

Available at Akro Fragrances and @luckyscent where you can buy a sample for $4

There is a draw for the discovery set (minus Dark) of five of the six Akro Fragrances in the presentation box, from one of our team members for a registered reader in the USA or EU. You must register here. Please leave a comment about what you think of Elena’s review of Akro Awake. Do you have a favorite Akro fragrance? Draw closes  4/8/2020. No spilled perfume

Nicoleta reviewed Night here, and Despina reviewed Dark here

This is our Privacy and Draw Rules Policy

Follow us on Instagram @cafleurebon @the_plum_gir@akrofragrances @oliviercresp

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38 comments

  • Valentina says:

    It’s almost middle of the night and your review made me wanna get up and sip at least a small spoon of coffee. I think you described about coffee the exact feeling of relaxation, familiarity, bitter you wanna feel again and again. Never had the chance to sniff sniff any of Akro’s perfumes, but who knows?! A girl cand dream! Thanks! I am from EU

  • Love how she managed to link this perfumes with her memories. The scent description is accurate and relatable. I only experienced dark from this brand and loved it. Would love to try the other scents.

    from france

  • I think what I like most about Elena’s review of Awake is her own personal interpretation of addiction. Coffee addiction is a interesting subject as so many people have consumed coffee for such a long time in a remarkably simple way. I do not have a favourite Akro fragrance yet as I haven’t purchased a bottle, but I would love to try the sample kit. I am a big fan of Olivier Cresp. I am from the UK

  • My comment disappeared . What I liked was that Elena really put into words small things I took for granted.. outdoor cafes and Starbucks with my tablet. Yes coffee is more than a beverage. Living in Connecticut where we are on stay at home. I think one of the first things I will do when this is over is meet my girlfriend for coffee

  • diegopineda says:

    I like Elena’s passion and insight on what it is to have an addiction towards coffee, and fragrances. I have not tried any of the Akro fragrances before.

    From GA, USA

  • Thank you for sharing your sample set! I absolutely love the scents of tobacco and coffee in fragrances. I liked that it has a slight touch of lemon, interesting. I simply had to brew a some decaf immediately, lol. Mich USA

  • Phoenixad says:

    I have to admit the introduction touched me. Habits we almost forgot these days. As for the perfume instead what can i see coffee and cardamom are two of my favorite notes in perfumery i have high hopes for this one

  • We miss sharing the experience of a cup of coffee with out friends. This sounds like it smells divine, coffee and cardamom, a blend I enjoyed, just today.

  • VerbenaLuvvr says:

    I have been looking for a good straight coffee scent forever, how have I missed this one?! I have not tried any from this house to date but they have now made the list. USA

  • Natalia306 says:

    Enjoyed Elena’s review :”Akro Awake, although an evident gourmand, never oversteps into unnecessary sweetness or cardamom-saturated flatness: depth and richness are felt at all times in this finely blended, highly elegant fragrance. Classy, touched by refined minimalist gourmand nuance Akro Awake is my bitter cup of complicated simplicity of good, dark coffee.”
    Thank you for your review and generous draw
    Florida

  • I am not familiar with this line, but I definitely would love to try the reviewed fragrance inspired by coffee as well as the others. I am especially intrigued by the combination of coffee and cardamom. I live in the USA.

  • I am afraid I have no experience with Akro as a house. Notes: Balkans Santos Coffee, Green Cardamom, Italian Lemon, Haitian Vetiver but the notes sound sumptuous I love the taste and smell of Coffee so this seems warm and comforting. A great review by Elena. Thanks from the United Kingdom

  • Intrigued by the coffee and cardamom the most. I have not tried anything from this house but I loved Elena review and about the smell of Coffee and the nostalgic memories associated with going for a coffee with your friends or family. Thanks from the UK

  • The Plum Girl says:

    Thank you for all your comments: so happy to share this coffee experience with you! It almost feels like we are all sitting together in a cafe and…just being together! ❤️

  • Ooh I love coffee and I love the smell of a fresh brew in the morning. I never tried one of Akro’s scents before, but this sounds like one right up my alley! Living in the Eu

  • I have no addiction to coffee but love these coffee fragrances. Interesting to me how reviews are shifting as the stay-at-home goes on. No fave from the house, haven’t tried any. US

  • Excellent review by Elena Cvjetkovic – I completely agree that coffee is not just coffee, but so much more. It is a daily ritual which involves many little cultural and social components, which collectively enhance the experience for me. I have not as yet had an opportunity to try Akro fragrances, and would relish the chance to win this discovery set to begin my journey. I’m in TX, USA.

  • I loved Elena’s intimate and actual review. These times are indeed quite debilitating in a way, and we all got so used to a certain lifestyle and routine, that now we feel like someone or something is forcibly taking our normality away from us. But then again, looking at the history of mankind, we are really spoiled beings living luxurious times. Thinking of “normal” people meeting in a chic cafe’ a hundred years ago, let alone a thousand or a 50 thousand years ago, is inconceivable, yet nowadays a cup of coffee with one’s friends is an absolutely common pleasure for many people on the face of our planet and not a luxury at all. So while I myself miss having delicious coffee outdoors and socializing in the meantime, I do realize this is just a call to reality for us, as well as a time to reflect about the real, pressing matters of life. And I kind of feel blessed even for that.

