Bonne Chauffe is an oriental woody fragrance that launched in 2023. Created by Meabh McCurtin, it features top notes of pepper oil and davana; middle notes of plum, oak and bran; and base notes of benzoin, patchouli, cedarwood and vetiver. From their website: The noisy vigour of a feast shared in a rustic, friendly and lively atmosphere is followed by a more subdued moment. Iconic manufacturing secret giving its signature to the cognac, the "bonne chauffe" is the second distillation in a still of this spirit of character. The Maison Frapin offers you here, a powerful fragrance inspired by the burning fire; the one that heats, illuminates, forges and awakens the senses. Twigs, dried roots and shavings mingle with oak logs to provide warmth and protection in a flaming combustion with a thick veil of smoke. The fireplace crackles and embraces the air with its blaze. Around the barely glowing embers, the drinks are passed from hand to hand. The final smouldering and glistening bark is mixed with the balmy, round scent of chocolate and honey. After a long day working, the scents of sweet liquor, vanilla milk and French coffee reward body and soul. The most precious secret of cognac production, the "bonne chauffe" is the all-important second distillation, where the brouillis created after distilling wine the first time is transformed into clear, potent eau-de-vie. Honoring this intense and intoxicating elixir, Bonne Chauffe is a powerful, smoky woody fragrance that warms the bones like a roaring fire on a winter's night. With a contrast between intense davana, dark, juicy plum, spicy vetiver, and resinous woods, Bonne Chauffe is an unforgettable concoction not to be missed - a treasure of a fragrance as only the expert cognac distillers of Frapin could produce. Bonne Chauffe is an eau de parfum, edp.
FRAPIN BONNE CHAUFFE REVIEWS
Fragrantica: "This is a criminally underrated gem. If this was in a Tom Ford bottle or Parfums De Marly, or similar, it would be on every top ten list. Boozy dark plum, davana and patchouli mix, aged in oak barrels with spicy peppery nuances. In the drydown it comes to a warm benzoin but never loosing the aforementioned notes just softly seating them. The bran note plays from the start in the background complimenting everything along with cedar and vetiver at a lesser degree. From opening to drydown this is a captivating scent. Loud but never obnoxious, sweet but never immature. I'm thoroughly impressed with this scent. If you like booze, plums or davana this is a must try. Unisex leaning slightly masculine IMHO."
Fragrantica: "'Effing gorgeous is right. It's wearable cognac; toasty and rich and layered like nothing I've tried so far."
Fragrantica: "Bonne Chauffe is gorgeous. A peppery, fruited cognac with slight malted barley underpinnings. There is also a wonderful oak woodiness that builds a foundation for the more etherial notes. Plum and davana give this the beautiful fruited note and benzoin brings it's resinous vanilla like smoothness that helps blend the pungent pepper into the fruited, woody, cereal notes. I also get a hint of patchouli as well. This is just a beautiful fragrance...full bodied and satisfying, but not over the top in projection. Bonne Chauffe could be overpowering if it projected more, so this is a plus in my book as it projects perfectly on my skin. Definitely one to at least sample IMO. Two thumbs way up!"
Fragrantica: "For a vetiver lover , this scent is sheer happiness, addictive to a fault, rich notes. In an era of reformulations here and there. This perfume is a blessing. I hope it stays that way. Full bottle worthy. I happily bought it full price and never looked back."
Fragrantica: "Words cannot describe how much I adore this fragrance. It quickly became my signature and I had never heard or smelled this fragrance before purchasing. One day I walked into a scent bar in LA and asked for boozy fragrance recommendations. Out of 5 fragrances that were suggested to me, this one caught my attention the most. Once testing the fragrance on skin, I was instantly hooked and had to buy it on the spot. I wanted to gate keep this but it’s just too good and I want more people to know about this. Similar to Kilian style of fragrances, Bonne Chauffe is a very handsome, boozy/fruity, alluring scent that just makes me feel amazing when I wear this. A refined boozy fragrance that gives the feeling of sipping fruity cognac or a sweet bourbon near a campfire out in the countryside while the sun is setting, still feeling the warmth of the sun while the cold air starts setting. A situational fragrance at best but I work my way around this every time I have the chance for the night life or at a nice evening dinner. For me easily a 10/10 without a doubt. I’m am so glad I found this fragrance and will definitely always be one of the tops out of my collection."
Fragrantica: "After trying a few from the house, I can safely say that this house shares a lot of similarities with by killian boozy fragrances, not like a dupe or anything but the style of fragrances. And bonne chauffe especially. This feels like a more mature old fashioned by killian, more mature & more “niche” if you get what I mean, the sillage is stellar. The opening itself feels very very boozy which makes it feels like leaning to a more masculine scents, to the drydown it smeels like an oak barrel. Amazing!"
Fragrantica: "Once upon a time, I dreamed that I was searching for a fragrance that reminded me of Pruneaux à l’Armagnac (prunes in Armagnac) and then I found Bonne Chauffe. We then lived happily ever after. Seriously, though, there is more to Bonne Chauffe, the lone Frapin that has made my heart skip a beat. Few 'fumes that fall under the heading of "boozy" agree with them: trust that it's not necessarily them, it's me. It could quite possibly be my chemistry that does not allow for heavy consumption of certain delicacies in the allium family, garlic being the most dangerous. Also, booze. If I drink enough whiskey, I will smell of said whiskey, into the next day. It was even to the point that at a past employer a number of years ago, I was taken in for a conversation to discuss "concerns." Oh, dear. From then one, it was but one dram only, please. So 'boozy' fragrances often take me back to that uncomfortable incident. Do I smell of an impending intervention? With Bonne Chauffe, however, I just could not resist how delicious it truly is to my palate. The use of glorious davana oil, one of my most favorite essential oils, is used in exactly a way I hoped it would be in evoking plum liqueur. It then grows more malt scotch in its heart, smelling as if aged in virgin oak, intoxicating without the hangover. Benzoin and a warm cedar round off Bonne Chauffe, and when I wear it, I frankly don't care if others suspect I've thrown back a few too many. In fact, I think this one reads as more of a perfume than a libation. Terrific stuff."
Fragrantica: "Needed to give this a few tests before the plum really started jumping out at me. At first I got way too much oak, and in general I think that can be a little too direct in developing a whisky or cognac accord. We all know what oak smells like through tasting spirits, so having it front and center goes a long way to making it feel realistic, but also extremely familiar in a somewhat lazy way. On day three this turned much rounder and less sharply woody, which was nice. The davana and plum do a nice job mellowing it out, and I would love drinking something like this. Smelling like this? I'm not sure personally, but it's a good boozy scent for those that want one. It's equivalent to smelling the cork on a well-aged cognac or oak-aged wine. It turns slightly more balsamic over time, with a wheaty, bready quality poking through eventually. I get a mild chocolate note too, or maybe it's a mix of smoke and vanilla. Again it's nice but smells very much like a realistic liquor note with a mild twist into something more perfumey. That is probably really on-brand for Frapin as a company."
