Hi Crew, I have been pretty much out of work since Christmas due to C19 club staffing issues and the general low level of customers. One gig is still going each week, which is just enough to keep me afloat, plus Jin is still working and very generous. This is not to complain about my lot, which is so much better than many of my entertainment buddies. Just that there’s only a trickle of income. Back in November and December though it was going gangbusters. Thinking I could blow a couple of months income because we were definitely coming back first week of January was really bad planning. It did throw up some excellent buys, for really good prices on the FB Sale Docs here in Oz. One such item I blind bought (I know…. but PG and I seem to have very similar taste in fragrance) was Sambaka. The price was so good I’d PMd and bought it before real thoughts happened. I’m sure you know the deal. We’ve all done it.
Sambaka by Pierre Guillaume Paris 2020
Fragrantica gives these featured notes:
Roasted Coffee Beans, Cardamom, Ginger, Coffee Tree, Brazilian Orange
Ooooh! The familiar super sweet zing of ethyl maltol from Angel by Mugler. This time the offset is coffee instead of patchouli, but I’m surprised patchouli isn’t one of the notes because I feel like I’m smelling it too. Imagine a coffee flavoured A*Men.
Have you ever eaten those candies? They’re chocolate on the inside and caramel on the outside but they always leave a slightly bitter, very more-ish coffee like aftertaste in my mouth. BAM! That’s what I’m smelling here. They’re Jin’s Mum’s favourite candy and he buys a HUGE box of them to send to South Korea every year. Basically costs more than the GDP of a small country but apparently they are SO MUCH yummier than the ones she can get there. HA! They both get huge amounts of bragging pleasure out of the transaction. Well worth it.
So, Sambaka is a child of the Mugler fragrance renaissance. Beautifully worked. Simple. Super sweet but slightly bitter. I’m sitting in ultra humid warm night air and something as full on as Angel/A*Men would probably give me nausea. This doesn’t. A smoother ride, less of an attack, as comfortable as such a fragrance can be.
Can we also please walkabout the beautiful colour of the bottle? WOW!
Obviously, anyone can wear Sambaka. It’s got strong longevity and moderate projection. There is some story but it’s not profound. You’ll spritz and what you smell like 15 minutes later is it till fade.
I’ll be interested to see how much wear this gets.
Sound like you might like Sambaka?
Portia xx
Undina's Looking Glass 
I am a sucker for all things teal! – that bottle is indeed a gorgeous colour – and a fan of cardamom and ginger, but I am not a coffee lover. I do sympathise about the lack of work due to the pandemic – Australia and NZ seem to have had some of the harshest C-19 rules anywhere in the world, with far fewer cases than us per 100,000. I hope the punters come back soon.
LikeLike
bonkersvanessa, my last name is Teall and my daughtr’s name is Vanessa. you would fit into my family well.
LikeLike
Hey Vanessa,
One of our best friends is an aqua/teal fan too. We buy everything we see in it and give her them. She loves it but eye rolls a bit nowadays. It’s been going on for well over a decade.
Thanks. Well, I just got a call about another gig coming back mid Feb! That’s excellent news.
Our cases have been crazy. One in 12 currently has C19! Funnily, now that it’s everywhere the lockdowns are over. WEIRD!
Portia xx
LikeLike
Oh yes I would definitely like this fragrance, sounds amazing. Now I am curious about those candies too…lol
LikeLike
HA! Brigitte, you are hilarious. Did you never have a confectionary eclair? They are divine. You must find them.
Portia xx
LikeLike
You’ve created a lemming!! You know I have a terrible sweet tooth!!
LikeLike
Well, my work here is done then.
XXX
LikeLike
Ha!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gorgeous bottle! I’m sorry to hear about the lack of work, that is so stressful. You’re probably an excellent househusband, though I know you’d prefer to balance that with a job in your field. TBH, I’m not a fan of Angel,so I haven’t tried A*Men (not even sure I’ve spelled it right!). I do have some PG samples, I wonder if Sambaka is among them? You make it sound so appealing.
LikeLike
Hey there OH!
Always so good to see you pop up in comments.
If you don’t like Angel then A*Men will probably make you heave.
This is WAY less confrontational. More fun and less strident. You might even find it’s your gateway to the heavy hitter.
Portia xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful bottle. Fragrance sounds divine too. I’m no-buying for the foreseeable future – my 365 project exposed just how little I wear my favorites. My informal project for this year – wear the heck out of the best!
LikeLike
Hi MMKinPA,
That 365 project was so inspiring. Loved ever day seeing your choice and how you presented it.
“wear the heck outta the best” Seems like a great way to live all sectors of your life.
Portia xx
LikeLike
Always up for trying a new coffee fragrance! Caramel sounds like a good companion note, especially when you’ve confirmed it’s ok in heat and humidity (as I’m sitting in dry, freezing winter, lol). Enjoy!
LikeLike
Hiya Nose Prose,
HA! Well, I’m imagining it will be even more spectacular;ar in the cold. It will be like a snuggly blanket.
Portia xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s what marriage is all about, supporting each other when times are rough and reveals how strong your commitment is to one another. I will be married for 30 years in July, and I know it’s not always easy to have to carry your partner but somehow those things always pass. Sakura has been on my ‘want to try’ list since it came out, along with Morning In Tipara, Aubic Pashmina, and La Nymphe.
LikeLike
Must be post-covid brain–I meant Sambaka!
LikeLike
Hi there VerbenaLuvvr,
Yeah, you are right. It’s only been 10 years here but we have already had the tides turn and turn back for each of us. He’s a diamond.
Pierre makes good fragrance. A couple of noses I really admire don’t super love all his stuff but they do both agree that it’s beautifully created.
Portia xx
LikeLike
I’m sorry, dear Portia, about the work situation and hope that it’ll change soon. But hey… you are a family, so it is what a family is – supporting each other, including financially, even if you were just in need of some time off work, let alone when it’s not by choice.
I’m glad that you got a bottle that you enjoy now: whatever you paid for it, wouldn’t have made much of a difference now, so just enjoy it!
I haven’t tried this perfume, and from your description it could go any way: I might love or hate it, who knows? But the bottle looks gorgeous!
LikeLike
You’re so right Undina,
We have both had to take the lead financially at different times.
HA! Yes, it could go either way.
The bottle is so beautiful. It adds a whole new dimension to spritzing.
Portia xx
LikeLiked by 1 person