tasting notes of summer
fragrances, beverages, songs on repeat
This newsletter is a bit of an experimental new format as I wanted to share a few of my recent favourites and weird, niche obsessions from the past few months. These are the tasting notes of the summer so far — sensory details including flavours, scents, and sounds, that, ideally evoke some feeling or experience, some elusive quality I want to share about life, lately.
In the past year or so, I’ve found myself slowly learning more and more about the world of fragrances, especially through online communities like fragrantica where people review and discuss scents and perfumes in a way that is fascinating and bizarre and honestly, prior to my developing an interest in their worldview, seemed mostly like a cult. So, maybe I’ve been indoctrinated. Now I’m starting to speak their cultish language, using words like ‘gourmand’ and ‘sillage’, and learning more about a topic that for most of my life I was completely uninterested in.
As weird as I still feel about it(and especially the weird classism that comes from a hobby people like to label as ‘luxury’ and the gross overconsumption aspect I see in a lot of corners of the community, which I am trying to avoid at all costs,) I am also having so much fun on my little fragrance journey! This was the starting point for this newsletter: what notes and fragrances am I most interested in this summer? How do they connect? What story can they tell?
I’ve also recently noticed the prevalence of niche, hyper critical, hyper specific online community, and in particular an obsession with ‘notes’, in the world of fancy coffee.
I’ve been developing my own practice of making coffee at home in the few years since I’ve been living in my own flat, and my favourite method of brewing at home is making filter coffee. And once I started to pay attention to the accoutrement associated with making filter coffee at home, I started to see it everywhere I went. All across Dublin many of the coffee shops I visit are selling fancy beans and grounds for home use, and fancy filters and drippers, and all kinds of other gadgets to make incredibly complicated coffees. There is a definite trend in how coffee grounds in particular are being sold, as it is no longer enough to describe whether its dark or medium roast, or perhaps to list a country of origin; instead coffee needs to have a detailed record of the processes of ferments or washes used to produce it and an original flavour profile that reads alarmingly like the scent notes on a bottle of gourmand perfume, elevating every coffee bean into a luxury art object and transforming the simple act of making a morning cup of coffee into a perfected consumer experience.
This confluence I’ve suddenly noticed around me of tasting/fragrance notes and the way that sensory details like these feed the imagination, encouraging consumers to create complex stories and artistic statements in our daily lives and experiences is one I cannot stop thinking about. More than anything, I think that this trend is first and foremost a sales tool, a way to rebrand ordinary consumer products(in addition to perfume bottles and coffee, this trend is also huge in skin care and other related fields at the moment - notice the surge in food and nutrition words in skin care products) for the current market, the increasing prevalence in recent years of food as a marker of luxury in fashion branding and advertising, etc. These products entice us by conjuring images of opulence, nourishment, and indulgence which our increasingly stratified, conservative culture denies us, (in particular in the diet and body obsessed world of beauty where this is most prevalent) offering an imagined alternative to real experience that can be bought.
I won’t pretend I’m immune to marketing or capitalistic propaganda: I, too, am eating all of this up. I love my pretentious coffee, my weird fragrances, all the rest of it. The sense memory magic trick of tasting notes and the stories they can tell may be illusory (and maybe a little insidious), but still, enchanting nevertheless. There’s a reason, after all, that these tricks work — memory and the senses are closely interconnected, and the power of things like smell over our recall and memory processing is well-documented. Certain flavours and scents can transport us to other places and times, tell stories, even act as artistic statements which can connect people, places, and ideas. This is a strange, troubled, but incredibly fascinating realm to explore, and the more I have begun to look for these ideas, I find new notes everywhere.
Let’s open our senses to the notes of the summer as told through aromas, tastes, and sounds…
i. Philosykos
Creator: Diptyque
Top notes: fig, fig leaf
Middle notes: coconut, green notes
Bottom notes: cedar, fig tree
This was one of the first perfumes that started me on my fragrance journey. I love the way Diptyque crafts stories through each of their scents through their creative names and the unique imagery on each of their logos, and Philosykos evokes something classical and effortlessly elegant, greek philosophy and mediterranean groves. The smell is absolutely incredible, with the centre of it being a bright, photorealistic fig scent, which along with the surrounding notes of leaves and trees, is transportive and magical.
“Milky Cake”, V60 Filter Coffee
Place of discovery: DAK, Amsterdam
Top notes: cardamom
Middle notes: pistachio
Bottom notes: vanilla cake
“Little Lamb Dragonfly”
Creator: Paul McCartney and Wings
Place of Discovery: Red Rose Speedway, 1973.
