Jade Forest Co. Specialty Maple Fermented Fig and Sweet Incense Tree Resinoid

5 ml in a glass concentrate jar.
 
A gorgeous extraction of Maple Fermented Figs~over 3 years in the making.
 
It began with the most delicious, fresh figs we purchased from Dancing Bear Farms, the only farm in Massachusetts that grows figs. The figs were like none I'd ever tasted, but it was the scent that surprised me more than anything. The amazing folks growing them, call these "the honey ones". And I can see why. Their inside full of succulent honey-like juices, and their flavor just as delicious. The scent is like the finest figs drizzled in honey, with notes of stone fruit and maple syrup.
 
The maple syrup note is what surprised me most of all, while also delighting my olfactory. And so it was then I decided to roll my fresh figs in our handcrafted maple sugar, created from the syrup we boil down from the sap we tap from the sugar maples. Next I let nature and magic do their work, and the figs were left to ferment in a clay fermentation vessel.
 
Many Moons later, I opened the fermentation crock to find the most gorgeous scent greeting my nose. Not only that, but the figs looked like they were encrusted in tiny crystals, and it wasn't due to the maple sugar which had long disolved into the juices of the fig during the fermentation process, but it was what I had hoped, a beautiful coating signifying the wonderful microbes had done their job in the fermentation process.
 
The figs were removed from the crock, the alcohol that had been produced in the fermentation process reserved, and the fermented figs dehydrated. Once dehydrated into leathery balls of deliciousness (the best thing I have ever eaten!), I placed them on a tray with the reserved fermented alcohol, and allowed them to absorb it. They were then aged until all liquid had evaporated, and we're now ready for the extraction process.
 
The figs were first extracted with organic, high proof, food grade alcohol. I created two extractions; one with just the figs, and another with Namibian Sweet Incense Tree. After vacuum filtering, the alcohol was evaporated, leaving behind two stunning extractions.
 
Here I'm offering the beautiful pairing of Fig and Sweet Incense Tree. The scent is like no other; incredibly complex. The scent of the Maple Fermented Figs is appearent first; sweet notes of cherried fig fruit and maple sugar, threaded with honey. The Sweet Incense Tree emerges, and it's gourmand amber spice makes you want to devour it. It's mouthwatering to say the least. The dry down is the crown jewel of the experience; silky notes of oak and fruit, laced with honey and smooth amber. The scent is so rounded and smooth, it gives an impression it's been aged in oak barrels for centuries. The dry down lasts and lasts, and the next day I find traces of it's scent still imprinted on my skin.
 
I purchased the Namibian Sweet Incense Tree directly from the Himba Tribe of Africa to ensure they were properly compensated. The Himba Tribe collects the raw material by hand, and I received the material as it is collected from the desert floor. No plants are harvested for this material. The magic happens after the plant dies, which must do so naturally in order to have any value as a perfumery material. After the plant meets it's natural demise, it bakes in the sun upon the desert floor, it's fragrances compounded into it's waxy, resinous succulent stems. The natural elements and time, create an aging process that produces one of the most gorgeous materials you can use in natural perfumes. One of my favorite!
 
*Please note this is a concentrated raw ingredient of organic origin. It requires dilution before use and is not intended to be a finished product.