Orcas Perfume Launch + Tea Party Sunday July 17th 1-5pm

Mossy Tea Cup, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

I'm super excited for the launch party of ORCAS - the first all-natural oceanic fragrance!
The menu for this party is very special, as it's inspired by the notes of the perfume, including key-lime pie, hand-candied angelica by CocoaNymph and another thing which I'm sure you've never tasted in your life (and not likely to ever taste again...):
ORCAS chocolate truffles, scented with pure beach harvested ambergris, which is nearly as precious as gold but smells so much better! It really is fit for royals... But I'm making it especially for you, my guests, because I think you deserve it!

Also, I'm excited to share with you the elaborate creative process that lead to this perfume, and let you experience the unusual raw materials that make it so unique. You will also learn about the difference between a natural oceanic fragrance and a synthetic one, which is usually based on a particular molecule (you'll get to smell that too, if you dare!).

Last headcount is today, so get your ticket now to make sure that there are enough truffles for you!
Besides, there are super-fantastic door prizes for the first 10 guests to purchase their tickets in advance. Hurry - there are only a couple of those left!!!

And either way - get your ticket today for a chance to win an Orcas perfume bottle!!!

When:
Sunday, July 17th, 1-6pm

Where:
#314-1230 Haro Street, Buzz #295
ORCAS launch & demo at 3pm

What:
Revealing Orcas - the new fragrance by Ayala Moriel Parfums
at 3pm there will be a demonstration by the perfumer showcasing the different notes that make up Orcas, and discover how they were orchestrated to smell like the beaches in Tofino!
You will get to smell unusual raw materials from around the world and learn how this natural oceanic fragrance is different from the mainstream "marine-ozone" fragrances.

There also will be super special door prizes for the first 10 people to RSVP :-)

Menu: The menu has the traditional afternoon tea structure, with top quality loose leaf teas, innovative fragrant savouries and pastries that echo the notes of the new Orcas fragrance, including:

1st Tier: Sandwiches & Savouries
Cucumber + Mint Tea Sandwiches
Smoked Salmon + Capers Tea Sandwiches
Yuzu + Kabu Tea Sandwiches
Watermelon + Macedonian Feta appies

2nd Tier: Sweet Scones
served with Devonshire Cream + Local Wild Berry Jelly
Fresh Rhubarb Salad

3rd Tier: Desserts
Ambergris Truffles, hand-rolled and scented by Ayala
Key Lime Pie, topped with Candied Angelica (candy courtesy of CocoNymph)
Rosemary-Vanilla Madelienes

Teas & Beverages:
Geranium-Lychee Iced Tea
King Jade (Floral High-Mountain Oolong) Tea
Orcas Cocktails (Carmelite Water & Cointreau served with Key Lime, Rosemary & Mint)

RSVP by phone (778) 863-0806 or email ayala@ayalamoriel.com

Tickets are $12 online to guarantee your spot (we only have room for 30 guests) - or $20 at the door (the $8 that the website automatically charges for shipping in checkout will be immediately refunded after you got your tickets online).

Ayala's Stocking Stuffers Under $20

Scented Sachets
The newest addition to Ayala Moriel's home fragrance line is the scented sachets. These unique blends of dried botanicals, resins and spices are infused with Ayala Moriel's pure perfume blends of natural botanical essences that intensify the aroma of the sachets and truly represent the perfumes they are based on - only meant for your closet.

The sachets are made of sheer organza, so that you can enjoy the visual vibrancy of the dry botanical. They are like dry bouquets captured within the fabric, to scent your clothes and linenes. Place in your drawers, in between garments on shelves, or tie to the hanger to leave a lingering subtle scent on your coats, shawls or gowns. Many of these sachets also have the benefit of protecting your clothes from moth and insects, as they contain cedarwood and/or patchouli leaves and essential oils, which are known for their moth repellent qualities.

These sachets keep their scent for a long time (I've had mine for a year before releasing them to the public, and they are still very fragrant). They will sure make your stocking smell good. Available in Ayalitta, Bon Zai, Fete d'Hiver, Film Noir, Lovender, Vetiver Racinettes and Viola.$15 each.

