In art school I was fascinated by jewel tones--any bright primary/secondary color made more complex by the addition of black, creating a movement of shadows and facets behind facets. I see Black Currant Bud doing precisely the same thing in a blend; there is definitely a "blackness" to it that is seductive and secretive. It also very much smells practically identical to the skunk currant we have in Interior Alaska, that grows around certain lakes; it is so pungent it would be stinky were it not so fascinating and unique. in fact, it took me some time to mentally sidestep the many (not unpleasant) memories of feet plunging into the pitch black mud pits that always seemed to correlate with nearby currants along the shore. For this reason I can appreciate the opportunity to blend a uniquely nostalgic summertime scent. I am really glad for this offering; what a cool thing to have on the palette of olfactory possibility.

Review by Rebecca 6/23/2016

After having been sent a sample of this absolute in a previous order, I finally got around to trying it after more than a year --- and I wish I had tried it sooner! Although I have detected a frankly "urine-like" aroma component in a Vanuatu Sandalwood EO and in the seaweed absolute (which may have been oakmoss sent by mistake --- currently being investigated), I can detect nothing that I could call "cat pee" in this absolute at all. To me, it seems a wonderfully complex combination of balsamic, resinous and fruity elements, with undertones of red wine. It has excellent tenacity, and I can easily imagine combining this with a wide variety of floral, spice, herbaceous and woody essential oils and absolutes. Not to be missed!

Review by Alan 12/17/2014

For years I heard about black currant bud absolute and how 'fruity' it was. And looking for natural sources of fruity aromas I had to try it. Well I got me a sample. I hated it! It smelled like a mixture of cat pee and caraway. Yuck! I was so disappointed. It didn't smell fruity to me at all, and I couldn't understand why or how anyone could ever use it. So I put the sample away for a while. Eventually, I decided I was going to try my hand at my own version of a perfume that had black currant bud as a note. It was blended with other sweet essences like rose,amber, and ylang ylang and as I played around with BCBA and other sweet essences, using it diluted and diffused I really came to appreciate its unique aroma and the effects it has on blends, and yes, I did get the 'fruityness' eventually. In dilution it reminds me of grapeskins and guavas, and other tropical fruits. Try it with Eden's orange essence oil and perhaps a touch of ylang ylang and/or jasmine to create a wonderful passionfruit accord. It is key in creating all kinds of tropical fruit notes, and in this light it goes really well with the previously mentioned ylang yland and jasmine, but also with champaca(both yellow and white), frangipani, coconut(I use both an absolute and tinctures that I made), massoia,vanilla,and all kinds of citruses. It also goes really well with rose, geranium, cognac, and labdanum/amber.

Review by BShea 7/3/2013

I get a powerful ozonic note off the top from the undiluted form - certainly not what I was expecting. Underneath lies the unmistakable smell of black currant, true to life. You could blend for years and never reach a note like this.

Review by Brockton 6/28/2013

Honestly smells like cat urine to me. I ordered a tiny sample to try. I can't stand it straight out of the tiny bottle. I put some on a scent strip, and tried wafting it, it was barely tolerable. Mixed with some other very sweet EOs (davana, tuberose for starters) it added a deep note that I can see being "unique".

Review by Judith 6/14/2013