It's April when I write this- around my home I can find many flowers blossoming, bringing the sweetest of fragrances. And with this new season of flowers opening, it asks us to slow down and soften to allow to tune in to all the changes that are going on within ourselves too.
The scent of the month is Jasmine and I think this is a perfect fit for this season with all its transitions from inside to outside, from bud to bloom.
This time, I did something a little different and recorded a voice-memo. I really enjoyed adding a bits of music and adding a few stories around the material of the month. If you watch this page on your phone, you can even close the screen and listen to it as a podcast; take it on your travels, on your bicycle, listen to it while cutting carrots for dinner or smelling blooms in your neighbourhood. What an invention. :-)
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I also added a comment section right at the end of this page. If you want to, you can share your thoughts on Jasmine there. We are still a small group of around 18 members, but hopefully at one point it will be a place of lively discussion on the age old question; Sambac or Grandiflorum- or.. both!
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Hello dear ones,
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With love,
Merle
“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart.” — Helen Keller
In your box this month:
Jasmine Sambac from India, Jasmine Grandiflorum from India and Egypt.
Corresponding images, books and video's
Gajra
Natasha Thasan wearing Jasmine flowers in her hair. This type of flower garland is called Gajra. It is worn by South Asian (usually Hindu) women during festive occasions, weddings, or as part of everyday attire. Click the photo to learn how to make one.
"Mo Li Hua" (茉莉花)
A traditional Chinese song that translates to "Jasmine Flower." It's a popular folk song that originated in the Qing Dynasty and has been sung and adapted in various ways over the years.
Elizabeth Taylor, in “Cleopatra”, 1963
The constituents of Jasmine Sambac
As all natural materials, Jasmine is made up of many different kinds of molecules. Linalool leans towards a woody floral note, Benzyls play an important role in the diffusiveness of the scent. Nerolidol is quite citrussy. Eugenol is present in clove and has that warm spiced scent and cis-Jasmone is typically Jasmine, very floral.
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Each year and each supplier has its own scent profile and it might be interesting to compare the different constituents.
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Perfume - Story of a Murderer
This movie is not for the faint-hearted but is amazing if you love to see the process of scent extraction. Click the link to watch it on Netflix.
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Why Jasmine oil is so expensive
A kilogram of jasmine oil can cost $5,000. But to get that small amount of oil, harvesters need to handpick over 5,000 jasmine buds. Once the flower blooms, producers in India quickly process it into one of the priciest absolute oils in the world. Click the photo to learn something about this process.
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Absolute is made via solvent extraction
Distillation is a method of separating components based on differences in volatile constituents in a heated mixture. Steam distillation involves bubbling steam through the plant material. The temperature of steam is easy to control, making it ideal for heat-sensitive essential oils. The essential oils contained in plants are immiscible in water and have a higher boiling point, allowing the essential oil to vaporize at a lower temperature than it normally would on its own.
For now, only Sacred Sun contains Jasmine in our range of perfumes, however, this is going to change with our newest perfume that is still in the works.
Reach out or say hi
We would love to personally connect with you, if you have any questions or are in need for some help, don't hesitate to reach out.
or DM @linguaplanta
like entering another world, loved every minute of it . love! reina
ohhhh I loved it all! The Sambac transported me back to my trips to India, who knew I had connected that scent with these holidays, thank you! I also loved discovering the Grandiflorum scents. I think I would like them even better when blended in with other scents. The Sambac one seems to function as a whole perfume on its own indeed! I also loved the molecular explanations of why they might differ in scent. The voice memo also worked well for me, the house is organised and I feel calm and informed :) X Beatrice
I love Jasminum Grandiflorum and Jasmine Sambac both! They both have their individual qualities