Top notes: freshly cut grass, whimsy
Middle notes: Paul McCartney in the 70s
Bottom notes: ambiguity, wistfulness
There is something heartbreakingly tender about this track that I cannot get enough of. I go through weird phases of listening to it over and over, trying to make sense of the nonsensical story it tells and the way it cycles through its different sections, moving between the plaintive ‘little lamb’ verses(“my heart is aching for you, little lamb”) into the flitting rhythms of the ‘dragonfly’ sections, the song buoyed throughout by intricate guitar lines and the ever changing conversation being led by McCartney’s voice. The story being told here is mysterious and widely debated, but I find it uninteresting to worry too much about what is being said literally and instead let the imagery evoked by little phrases and the quietly devastating chord progressions hidden throughout this song tell their own cyclical, elusive story.
ii. Dancing on the Moon
Creator: Replica by Maison Margiela
Top note: aldehydes
Middle notes: jasmine, iris, frangipani
Bottom notes: cashmeran, ambergris, musk
I have been absolutely obsessed with this scent since I first tested it. This scent is mineralic and light, with aldehydes giving the floral notes a lifted, effervescent feeling, while the bottom notes offer a mellow softness. The glittery brightness of this fragrance is unique and strangely beautiful, and just like the title suggests, you can almost feel gravity lightening its hold when you wear it. I’ve noticed from reviews that this scent has a lot of critics - some call it old lady-ish(but people say this about all white florals it seems like, which I just do not understand? sorry to the jasmine haters out there.), and others argue that the slight metallic notes can be off putting, giving it a weird chemical or plasticky smell. I can’t completely disagree with this, but I feel like these notes, which are very light, kind of work with this scent, reinforcing the sort of science fiction fantasy evoked by the idea of life on the moon and the scent of space. There’s something out of this world about this fragrance, and I find it beautifully captures a sort of retro futuristic sensibility in its olfactory storytelling that I cannot get enough of.
Matcha tonic
Place of discovery: Omma Matcha, Indigo & Cloth, and others in Dublin
Top notes: ceremonial grade matcha, green tea, earthy notes
Middle notes: effervescence; pour freshly whisked matcha over ice and tonic water/sparkling water/fizzy drink of choice
Bottom notes: this is a drink that is delicious if kept simple, but can also be endlessly modified with added flavour, different tonic or carbonated drinks(stay with me here, but it’s unbelievably good with Club Orange), etc. One of my favourite variations which I’ve seen popping up in many Dublin cafés is the addition of yuzu syrup or marmalade to give the drink a little sweetness and the tart, fragrant flavour of yuzu. Online, I’ve noticed a huge surge in the popularity of coconut water as an addition to/substitution for tonic water in this drink. The possibilities are endless.
“Cry for Me”
Creator: Magdalena Bay
Place of Discovery: Imaginal Disk, 2024.
Top notes: tears, melodrama, eerie electronics
Middle notes: ABBA inspired piano flourishes, cool synth lines, disco strings
Bottom notes: feeling diskinserted
I started listening to this song(and to the rest of the album it appears on by duo Magdalena Bay) out of the blue about two months ago and I have listened to it most days since. To me, listening to “Cry for Me” is a transcendent experience. Its complex sonic landscape engulfing and transporting the listener, from its opening chimes to its central plea (“think of love when you remember me!”) which escalates on repeat through the final chorus, while the dance goes on, the flourishes of disco and ABBA-inspired instrumentation pulling us up and up. This song is enigmatic, emotional, ecstatic, and begging to be believed: “all along, there was a story—spare me all the allegories, please.“
iii. Lavender farm & Wexford seabreeze(candles)
Place of discovery: Wexford Lavender Farm
Top notes: lavender, floral notes
Middle notes: mineralic and aquatic notes
Bottom notes: Beeswax
Last saturday we went down the coast to Wexford and spent a peaceful afternoon on a lavender farm, walking through the beautiful flowering fields, listening to the buzzing of bees, and drinking ice cold lavender lemonade in the garden of the stone farm house. In a little shop there of locally made crafts I found some lovely candles which recreated the quiet and beauty of the day, from the lavender fields of the farm to the breeze coming in from the Irish sea later that day as we walked along the strand of Brittas Bay, littered in beautiful multicoloured stones and sea glass.
Pirate Chai
Place of discovery: Highland Café, Los Angeles
Top notes: spicy iced chai latte- I find the easiest way to make this is to start with a chai concentrate(or just brew a strong chai using your preferred method). Mix with your milk of choice over ice.
Middle notes: The thing that makes this drink special is the addition of a shot of matcha(note: this is the rare drink where it doesn’t matter if your matcha is ceremonial grade since it will mix with the other tea flavours. You could also add matcha powder directly to your chai brew, depending on how you like to make it!). Adjust the chai/matcha ratio and sweeten to taste. Optionally, top with milk foam and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Bottom notes: I first tried this in LA at the Highland Café in 2017 and became obsessed with it. I don’t know why they call it pirate chai or even if anyone else calls it that, I have never seen this on the menu anywhere else, and I don’t really need to know more except that it is absolutely delicious.
“Real Thing”
Creator: Drugdealer and Weyes Blood
Place of Discovery: “Real Thing - Single”, 2025.
