Pepper: the flame of perfumery
I am not just a culinary spice, I am an energy that transcends centuries and aromas. Earthy, warm, vibrant, I know how to awaken and surprise.
BLACK PEPPER ESSENTIAL OIL PROFILE
Botanical name: Piper nigrum
Family: Piperaceae
Sex: Male
Origin: Asia (foothills of the Himalayas and Malabar Coast, in the southwest of the Indian peninsula)
Origin: Madagascar
Size: 8 to 10 meters
Part distilled and used: dried and crushed mature berries
Extraction type: steam distillation
Colour and appearance of the essential oil: colourless to light greenish or light bluish, liquid and clear.
Chemotype: Alpha-Pinene - Beta-Caryophyllene - Limonene - Delta-3-carene…
I'M LOVED FOR…
My spicy, woody, warm, dry and pungent trail develops a slightly herbaceous, clove and resinous facet, close to incense.
AND I LIKE
Tropical and humid climates, and as a climbing vine, I need a support, tree or stem, to develop and flourish.
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS
I am a perennial shrub with leathery, intensely green leaves and a characteristic heart-shaped or spike-shaped network of veins, depending on the interpretation! My sessile white flowers - directly inserted on the axis and without a peduncle - are grouped in long spikes forming small peppercorns.
CULTURE SEQUENCE
The name Black Pepper, Piper nigrum, comes from the Sanskrit word Pippali, which became piper in Latin. According to the Greek philosopher Theophrastus, it has been known since the 4th century BC as Peperi. It is even said that Cleopatra won the hearts of Julius Caesar by seasoning his dishes with its aphrodisiac properties. And for several centuries, the wealth of nobles was measured by the amount of pepper they possessed.
Pepper in 19th-century oriental perfumes: I was often found in the first oriental colognes and men's fragrances of the time, where I served to give a piquant and elegant vivacity to woody and aromatic compositions. I was that little spark that made the wood and leather notes vibrate, without ever stealing the show.
The journeys of pepper and perfumery: In the 18th century, the houses of Grasse imported my peppercorns from India and trading posts in Asia to experiment with new compositions. It is said that some perfumers placed whole peppercorns in stills to test the diffusion of my notes in macerations of flowers and resins.
GOOD TO KNOW
It is important to distinguish between true peppers and false ones. Only the fruits of Piper nigrum (which produces green, white, or black pepper), tailed pepper (Piper cubeba, also known as cubeb, cubèche, embèbe, or Java pepper), Kissiou pepper (characterized by its round grains with small tails), and long pepper (Piper longum, which is nearly extinct) truly deserve the name "pepper." All come from the same plant, and their different colors are due to their degree of ripeness, scalding, and drying. On the other hand, all other names refer to false peppers: from Sichuan pepper to pink peppercorns, including those from Réunion and Jamaica, not forgetting Guinea pepper and even the pepper that was once placed in monks' beds to curb their sexual desires!
A WORD FROM JEAN-CHARLES SOMMERARD
"Infused with pepper essential oil, the CHERRY HARLEY fragrance takes on a breath of audacity, gaining in ardor, active energy and vital acceleration. It spiritually merges with incense to unleash its charisma."
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