To SummerJazz Bar

Jazz Bar is one of those scents that takes you somewhere else from the very first spray. Picture an old jazz bar in Shanghai: dim lights, a saxophone, a glass of whisky on the counter and a quiet conversation late into the night. It is an Extrait de Parfum, the most concentrated form of perfume, created by perfumer Bruno Jovanovic for the Chinese niche house To Summer.

It opens with rum, bitter orange and grapefruit for a juicy, slightly boozy start. Arabica coffee, whisky and benzoin appear in the heart, while a base of tobacco, Chinese cedar and patchouli leaves a warm, velvety and slightly smoky trail. A unisex scent for the colder months and for evenings you want to remember.

This is an original decant of the perfume in a practical travel bottle. Perfect for testing and for carrying everywhere.

The story behind the scent

To Summer (观夏 in Chinese, "Guan Xia", literally "watching summer") was founded in 2018 in Beijing and is now one of the most loved niche brands in China. It describes itself as Eastern artistic perfumery: its scents are inspired by Chinese poetry, landscapes and art, and its boutiques are set in restored historic buildings such as an old house in Shanghai and a traditional courtyard in Beijing. The brand was the first to extract Pu'er tea essential oil, and in 2024 L'Oréal invested in it. Its perfumes are sold almost only in China and Hong Kong, which makes them a real rarity in Europe.

The Chinese name of Jazz Bar is 一盎司的时间, "One ounce of time". An ounce is a bar measure for a drink, and the original bottle is 30 ml, about one ounce. The idea is simple and beautiful: one slow, warm hour in a jazz bar, captured in a small bottle.

Scent profile

Top notes:
Rum
Bitter orange
Grapefruit

Heart notes:
Arabica coffee
Whisky
Benzoin

Base notes:
Tobacco
Chinese cedar
Patchouli

How it wears

Jazz Bar opens juicy and boozy, like a rum cocktail with citrus peel. After a few minutes coffee and whisky take the lead, and benzoin adds a soft, resinous sweetness. Over time it settles into dry tobacco and cedar that stays on the skin for hours. As an Extrait it lasts very well, and its projection is rich but never overpowering.

Why choose a decant?

A full bottle of Jazz Bar is hard to find outside China and costs around 180 dollars for 30 ml. With an original decant you get a rare niche scent that almost no one in Bulgaria has, for a fraction of the price, and you can try it at your own pace before hunting down the full bottle.