Tealights
Our tealights are back in stock, in all 3 scents: ArbitRary, Bois d'Hiver & White Potion. These soywax candles are made from non-GMO soybeans and are pacakged in recyclable tealight plastic containers that are heat resistant and safe to burn. They make an excellent addition to any gift, or can be the gift when grouped in larger quantities. Price range: $4 (ArbitRary & Bois d'Hiver); $6 (White Potion).

Creative uses for tealights:
- Before you ligtht the tealights, group in interesting arrangement to make an interesting lighting effect for your holiday party.
- Pair with a sample of the same (or different) scent from Ayala Moriel's line.
- If you don't intend to use the candle immediately, store in your closet as you would a fine soap or a sachet. These will make your closet smell wonderful!

Truffles Gift Boxes
These gift boxes contain 8 delicious truffles with surprising flavours to savour over the holiday. Flavoured with essential oils and flower essences, these flavours really burst in your mouth and leave a memorable impression.

Dark chocolate flavours:
Blood Truffles - Rose, Chili, Saffron and Kahluah
Guilt Truffles - Orange Flower, Wild Orange and Grand Marnier
Jasmin Noir - Basil, Sambuca and Jasmine Grandiflorum
Mojito-Jalapeno - Green Jalapeno, Tequila, Spearming & Lime

White Chocolate Flavours:
White Potion - Tuberose, Coconut, Almond
Charisma Truffles - Matcha, Sambac, Osmanthus & Spearmint
Magnolia Petal - Magnolia, Vanilla & Clementine

Milk Chocolate Truffless:
Lovender Truffles - Lavender & Nutmeg
Immortelle l'Amour Truffles - Cinnamon, Ginger, Maple & Orange

These truffles can also be made in custom flavours, and are all packaged in recyclable tins that can be returned for refill or reused as you wish. Price: $15/tin


Sample Sizes
Samples are the best way to try a scent before committing to a larger bottle. And when buying for someone else, is a great way to introduce someone to the line without risking that the fragrance will go to waste. While the sample pictured of the exclusive limited edition The Purple Dress (coming out in in 2009) costs $17 per 1ml vial, most of Ayala Moriel's samples are less pricy, and are $8 each for 1ml parfum extrait. This amount allows you to live with the scent for a while (it will easily last for a week) and also looks adorable and fits nicely in any pocket or purse.

Gift Certificate
We offer gift certificates for any budget, and we all know that even a little bit counts when you are saving up for that dream perfume! Just tell us the amount and who it's for and we'll customize your gift card, tie a satin ribbon for a finishing touch and tuck it in a fancy, miniature vellum envelope.

Holiday Market Food Drive

The Signage, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

This weekend at Portobello West - full 2-day shopping experience where Vancouverites can connect with local indy fashion designers and artists.

This time, we are having a food drive to support Greater Vancouver's Food Bank. Vendors and guests at the market are invited to donate non-perishable food items or money to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. Each $1 you donate is worth $3 of food, that will be given to families and individuals struggling to put food on the table this winter.

To contribute, I will be donating $3 from each truffle box I'm selling to the foodbank, and also $1 from each individual truffle sold to help this cause. Your help is much appreciated!

Our featured flavours this weekend include 3 new flavours, two of which are holiday specialties only:

Jasmine Noir - New Flavour! - 70% dark chocolate with basil, jasmine and Sambuca

Blood Truffles - 70% dark chocolate with Turkish rose otto, saffron, chilli and sweet Marsala

White Potion - white chocolate with vanilla pods, organic tuberose, tuberose absolute, coconut and Kirsch

Charisma Truffles - white chocolate with vanilla pods, osmanthus, spearmint, jasmine sambac and Matcha tea.

Immortelle l'Amour truffles - New flavour! - milk chocolate with maple essence, sweet wild orange, cinnamon and ginger.

Eggnog Milk - New Flavour! - milk chocolate with nutmeg and Whiskey

Gift boxes (pictured below) are packaged in recyclable tins and are filled with 8 truffles (unless there's more room!) - $15 each ($3 will be donated to the food bank).

Individual truffles will be sold for $2 each ($1 will be donated to the food bank).

News from the Nose

Get Seduced into Winter By Sahleb Perfume & Roses et Chocolat Tea

Dear Fragrant Friends,

Fall and Winter 2008/2009 holds many delicious surprises at Ayala Moriel Parfums!

