Scent Name: Kubla Khan
Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Bewitching Brews
Scent Description and Notes: “
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round:
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.
But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted
Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!
A savage place! as holy and enchanted
As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover!
And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,
As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing,
A mighty fountain momently was forced:
Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst
Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail,
Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher’s flail:
And ‘mid these dancing rocks at once and ever
It flung up momently the sacred river.
Five miles meandering with a mazy motion
Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,
Then reached the caverns measureless to man,
And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean:
And ‘mid this tumult Kubla heard from far
Ancestral voices prophesying war!
The shadow of the dome of pleasure
Floated midway on the waves;
Where was heard the mingled measure
From the fountain and the caves.
It was a miracle of rare device,
A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!
A damsel with a dulcimer
In a vision once I saw:
It was an Abyssinian maid,
And on her dulcimer she played,
Singing of Mount Abora.
Could I revive within me
Her symphony and song,
To such a deep delight ‘twould win me
That with music loud and long
I would build that dome in air,
That sunny dome! those caves of ice!
And all who heard should see them there,
And all should cry, Beware! Beware!
His flashing eyes, his floating hair!
Weave a circle round him thrice,
And close your eyes with holy dread,
For he on honey-dew hath fed
And drunk the milk of Paradise.
Through sunlit caves of ice, roses unfurl amidst dancing waves of serpentine opium smoke and amber tobacco, golden sandalwood, champaca, tea leaf, sugared lily, ginger, rich hay absolute, leather, dark vanilla, mandarin, peru balsam, and Moroccan jasmine.” – https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/bewitching-brews/kubla-khan/
Oil Color: A very faint peach wine color.
Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). The label wrapped around the bottle features an Art-Deco inspired phoenix with name of the company next to the phoenix. On the other side, the title of the scent written in large, clear black font outlined with red on the front.
Scent:
- ITI: Mmm, that is delicious. Dark vanilla and sugared lily practically embrace the sweet mandarin, while the champaca, amber, and sandalwood festoon a resinous veil over the scent. There’s a touch of hay absolute the more I try to concentrate on the scent, but I’m surprised I’m not getting any jasmine or balsam.
- Wet: The hay absolute is much clearer on my skin while the mandarin steps back to allow the Moroccan jasmine and ginger to take over. Sugared lily still abounds and champaca still reigns true, but the opium, tobacco, amber, and sandalwood are lost under the notes my skin tends to amp (I’m looking at you, jasmine).
- Dry: What’s left after a full day of running around is a nice blend of vanilla, a hint of sugar, and just a whiff of faded opium smoke. I really enjoyed all phases of this scent, so in the “to buy” list it goes.
Other Impressions: None.
