Perfumer: Mathieu Nardin
A gourmand perfume with an exotic twist. The core theme is bitter cocoa dusted with pepper. Even though we think of cocoa and chocolate as amlost the same sweet thing, cocoa powder on its own has more of an ambery, bitter woody and deep aroma rather than sweet chocolate vibes.
Perris took cocoa absolute and and styled it the Aztec way - no sugar, just the bitter tonifying glory.
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
This is a fragrance for close quarters and deliberate presence: a dim room, a warm pulse of air, a conversation that unfolds slowly. Its bitter cocoa and peppery spice give it a textured, almost tactile aura, with tuberose softening the edges without turning it sweet.
How to wear
Best in cool to mild weather, where its cocoa and spice can unfold without becoming heavy. Apply sparingly, one to three sprays, to let the peppery opening and woody drydown stay elegant; on skin it reads warmer and more intimate, while in air it leaves a subtle spiced trail.
Who it’s for
For wearers who like gourmand notes with bitterness and structure rather than sweetness. It suits people drawn to spicy woods, floral-dark compositions and fragrances that feel refined, unusual and slightly savory.
Release year
2017
The nose
Mathieu Nardin Mathieu Nardin is a French perfumer at Robertet known for compositions that feel polished, natural and texturally rich. He often works with clear contrasts and a restrained hand, letting materials like woods, spices and resins keep their shape rather than turning them overly sweet or opaque. For Cacao Azteque, that approach is especially apt: the fragrance treats cocoa as a bitter, aromatic material rather than a dessert note, building a spiced, floral-woody structure around it. The result is a composition that feels modern and composed, with enough depth to support the fragrance’s ritual, cacao-driven concept.
Collaborators
Gian Luca Perris, the brand’s creative director, shaped the house’s raw-material concept and the Black Collection’s focus on precious ingredients, giving the fragrance its ingredient-led direction and stripped-back gourmand idea.
Perris Monte Carlo’s story
Perris Monte Carlo builds niche fragrances around refined materials, elegant restraint and a distinctly Mediterranean sense of luxury. The house favors compositions that feel polished rather than loud, often pairing classical perfumery structure with unusual raw materials and culturally rooted inspirations.
Cacao Azteque’s concept
Cacao Azteque was created as a modern interpretation of Xocolatl, the bitter, spiced cacao drink associated with Aztec ritual and royal use. Perris Monte Carlo frames the fragrance around unsweetened cocoa, pepper and florals to evoke a more ancient, savory idea of cacao rather than the familiar chocolate dessert accord.
Extra info
The name refers to Xocolatl, the ceremonial cacao drink of the Aztec world. Perris Monte Carlo also offers the fragrance in an Extrait de Parfum concentration, underscoring the house’s interest in richer, more concentrated formats.
Perfumer: Mathieu Nardin
A gourmand perfume with an exotic twist. The core theme is bitter cocoa dusted with pepper. Even though we think of cocoa and chocolate as amlost the same sweet thing, cocoa powder on its own has more of an ambery, bitter woody and deep aroma rather than sweet chocolate vibes.
Perris took cocoa absolute and and styled it the Aztec way - no sugar, just the bitter tonifying glory.
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
This is a fragrance for close quarters and deliberate presence: a dim room, a warm pulse of air, a conversation that unfolds slowly. Its bitter cocoa and peppery spice give it a textured, almost tactile aura, with tuberose softening the edges without turning it sweet.
How to wear
Best in cool to mild weather, where its cocoa and spice can unfold without becoming heavy. Apply sparingly, one to three sprays, to let the peppery opening and woody drydown stay elegant; on skin it reads warmer and more intimate, while in air it leaves a subtle spiced trail.
Who it’s for
For wearers who like gourmand notes with bitterness and structure rather than sweetness. It suits people drawn to spicy woods, floral-dark compositions and fragrances that feel refined, unusual and slightly savory.
Release year
2017
The nose
Mathieu Nardin Mathieu Nardin is a French perfumer at Robertet known for compositions that feel polished, natural and texturally rich. He often works with clear contrasts and a restrained hand, letting materials like woods, spices and resins keep their shape rather than turning them overly sweet or opaque. For Cacao Azteque, that approach is especially apt: the fragrance treats cocoa as a bitter, aromatic material rather than a dessert note, building a spiced, floral-woody structure around it. The result is a composition that feels modern and composed, with enough depth to support the fragrance’s ritual, cacao-driven concept.
Collaborators
Gian Luca Perris, the brand’s creative director, shaped the house’s raw-material concept and the Black Collection’s focus on precious ingredients, giving the fragrance its ingredient-led direction and stripped-back gourmand idea.
Perris Monte Carlo’s story
Perris Monte Carlo builds niche fragrances around refined materials, elegant restraint and a distinctly Mediterranean sense of luxury. The house favors compositions that feel polished rather than loud, often pairing classical perfumery structure with unusual raw materials and culturally rooted inspirations.
Cacao Azteque’s concept
Cacao Azteque was created as a modern interpretation of Xocolatl, the bitter, spiced cacao drink associated with Aztec ritual and royal use. Perris Monte Carlo frames the fragrance around unsweetened cocoa, pepper and florals to evoke a more ancient, savory idea of cacao rather than the familiar chocolate dessert accord.
Extra info
The name refers to Xocolatl, the ceremonial cacao drink of the Aztec world. Perris Monte Carlo also offers the fragrance in an Extrait de Parfum concentration, underscoring the house’s interest in richer, more concentrated formats.