There is Sahleb, a smooth iris perfume inspired by the winter pudding-beverage in the Middle East; Roses et Chocolat Tea - yes, it's as good as it sounds if not better! - and two new candles to light those dark nights and add some fragrant spark to your home.

Please read on for all the full scoop:

• Sahleb: Orchid, Pudding and Perfume
  
• Tea Time with Roses et Chocolat
• Light the Night with Two New Candles
• Body+Soul Magazine features Gaucho + Gift with Purchase
  
• Spa*Habitat: New Retail Location in Dallas Texas
• Gift Making Workshops at the Studio
• Chocolate Truffles are back!
• Holiday Party & Open House December 21st

Sahleb: Orchid, Pudding and now also a New Perfume

Ayala Moriel is proud to introduce: Sahleb - the perfume version of a Middle Eastern winter favourite. This scrumptious pudding beverage, flavoured with rosewater and crushed mastic resin is offered by street vendors straight from a copper caldron throughout the cooler seasons across the Middle East. Served warm and topped with coconut, pistachio and cardamom, Sahleb has become an essential part of winter and a way to make even the gloomiest street corners cozy and home-like.

The creamiest orris root from Italy was used to create the smooth texture of this starchy and soothing pudding-beverage. A hint of the finest rose otto from Turkey, coconut and butter essence and crushed mastic resin complete the exotic flavour, and finished with a hint of vanilla and nutty ambrette seed Sahleb is ready to seduce you into winter!

Top Notes: Coriander Seed, Rosewood, Mastic Resin

Heart Notes: Orris, Rose Otto, Butter

Base Notes: Ambrette Seed, Coconut, Vanilla Absolute

Sahleb is an exclusive and extremely limited edition – only 11 bottles were made, two of which are already taken! I hope that with your support we will be able to find and obtain more of that special orris butter to make more in the near future.

We are almost sold out of samples (only 2 left). Each bottle of 9ml parfum extrait contains 20% orris butter with 15% irone (the molecule that makes it smell so creamy, dreamy and violet-like), retailing for $160.

Available on AyalaMoriel.com and for limited time only also on b-glowing.com.

Click here to read “Orchid, Pudding, Perfume” - behind the scents with Sahleb perfume.

Update: We are completely sold out of samples for Sahleb, but still have 9 bottles in stock!

Tea Time with Roses et Chocolat

Some of you were fortunate enough to have a sip of Roses et Chocolat tea with me at the Portobello West Art + Fashion Market in September. Now the tea is ready and packed in a cute tin and tied with a hot pink ribbon – the best gift you can give yourself this fall!

Roses et Chocolat tea is made of two specialty black teas from China: Fu Hao, and Rose Congou, flavoured with organic damask rose, vanilla, anise, and, of course – chocolate!

The chocolate flavour comes from real and pure organic cacao nibs – which are cracked cacao beans. They are sugar free and full of nutrients – and as Newport Yoga Blog notes, this tea is an excellent way to get your chocolate kick but without the side-kicks to badly influence you or your figure...!

Roses et Chocolat gained immediate following at a unique High-Tea event last Sunday hosted by the High-Tea Girls Heather & Moj. I can easily attest to it’s beauty by the fact that it’s not even a month on my tea-counter, and my personal 2oz tin is nearly empty…

Roses et Chocolate Perfumed Tea - Ingredient List:
Special Grade Premium Fu Hao Black Tea (China)
Premium Rose Congou Black Tea (China)
Raw Cacao Nibs, certified organic (Peru)
Damask Rose Petals, certified organic (France)
Vanilla Pod, certified organic (Madagascar)
Anise Seed, certified organic (Turkey)

Roses et Chocolat is the 4th collaboration with Inner Alchemy Tea Co. - a Vancouver Based company that specializes in high-quality, wildcrafted and organic teas and herbs.

For more information and serving suggestion, visit SmellyBlog.

Light the Night with Two New Candles

The past year at Ayala Moriel was dedicated to one secret mission: turning some of our most haunting perfumes into candles and teas!

