The brief Manuel Cross set himself for Derviche was simple – honor the famously soft green, powdery vanilla of vintage Emeraude by Coty but give it the power of one of those ambers coming out of the Middle-Eastern houses. In the end, Derviche smells very little like Emeraude but somehow features the same idea, which is to say a perfect balance struck between the tartness of citrus and the creamy sweetness of amber.
At heart, Derviche is really all about hookah. The tobacco accord here is incredibly rich, with dried cherry facets that will make you think of revani, a Turkish semolina cake soaked in a honey syrup so sweet it’s almost sharp. Unlike Ambre Narguilé by Hermes, which Derviche resembles slightly, the ambery tobacco has a little animalic kick in its tail to keep things interesting. Civet and saffron act together to form a dry, slightly funky animal leather accord, while ambergris gives the dry-down a salty-sweet muskiness that’s entrancing. If you love those big, insanely comforting old school balsamic ambers or tobaccos, then give this Derviche a whirl.