    The perfume sounds wonderful, like a realistic experience of not only coffee, but an environment, with its melange of sweets, tobacco and the adjacent elements of the coffee drinking experience. As a fan of coffee myself, I would love to smell it. I do not have any Akro favorites, simply because I have never smelled one. I am in the EU, thanks for the draw and hang in there all of you, till we can have coffee with our friends again! It will be sweeter after a long break 🙂

  • I enjoyed reading Elena’s review of Akro’s Awake. Our rituals have changed and I agree with Elena, I miss my coffee with friends. I have never tired any of Akro’s fragrances but this one sounds like a winner. This brand does sound addictive! USA

  • oh..what a wonderful review! Thanks!
    I like coffee very much and the begging of this article is just “yummy”- so sincerely scene of morning and ritual around coffee- same as in my country- native Armenia. I would like every morning wake up by Awake Arko.
    USA

  • wallygator88 says:

    This sounds like such a great scent. I’m always on the lookout for a good coffee or cocoa based scent and this one has my favourite way of drinking coffee i.e with cardamom.

    Thanks from WI, USA

  • Yess. I have Akro Dark & Akro Awake on my list to try! I do love the smell of coffee and your review makes me want to try it even more! USA

  • Coffee together is a wonderful thing. And this review makes Awake sound like just the thing necessary to get through this time. I am in the US, and have not tried any of Akro’s fragrances.

  • jeremyn87 says:

    I liked that the review evoked the experience of having a cup of coffee in a social setting. Though I’m usually just chugging away at my coffee at home. Cardamom is also a perfect accompaniment with coffee, and the smell of the two at any Arabic market is something Ive enjoyed ever since I was little.
    I havent tried any from the house
    Im in the US. Thanks for the draw

  • patrick_348 says:

    I liked Elena’s review because she lived up to the challenge of writing about a fragrance that sounds relatively uncomplicated, but she gave a great sense of the associations the fragrance arouses in her and the balance of the components. I have not tried any Akro fragrances, so I would like to win the discovery set and give them a run. I am in the US, in North Carolina.

  • Camille Sheil says:

    I have never had the pleasure of sampling an Akro perfume. What a wonderful opportunity!

    I’m most intrigued by the awareness that this isn’t too gourmond. Not too heavy either. And for some reason, I tend to like somewhat bitter notes. Coffee and lemon…! I wouldn’t have thought to put those together, but if this is a lunch-with-friends kind of fragrance, I’m openminded!

    I live in New Hampshire USA!

  • NiceVULady says:

    I think this one quote of Elena’s says it all,” Classy, touched by refined minimalist gourmand nuance Akro Awake is my bitter cup of complicated simplicity of good, dark coffee.”I’ve not tried any of the Akro fragrances, so this draw would be a great introduction. Thanks for a wonderful review and a generous draw. I’m in the USA

  • Natalya Baranova says:

    I’ve been searching for a great coffee fragrance, I can’t pass this by. I never actually tried any Akro fragrances.

  • Margarita K says:

    I lived both in Europe and America and I can witness this huge difference in the coffee culture. Here, in US, the long lines of cars in the Baskin-Robins drive-through and giant cups of coffee show the brew is generally to wake you up and fuel you to work. And yes, to enjoy it alone, starting it during long morning commute or rushing it on your way out.
    In Europe, as Elena describes well, it’s a ritual, it’s about taking a brake, with a friend, it’s a meditation. And I understand why people are missing it so much these days.
    Be safe everybody, it will be over soon.

  • vijay d tilwani says:

    Love how Elena has described the notes with a cafe atmosphere. If at all I would be game for a gourmand fragrance this would qualify as I love coffee. Also I like the concept/theme of Akro related to addictions. This sampler draw would be great way to get into this house. Reader from Los Angeles, CA

  • Elevating sipping coffee to a social ritual with friends – the emphasis in Elena’s review of Akro Awake on the social, togetherness aspect of this ritual is what appealed to me most in Elena’s review. Especially in these times of “physical distancing”, coffee ritual can at least bring us socially close, maybe over a video or a phone chat. Reminding us of cafes, of chats with friends, and strangers maybe soon to be friends, images from a far-ff world that we can almost reach out and touch, but can’t. At least the good memories via coffee and coffee-like fragrances can keep the hope alive. Unfortunately not yet tried any of Akro fragrances. Thanks much for the draw – please stay safe and enjoy the coffees and your favorite perfumes. Writing from USA.

  • Michael Prince says:

    Elena, Akro Awake sounds like an amazing coffee fragrance with a gourmand touch without being overly sweet. This sounds perfect to me. My favorite Akro Fragrance that I have tried is Dark. I am from the USA.

  • rayleighblue says:

    I’m not a regular coffee drinker, but your review makes me long for the delicious smell of brewing coffee and the atmosphere of an easy going cafe! I’ve been on the hunt for a non-toothache inducing coffee fragrance and this is going right to the top of my try list. Haven’t sampled the Akro line yet, but it’s been percolating on my try list for a while!

  • what a great idea, as coffee is half fragrance, isn’t? i like the description “after the ristretto evolved in cafe-au-lait, a warm feeling of reassuring vetiver woodiness”. i have my fav akro fragrance now…

  • There is a connection with our Memories and scents as shown in her review. Coffee is powerful because it is for many a must to get a day started. I have not tried anything from this line. I live in CA, USA.

  • I liked the running comparison of how perfume and coffee can evoke similar feelings and bring people together. I haven’t tried this line, but would like to. I live in the USA.