For a niche gourmand perfume, Adi ale Van offers six extraits on Passion Parfum that their product pages place in the gourmand family: Cozonac, Decembrie 89, Miez, Oven Veil, Dulce plai and Coliva. A seventh, Adiere, belongs to the smoky woods family but also carries the gourmand label, thanks to a base of vanilla, tonka and cocoa. All of them are extraits, concentrated at 27 to 40%. Each one starts from a dish, a kitchen smell or a specific memory, and what sets them apart is mostly what comes with the sugar in the formula: candied fruit, spices, milk, chocolate or incense.
Seven gourmand perfumes and their families
Our product pages give each perfume a family in two or three words. It is the quickest way to place these gourmands in relation to one another before reading the notes.
- Cozonac: brioche gourmand, 40% extrait, composed by Adi ale Van.
- Decembrie 89: vanilla gourmand, 32% extrait, composed by Jimmy Bodin.
- Miez: spicy gourmand, 40% extrait, Jimmy Bodin.
- Oven Veil: chocolate gourmand, 40% extrait, Jimmy Bodin.
- Dulce plai: fruity gourmand, 30% extrait, Jimmy Bodin.
- Coliva: incense gourmand, 35% extrait, Giovanni Festa.
- Adiere: smoky amber woods, 27% extrait, Adi ale Van.
Jimmy Bodin composed four of the seven. Three reach 40%, the highest concentration in the house. Maceration runs from 8 to 13 months depending on the product page. All seven come in 50 ml and 2 ml. The story of the artist and his hand-painted bottles is told in our profile of Adi ale Van.
Cozonac and Decembrie 89, two December memories
Cozonac, the Christmas Eve brioche
Cozonac is named after the sweet bread baked in Romania for the holidays. Its tagline pins it to a precise moment: the Christmas Eve cozonac, still warm. The artist composed it himself. The product page presents it as the warm, homely counterpart to Decembrie 89.
Its top is the busiest in the series. Candied lemon, citrus zest, pear, panettone and toasted hazelnuts arrive together. The heart moves on to panna cotta, orange blossom and rum. The base is limited to two materials, Madagascar vanilla and candied fruit. Cozonac stands out for its cream and its flower: the panna cotta gives it a milky heart, and it is the only one of the seven to contain orange blossom.
40% extrait, 13 months of maceration and 3 months of maturation, stated longevity of 10 to 12 hours. The product page recommends it for winter and for evenings, and for December in particular.
Decembrie 89, the vanilla of a date
Decembrie 89 starts from the Romanian revolution of December 1989, seen through a child's eyes. The product page evokes the oranges no one could find any more, the Sunday cake and the sweet smell of a home where something had just shifted. Its tagline speaks of a freedom that smelled of cake and oranges.
The pyramid is simple. Apple, orange and lemon up top, vanilla pod and hazelnut in the heart, vanilla absolute, Madagascar vanilla and rum in the base. Vanilla appears in three forms, which makes it the most vanilla-rich of the seven. The citrus notes at the top are fresh, unlike those of Cozonac. Our article what is vanilla explains what the terms absolute and Madagascar refer to.
32% extrait, 12 months of maceration, stated longevity of 10 to 12 hours. The product page recommends it for evenings in autumn and winter, and all year round for vanilla lovers. It also describes it as the house's most popular perfume.
Miez and Oven Veil, two spiced pastries
Miez, the crumb of the cake
Miez means crumb in Romanian. Its tagline speaks of the soft inside of the cake rather than its crust. Jimmy Bodin wrote it with seven materials. Cinnamon and gingerbread open, oat flakes and hazelnuts form the heart, and chocolate, Madagascar vanilla and sugar close.
Miez stands out for its grain and its spice. The oats give a heart that the product page describes as creamy and cereal-like. The cinnamon comes with no citrus to lighten it, and Miez has the lowest freshness of the seven on our gauges, 1 out of 5. Sugar is listed by name in its pyramid, as it is in Dulce plai's.
40% extrait, 13 months of maceration and 3 months of maturation, stated longevity of 10 to 12 hours. The product page suggests it for autumn and winter, during the day.
Oven Veil, the warm air of the oven
Oven Veil starts from a single moment: the veil of heat that comes out when you open the oven. Its top is the most chocolatey in the series, with chocolate, a brownie accord, hazelnut and cherry. The heart brings together orange, pumpkin, clove and almond. The base returns to vanilla and cocoa beans.
The pumpkin and clove set it apart from Miez. Both are spicy, but Miez stays in the bakery, while Oven Veil takes on a vegetal note that its product page calls autumnal. The cherry adds some acidity at the top. For the base, the product page announces a dry, roasted cocoa without too much sugar.
40% extrait, 8 months of maceration and 2 months of maturation, stated longevity of 10 to 12 hours. Autumn and winter, day or evening.
Dulce plai, Coliva and Adiere, away from dessert
Dulce plai, the gourmand for warmer days
Dulce plai is the only one of the seven that its product page files first among the fruity perfumes. Plai refers to the gentle slope of a mountain. The tagline describes a platter of ripe fruit set on a jar of dulce de leche. Mandarin, blackberry and yuzu up top, guava, pomelo and peach in the heart, dulce de leche and sugar in the base.
