At Dawn, Andy Tauer Cologne du Maghreb

When I think of eau de cologne my mind doesn’t take me to Cologne in Germany, where it was invented and produced for the first time. Visions in my mind take me further to the South, they drive me to Positano and the Amalfi Coast or Côte d’Azur in France. Few years ago Andy Tauer decided to create a traditional eau de cologne with a twist. His inspiration was not one of the European beach of Mediterranean Sea, his thinking went further – to North-West Africa.

Cologne du Maghreb was originally created as a limited Holiday edition in 2011 and once it was sold out, it disappeared. By popular interest and demand, especially in the summer months, Andy decided to re-issue the scent for summer 2014. As he said in the interview I had with Andy, this year’s summertime edition is exactly the same as the one from few years ago.

Andy Tauer Perfumes Cologne du Maghreb opens, no, it bursts with a juicy concoction of various citrus fruits. First wave is the perfumed explosion of tart bergamot and lemon. They are a little bit acidic and bitter but absolutely “in plus.” These two aromas entwine with each other, giving you the immediate impression of freshness. After 10, maybe 15 minutes the initial invigorating sharpness is muted with mandarin, clementine and grapefruit. These are known as sweeter citruses and their presence is noticed immediately after they come out.

When these latter three join the opening stage of this composition, all of these yellow, green, pink and orange citrus tones create a perfect harmony of senses. Begininng of Cologne du Maghreb is very lively, energetic and very, very happy. And to be absolutely honest with you, after a little while, think 30 minutes from spraying this fragrance on skin, the aroma effusing from the top of my hand highly reminds me of nimm2 candies. I used to eat handfuls of those when I was a young boy.

Continuing the scented exploration of Cologne du Maghreb I encountered one of my favourite white flowers used in perfumery – orange blossom, Andy used a water distilled essence, which is also known as neroli. I take a deep whiff and I smell thousands of small white flowers with yellowish center. Their aroma is refreshing, clean, a little bit soapy. But there’s also an unexpected honey and wax layer to this particular note, making this cologne something much more interesting. The twist that Andy mentioned in the interview appears on my skin after an hour of wearing the composition.

The herbal part of Cologne du Maghreb seems simple, as it consists of only three different essential oils. But lets not judge the book by the cover (to say it in other words, don’t judge the perfume by the box) – it’s more complex than you think. There’s a nice portion of petit grain which adds a green and leafy texture to the overall impression given by Andy’s cologne. There’s also a bit of dusty feeling to it, similar to the one I had while smelling Eau Absolue by Mona di Orio.

Later on I could smell how lavender and clary sage join the composition. Both introduce this lovely green and herbal quality which is a little bit dry and extremely aromatic. Lavender brings a basket of light floral tones to Cologne du Maghreb compositions, making this fragrance a real cologne made of citrus, herbs and flowers. The part in which neroli and herbs play the leading role lasts for quite a long time, for 1 hour or so. During this period of time it becomes weaker and more transparent, still very pleasing and filled with joy.

The drydown comes after a little bit more than two hours since the minute the fragrance was applied. Here it gets a little bit more substantial, as what we have here is the essence of cedar from Atlas, which stands for a solid base that provides a decent lasting power. Labdanum adds a resinous note but it’s played very lightly in Cologne du Maghreb, don’t expect that it will bloom into full-fledged oriental now… Pale and sheer rose with tea undertones closes the fragrance pyramid of this scent. In this form, as a delicate and fresh skinscent, it can last for one more hour, maybe a bit more.

My impression of Cologne du Maghreb is that it smells like the first breath of air at dawn, when it’s not day yet but it’s not a night anymore. The air is cool and the surroundings wake up with first rays of the Sun. As Andy highlighted in our talk, eau de cologne is meant to refresh you and enchant you in a moment – that is exactly what this fragrance from Andy Tauer does! Cologne du Maghreb is an all-natural and all-botanical fragrance. It will be available in 50 ml square bottle made of transparent glass. Look for it at the beginning of June. This fragrance makes for a great summer companion!

[note] sample of Cologne du Maghreb was provided by Andy Tauer. Thank you Andy!