Guerlain Iris Torrefie is the newest entry from the La Matiere line in 2020, created by Delphine Jelk, inspired by the cafes of Paris. Notes of cardamom, bergamot, coffee, iris, ambrette, vanilla, amber, tea and leather.
Those of you hoping for a redone Guerlain Iris Ganache, pump the brakes, this isn’t it. I’m still hoping too, although I sort think there are only ten of us.
I’m trying to place this in the pantheon of iris scents – it’s less gourmand than I thought it would be, which isn’t a bad thing at all. It’s got a more tea-infused open, with the iris being more of the rooty side of iris. I get some coffee on the open, and that sticks around for a while, and I really like this part. There is zero sweet, it is just a nice, dry iris. I keep trying to plop it over in Hermes Hiris, maybe Dior Homme? That’s not it really either. Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist, but it’s not that cold and not that rooty, but it does have that charming little spice note in the drydown, below the iris.
It’s like in between the iris things, which is excellent because I don’t think I have anything like it.
It surprised me, being placed in the Matiere line. I think of Matieres as being more gourmand, more vanilla, but in the drydown, some of the vanilla does assert itself, taking it a little bit in that direction, but I wouldn’t place this at all as a gourmand.
Overall, I really did like it, maybe love it. It is quieter and needs more time to develop, and I haven’t yet decided if it’s love.
So if you try Guerlain Iris Torrefie, make sure to set aside your more gourmet Iris Ganache expectations – for good or ill. They just won’t serve you well. This is something else. A slighty rooty lightly spiced coffee/tea served with milk iris.
Winners of the Guerlain Black Perfecto – Troy, Queen Cupcake and Sarah Patton. Just click on the Drop Us a Note at the top, send me your mailing address and remind me what you won, and I’ll get it out to you.
Will be giving out two samples of Guerlain Iris Torrefie. Just drop a comment to be entered in the drawing! Favorite La Matiere, or do you hate them/find them not for you at all/love them, but yet to find a fave?
I received my 2ml sample of Iris Torrefie today. Not liking the opening, which smells like vinyl sheet fresh from the factory. Fortunately, it changes to a pleasant, dry floral. Stays close to the skin. I think I will stick to the old, vintage Guerlains that I love. Anyone care to swap?
Very interested in this release, as I do enjoy some iris scents. And the totreife in the name sounds appealing.
Haven’t tried much from the Les Matierez collection. Every now and then I’ve spritzed one or the other on to a blogger in the shop but nothing ever graduated to the skin…
Just now reading this, and I’m very intrigued! I love iris — one of my two favorite notes. I’m fine with it not being as sweet as Iris Ganache since that one was too sweet for me. Eager to test this!
I’ve worn Guerlain fragrances since I was a teenager but I’ve never smelt anything from the La Matiere line. I’m going to start!
I would be among those wishing Iris Ganache would come back. But my favorite is probably Cuir Beluga. Thanks for the drawing!
Iris Ganache was back briefly, in a vat for a few grand. I cried. No way. But I kept thinking about it and my wallet insisted there was no money in there. 🙂
My favorite favorite is Cuir Beluga followed by Angelique Noir. I’m not an iris fan but maybe this is iris for non iris ppl??
Maybe. It’s got a weird slot in between a lot of iris things. I f you don’t like cold or powdery irises, it could work. Or you just may not love iris in anything. 🙂
you know I LOVE a dry, rooty iris (you taught me, via Xerjoff Irisss and that spiiiider). Iris Silver Mist. Hiris. Mythique. Alladem rooty buggers.
This doesn’t sound like me at all.
Now. Watch me fall deeply and thoroughly in love with it.
xoxoxo
Nope, those are your iris lane, and this just won’t drive there at all. It’s there slightly, but not like those guys at all! Mythique, I would give anything for Parfums DelRae to come back. Maybe they will? Frapin came back! And mabe Gobin-Daude perfumes will rise from their moldering grave in their original formulas and be at every CVS checkout stand!
After that intriguing description you have piqued my curiosity. How cozy it seems!
It was really nice. I’m still having trouble placing it because I always do sweet iris and cold rooty monster. It could be more like one of the Armani Iris scents, I didn’t go sniff that one for comparison.
I do like them but they are out of my price range at the moment. This one sounds right up my alley. I also love Iris Ganache. Great review.
