My olfactory gallery of autumnal scents cannot be imagined without quince. According to a Georgian tale, quince took all summer to decide whether it was a pear or an apple, when suddenly the chills of autumn arrived, and there it was—neither pear nor apple, neither sweet nor pretty. Yet, the scent of this fruit is unlike any other—sweet, with a honeyed undercurrent, as well as fresh with a spicy exotic note. The fragrance of quince would pervade my house when I was growing up, as my mother made her quince preserves, boiling hard pieces of fruit in sugar syrup till they released their unique fragrance and turned into rose coloured jewels. The aroma would rise up like a breeze from the exotic gardens of a faraway land.
At last, I have been able to find a way to experience the gorgeous fragrance of quince as often as I like. It is the Diptyque room spray in Coing, which means quince in French. The fragrance makes me think of ripe fruit bursting with juice surrounded by green leaves. Not only is the scent wonderful, its lasting power is amazing. In addition, Coing functions remarkably well as a personal fragrance.
Diptyque Coing is also available as a candle or as a scented burning essence. For buying information, see the listing for Diptyque under Perfume Houses.
OK…I'll have to buy this and perhaps even WEAR it ” a la Robin” as a cologne. I love the smell of quince more than any fruit (fresh AND deep) and have an espaliered quince tree (a RUSSIAN variety V) in my yard that is full of fruit this year; canning/preserving season is upon us. K
I wear it just as often as I use it as a room spray. It also layers well with smoky, leathery scents. I am jealous that you have a quince tree in your yard. I miss my mom's quince preserves.
R, I already posted, but my post isn´t shown – why? That´s the second time that this happens to me – just wanted to tell you
I never tried to use a room spray as a personal fragrance because I always thought this could maybe cause an allergic reaction on the skin…But perhaps I should just try it? The discriptions of the Diptyque room sprays sound so interesting!
It´s you, V! I just read your name above the review…so sorry for my mistake!
C, some might, but high quality room sprays should not. After all, they are formulated with ingredients that should be safe for nasal passages. I wore many without a problem.
I am so sorry — blogharbor keeps saying the commenting problems will be fixed any day now, LOL! I often get an error message the first time, repost, then find I've left two comments. Argh!
U know…this is the one Ditpyque room scent that has long been a lemming for me. Nearly bought it at aedes on two different occasions…it just has such a relaxing and comforting effect. If I recall, the ornage blossom was decent, and of course the Galliano is one of my HG scents…
Thanks for bringing some attention to this lovely aroma, V!
xox
marls
Quince has such a delicate, unusual scent. “Gelée de coing” (quince jelly – hang on, you call jelly “jello” don't you?) is delightful on a buttered piece of “baguette”, and it has the most wonderful colour; it's very often mixed with apple jelly-o, b/c it can be a little too tart.
Haven't smelled the Diptyque. Sounds good.
You are welcome, M! Quince is excellent, as other room sprays. I love the effect it has on me–comforting, just as you say.
I think that in the States, jello is a gelantin based dessert. Jelly is a type of jam (like in other English speaking countries). Quince jelly is wonderful, especially with some goal cheese. Your mention of it made me hungry.
Oh, I was wrongly advised. LOL! I've never had quince jelly with goat's milk cheese; I must try that.