Skip to main content

Evaluating Exercise ~ Black Peppers and One Pink


Pink pepper oil; Shinus molle, is an oil that is steam distilled from the fruits of a tree called the Californian pepper tree or the peruvian pepper tree. The tree grows wild in many tropical regions. The fruit was first distilled for use in the perfumery trade when there was a scarcity of black pepper oil and it was used as a substitute.
It is described by Steffan Arctander in his book Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin on page 583 as "...whose odor is fresh, woody-peppery, warm-spicy with a somewhat sharp or dry, smoky woody undertone."

Black pepper oil; Piper nigrum, is a steam distilled oil from the fruits of the black pepper vine. The vine, piper nigrum, grows wild in parts of India. Most of the fruits from the peppercorn vine are used in the food industry and only a small fraction is actually distilled for the perfumery trade. Steffan Arctander in his book Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin on page 516 and 517 describes black pepper as "surprisingly flat, somewhat dry-woody."

Another note he also makes is that "The effect in a rose base is particularly interesting".

I evaluated one sample of pink peppercorn; Shinus molle oil and 4 types of black pepper Piper nigrum oil. Here are the results of my evaluation.

Pink Pepper; Shinus molle
Steam distilled fruit
Eden Botanicals
16:05 Hot-firey, sweet & juicy, spicy with fruity undertones.
16:06 Spicy, hot, sweet but more dry.
16:34 Dry with a surprising slightly floral musky smell
16:40 Musky, dry-warm, spice
17:03 Smooth-spicy, dry

Super Black Pepper oil; Piper nigrum
Origin: India
 Steam distilled fruit
Essential Oil University
10:10 Dark, rooty, earthy, dry, hot spicy, muddy, bitter.
10:11 Spicy rooty, dry, bitter, musty.
16:35 Dry, rooty, earthy, bitter.
16:41 Dry, bitter, earthy, musty.
17:04 Bitter, earthy, musty, dry.

Black Pepper; Piper nigrum
Steam distilled fruit
Aftelier
16:13 Dry, hot, smoother than the others, milder, spicy.
16:22 Dry, smooth, spicy, woody.
16:36 Dry, spicy, slight, floral, woody, spice.
16:42 Musky, faint, woody, spice.
17:05 Faint, spice, dry.

Organic black pepper; Piper nigrum
Steam distilled fruit
Mountain Rose Herbs
16:24 Hot, licorice, spicy, sweeter, rooty.
16:27 Smooth hot spicy, rooty woody.
16:37 Licorice note still pronounced but dry and rooty overall.
16:43 Woody, mild-licorice, dry spice.
17:06 Dry, mild-licorice, spice.

Black Pepper, Piper nigrum
 Steam distilled fruit
ID Aromatics
16:28 Rich, juicy, hot, spicy, sweet, smooth, menthol undertones.
16:30 Fruity, spicy, smooth, sweet, hot.
16:38 Fruity, smooth, hot-spice.
16:45 Fruity ,smooth, spice.
16:07 Fruity, dry, spicy.

Summary: This exercise shows that there are many variances in different black pepper essential oils purchased from different companies. Only one of the oils state the country of origin on the label. The Aftelier oil fitted most closely with Artanders description. The oil from Essential Oil University was the least pleasant of them all. The most unusual one was the one from Mountain Rose Herbs, it had such a pronounced licorice note. The most pleasant dry-out notes came from the Eden Botanicals sample, it had a surprising musky dry odor.

Sources: Steffan Arctanders Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin
ISBN 0-931710-36-7 Allured Publishing Corporation
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Comparing Geraniums

First Whiff 1. Himalayan geranium: initial smell is sweet, light and floral. 2. Atlantic bourbon geranium (certified organic): initial smell is dry, floral and slightly bitter. 3, Anatolian bourbon geranium: initial smell, rounder and also dry. More floral than the Atlantic. After 2 minutes 1. Light and sweet but drying out slightly, not at all bitter. A sweet floral note. 2. Much dryer, becoming more leafy now and a green tinge coming through. 3. Also much dryer but becoming more fruity than leafy, more of a soft fruity floral. After 5 minutes 1. Is still light and now fruity floral, still more sweet than dry. 2. A distinct bitterness which is not present in the Himalayan geranium, a dry floral note. 3. No bitterness, the more fruity of the three. After 10 minutes 1. A definite citrus note coming in from nowhere, lifting this one up again, mmmmh I'm really enjoying the Himalayan geranium. 2. A softer herbal tea type note, less bitter and a little cloying compared to the Himalayan ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Working on a violet composition

There is something about violets. The little purple gems that to me represent spring. It is difficult to create a natural violet perfume composition because there is no actual violet flower absolute. There is a violet leaf absolute but it's green and dark and not a sweet delicate floral the way violets are. So...what to do? I am getting somewhere. First of all what is the profile of the perfume of violets? The notes of the flower are tender and sweet, with the complexity of the exotics like jasmine or ylang ylang. The perfume of a violet flower sort of draws you in in a beguiling way and before you know it it's imprinted on your memory never to be forgotten. As I say I am really getting somewhere. As usual getting the top notes stumped me. The question was how do I make something delicate and tender come out on top in a way that will lure a person in. Notes of carnation absolute, violet leaf and orris butter are key elements in the composition, using rose, jasmine and yla...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ambra by Steffen Arctander, Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin

A fine specimen of white ambergris from the West Coast of Ireland - Courtesy of www.celticambergris.com High quality Ambergris like this can fetch upwardly of €99 per gram Ambra , also called Ambregris or Ambergris, is a substance of animal tissue, formed in the stomach or intestine of Physeter Catodon , the cachalot whale. It is conceivable that Ambra is the result of a pathological condition caused by irritation of the whale's stomach walls due to certain indigestible particles in the whales food. Consequently, Ambra is one of the few natural perfumery raw materials which cannot be "cultivated", not even in the same way that pearls, for example, are cultivated. Pieces of Ambra are either washed ashore on various temperate ocean coasts and islands, or they are found inside the whales when these great mammals are captured for their oil (spermaceti oil). There is no particular area where Ambra can be found or searched for with regular success. The "big...
Post a Comment
Read more