The Woods of Chapter One

Five of the eight Chapter One extraits rest on wood, and each puts something different there: ashen birch in 01 Before The Crown, vetiver in 02 What Remains of Summer, oud and resin in 05 Plum Beneath Snow, blonde tobacco and tonka in 07 The Last Golden Hour, and amber woods in 08 Beyond The Horizon. Fruit, citrus and tea sit over them. This essay reads the five side by side, so you can find the wood you want before you choose the bottle.

Birch and smoke: 01 Before The Crown

"The hour before everything changes." Cool pineapple and citrus are struck against smoke and ashen birch. The wood here is burnt and dry, and the fruit above it stays cool. It suits someone who wants smoke without sweetness. Before The Crown, Note by Note takes the birch and the smoke one at a time.

Vetiver under fruit: 02 What Remains of Summer

"Heat held a little longer than it should be." Ripe mango and bright pomelo, with a ginger edge, over dry amber and vetiver. Of the five, this is the one where fruit leads, and the vetiver lies underneath as a dry floor. What Remains of Summer, Note by Note follows each of its five notes.

Oud and resin: 05 Plum Beneath Snow

"Dark fruit, warm under a cold sky." Syrupy plum and spice laid over smoked oud and resin, which its description calls opulent, and a little severe. It is the darkest of the five. Oud Without the Mythology covers the material in its base, and Plum Beneath Snow, Note by Note reads the bottle itself.

Tobacco and tonka: 07 The Last Golden Hour

"The light, just before it goes." Warm amber and blonde tobacco, bitter orange against dried fruit and rum, with tonka and vanilla beneath. Seven notes are listed, more than any other bottle in the chapter, and it is the sweetest of the five. Where 05 is resin and dark fruit, 07 is tobacco and rum. The Last Golden Hour, Note by Note goes through all seven.

Amber woods under tea: 08 Beyond The Horizon

"The line where the day opens out." Bright bergamot and ginger dissolve into smoky black tea and warm amber woods. 08 closes the chapter, and here the smoke belongs to the tea. If you already wear 04 Tea Beneath Clouds, 08 is the tea fragrance with wood beneath it. Beyond The Horizon, Note by Note and How Tea Got Into Perfume go further.

Choosing between them

Read them in pairs. For smoke, 01 and 08 both carry it, 01 through birch and 08 through black tea; Three Kinds of Smoke adds 05 to the pair. For warmth, 05 and 07 sit side by side, plum and resin against tobacco and rum; Chapter One for the Colder Months reads them for autumn and winter. 02 stands on its own, with the fruit in front and the wood kept quiet. The Ambers of Chapter One reads 02, 05, 07 and 08 again by their warmth, and The Fruit of Chapter One reads the fruit above 01, 02, 05 and 07.

All five are on one page under Woody, and Find Your Fragrance sorts the whole chapter by family. Each is an extrait at 30% concentration or more, composed and made by hand by Dave Martin in La Conner, Washington. How to Wear an Extrait covers how much to apply.

If two of these are close for you, write to Dave. He answers every email himself and will tell you where he would start, for yourself or as a gift.