Charcoal Chocolate was born from a collaboration between Maqueda and Periyard. This fragrance exists in only four bottles, made from a cocoa tincture of which there was not enough to produce more.
The idea behind this creation was simple: to translate into perfume the memory of a spiced chocolate enjoyed by a fireplace.
The image that guided the composition was that of a moment of calm, when the fire burns gently in the hearth. The room is warmed by the still-glowing embers, and in a cup, the aromas of spiced hot chocolate mingle. The cocoa is rich and deep, the cinnamon and nutmeg add a spicy warmth, while the milk softens the whole. The air also holds that distinctive scent of slowly burning wood.
It is this atmosphere that Maqueda sought to recreate in Charcoal Chocolate. A composition where the indulgence of cocoa meets darker, smokier nuances, evoking embers and pieces of wood still warm in the fireplace.
At the heart of the fragrance lies a very special ingredient: a cocoa bean tincture made by Maqueda himself. These beans come from São Tomé and Príncipe, a volcanic archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Gabon. The island is often called the "chocolate island" because it has long produced cocoa renowned for its quality and character.
It was during a trip to this island that Maqueda discovered these plantations and selected the beans that would later be used to prepare this dye. This ingredient gives the fragrance a very natural cocoa character, at once raw, slightly bitter, and deeply indulgent.
The bottle itself extends this idea. Each piece has been hand-sculpted, with a dark, raw texture reminiscent of coal. The stopper of each bottle represents a piece of coal, like a fragment taken directly from the embers of a fireplace.
The box, designed like a jewel case, also reflects this visual universe. Its surface evokes the texture of burnt wood, as if the bottle were resting in a piece of wood marked by fire.
The four bottles were handmade. Once these are sold out, Charcoal Chocolate will disappear permanently, as the cocoa dye used for this creation cannot be used to produce more.