It all started with Bois d’Hiver last winter. Nikki Sherritt and I started working on the candle than, and took a little break in the summer to bring to you the citrusy sunshine of ArbitRary candle. So it wasn’t till NOW that we finally have what we wanted: a beautifully burning winter candle with a touch of fir absolute and orange blossom floral wax. Bois d’Hiver is everything the perfume is about – in a candle form. Imagine stepping into a cabin after a walk in the snowy forest – your hair is messy with fragrant coniferous needles and inside there is a warm spicy brew burning on the fireplace, and the room is filled with the scent of incense and myrrh yet with no smoke to burn your eyes. This is Bois d’Hiver – foresty, spicy and incensey in the best possible way. I was so excited to light it yesterday night, it filled an entire floor with a magical scent of outdoorsy coziness.

Another candle that was in the making since the summer is White Potion – a tuberose-centred creamy white floral candle that is made of a combination of precious tuberose floral wax, ylang ylang, virgin coconut oil and tonka bean. To call it an aphrodisiac would be an understatement.

A fourth candle in the collaboration with Garbriel's Aunt will launch later this winter. Stay tuned to hear all the details… For now, I’ll just keep you on your toes…

Body + Soul Magazine Features Gaucho Perfume

Body + Soul Magazine's November 2008 issue features Gaucho perfume. You can click here to read Beauty Basics: Pure Perfumes by Courtney Humphries - or search for it in the glossy magazine that will be out on newsstands shortly before October runs out.

As a gesture to our Body + Soul readers, with every order of Gaucho, you will receive a complemetary Gaucho Tea in our gift-wrapped 1oz tins (while quantities last).

* Gaucho is the little rectangle green-juiced flacon on the very top left of the photo (the bottle looks different from the rest of my line).

New Retail Location: Spa*Habitat

Ayala Moriel Parfums are now availabe in Spa
Habitat's beautiful new location in West Village in uptown Dallas, Texas. This upscale organic spa has a full range of beauty and relaxation services in two location (Plano and Dallas). The new Dallas location offers a unique all-natural and organic Scent-Bar, featuring five of Ayala's original natural perfumes: ArbitRary, Espionage, Finjan, Tamya & White Potion. In addition, you can also scent your home with our beautiful ArbitRary soywax candles and get treated with some Immortelle l'Amour perfumed tea while you shop.

Gift Making Workshops at the Studio

During the fall and winter, I invite you to join me at the studio for a series of inspiring workshops that will help you get ready for the holidays with unique hand-scented gifts and holiday menus and recipes.

You will leave each workshop with gifts ready to go under the tree, that you have made yourself and smell wonderful!

The workshops offered include, among others:

• Crème Parfum Making Workshop
  
• Chocolat Truffles Making Workshop
  
• Scented Stationary & Cards
  
• Scented Body Products (i.e.: Bath Salts, Massage Oils)
  
• Potpourri and Sachets
  
• Aromatic Cooking & Baking (this workshop will give you recipes and will end with a holiday feast)
  

Can’t make it for your desired workshop on our calendar?
- Contact us to book your own private workshop with a group of friends (up to 6 people). (778) 863-0806. We’ll do our best to accommodate your schedule and help you get ready for the holidays in a fun, relaxed & inspiring way!

Workshops can be booked in advance online here.

Chocolate Truffles are back!

At least there is one known advantage for the cooler weather: the chocolate won’t melt!

This is the time of year when chocolate truffles can be easily shipped across the country without getting spoiled.

Pick your flavour and we will make a special batch for you of 40-50 truffles at a time of a flavour of your choice. These can be either served at your home or business for holiday parties or wrapped individually in gift boxes to pass on to special friends and colleagues. All flavours are sold for $60 a batch.

Holiday Party & Open House December 21st

Come celebrate the holiday season and light the first Hannukah candle with Ayala.

Perfumed teas and truffles will served in abundance (naturally) as well as other aromatic and seasonal treats, including, of course – the infamous Sahleb pudding-drink!

This party is a wonderful opportunity and a cozy environment for you to meet other local perfume lovers who shares your passion of natural perfumery, and experience our new line of candles, Sahleb perfume, and more.

When: December 21st, 6pm-10pm
Where: #314-1230 Haro Street, Buzz #295
RSVP by December 15th or call (778) 863-0806

Hope to see you all soon!

