Hindu Kush takes its name and inspiration from the 500-mile mountain range running along the hinterlands of Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Pakistan, characterized by wild pine forests that give way to jagged mountain peaks. The scent mirrors the sensory contrast between forest and stone to perfection, capturing in particular the chilly isolation of rugged places unreachable to most humans. It is a meditative scent that taps into our need for silence and contemplation.
The contrasts in Hindu Kush are what drive the scent. In pairing the cool lemon-and-pine notes of pure frankincense with the fiery heat of ginger, nutmeg, and pepper, Hindu Kush achieves an incredible fire-and-ice character that captures our interest throughout. Resinous, mossy woods create the impression of oiled floorboards, a smell that is both comforting and nostalgic. The incense notes are smoky and balsamic, but the freshness of pine leaves drags the priest’s censer out of the chapel and into the forest clearing. It’s a scent of worship, yes, but here we’re worshipping at the altar of Nature herself. Picture ancient warriors cooking heavily spiced meat over fires, surrounded by the howling ice winds of the Hindu Kush, and you get an idea of the mysterious alchemy between the culinary and the spiritual at play here. We can think of nothing quite like it.
