A Feast Beneath the Cedars

While Halfeti beckons from the shadows of a spice-laden bazaar, and Halfeti Leather lingers in a darker, incense-filled alcove, Halfeti Cedar takes us deep into the mountainous woods surrounding the town - wilder, richer, and more assertive than its siblings.

We're sipping from a flask of cardamom-infused rum, enveloped by the dense aroma of a cedar forest. The familiar, leather-tinged spiciness of saffron reminds us of the bazaar below, but here it’s wrapped in dried fruits, cinnamon, and the herbaceous, honeyed warmth of immortelle.

This blend of sharp woods, sweet botanicals, and rich edibles creates a scent verging on decadent - like an autumnal fruitcake enjoyed in the very forest where its ingredients were foraged - but the spiky geometry of the fragrance suggests this is not something we should be eating, and for me, feels slightly abrasive.

As it settles, the rum is drunk, the spices drift away, and the majesty of pure cedar takes centre stage, laced with a subtle resinous glow that reminds me of a less-sweet maple syrup. It’s like the last embers of a woodland feast - the spiced rum and sticky fruits long consumed, but their memory still clinging to the trees like smoke in the autumn air.

Along with colours, I imagine fragrances as shapes, and this one feels pointed and angular until quite late in its development. Its sheer woody heft makes for a pleasant wear, particularly on colder days, but I would have preferred a little more rounding of those prickly edges.