On November 2, 2017, olfactive director François Duquesne and perfumer Ralf Schwieger visited Fumerie Parfumerie to talk about Aedes de Venustas and perfumery in general. It's been about nine months since the event and I finally got around to editing the photos; I went ahead and chose the four best shots. Enjoy!

Photos from An Evening with Andy Tauer

André Gooren · November 25, 2016

Andy Tauer stopped by Fumerie on November 18th to debut his newest fragrance, Hyacinth and a Mechanic, and to chat with his Portland-area fans. Over the course of the evening, he discussed the modest beginnings of the Tauer line, the release of his now-iconic fragrance L'Air du Désert Marocain, his overnight success and the impact of Tania Sanchez's 5-star review in Perfumes: The A-Z Guide.

One of the most exciting parts of the evening was the unveiling of Andy's newest fragrance, Hyacinth and a Mechanic. The fragrance is a daring combination of hyacinth, lilac, muguet, leather and petroleum and presented as a 100 ml eau de toilette. Hyacinth and a Mechanic is the first release of a new collection, Tauerville: Stories. Andy released the fragrance specifically for the event and currently has no plans to offer the scent as a regular part of his line.

Attendees were also afforded the unique opportunity to purchase Andy's vaulted fragrances that are normally available only in Switzerland or through the Tauer website.

You can check out photos of the event below. We would like to extend a special thank you to Kat Butler who was kind enough to document the event for us.

Exploring Ancient Resins

André Gooren · July 22, 2016

The second installment of our Notes series took place on Tuesday, July 19 and focused on ancient resins and balsams. These materials have been used in perfumery since antiquity and continue to enjoy widespread use in fragrances today. In an hour-long event hosted by Nicole Amzallag-Divine, attendees were afforded the opportunity to familiarize themselves with frankincense, myrrh, cistus labdanum and benzoin. Nicole discussed the history of these materials and their various applications over the years.

The attendees sample the various raw materials and record their impressions.

Smelling strips were dipped in diluted samples of various raw materials and placed in monclins, devices designed to provide the most accurate portrait of a scent.

Nicole describes frankincense resin is harvested from shrubs as an attendee samples the raw material.

Attendees engage with Nicole and Fumerie owner Tracy Tsefalas.

Nicole discusses the modern applications of frankincense and passes around smelling strips imbued with the aroma of fragrances that make use of the material.

An overview of the bar at Fumerie during the Ancient Resins event.

A view from behind the bar; in the foreground you can see the featured fragrances with smelling strips lined up and ready to be passed around to attendees.

In the foreground attendees record their impressions while Tracy and Nicole look on.

Fragrance Swap Recap

André Gooren · June 2, 2016

Fumerie Parfumerie hosted its first Fragrance Swap on Tuesday, May 31, 2016. The turnout was amazing and we had over one hundred fragrances available for swap. Everyone had a great time and walked away with something new. Check out these photos of the event snapped by Kat Butler and feel free to comment below.