Friends, I hope you will forgive my alliteration and pun. It was either go with that and write this post, or keep (w)racking my brain for an adjective for another few days.

When planning our itinerary in Budapest, I looked up a couple of key niche perfumeries, but as we had so much else to pack into a short few days, I didn’t dig too deep. That left room to be pleasantly surprised by a few additional discoveries.

Douglas was one of them. We don’t have this chain in the United States, so I popped into one when I saw it, and was amused to find that it looked almost identical to Sephora.

Neroli was the top hit on search and identified as the first luxury perfumery in Budapest. When we got there on Friday evening, it was pretty crowded—a younger crowd, I’ll mention—whether or not it had to do with the store having a Black Friday sale on, I’m not sure. When a sales associate greeted us, I asked her if they had any Hungarian brands. They had one: Parfums Viktoria Minya. I had heard of this perfumer but not had the chance to try her creations before. The associate sprayed for me the Hedonist series—the original (jasmine and orange blossom), the iris, the rose, and the cassis; as well as Eau de Hongrie in a wine-shaped bottle as this fragrance was inspired by Tokaji Essence dessert wine. The Hedonist florals were all quite attractive, although I could smell some of the aromachemicals right away (maybe my nose latches on to what it thinks is Orris Givco, which I detected in the iris). My favorite was Hedonist Cassis, which also includes rose and greenness that kept me lifting the blotter again and again. Eau de Hongrie was a warm feminine scent, not as much like wine as I hoped, and it reminded me of something a touch vintage. Perhaps that was the immortelle providing weight before reaching the heavier note medley of tonka, clove, and sandalwood.

Other customers started needing attention, and the associate left me to browse. Because most of the other brands were more easily available from the United States, I prioritized another one that wasn’t quite as accessible—the French brand Matière Première. This part is a bit of a blur for me, maybe because… crowds? I just remember that I smelled several that some of you have written about, but none made a particular impression on me in those conditions. French Flower was a very literal tuberose. Falcon Leather was a raw kind of leather, and I prefer my leathers more “processed” (like Tom Ford Tuscan Leather rather than Knize Knize Ten), so I didn’t feel that I was missing out.

Belodore, another niche perfumery, was right next door. It carried many of the same brands, but the atmosphere was immediately calmer and cozier in the minimalist interior with soft lighting. The staff were friendly but laid back and let me explore freely.

I got to handle Caron’s new bottles for the first time—the ring on the cap is a nice touch, and some interesting visual effects can be created by stacking bottles with different colors of liquid inside. The fragrance I had been most curious about was Tabac Blond, as I love tobacco absolute and florals are a natural pairing to the note. However, it turned out not to be my cup of tea at all… looking at the listed notes now, perhaps it was the carnation and clove in the mix that put me off, although I did not perceive them specifically.

On my way out, I passed a row of Edeniste bottles. I tried Dream and Rose Délice—both were delicate, powdery florals that felt more like a soothing lotion or soap than a perfume.

This street, Régi posta utca, featured 2 other perfume shops that I didn’t know about before: Rasayel Oud and Violet OD Perfumes. As my other half put it, “You found Perfume Row!” Also worth pointing out is Kaczián, a family-owned store specializing in handmade neckties.

At the risk of disappointing you, I shall confess that I did not go in to these stores, not least because I also wanted to visit some clothing shops before our dinner reservation. Let me make it up to you by telling you:

The next morning, we made a special trip to Cherry Garden. The closer of 2 locations to us was at Erzsébet körút.

I wanted to go there especially because I was looking for Hungarian perfume brands, and knew they carried one called Terra Hungaria. I didn’t know I’d be in for such a visual treat in the space itself—among the most beautiful perfumeries I’ve seen so far, expansive with a very high ceiling and a mezzanine, and plenty of natural light.

We were greeted by a sales associate and a girl who looked around 12 years old. Once I registered that she wasn’t a customer but informally learning and helping out on a Saturday, I got a warm feeling of pride for her—how lovely to be a young perfumista in training!

What I hadn’t expected was that I would not be allowed to touch any bottles, but had to ask for anything I wanted to be sprayed for me. We (by that I really mean I, but my other half was a good sport) were the only customers so they were extremely attentive, which I appreciated, but it also made me a little nervous at first.