Warm regards,

Ayala
Ayala Moriel Parfums
AyalaMoriel.com
My SmellyBlog: SmellyBlog.com
Tel.: (778) 863-0806
Address: 1230 Haro Street, Buzz #295,Vancouver, BC
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00am-4:00pm; Sundays & evenings by appointment only
Address: PO Box 93589 Nelson Park, Vancouver, BC, V6E 4L7

Seduction by Chocolate...

truffles, originally uploaded by chocolate monster mel.

Today I made two special batches of chocolate truffles for Valentine's Day: The infamous Blood Truffles, which are made of dark chocolate infused with saffron, attar of rose and a pinch of hot pepper...
The other flavour is lavender and nutmeg, which are milk chocolate base.
Both are made with fresh organic whipping cream and were hand rolled by myeslf and dusted with Dutch cocoa powder.

I'm now offering them on the website in the box size (8-10 truffles a box, for $12).
More flavours can be made upon request.

Valentine's Day Specials from Ayala Moriel Parfums

Click here or continue reading below

Get ready for love with gifts that entice the senses and capture the
heart...

Out of ideas for Valentine’s Day this year? Tired of wondering the mall for
heart-shaped chocolates and cookie-cutter fragrances? Ayala Moriel Parfums
might just have the answer for you. Custom scents can be made for couples as
well as individuals at Ayala Moriel’s parfum studio in downtown Vancouver.
Ayala Moriel also offers a few other irresistibly sensual gifts that are
anything but cliché.

Nothing could be more romantic than commissioning a custom scent for your
Valentine... Ayala Moriel offers a unique experience for both you and your
lover: custom made perfume that will capture your passion, translate your
love into a liquid perfume poem, locked in a bottle for you to cherish
together for years to come. The customer is an active participant in every
stage of the fragrance design - from concept to selecting the beautiful
essences and fine tuning it to perfection.

Immortelle l'Amour Parfum + Tea Gift Set

Now on special discount - when you buy both, receive a $20 discount
Original price $140 - now priced at only $120!
- Essentially, you are getting the previous price for the parfum ($100) and
tea ($20).

You may also choose any fragrance you'd like for our limited time offer
Valentine's Day Gift Sets - we put together a few attractive packages. Gift
wrapping is available upon request and at no additional cost.

Tea Time Gift Set

For a limited time only, we offer our exquisite Perfumed Teas for a
significant discount - $20 instead of $30. Due to the popular demand, we are
bringing back a linden blossom tea, to accompany Tirzah perfume. This is a
completely new perfumed tea, made with wild linden flowers, osmanthus and
green tea and is a delightful floral elixir. Only a limited edition was
prepared of 6 tins only - so hurry up and get it while you can! And of
course we have freshly made Immortelle l'Amour, which is the most romantic
tea that I have ever experienced in my life, a true aphrodisiac.

View product

Poison Rings

Ayala's exquisite collection of rare, exotic poison rings have captured the
hearts of shameless romantics and critics alike... Distinct for their designs as well as
functionality - poison rings filled with a custom perfume have always proven
to be the right gift and never fail to impress!

Aphrodisiac Chocolate Truffles

Choose from four exquisite flavours available throughout February 15th.
Minimum order is one box, priced at $12 (containing between 8-10 truffles)
Custom flavours are also available upon request for a minimum order of 40
truffles ($60). Please note: we only ship truffles within Canada, via
Xpresspost, or to the USA via FedEx. Inquire by email or call for shipping
prices.

Choose from the following flavours:

Blood truffles: Dark Chocolate, rose otto, saffron and chilli pepper
White Potion truffles: White chocolate, coconut, almond, vanilla and
tuberose


Lovender: Milk chocolate with lavender, vanilla, nutmeg and mace

Caution: these truffles may cause you to fall madly in love...!

View product

Perfumed Jewelry Gift Set

Last but not least - we've just put out new, romantic and sexy custom-made
gift packages pairing perfume with jewelry. Choose a pendant (available in
blue opal, red garnet, moonstone, mother-of-pearl and opalite) and a
matching poison ring, and we will fill them with a crème parfum to match.

View product

Valentine's Day Gift Set

Perfume and Jewelry - a perfect match, this time in both liquid and solid
forms. Select a pendent colour of your choice, and let us do the rest -
including helping you out with selecting the fragrance to best suit your
lover's olfactory dreams and make them come true...

