This should have been a story for the Dead Letter Office series. Indult Paris released three perfumes at the beginning of 2007, Isvaraya, Manakara, and Tihota. A year later a fourth, Reve en Cuir would arrive and two years after that the brand would be out of business. The perfumes reached a sort of legendary kind of acclaim over the next few years. Then an angel appeared. One fan of the perfumes acquired the rights to the formulas and resurrected the line in 2013. Original perfumer Francis Kurkdjian ensured the new versions were identical to the original versions. All four perfumes in the collection are very good but for me there is one which stands out, Tihota.
Tihota is the word for sugar in Polynesian. M. Kurkdjian really keeps the construction simple as it is vanilla over a grouping of musks which make a skin accord. Over the years M. Kurkdjian has frequently explored multiple iterations of musk in his perfumes. Tihota is one of the rarer cases where he eschews the cleaner musks for the richer more sensual ones. This is a vanilla that also leaves behind the overly sweet versions that appeal to adolescents.
Francis Kurkdjian
M. Kurkdjian uses a rich source of vanilla and he allows it to come to life over time. This is done by adding in each musk gradually. Early on the vanilla reminds me of vanilla bean custard. As the first musks appear it becomes more vanilla sugar cookie. Once the musks form the skin accord underneath the vanilla does not remind me of dessert, it leans much more carnal in nature. Another thing about this is many vanilla perfumes can be very intense and almost cloying. Tihota does not do that. Instead it creates an aura which radiates warmth and sensuality.
Tihota has 10-12 hour longevity and average sillage.
It is very unique thing that something that fell off the radar completely has found its way back. It is even more unique to find its way back unchanged and unaltered. Everyone involved has treated these perfumes as the jewels that they are. Seek all of them out but if you are a vanilla lover start with Tihota.
Disclosure: This review based on a bottle I purchased in 2007 and a sample of the 2013 version provided by Luckyscent.
–Mark Behnke