I asked about Terra Hungaria, and we were led up to the mezzanine. These fragrances are created by perfumer Csaba Bálint and feature essential oils grown and distilled in the Carpathian Basin, although the perfumes are mixed media. After Rain was pretty true to its name, with green, watery notes as well as prominent hay and earthy notes—this is wet ground in nature, not the asphalt jungle. Matyo, a tribute to the colorful, traditional embroidery, was a feminine, creamy white floral amber vanilla—Matyo Pure even more so, richer and darker.

Kalocsá and Kunság both feature poppy; Kalocsá was more fruity, with raspberry and plum leading into watery florals and a dense, complex base, while Kunság was more woody, becoming dry and powdery, highlighting the cold “stone” note with a persistent presence of ylang-ylang and jasmine. I found Kalocsá most intriguing and tried it on my wrist. It was somehow familiar, but I couldn’t place it until my other half declared, “Fenugreek.” That’s mostly what I smelled for the rest of the day—not maple syrup, but the herbal aspect of it. I’m not sure what notes are blending to achieve this alchemy, as fenugreek is nowhere to be found in relation to this perfume!

I let visuals guide me for the rest of the exploration as I couldn’t remember all the perfumes I’d made a mental note to smell now that I was spoiled for choice. The Unleashed Apothecary Tonkin Tonka 2 caught my eye, and as I was staring at the bottle capped with what looked like molded clay, the associate offered to spray it for me. This extrait contained real Tonkin musk and a tonka bean tincture, she told me. I was instantly captivated, and asked how they got the deer musk; she didn’t know either. The scent was furry, but this was ironically most likely from the coumarin in the tonka and not the animal ingredient. With other notes including rhubarb, fir balsam, tobacco, cedar, frangipani, and benzoin, this was a kaleidoscopic, complex gourmand that would suit winter festivities.

Back downstairs, I asked if they had any other Hungarian brands and was introduced to Philly & Phill, a “half Hungarian, half German” husband-and-wife team based in Munich, and also Parfums de Gabor, created by Hungarian perfumer Gabriel Gabor who is based in France. Darling seems to be the most popular perfume from this brand, a floral, woody gourmand that’s quite personable and seductive with warm spicy notes and no surprises.

This visit was also my first encounter with the French brand Roos & Roos, and I liked several of their dark-note offerings such as Purple Leather, Smoke and Mirrors, and Oud Vibration.

I must commend Cherry Garden for their excellent customer service—the associate or her young assistant wrote the name of each perfume they sprayed on the blotter and placed the ones I wanted to keep in plastic sleeves, each of which was stapled in the middle to accommodate 2 blotters and keep them separate. I didn’t store most of what I tried this way because I wanted to save plastic and also, I’m used to walking on the street holding a large fan of strips!

Unfortunately, they did not have discovery sets for Terra Hungaria, but I was able to buy ones of Philly & Phill and an Australian brand I didn’t know before, Mihan Aromatics. Even better, their Black Friday sale was still on at 20% off!

Our next destination was a 40-minute ride on the H5 suburban train northbound, the artists’ village Szentendre. It was a quaint and touristy mix of art galleries in colorful buildings and souvenir shops selling mostly the same items found in Budapest. We found 2-3 hours quite adequate to spend there, including a nice lunch and a visit to the Ferenczy Museum showing 20th-century and contemporary art exhibitions.

Back in Budapest, we visited the Pálinka Museum to learn about and taste the Hungarian fruit spirit, pálinka. It’s usually distilled from plums, but a variety of other fruits, such as blackcurrant and apricot, are also used and confer the flavor and aroma quite strongly.

I was thrilled that the museum had a sniffing component, although the idea surpassed the execution—while the center bottle smelled faintly like prunes, I could barely detect any scent from the others.

After a tasting, I chose a small bottle of apricot pálinka (apparently “a tourist favorite” flavor) to bring home.

I was sad when the trip was over, but coming across a standalone niche perfumery at the Budapest Airport helped soften the letdown! Obsentum carries brands for whom I’m probably not the general target audience, such as Tiziana Terenzi, Xerjoff, Casamorati, Parfums de Marly, Initio, Mancera, and Montale, but I got to know a few of these better as they let me browse on my own.

The paper flowers inside little bells were an attractive way to test the perfumes.

Mancera Gold Prestigium I liked enough to spray on a blotter and carry around with me. It starts off with a bright, dewy rose, which soon melds with creamy vanilla and keeps its shape as a powerhouse rose-vanilla on a woody-musky base for eternity… at least now, 11 days later, it’s still going strong on the scent strip, though I have to hold it close to my nose to smell it.

I hope you’ve enjoyed sniffing along with me, and I’ll report on some of the samples I bought later.

A következő alkalomig—until next time!