Description
A sweet, spicy, floral scent, inspired by a tiny moth orchid,
Phalaenopsis javanica. The nose behind the fragrance is Ellen Covey. Javanica is
available as a parfum extrait or EdP and features notes of bergamot, orange, green tea,
nutmeg, lily-of-the-valley, rosewood, olibanum, and vanilla. Released 2010.
“Walk into a hothouse full of colorful moth orchids with their perfect
round flowers and their succulent green leaves. Suddenly you’re captivated by a
sweet, heady scent that seems to be coming from an invisible flower. It’s Phalaenopsis
javanica, whose tiny red-striped flowers hide underneath the huge, shiny, umbrella-
like leaves and produce a seductive spicy flowery scent. Javanica, a perfume inspired
by this orchid, has citrus, bergamot and fruity top notes, with mid and base notes of
nutmeg, lily-of-the-valley, rosewood, incense, and vanilla. This sweet and spicy floral
scent typifies fragrant moth orchids.”
supermotya – :
This is a very feminine fragrance, slightly sweet and spicy. I can detect the olibanum, bergamot, tea, nutmeg, fruits and orchid. I can’t distinguish what kind of fruits Covey used, but they are slightly overripe providing a sweet edge to this perfume. The tea creates the illusion of smelling a flower with stems included.
Moderate sillage, excellent longevity 8+hours. Can be worn all year, but especially nice in spring/summer. It’s well-made, the only reason I don’t love it is that it is too feminine and delicate for my taste and personality.
nayman0989 – :
This is really lovely. I thought I didn’t care for it at first, because it doesn’t come on too strong. It feels almost a bit shy, or maybe more relaxed – like it knows its own worth and doesn’t have to prove anything. Which is a quality I like. It shows a distinct perfume personality.
Javanica opens with a soft, fruity green smell. It feels a bit damp and moist. Almost like a greenhouse, where the plants have just been watered.
After a short while the scent becomes more floral, it’s still soft and on the green, moist side, but the fruitiness slowly disappears. It smells like a humid jungle, with green foliage and lovely, exotic flowers.
I pick up the lily of the valley note, it’s not too strong, but it’s easily recognisable, and sort of keeps that green note alive.
Towards the drydown the scent feels a bit more woody, and that lovely creamy vanilla appears. The scent keeps its wonderful softness throughout every stage of development.
This is such a lovely scent, so gentle and pleasant – but still interesting and full of surprises. I’m glad I didn’t give up on this after the first testing, because it would have been a shame not to experience its beauty.
I haven’t smelled anything quite like this, but if I should compare it to another perfume, it would be La Pluie by Miller Harris. They don’t smell the same, but they share the same kind of atmosphere.
Sillage is medium on me, and longevity is 6-8 hours.
On my wishlist it goes. 🙂
Markl – :
Another great fragrance from Ms Covey. I love Javanica! Its an amazing power house of spice and orchid. This is a fragrance for a strong independent minded individual who likes to be noticed. This is no shy flower. Moderate sillage and long longevity. It lasts and evolves over many hours. You can never get bored. A floral spicey hothouse beauty.
alvis1997 – :
Sexy, spicy, and one of my favorites from the Olympic Orchids line. It even has a humid quality that makes me think of orchids growing in the jungle. It’s bolder than my very favorite, Golden Cattleya, so I don’t wear it to work, but wearing it makes me feel as if I’m on vacation in an exotic locale.
Unfaikenick – :
Great heady whack of sweet, indolic orchid. Then, bergamot, which makes a bit of an odd contrast. The bergamot is gone after half an hour, no other citrus I could find, but the orchid is very strong. It’s tropical and ever-so-slightly coconutty – headachy if you sniff it too much, but it dries down very pleasantly. If you’re happy with tropical orchids, this is nice, although I found the bergamot note odd. A little goes a long way – just pulse points, not a spray.
alenavichi – :
My first reaction: “Orchid!”
A startlingly realistic orchid note appears first, before bolstered by the incense. Lime, dried fruits, woody and lily note is also noticeable, except they have been weaved into this scent as supporting actors.
Beautiful creation, IMO. This scent is a purplish-yellow colour.
NikPost – :
This my least favorite that I’ve tried so far from this line. It’s not a bad spicy floral, but I can’t help but think of bathroom air freshener. Not for me.
cewengava – :
Woody spicy fruity, damp. I’m not sure what to make of this perfume. It smells like is has sandalwood in it, very resinous. I suspect it blooms better in the heat rather than the cold, but I’ll have to wait until spring to try. Almost a tropical potpourri smell… rich with incense and fruit. lovely and well rounded, but I must say I don’t get all the spices others are talking about.
I’m going to try this one in the hot greenhouse and then review… stay tuned fragranticans!
Mmmmm hmmm! it blooms quite well in the heat! a tropical spicyn resinous citrus delight! with undertones of wearable summer smoke
cezar-79 – :
A sweet spicy opening, nutmeg is prominent, but I also distinctly detect cinnamon and clove here briefly in the opening as well, though these notes are not listed. It mellows very quickly into a balmy vanilla, orange and nutmeg accord swathed with rosewood and frankincense. The green tea is very prominent, giving it a light, fresh (but not crisp) feeling that reminds me a lot of some commercial perfumes featuring this note. Sillage is very low, longevity a few hours. More mainstream than niche, an overall pretty, feminine fragrance.
pandaaa – :
The bergamot and lime are first to appear for me (masculine as jeca suggests). Then the orange, vanilla and nutmeg. After a few minutes the muguet and sandalwood and again nutmeg. I think that the nutmeg and sandalwood work nicely together in this scent to give depth to the citrus and flowers. Javanica is lighter than some of the other orchid scents offered by Olympic Orchids. Perhaps that is a result of the tea? The overall effect for me is an invigorating and fresh perfume.
evgeniya777 – :
The pink color suggests tender tones, but the fragrance is a fresh mix of balms, woods and spices, I like it very much, the orange note beautifully pairs with incense. Flowers and pleasant floral-vanilla sweetness appear 5-10 min after applying. Dreamy, starts masculine, ends feminine, beautiful transformation.