View product

To book your olfactory journey or a fragrance consultation to help you find
the perfect perfume for you and your lover, contact us at Ayala Moriel
Studio (778) 863-0806 or via email ayala@ayalamoriel.com

Warmest regards,



Ayala

Portobello West July 29th

Portobello West Ayala Moriel Parfums Display 29.07.2007, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

Here is a little glimpse into the spectacular adventure of Portobello West this weekend. It was a vibrant and lively day at the market, with hundreds of Vancouvererites experiencing innovative local art, fashion and design, and discovering new concepts and cutting edge products.

I had a fantastic time meeting new perfume enthusiasts and witnessing their facial expressions as they experienced my perfumes. It never ceases to amaze me how a perfume can be new and at the same time feel familiar... One doesn't often see that mixture of emotions and double-takes in reaction to what is seemingly just a still-life object...

Portobello West Ayala Moriel Parfums Display 29.07.2007, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

The chocolate truffles were consumed with much delight and I came home with nearly none left. We made two flavours the night before, with organic whipping cream and premium chocolates:

Dark chocolate truffles with nutmeg and lavender - which is the most exotic flavour resulting from rather familiar essences.

White chocolate truffles with specs of vanilla, litsea cubeba and neroli - rolled in lemon peel and coconut (pictured below).

Lemon Vanilla Truffles, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

Those of you who live or visit in the area, the next market is August 26th, and should not be missed! Those who visited the market, I hope to see you again soon, either at my studio, the next Portobello West market or one of my upcoming workshops!

Mojito, Jalapenos & Chocolate

Jalapeno Chocolate, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

On the hottest day of the year, I've made the crucial mistake of making chocolate truffles. And not just any truffles, truffles that are stuffed into hot peppers! Where did I get this idea? I've wintessed, in some crazy birthday party of a friend, people pouring tequila into halved jalapenos and after drinking the burning liquor, chewing up on the entire pepper! Being neither a fan of jalapenos nor tequila, I've decided to adopt the idea and make something that is not for a faint-of-heart like me. And I've decided to add some mojito flavours to the mix...

The biggest problem is that the truffles melt in your fingers before even going through 1/4 way into the batch...

Well, aside from the meltage factor, the crucial mistake turned out quite good, actually. I've made two experimental batches - both with dark chocolate. I've split the ganache into half, so I can make two flavours and not have too many truffles at hand... This proves to be quite detrimental to the balanced diet I try to maintain on a daily basis - unless I make sure I have company every single evening...

Both batches had a bit of vanilla extract and rum added to them:

Jalapeno Truffles:
First batch was flavoured with lime and spearmint essential oils. Some of it I've stuffed into those green hot peppers (these are actually not jalapenos, because I couldn't find small enough jalapenos. Instead, I've used the hotter than fire serano peppers... Ouch!). They are topped with very thinly sliced fresh and sweet lime.
The result?
If you're like me (meaning: don't mind some spiciness but don't seek the fire-hot sensation on your tongue), you may not want to bite into the pepper itself (unless you belong to the other kind of people). You may just want to scoop out the chocolate. After chilling in the fridge for several hours, the chocolate have absorbed enough hotness to satisfy me. The strange (in a good way) thing is: this combination, along with the pepper, tastes a lot like fig! I don't know why, but it certainly does.

The remaining of the batch, I've turned into "normal" truffles, which were very minty and quite delightful. Espeically if you love mint. The lime was in the background, quite quiet...

Lavender & Nutmeg Truffles
The second batch was where the real surprise was. This is the first time I'm making truffles with no perfume inspiration behind them, yet the result was immensely perfumey! Some kind of mysterious alchemy is going on there. The nutmeg I've used is nutmeg absolute, which is well-rounded and full bodied, smoother and sweeter than the nutmeg essential oil. The lavender is lavender Mailette from France, which is very floral and light. The two notes, along with chocolate, clash to create a very peculiar flavour that feels so familiar... I'm transported to the Wadi where my friend Zohar used to live, yet I can't say if it's her house that I'm smelling or if its a particular wild herb that I can't recognize, in the midst of the wadi... Either way, I'm enjoying these immensely. They are floral, exotic, unusual, strange, yet the flavour is very harmonious. I can't believe I'm saying it, but think these are my favourite truffles so far!

