Tessarae is an oriental woody that launched in 2026. It was created by Euan McCall, it is part of the London collection, launched to celebrate the opening of the second Jorum Boutique in London. The collection was temporarily available worldwide at launch, but is now available exclusively in the London boutique. Tessarae is a complex, mosaic-like composition inspired by the work of Scottish-Italian artist Eduardo Paolozzi, particularly his colorful mosaics at Tottenham Court Road underground station. The fragrance is constructed from many small, nuanced accents layered over stronger core materials, echoing the tesserae technique that builds a larger image from tiny fragments. Spices such as cardamom, Sichuan pepper and pink pepper are woven together with absinthe and whisky for an aromatic, slightly boozy opening. As it develops, resins and woods including frankincense, styrax, opoponax, birch, fir balsam and sandalwood mingle with patchouli, tobacco and spikenard, while floral absolutes of rose, osmanthus and orange blossom, rounded by vanilla, add depth and texture. The result is an intricate, artistic scent that balances resinous, woody, spicy and floral facets. Tessarae’s complete listing of notes is jatamansi (spikenard), opoponax, fir, cardamom, styrax, birch, whisky, pink pepper, absinthe, tobacco, patchouli, vanilla absolute, Sichuan pepper, frankincense, sandalwood, osmanthus, orange and rose. It is an extrait de parfum.
JORUM STUDIO TESSARAE REVIEWS
Fragrantica: “(I know in my other review I said maybe Aiton’s Bloom was my favorite, but okay, walk with me…) I wore this out today and I’m just appreciating the facets of it as it opens up on my skin. It does smell textured, if that makes sense - there’s an effervescent quality, like cream soda, with rich cardamom-forward spices lingering in the air and composing a trail of hypnotic scent, but a more intimate sniff to my inner elbow and it has a boozy, almost bitter wormwood profile with a dark woody heart. Honestly just phenomenal. There’s so much happening but it’s handled with such elegance that it doesn’t seem “busy”. Maybe this is my favorite from the new collection? Time will tell.”
Fragrantica: “I tried the tester today in the Edinburgh store & brought a test strip home with me. This is absolutely amazing & I have never smelt anything like this before. Definitely my favorite out of the new London collection and I am buying this tonight. I don't even know how to describe the scent - it's incredibly unique. It's fizzy, spicy & boozy, yet also smooth & creamy at the same time. You can actually smell most of the notes listed quite clearly but they all blend together so beautifully into this fabulous new olfactory whole that is totally new to my nose. I'm a bit lost for words actually, this is a bloody masterpiece.”
