Cardamom - Elettaria Cardamomum (Zingiberaceae)

Cleopatra’s perfume put a spell on Mark Anthony, with a scent whose projection announced her arrival before she ever entered a room. And while there were many different styles of perfume in Egypt, Mendesian, as it was called, was the most sought-after and the signature scent of Thea Neotera. Made with a base of balanos oilinstead of alcohol, its formula contained myrrh, cassia, pine resin, and even cardamom.

Cardamom was the scent of seduction to Egyptians and many early civilizations.

Cardamom costs more than any other spice besides Saffron and Vanilla, even though it is so widespread across Southern Cambodia; there is an entire mountain range, with some of South Asia’s most pristine rainforests, called the Cardamom Mountains. Like other spices, the high cost of cardamom comes down to labor and resources.

A fresh aromatic spice, cardamom provides glacial lift to a fragrance with an elegance missing from materials like eucalyptus or peppermint. And lasts longer, lingering through the heart of a formulation.

While most members of the Ginger family give to perfumery through their underground rhizomes, Cardamom gives us its Oil, Absolute, or CO2 extract from the seeds within the green fruit pods. Here’s a bit more on Cardamom in its Olfactory Blueprint.