John Varvatos Artisan Pure

Rodrigo Flores-Roux took the hills around Xalapa in Mexico as the brief, a region known for coffee and citrus plantations, and built a cologne structure around three different types of petitgrain. John Varvatos released Artisan Pure in 2017 as a limited edition eau de toilette, the fourth flanker to the 2009 Artisan. It has since been discontinued, which is a large part of why people still talk about it. Aromatica lists the Artisan Pure decant in Bangladesh in all four sizes.

Fragrance Notes

Top: Spanish Lemon, Valencia Orange, Calabrian Bergamot, Petitgrain

Heart: Orange Flower, Coffee Tree Flower, Jasmine, Orris, Coriander Seed, Cardamom

Base: Texan Cedarwood, Virginian Cedarwood, Primavera Wood, Angelica Root, Ambrette Seed, Tonka Bean

The Scent

The citrus in the first minutes is unusually clean and unusually loud for the price bracket. Lemon, orange and bergamot arrive together, and petitgrain gives the whole thing a green stem-and-leaf quality that keeps it from reading as juice. Ginger and a spicy lift bind the citrus to the aromatic side, and Fragrantica's own review of the launch singles out that transparency as the composition's best trick. What surprises most people is how herbal it becomes. Reviewers repeatedly say Artisan Pure is greener and more herbaceous than the note list implies, with thyme-like and marjoram-like facets emerging in the first half hour that make it feel like crushed leaves rather than peel. The coffee tree flower is not a coffee note, and anyone hoping to smell an espresso from the Xalapa concept will be disappointed. Orris runs underneath from early on and gives the heart a soft powdery weight that stops the greenness from turning astringent. The dry-down is where the three cedars and primavera wood take over, dry and pale and slightly sweet from the tonka. Several people describe a soapy freshness in the last hours and mean it as a compliment. Performance is the fragrance's known weakness and the complaint is close to universal, with owners describing top notes fading within half an hour or so and the rest sitting close to the skin. At its original price that was forgivable. As a decant it barely matters. One reviewer noted a bottle improved considerably after eight months of sitting, which is worth knowing. The other detail that comes up repeatedly is a violet leaf quality holding the citrus together, which is not listed anywhere but which several people identify independently. Reactions to it have been positive enough that the discontinuation is still resented.

When to Wear

Hot weather and daytime. Summer days, spring afternoons and office wear where a bright citrus is welcome and nothing heavier would survive. It also works on mild fall days. The Citrus collection has more in this direction.

Who Is It For

Someone who wants a well-built citrus cologne without paying niche money for it, and who does not mind reapplying. It also suits anyone who finds most summer scents either too sweet or too aggressively aquatic.

If you enjoy this style, Aqua Universalis Cologne Forte is the polished niche version of the same idea and makes an instructive comparison. Browse the Designers collection at Aromatica.

Available as an authentic decant in Bangladesh at Aromatica in 3ml, 5ml, 9ml, and 15ml.