Copala focuses on copal resin, used as incense by the indigenous peoples of Mexico and Central America since the time of the Mayan civilization. Black copal is heavy and rich, known for its bittersweet bay leaf scent; golden copal is as smooth and sweet as honey.
Here, it is the good-natured sweetness of Mexican golden copal that gives this dry, incensey vanilla its edge. The faintly cinnamon-and-bay-leaf spiciness inherent in the resin is firmly underlined by a piquant pink pepper note that runs all the way down the spine of the scent to the base. Smoky mesquite woods keep the sultry Mexican vanilla powdery and elegant - no gluttony or sugared excess here. Instead, a dark cocoa-ish tone develops, giving the woody vanilla a dustiness reminiscent of the white ash left after the copal burns clean away. What’s most impressive about Copala is its lightness and naturalness: compared to most other spicy vanilla-ambers, the Xinú rendition is positively monastic.
