Jasmine sambac

Jasmine sambac is the jasmine of the night. Its buds are picked in the morning and open after dark, releasing a scent that is greener, fruitier and more tea like than the classic grandiflorum jasmine of Grasse. It is the flower strung into garlands across southern India, and the flower that scents jasmine tea.

What jasmine sambac is

Jasmine sambac absolute is obtained by solvent extraction from the flowers of Jasminum sambac, a climbing shrub with small, intensely fragrant white flowers. The buds are harvested by hand before they open and extracted the same day. The absolute is rich in indole and methyl anthranilate, which give the animalic warmth all jasmines share, but it also carries a distinctive green, fruity, tea like character that sets sambac apart from every other jasmine. It is heavier and more opulent than neroli and blooms on the skin over hours.

Where our jasmine sambac comes from

Ours comes from India, where Jasminum sambac has been cultivated for temple garlands and hair ornaments for thousands of years. The flower is grown across the south, and the warm, humid climate produces buds with a high oil content and the full fruity, honeyed richness that the extraction captures. Indian jasmine sambac is the reference for this material worldwide, and the tradition of picking the buds at dawn, before the heat, is what keeps the absolute so fresh and green beneath its opulence.

How jasmine sambac smells

Sweet, fruity floral and green, with a rich honey and tea undertone. There is the creamy white floral heart that all jasmines share, but wrapped around it a green freshness and a fruity, almost tropical sweetness, and beneath it the soft animalic warmth of the night.

Jasmine sambac in our chapters

• IIParadis de BleuThe Leaves · in the heart

  In Paradis de Bleu it is the white flower hidden among the leaves, a green jasmine beside magnolia and orange flower in the heart.

• IIINéroli de NuitThe Blossom · in the heart

  In Néroli de Nuit it is the second night flower of the heart, opening beside the orange blossoms once the citrus has faded.

A note from the atelier

I chose sambac over the classic jasmine because it is greener and more alive. In Néroli de Nuit I wanted two white flowers that open at night, and jasmine sambac is the one that opens last.

Questions about jasmine sambac