Paprika

We are all familiar with its distinctive scent, yet perfumery, though intrigued by spices for decades, had not known how to use it until now. Until, that is, Paprika Brasil… The name alone sets the tone!

Fragrances and spices: the fire of a powerful and carnal paprika

Paprika originates, like many chili pepper species, from South America. When colonists discovered the New World, chili peppers, though poorly distinguished from one another, were brought back to Europe in their milder forms and to the African continent in their stronger ones.

Paprika found in Spain and Iberian cuisine a land of choice, one that welcomed this both powerful and delicate flavor into many dishes. Spanish housewives even grew paprika by their windows so they could enjoy its taste all year round. Then, in the 16th century, a pepper shortage caused by the blockade of English goods led all of Europe to discover paprika, which came to be nicknamed the poor man's pepper. Today grown mainly in Africa, paprika is widely appreciated and forms an integral part of the great traditional family of spices.

Perfumery, particularly masculine perfumery, has long leaned toward natural raw materials such as spices or aromatic herbs. Today, these aromatics have even become an olfactory family in their own right! Spices such as star anise, clove, or cardamom are very much in vogue, especially in masculine fragrances. But what to do with the whole chili pepper family, of which paprika is a small part? How can this delicate, fragrant, spicy fire be showcased in a fragrance without extinguishing every other note? One house dared: Hermès created Paprika Brasil.

Paprika Brasil by Hermès: a fragrance of spices or a fragrance of legends?

As in cooking, the creator Jean-Claude Ellena knew how to distill the paprika note to show it to its best advantage. The fragrance Paprika Brasil, released in 2006 by Hermès, aims to be startling and surprising without ever becoming overpowering or suffocating. Challenge met! The green notes of this lovely floral for both men and women offer a broad opening toward violet and notes of clove and paprika, stretching into a lovely woody, floral sillage. The paprika note is thus gentle and serves mainly to heighten the floral and woody flavors of this beautiful fragrance.

Described as seductive, fiery, unexpected, Paprika Brasil offers paprika and clove to dust its floral dish with a touch of novelty! Let us hope we will have the pleasure of discovering other beautiful fragrant creations spiced with the delicate powder of the paprika note!