Ayala Moriel @ Portobello West

Ayala Moriel @ Portobello West, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

Here is a glimpse of my table at Portobello West. I had very little time to take photos (snapped only two shots of my own table, and none of the market itself). It was plenty of fun and a busy, busy day at the market, even though it was raining cats and dogs outside.

It was fun meeting fashion-savvy Vancouverites who love to support local art and feed them my scented chocolate truffles... My Blood Truffles (dark chocolate, rose otto and chilli) were a hit. The Charisma truffles (matcha & jasmine white chocolate with hints of osmanthus, spearmint and litsea cubeba) were admired too... Of course you have to love matcha to truly appreciate them. I will be definitely bringing truffles to the next market - with flavours you won't even imagine... This time they will be for sale.

The next market is July 29th, 2007. Hope to see you there!

First Chocolate Truffle Workshop Report

My first chocolate truffle workshop was extremely successful! We had a full house, and we made two types of truffles:
Blood Truffles - dark chocolate with Turkish rose otto, saffron and chilli pepper (ouch!)
Charisma Truffles - inspired by my perfume by the same name, with matcha green tea powder, jasmine sambac, litsea cubeba and spearmint. These were covered with a mixture of matcha and powdered coconut.
We made two batches of each - one for the students to take home, and one to serve on my upcoming Perfume Party - launching Tirzah. I think the matcha truffles will be a perfect complement to the linden blossom fragrance. We'll also have a linden blossom tea made by a local tea artisan.
If you live in Vancouver, you should not miss the party (Saturday, June 16, 7-11pm) or the upcoming workshops here every Thursday at 6:30pm.
Next Thursday, June 14: Interactive presentation about how to think (and sniff!) like a nose and an introduction to natural perfumery.

I am really looking forward to meet more of you, and hope you could come and join me at one point or the other... Spaces are limited so book yourself well in advance: we have room for up to 20 people for the presentation on June 14th, and all of the "hands-on" workshops are for 6 people max. It's really important to keep the forum small so each student can get the guidance and close attention they need during the learning process.

P.s. I will post photos of the fabulous truffles tomorrow when there is daylight...

Smelly Workshops at Ayala Moriel Parfums Studio

The following are the classes and workshops offered at Ayala Moriel Parfums studio during the month of June. There are no pre-requisites for attending the classes, but we do recommend you register for the class as early as possible, as the number of spots is very limited (we only take 6 students for the practical workshops, and up to 20 for "theoretical" workshops such as lectures and olfactory presentations).

Thursday, June 7th
Chocolate Truffles Workshop
Learn how to make scented chocolate truffles with fine chocolate base and precious floral essences. We will be making two types of truffles, and you will be taking them home with you to share with loved ones (or not…).
Time: 5:30 – 8:00 pm
How much: $15 per person (Including materials)

Thursday, June 14th
Introduction to Natural Perfumery
This class is an interactive introduction to the art of natural perfumery. You will learn about how perfume is constructed, and will get exposed to the thinking process of a perfumer. You will learn how to sniff like a “Nose” and evaluate beautiful and strange essences from around the world, and smell how they were incorporated in some of Ayala Moriel’s perfume creations.
Time: 5:30 – 8:00 pm
How much: $15 per person

Thursday, June 21st
DIY Booze
Learn how to make your own fine liquors from readily available aromatics and spirits.
In this class we will make homemade Limoncello, a classic for the summer! You'll take home with you a little bottle of this snazzy concoction to share with friends!
Time: 5:30 – 8:00 pm
How much: $15 per person (Including materials)

Thursday, June 28th
Crème Parfum workshop
Learn how to design and create your own personal perfume from precious botanical essences. By the end of the workshop, you will have had a perfume to take with you.We will provide simple jars as basic packaging, but fancy silver compacts or porcelain pillboxes from the perfumer’s collection will be available for purchasing, for those who wish to add an extra visual and tactile touch to their first olfactory creation!
Time: 5:30 – 8:00 pm
How much: $55 per person (Including materials and basic packaging)

Starting July, we will also be offering a 6-part Beginner Natural Perfumery Course - a series of 6 workshops including theory and practice. Contact me for more information about the curriculum and prices.