The gourmand side only arrives at the end, through caramelized milk. Dulce plai has the lowest intensity in the series, 3 out of 5, and the shortest longevity, 7 to 9 hours. 30% extrait. Its product page recommends it for spring and summer, during the day. It is the house's only gourmand designed for the warm season.
Coliva, the incense gourmand
Coliva takes its name from the wheat dish prepared for Orthodox memorial services. Giovanni Festa made it an incense gourmand. Frankincense is there from the top, with licorice, absinthe, coffee and cocoa. Baked bread and orris hold the heart. Butter, vanilla and tonka bean form the base, with animalic notes and musk. It is the only one of the seven where incense plays a role, and the only one with an animalic base. 35% extrait, stated longevity of 10 to 12 hours, autumn and winter. We will soon devote a full article to it.
Adiere, gourmand in the base
Adiere belongs to the smoky amber woods family, and its product page adds the gourmand label. Its tagline speaks of a rum and cola spilled on a leather jacket, in a smoky room. The heart is made of tobacco, whisky, leather and ink. The gourmand side sits in the base, where vanilla absolute, tonka bean and cocoa mingle with smoke, patchouli and oud. 27% extrait, stated longevity of 8 to 10 hours, for evenings in autumn and winter. It will suit those who find the other six too much like pastry.
How to choose between them
The simplest way is to start from what comes with the sugar.
- For vanilla: Decembrie 89, with its three vanillas and its rum.
- For festive pastry and cream: Cozonac, between candied fruit, panna cotta and orange blossom.
- For bakery spices: Miez, cinnamon and gingerbread over oats and chocolate.
- For chocolate: Oven Veil, with pumpkin and clove on top.
- For fruit: Dulce plai, and Decembrie 89 in the top notes only.
- For incense: Coliva.
- For a gourmand hidden under tobacco and leather: Adiere.
The season also helps you decide. According to the product pages, Dulce plai is the only one designed for spring and summer. Cozonac is reserved for winter and evenings. Miez, Oven Veil, Coliva and Decembrie 89 cover autumn and winter. Miez is better suited to daytime, Oven Veil and Coliva to day or evening, Decembrie 89 rather to the evening.
If you are new to the house, Decembrie 89 remains the easiest way in, and its product page presents it that way. If you are torn between several, take two or three samples and wear each one for a full day. For the same question asked across the whole house, see our guide which Adi ale Van perfume to choose.
Wearing them without overdoing it
Extraits at 30 or 40% loaded with vanilla, sugar and chocolate get noticed quickly. All seven show a sillage of 4 out of 5 on our gauges. A few adjustments help avoid excess.
How much to apply
One or two sprays are enough for the day. At 40%, Cozonac, Miez and Oven Veil do not need reapplying, since their stated longevity is 10 to 12 hours. Aim for the base of the neck or the inside of the wrists. After an hour, you may no longer smell your perfume even though it is still there. The nose gets used to continuous smells, a phenomenon explained in our article on olfactory fatigue. Ask someone close to you before adding more.
Skin and clothing
Heat speeds up evaporation. A powerful gourmand will therefore feel more present in a heated room or in hot weather, which is one reason to keep the densest ones for the cold season. Skin type also affects longevity and the way the notes come through, as our article why a perfume smells different on every skin explains. A spray on a scarf gives a more diffuse effect, as long as you avoid silk and light-colored fabrics.
Frequently asked questions
Which Adi ale Van perfume is the most gourmand?
It depends on what you are looking for. For sweet pastry, Miez and Cozonac are the most direct. For vanilla, Decembrie 89. For chocolate, Oven Veil.
Decembrie 89 or Cozonac, which one should I choose?
Decembrie 89 is centered on vanilla, with fresh citrus and apple at the start. Cozonac is a fuller pastry, with candied citrus, panna cotta, orange blossom and candied fruit. Cozonac's product page reserves it for winter. The one for Decembrie 89 opens it up to the whole year for vanilla lovers.
Are Adi ale Van gourmand perfumes cloying?
It all comes down to your taste for sugar, and above all to the dose. These are concentrated extraits, at 30% and above for the six gourmands. A single spray is often enough. If you are wary of excess, start with Dulce plai, the least intense, or with Coliva, which its product page intends for those who want a gourmand that is more than a dessert.
Can you wear a gourmand perfume in summer?
Yes, if you choose a light gourmand and apply it sparingly. At Adi ale Van, Dulce plai is the only one its product page recommends for spring and summer. The others are suggested for autumn and winter, and heat would make them more overwhelming.
Are samples of the Adi ale Van gourmands available?
Yes. All seven perfumes in this article are offered in 2 ml on their product page. Our samples page explains how to order them, as trial sizes vary from house to house.
The seven perfumes are gathered with the rest of the house on the Adi ale Van page. To compare them with gourmands from other houses, the gourmand collection brings together those in our shop. To try before you buy, go through our samples.