Top notes: Herbal notes, cardamom, orange blossom
Middle notes: rich Karen Carpenter-esque vocals, saxophone solos, soaring strings
Bottom notes: 1970s recording studio, smooth bass, true love
“The Real Thing” is a breezy love song set against a lush soundscape that showcases the Laurel Canyon influences of Michael Collins’ musical project Drugdealer. This is their second collaboration with Weyes Blood(Natalie Mering), and much like in their previous songs together, such as “Honey”, her voice really lends itself to the nostalgic 70s sound the band plays with. I think this song is really lovely and so easy to listen to time and time again—it’s the real thing.
iv. Peaches
Creator: Lush
Top notes: peach, stone fruits
Middle notes: citrus
Bottom notes: frankincense
This body spray from Lush is simple and delicious. At its core is the smell of ripe peaches, rounded out by some light citrusy notes and the subtle aroma of frankincense. Some say this smells a bit like sour candy, which I cannot disagree with, but mostly I find that it just smells really fresh and bright, making it a great, easy scent for wear or use at home.
Espresso & orange juice
Place of discovery: Fenster Café, Vienna
Top notes: A distillation of breakfast, morning sunlight, acidic notes
Middle notes: Espresso - can also be substituted for a cup of strong black coffee or cold brew for an iced variation1
Bottom notes: Orange juice - you can google how much other people use if you are scared but I like to eyeball the ratio based on the colour of the resulting drink, which should turn into a dark, muddy terra cotta, and adjust to taste.
“Everybody’s Talkin’”
Creator: Harry Nilsson/Fred Neil
Place of discovery: fan edits of Midnight Cowboy(1969)
Top notes: sunshine
Middle notes: bright guitar riffs, cowboy boot leather,
Bottom notes: a feeling of out-of-placeness, no matter where you go.
I love the energy of this song, which Nilsson covered for the film Midnight Cowboy and which plays several times throughout the film. This is a perfect song to listen to on a walk through town on a sunny day, it has a sort of frenetic, propulsive energy that pairs beautifully with the folksy sound, as he sings hopefully about “going where the weather suits my clothes,” while also giving the track character through strange little touches like his goofy vocals during an instrumental break(hwah wah waw wah hwaaa), making listening to the song a delight.
v. Apricot Privee
Creator: Phlur
Top notes: apricot, plum, cardamom
Middle notes: jasmine, peony
Bottom Notes: oud, tonka, sandalwood
If you can’t tell from both this and the previous fragrance entry, I am very fond of stone fruit scents, and this is one I find pretty unique. I got this scent as a sample and at first I absolutely hated it. It is intense and kind of overwhelming. But as the summer has gotten warmer and I’ve given it a bit more time, I’ve come to appreciate it a lot more, and I find it’s always a little different with every wear. With its mix of fruit and spice, this fragrance recalls an apricot crumble baking in the oven, the sticky sweetness of the fruit melting into a buttery spiced crust. Or, imagine walking through an apricot orchard on a hot summer day, and the smell of overripe fruit that has fallen to the ground warming in the sun underneath the trees. This scent is delicious but verges just on the edge of being disgusting and too much. Be careful lol. However, when it’s good, I think it is pretty wonderful, and when applied carefully it has really nice longevity and mellows into a much softer scent with the fruit harmonizing with sweet florals and more deep, grounded wood notes.
“Moon Safari”, V60 Filter Coffee
Place of discovery: Wide Awake Coffee, Brussels
Top notes: ground coffee
Middle notes: apricot, purple grape
Bottom notes: butter biscuit, milk chocolate
“Safe for Another Day”
Creator: Surely Shirley
Place of Discovery: single, 2025.
Top notes: sea salt, gardenia
Middle notes: storybooks, medieval revivalism, apple blossoms
Bottom notes: 60s vibes, coastal breezes, dirt
This Australian duo of twins Jenaya and Anisha Okpalanze has such a fun and nostalgic aesthetic, and I have been listening to their most recent single over and over. The video for it is delightful, with visuals calling to mind the aesthetics of films like Peau D’Ane, The Love Witch, or Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, and in particular the way that imagery from these films has proliferated on social media in the past few years, along with visual references to classic stories like The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland.
Thank you so much for reading! This was a very fun and weird little newsletter to put together, somewhere in the realm of ‘monthly favourites’ vlogs and pinterest boards and scrapbooking, and a nice way for me to think through some of the recent hobbies and ideas that have caught my attention recently. I hope you found something here which struck a chord.
I’m headed off on a summer holiday today(!!!), but cloudtopia will be back soon with more newsletters in a few weeks. Until then, why not check out some of our recent letters, like last week’s reflections on boredom and one of my favourite movies, or my recent series on art museums and spatial experience?
smell you later :-)
isobel
I used to make this cold version all the time in college when I was working on a big project and called it Brain Juice because it makes your brain work Good👍