Pistachio

A whole lotta Photoshop, a tiny bit of AI

The number of pistachio scents on the market right now is rather incredible. I have always loved the brat-green nuts and remember when they used red dye to hide the mottled markings created by the drying process on the naturally beige shells. There was no sneaking a pistachio snack in those days, as brightly stained fingers and lips were always a dead giveaway. 

Eating pistachios is as much about texture as it is about flavor. Pistachio nutmeats are generally rather small, about the size of a pinky nail. They are not hard or crisp, like an almond, pecan, walnut, or most any other nut, but give fairly easily under the pressure of a tooth. Maybe crunchy-tender is a good way to put it? Pistachios also have a thin woody membrane on the outside of the nutmeat that sometimes comes off when when the shell is removed...but mostly doesn't. Under this fine bark hides the glorious green color of the nut. The flavor of pistachios is a bit harder to pin down. They are both savory and vaguely sweet, buttery, green, and, well, nutty. They are one of my favorite nuts, and the idea of a pistachio-scented perfume turns me on. If only there was one that actually did smell of pistachio! 

D.S. & Durga Pistachio
Pistachio, Cardamom, More Pistachio, Roasted Almond, Even More Pistachio, Patchouli, Vanilla Creme

I am sitting here right now, absolutely drenched in D.S. & Durga Pistachio. I did a bit of an overspray this morning in order to really smell this stuff. It's a giant cloud hovering around me, full of honey and creamy vanilla. There's also a gorgeous whiff of patchouli, which, to be honest, is my favorite part of this fragrance and what puts it above all of the other pistachio fragrances I've smelled thus far. 

From my experience, pistachio perfumes tend to be quite sweet, and this one is no exception. I have a bowl of them next to me, and their smell is very distinct. While the nuts do have a light sweetness about them, they are also a little green, a little woody, a little savory. The flavor is all of that plus buttery-ness. A well-toasted almond might be the closest thing to a pistachio, but it's still worlds away. While D.S. & Durga Pistachio lists the nut in the top, middle, and base notes, I don't find that it smells particularly of pistachio, particularly in the first hour or so when a sticky honey-like note feels particularly in-my-face. This is why this fragrance needs such an assertive patchouli note: it cuts through the sweetness and stands in for the savory quality that pistachios possess. 

I have never smelled natural pistachio extract, or whatever natural or man-made pistachio notes are available to perfumers. Perhaps it is a bit like almond extract, which has a distinctive smell that is recognized as almond, but doesn't actually smell the way almond nutmeats smell. Or like cherry flavoring, which doesn't taste of actual cherries, but like cheap maraschino cocktail cherries (which taste rather like almond extract). We have been conditioned by years of cherry-flavored sweets like Lifesavers--and cocktail cherries--so we recognize that particular flavor as "cherry," but not actually cherry. The idea of cherry.

It's possible Pistachio smells like these perfumery ingredients, the idea of pistachio. I don't know. All I do know is that I do very much like this fragrance, whether or not it actually smells like the nut in question. My husband thinks it does, so what do I know? I'd say this fragrance smelled more like a bowl of rich vanilla French buttercream, drizzled with honey, and topped with a smattering of chopped nutmeats. And a good slug of earthy patchouli, which means it doesn't adhere to my definition of a "gourmand" fragrance, though some might categorize it thusly. No matter--I like it enough to have purchased a big bottle, and I plan to use it frequently during the cooler months.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.