The opening

Akro’s Awake opens light, vibrant and airy. Coffee is certainly present, but cardamom and lemon have more of a presence than might be expected in a coffee scent.  Not overpowering, nor unpleasant, simply unexpected. Also, the aromatics are not alone; something grassy and green floats around there as well. This green note, the interplay of lemon and vetiver, acts as a medium that allows the coffee to expand into its surroundings. The light green, slightly earthy accord allows the coffee to come into its own, even providing a slight sugary edge. The coffee begins to sweeten.   

What’s moving/fascinating about the opening is that in its most nascent moments, every note is present, fully and transparently. There are only four of them. The perfume will prove to be wonderfully blended, but for now, everything can be felt. Yes, felt. This fragrance has depth. The opening feels like walking into a bakery, or coffee shop. Close your eyes and there you are, at a table just for you, pastry on the plate, nibbled at, sipping a warm cup of medium roast. 

The heart

Once the perfume settles and the individual notes begin to blend, the heavier molecules recede and patiently wait their turn. Or, not really. This is, however, the moment in the composition when the vetiver, cardamom, lemon and coffee combine to produce something else entirely. The coffee remains, virtually throughout, but also contributes to an accord that can only be described as a French Toast Fritter. It’s rich, warm, decadent, maybe even a little gooey. Gooey without being sticky though: the smell of the fritter baking, or sitting on the plate, rather than the texture.

Cardamom might be slightly sweet, and I have smelled several vetivers that also move in that direction, toward sweet, rather than earthy, deep and dark—in fact, it strikes me that in some compositions, vetiver can be very sweet, Fat Electrician, for instance. But there is nothing genuinely saccharine on its own in Awake to suggest what it will become in the dry down: no caramel, toffee, praline or other rich ingredient that gives this scent its unique profile. And yet, here we have a freshly baked good sitting alongside a cup of coffee.

How did Olivier Cresp do it with only four ingredients? It might be the case that the aromatic nature of the cardamom and lemon lift the bitterness of the coffee beyond its own capabilities. While vetiver’s role in this composition is not so straight forward as it is in other vetiver-based frags. Unlike its darker presentations, this iteration provides a depth of flavor that allows the entire structure outward expansion, rather than grounding everything in earthiness. Meanwhile, the lemon’s brightness, rather than adding flavor, keeps the composition clearly in the pastry category, light rather than heavy, the fritter not a brownie or a cookie. The spice of the cardamom also provides a lift. A lift in the same way that spices like cinnamon and nutmeg would: they are warm and elevate a mix rather than weigh it down. Awake is a genuine coffee house experience.

The base

The French toast accord eventually gives way to a semi-sweet vetiver in the base. It doesn’t so much evolve as go quiet over time. And what’s left after a rich treat washed down with a coffee, is a walk through a summer field, yet to be hayed. 

Akro’s brief for this Fragrance called for an addictive coffee fragrance. It was supposed to capture “the evocative smell of a warm coffee shop on a cold day: the freshly ground beans, the steam, the heat, and the bitter luxury” (Akrofragrances.com). Olivier Cresp (Angel, Light Blue) delivered more than just the coffee; he delivered the barista, the pastry case, and the after-glow of a morning walk through a quiet field. Not only the cup of coffee, but also the atmosphere of warm, sweet things being prepared by experienced hands, then sitting with those things on a warm veranda.

Author’s notes

I enjoyed wearing this fragrance; it was truly a unique experience. How does lemon work in a coffee fragrance, exactly? I don’t know, but it does.

The quality of the fritter is hyper-realistic. It’s not “bakery-scented”, it smells like a bakery. Gourmand fans will almost certainly fall in love with this fragrance if they like coffee scents and sweet gourmands. This frag gives both in one package. 

On the other hand, many in the modern fragrance community value “beast mode” projection and eight-plus hours longevity. These seem to be necessary entry points for many scenthusiasts nowadays. If that is what someone is looking for in this fragrance, they will likely be disappointed. Projection is good to moderate, but longevity leaves something to be desired. It was almost completely undetectable by hour four. This is not something I have a problem with as I would just reapply. But for close to $200 retail, there might be room for a genuine complaint on this one.

That being said, what Cresp was able to do with four standalone notes in this work was genuinely impressive. It is artistry, to be sure.