Kewda Flower - (Pandanus Odoratissimus) in Natural Perfumes - Admire From a Distance

Certain things must be admired from a distance.  Tigers, for example.  Or that certain boy from high school whom looked beautiful across the room but upon closer inspection had the complexion of a Domino's, um, never mind.  Kewda blossom is this way.  

But before I explain, a bit of background: pandanus odoratissimus comes from India.  Everything about this tree says keep out, from its dense aerials roots to its long spiky leaves studded with needles that surrounded each of the white dagger-like flowers like barbed wire.  Human curiosity being what it is, someone had to go smell it (probably the patent holder for the Band-Aid) and the rest is history.

Pandanus odoratissimus, a thorny situation

The Indians use kewda in attars (often extracted into sandalwood oil) in scenting personal effects like clothing and soap.  Aruveydic physicians prescribe kewda as an antispasmodic and a stimulant, useful for treating conditions of the skin.  Several cultures in addition to Indians use the pandanus leaf to flavor food, particularly sweets.  I personally associate pandanus with sticky coconut rice I get at my favorite Thai dive.

My first order of kewda absolute arrived last week.  I couldn't wait to smell it.  And now I shall refer you back to my earlier point (certain things must be admired from a distance).  The scent, like a bathrobed housewife, creeps up, then smacks you on the back of your head with a slipper.  For me, the smell called to mind honey, red vine licorice, rotting bananas, rice, and the jungle.  I couldn't wait to experiment. 

The advice I'd been given when working with indolic kewda is to evaluate it in dilution, which I learned is code for "don't put your nose to close to it."  I figure that such a powerful fragrance requires taming with something herbal, green, and/or zesty.  I'm thinking coriander, sage, lime.  Maybe I'll see how it works in synergy with another floral like rose, or ylang ylang extra.  Sometimes stronger florals work better when they they share the stage with other florals.  I'm also curious to see how kewda will behave with lavender absolute, a green floral that adds a certain butteriness to perfume.  If that doesn't work out, I might try taking my kewda in another direction - gourmand - given its usage in the food industry.  Green tea.  Vanilla.  

Will report on results soon!

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