Byzantine Bean Taffy

[Seajewel]

Hm, is it pronounced -tyne or -teen? In this instance, let’s default to –tean. An ornate, salty golden ribbon of taffy.

[feyofthefellwood]

This is weird, in a good way (IMO, anyway). Goes on with a blast of salt and vanilla bean, then goes into a chewy taffy situation, then the salty, aquatic edge comes out again as it dries down further. It's a bit like an aquatic version of Honey Taffy Smut (but without the musk or honey), or like a more gourmand Lyonesse. Definitely a Lyonesse cousin of some kind. Overall, I'd call it an aquatic/salty vanilla scent. 

[doomsday_disco]

I agree that this is weird. In the vial, I get salt water and a cherry almond vibe. On me, it's very much firmly in the aquatic realm, backed by a light sweetness, and a coolness that's slightly minty without being intense mint. Then it morphs again and while it is still primarily an aquatic on me, it also has something about it that kind of reminds me of something like skin musk?

 

I tested this after it had two days to settle. Maybe it needs more time? At the moment, I am not really thinking taffy when I smell this. But hey, at least there isn't any caramel, which I had feared.

[Beary Strange]

When this first arrived, it straight up smelled like a really dirty fishtank mixed with a boardwalk and I was horrified. Now that it's had some time to settle a bit? Sweet and salty aquatic goodness that I can't get enough of.

 

Fresh on, it's all salty seabreezes and something that smells vaguely cucumbery, warring with a super sweet, unmistakable taffy smell that I was missing when this first arrived. I can't pin down a flavor for the taffy at this stage, it's more like, all the taffy; like opening a clear variety pack of saltwater taffy and sticking your nose in the bag to huff them all.

 

It quickly becomes all about that super sweet taffy and the salt goes a bit subtle for a while. I feel like I can almost catch hints of different flavors of taffy at this point: cherry, vanilla, and maybe a smidge of banana flavoring, adding just a tiny bit of tart and bright fruitiness for a little while. At this stage, this is potentially the sweetest smelling scent I've tried. I can hang happily, but if too sweet scents aren't your thing, heads up because this is like living inside a house made entirely of tooth-achingly sweet taffy. The imagery of a king sat atop a mountain of taffies is very apt.

 

The real magic happens once this is actually dry though, when the seabreeze salt note comes back to the front and the taffy has gone back to being more vanilla/caramel taffy centered and less fruity. The seabreeze and taffy meld at this point, creating that perfect, sweet and salty aquatic goodness. Huffable, delicious, summery. I love it.

 

As a side note, I've been very not into salt notes for a while now, it tends to be heavy and kind of off-putting on me; but this seabreeze-y salt, with it's vaguely kelpy vibe,  is so good and I very much hope we get it in some more blends.

[dancingchair]

A sweet base of spiced vanilla taffy dusted with salt. The taffy isn't cloying, but it does read as candy-like to me. I think the spice leans more towards clove and incense than cinnamon and baked goods. The salt note doesn't really read as an aquatic to me. The spices are probably the strongest notes to me, but my skin tends to amp spice. I don't really get fruit at all.

 

I let this settle for a couple of weeks and now it's pretty nice!

[Little Bird]

At first, I think that this smells like a blackberry scented saltwater taffy for some reason.  Tangy, sweet, berry-like fruitiness, a creamy and chewy quality, and whiffs of vanilla and salt, but very mellow and smelling realistically like taffy.  It gives off a clean impression from the spa-like salt note, but it isn't soapy, and then has the fruity, candied, creamy qualities to round it out.  I expected some caramel from the 'golden' in the description, but there is no caramel.  As it dries down, it becomes a dry, herbal, savory type of scent that makes me think of a spice rack, like I'm smelling salt and dried herbs.  This sits very close on my skin and only lasts 1-2 hours, tops.  It's a bit odd, but I like it, though I probably wouldn't have full sized it if I'd tried a decant first.  It's not as sweet as I thought it might be.

[splendidissima]

Adding to the 'this is weird, but not bad' vote!

 

It goes on with a big waft of salt - sea breeze and ocean water. Then a vanilla sweetness comes out, so it's very...saltwater sugar vanilla, maybe a little creamy. I can see saltwater taffy, definitely, specifically, but what it *isn't* is golden or caramel or dark. It really does remind me of going to the old-fashioned sweet shop at the ocean harbor village near where I grew up, and getting a bag of assorted saltwater taffy (my dad always got a bag), and sticking my nose in and sniffing it while the breeze drifts up across the harbor.

 

It's not as sweet as I expected - it's very evenly balanced between the salt and the vanilla sugar cream, and I don't really get spice or fruit. It is a bit odd, but I like it - it feels like childhood summer to me, getting nostalgic at the seaside harbor village shops, with the old carousel and the ice-cream parlor and the kite shop and the boats bobbing up and down in the water as we walk around with old-fashioned candy.

[roseus]

Deliciously salty-sweet. It's chewy and rich, to my nose a lightly caramelized vanilla with a bit of spice. Mostly cinnamon and cardamom I think? The salt is less prominent dry, just cutting the sweetness a touch. 

[RoseThornAndOak]

Ok. Hard to explain. There's something almost cherry in this. Like salty cherry or some other fruit  but more brown in hue. There's something in here that vaguely reminds me of Phantom Calliope. It's sweet and spicy, I wouldn't be surprised if there's some sort of cinnamon or other spice in here. It fades into a vaguely sweet spiced skin scent. It's almost a buttery popcorn with some sweet cinnamon buns going on. I might need to try this again. It's odd as heck.

Edited May 7 by RoseThornAndOak