And they seem to be disappearing too. As does Apres L’ondee. Is it an ingredient? bois d’Armenie, is that one discontinued and SDV? I keep finding things hard to get ahold of,. and I’m not sure if they are gone gone or just temporarily hard to get like Indult Tihota.
I haven’t sampled Guerlain Iris Torrefie yet; however, I generally enjoy Iris note and am a Guerlain perfume fan. I’ve only sampled Spiritueuse Double Vanille and Iris Ganache from the La Matiere line, both gorgeous.
Iris Ganache. I’m thrilled that there are more people than I remember loving it back then that do love it. I used to think there were four of us maybe six. yeah! I wish it came back. it was such a beauty.
Yay! I won some Black Perfecto! Thank you.
The Iris Torrefie sounds so interesting, I will put that on my list to try; it sounds like something I would like.
I agree with Tara C–I have so many perfumes now that I am not so concerned about longevity. 🙂
Hope your doggie is doing better! XOX
Longevity! OMG, I want it to wear off so I can smell something else! Anya is doing great, she’s actually better than she was before she re-injured, so weird. She’s running more and chasing Louis around. I think something isn’t as stiff, not that she’s less of a drunken sailor, but a pretty nimble one with one leg only working every other stride.
I learned a new word! Trying to figure out “torrefie” and why it’s in the name of the perfume, off to google I went … to torrify something is to bake/heat/season it in a slow, controlled fashion, everything from wood used for musical instruments (bake off impurities and stabilize/age it) to biomass (make it more fuel efficient). The Vikings used torrefied wood in shipbuilding to make the ships lighter and the wood less prone to swelling/shrinking when moved in and out of water.
baked iris? That actually sounds pretty close, honestly. Compacted iris, simmered down to embers.
With the tonnage of ‘fumes I already have, the Guerlain Matieres have not been on my radar. I’m not a gourmand fan. This would be a nice, novel try.
How is your pup doing, Patty? Still rehabbing?
She is! I just answer above. She walking and running. She came off of crate rest like 4-6 weeks ago. and lately she is just running and chasing Louis everywhere outdoors. She seems less stiff now, maybe it’s the summer? I’m just letting her dog. I never know when something will happen again, and she is so happy when she’s playing, and the running will help her rebuild some muscle too.
I had the good fortune of finding this at Holt Renfrew Ogilvy in Montréal two weeks ago and bought it on the spot. It really surprised me with the lack of sweetness and Patty has described it well. It’s delicate and subtle, but I get the dry iris and coffee as promised. Some have complained about lack of sillage & longevity but I’m not troubled, considering the excessive amount of perfume I own. A unique smell makes it worthwhile.
I’m glad i got it right. it was a tough one to try and describe, and I wasn’t always figuring it out. I put it on again every couple of days to puzzle it out, which is a good thing because it interests me. I have others in the line I love more, but they are super easy to wear. I like the ones that make me think some.
I haven’t tried any from this particular Guerlain line and loathe gourmand fragrances…. this one sounds interesting.
Well, this is the Guerlain La Matiere to try, it is deffo the ungourmand one! A couple of the others are too, but they are more vanilla than this one IT.
OOOOH! Still awaiting its arrival in Oz. Even more excited now. Love the sound of this Patty,
Portia xx
How much longer does it take for you to get them in a release? I”m still waiting for shipments from France of perfume, they got stuck in customs for a month. The mail/customs has been maddening. Some things go sailing through, and other things just seem to disappear for weeks and months and may or may not resurface.
Ah! I’d love to try this one. I LOVE the Matière series. I have travel sprays of Néroli Outrenoir, Bois d’Arménie, and Cuir Beluga from a wonderful trip to Paris (my first time going to Paris while having a job! and therefore money!). If I could have, I would’ve bought the rest of them in travel spray format, too. But I think my favorite is Bois d’Arménie. Maybe I ought to wear it more.
Is Bois d’Armenie being discontinued? It is almost impossible to find, but I am thinking it may just be in a shortage due to some ingredients being in short supply, like vanilla. I do love this line, it has a very polished, easy to wear feel that is hard to even pretend to hate. 🙂
I’m intrigued! Love the metallic chill of Serge’s ISM, haven’t tried any of the Guerlain Matieres yet…
It’s not like ISM at all, except that spice note that is hidden in there like it is in ISM. But it has a different kind of charm!