Citrus is not widely associated with autumn. Except for the Etrog fruit, being a symbolic fruit during Sukkot, a Jewish fall harvest holiday. For me personally, growing in the land of citrus groves, autumn is the season of the return of citrus: the first tangerines, usually unripe, or at least green from the outside even if already juicy and sweet on the interior, are packed for the 10 o'clock snack during recess when the school begins, and the fine mist of the essential oil exploding out of the peel fills the classrooms for a refreshing aroma. It blends quite well with the cedar pencil shaving and new books' smell, come to think of it...

And of course, Etrog has a really special scent, and at times, the fruit will be brought to school for students to study and explore in the early fall. The citrus scents somehow become part of the smells of excitement: new beginnings, transition, new schools, new friends, new teachers, new backpacks (which quickly become contaminated with the stale odour of citrus fruit that was forgotten in the back for the entire week). And for me personally - another scent-memory was added to fall: the birth of my daughter (she will turn 14 years old this October!). When creating her namesake Tamya perfume, which commemorated a magic moment after her arrival back home from the hospital. It was just before sunset in the fall, and everything had that golden glow of a soft autumn sun, shining through olive groves, new wild wheat-grass after the first rain. I used yuzu, a rare Japanese citron essential oil, to give the perfume its uber-citrusy and fruity pizazz, reminiscent of the first autumn fruit that I'm so fond of.

I've been tincturing special citrus this week: Etrog, which received its own post last year; and Meyer lemons, which you can see in the above photo, and I'm tincturing for a whole other project: my New Orleans perfume (more about that later, once I complete my 4th mod).

Meyer lemons are strange fruit, as their name and shape is deceiving: their outer peel is the most fragrant and is reminiscent of yellow mandarins or the first tangerines that I've mentioned earlier. It is really quite heavenly experience to zest or peel this deep yellow fruit!

The pulp, however, takes a disappointing turn. I cannot for the life of me figure out how to use my Meyer lemons after I've peeled them off... They are too sweet for a salad dressing (though can be used in a pinch...) and a little too bland to be eaten as they are. I'm wondering if their personality might shine the most in a marmalade. but having lost the zest, I probably can't use them for that at this point... I'm sure they are full of vitamin C though, so I promise they won't got to waste. However, if you have a good Meyer lemon recipe or idea, I'd be thrilled to hear.

In the meantime, I'm grateful to have a scent that vaguely reminds me of the early tangerines in our family orchard. And I'm really looking forward to finalizing my New Orleans perfume using this precious tincture, which will be ready in exactly 3 days. So stay tuned...

Autumn Aromas Coffret is a new collection of 8 minis especially curated for fall - to ease you into the cooler months with some cozy, fuzzy autumnal scents that evoke harvest, Halloween and the falling leaves in mossy forests. Naturally, this coffret has most of our chypre perfumes, whose mossy and undergrowth base notes are most befitting for fall.

Megumi for a contemplative stroll in a mossy zen garden; Rainforest for a brisk walk in the woods; Ayalitta for it's timeless chic; Black Licorice for Halloween trick-or-treating; Schizm and Vetiver Racinettes for the mushroom-scouting season with their notes of Cèpes; Espionage and Rebellius for reminiscence of burnt leaves and old books...And last but not least - Autumn perfume is a fruity-chypre that celebrates the harvest season with notes of ripe orchard fruit.

This collection is 25% the regular price and is a great way to experience a versatile collection of scents that are perfect for every occasion in the season. They are perfect for travel - together in their elegant box set, or separately in any pocket, purse or bag.

Mushrooming, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

There seemed to be a bit of a theme going during my Fall Sale. My brand-new Vetiver bath salts got completely sold out and there were a number of orders of Schizm and Vetiver Racinettes perfumes - two quirky and rather obscure perfumes that rarely get that much attention.

Schizm is an Animalic Chypre with all the powerhouse white florals: tuberose, jasmine and orange blossom. Vetiver Racinettes, on the other hand, has no flowers whatsoever - nary a suggestion of floralness either - it's a thick concoction of vetiver roots from around the world with some tarragon and kaffir lime leaves to lift it up form the ground.

"So what do these two extremely different perfumes have in common?", you may rightfully ask... And the answer is:
Mushroooms!

Cèpes absolute, to be more exact, which is non other than the solvent extraction of Porcini mushrooms. These wild mushrooms can be harvested in the wild in Italy and also some places in North America; or found dried quite widely in grocery stores. They have a meaty texture and a robust flavour which complements beautifully dishes such as risotto con funghi, stewed, sauces, or grilled with other vegetables or roast potatoes.

The absolute extract is dark both in colour and aroma: it has a sharpness at first, reminiscent of the yeasty English Marmite spread, with an underlining rich, dark chocolate-like scent and a surprising dry down of buttery pecan nuts! But the most important aspect of it is that it has a cruelty-free animalic and carnal personality that is definitely a love it or hate it, the kind of reaction that civet and castoreum often garner.

I don't use it in perfume too often, but when I do, a little goes a long way. And I also used it in my Black Summer Truffles. In Vetiver Racinettes it adds depth and richness to the vetiver, something that would normally happen by adding floral notes and that I decidedly avoided in this perfume. In Schizm it is used as a vegetal musk type of scent - and a very dark musk at that, and along with the undergrowth note of oakmoss and the dry Virginia cedar, it is very autumnal.



Fall is mushroom-picking season in British Columbia and although this is something I'm yet to learn how to do, I find the scents of mushrooms, with its crisp, earthy strangeness and mysterious spore reproduction to be a characteristic scent of fall. The idea of roaming the forest picking rare mushrooms is both romantic and intriguing.

P.s. Those of you interested in learning more about mushrooms in Vancouver area can join the Mycology Group. Thanks to Shayne for the tip!

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