Jasmine grandiflorum

Known also as royal jasmine, jasmine grandiflorum is one of the most sought after ingredients in fine perfumery. To make a kilogram of the absolute takes eight million flowers - these delicate, night-flowering blooms are hand-picked at dawn between June and September in the Indian Himalayas, where the flowers are sacred. The first harvest is offered to the gods; the second is plaited into hair and used to decorate the home; only the third may be used to make the absolute used in fragrance. To avoid any damage to this culture, and to reduce air miles, we at Ffern get our jasmine grandiflorum from Spain. Ffern nose Elodie Durande notes its mild, fruity sweetness, likening it to apricot jam.