Perfume Review: Montale Chocolate Greedy

I got no chocolate from Iris Ganache and was happy about it, because to me iris (and flowers in general) and chocolate simply do not go together. (One exception to the No Flowers Rule is Angel Lys. I find the pairing of white lilies and dark chocolate striking and pleasing.) That doesn't mean, however, that I am completely against chocolate in perfume. There are select few, like the delectable and slightly dirty Musc Maori, that I enjoy and sometimes crave. I prefer chocolate in perfume to be more or less straightforward ("just chocolate"), paired with musk, a little bit of vanilla and/or woods...but not flowers, never flowers, and preferably not fruits either. It should smell rich and creamy or even a little doughy...like a velvety chocolate drink or a luscious, moist chocolate cake. Enter Chocolate Greedy, a new scent by Montale, which smells like both.

The beginning of Chocolate Greedy contains chocolate and copious amounts of cream, it is a succulent, buttery cocktail, so thick that one is probably better off eating it with a spoon. This is my favorite stage of the scent. If I had a bottle, I would keep reapplying just to experience the scrumptuous chocolate creaminess. After a while, Chocolate Greedy becomes more doughy, as if flour was added into the cocktail turning it into cookie or cake batter. Some chocolate chips have been added to the mix too, because the fragrance smells the most chocolatty at this point. This stage is very enjoyable as well; I love the raw aspect of the batter-like accord. As the scent progresses, it acquires slight powderiness, even a somewhat cardboard-like undertone, as if the cake was a little overcooked and became too dry and crumbly. This cardboard-like quality makes Chocolate Greedy quite a bit like Compotoir Sud Pacifique's Amour de Cacao, which I have never been able to wear exactly because of its powdery, somewhat artificial, overly sweet and strangely tough doughiness. The wonderfully soft and creamy characteristic of Chocolate Greedy is what makes it wearable and appealing for me. And luckily for me, the oozy, mellow creamy feel of the top notes returns in the base and that is how the perfume stays, as a delicate, milky, sweet skin-scent.

Would I buy it? Given the Montale prices and the fact that I want to wear a chocolate scent once in a blue moon, probably not. And if, unlike me, you can wear and enjoy Amour de Cacao, you probably don't need Chocolate Greedy either.

I believe that Chocolate Greedy has not been officially released in the US yet. It can be ordered from Montale boutique in Paris, tel.: 0033 (0) 142969744. You might also want to call or email Suravi to find out whether perhaps they already have it stock.

The image is by Anne Taintor, from annetaintor.com.