Citrus BatiKanga is as high-contrast as the intricate Indonesian and African fabric patterns for which it is named – the sour, cooling juiciness of citrus fruit clashing against the fiery heat of chili pepper and myrrh. It is a citrus fragrance, but not as you know it, Jim. The chili and cardamom take what should be cold (citrus) and warms it up from beneath, like a secret fire tucked under its peel. This adds tremendous depth and originality to a scent in a genre often overlooked and underappreciated for its relative simplicity.
Even the burst of bergamot and bitter orange is the topnotes is not as effervescent as we’ve come to expect from the citrus genre. Here, the sharp fizz of volatile topnotes is immediately subdued by the grassiness of vetiver and the haunting scent of fenugreek tea, notes that cast a gently gray-olive shade over the neon yellow of the citrus. Myrrh shows up later on, adding its slightly minty-anisic glower to the shadows of the scent, which has the effect of throwing the chili and citrus into even greater relief. If you’re looking for a fragrance that does something new with citrus, or if you crave a citrus-based fragrance complex enough to carry you far past the heat of summer, then make Citrus BatiKanga a sampling priority.