When I first became aware of the niche perfume industry, one name popped up again and again – Andy Tauer. Hailed as a genius, revered by almost everyone out there, I was immediately intrigued. His biography (IT-man turned self-taught perfumer) does the rest, the man sure is fascinating.

The logical conclusion: must try the perfumes.

Tauer Perfumes has a wonderful homepage (including Andy´s blog, that offers an interesting inside perspective of the life and work of an independent perfumer, so envy-inducing ;)), where you can order his products not only in full sized bottles, but also sample sizes of every fragrance. There is even a discovery set containing five scents, that can be chosen among all available. Great! So thats what I did.

Only two days later arrived a fragrant little package from Switzerland, with a personal card from Andy attached. I was smitten…

I had ordered the most famous Tauer scents, the ones that have been reviewed numerous times, and by bloggers whose opinion I respected. First I tried the most famous of them all – L´Air du Desert Marocain. My expectations were sky-high. I was deeply, deeply disappointed in myself, when I did not really like it. It is a great perfume, no doubt, but it is just not for me. Too much going on at one time, to much like a symphonic orchestra in full romantic cast when I am more of a chamber music person. It was similar with most of the samples in that first kit.

I put the thought of Andy Tauer away, for the time being, to be revisited later.

A few weeks ago, after my daily read of Andys blog, I got the impulse to try the remaining perfumes, the ones I had brashly deemed not interesting enough the first time. Another sample set order went out, and was delivered extremely speedy and again with a nice, handwritten message. (I am a total sucker for those, it shows so much care of the person behind a faceless business, it makes the shopping experience special.)

This time I struck gold. In this set lurked a scent, that quickly climbed into the ranks of my most loved perfumes ever. It was the one I, in my infinite wisdom, was dead certain to not like at all – Incense Rosé (see the review in the previous post).

What have I learned from my Tauer experience?

• What someone else loves, is not necessarily what I love.
• My own nose is the only judge in the end.
• My brain may be the expert here, but my nose and my soul decide.
• There is a big difference between appreciating the art of a perfume and wanting to make it a part of myself through wearing it.
• Andy Tauer sure is a genius.
• Andy Tauer is also a really nice guy, who writes personal messages on scent strips.

If you haven´t tried Tauer fragrances yet, I highly encourage you to do so. I am glad to have those ten (missing only two), even if I don´t wear many, I love to smell them and learn from them. There is so much to be discovered in one single perfume, such a big story behind each and every one.

They are works of art, that should be part of every serious perfumistas collection.

What is your favorite Tauer?

Picture source: tauerperfumes.com, thespraychest.com, some rights reserved, thank you!