Character
The Story of Curaçao
A distinctive Caribbean citrus built from the aromatic peel of the laraha, a bitter orange variety native to Curaçao. Offers a complex bitter-sweet character with subtle floral undertones that distinguish it from common sweet orange.
Heritage
The laraha citrus variety emerged on Curaçao by accident. Spanish conquistadors carried bitter orange trees aboard ships during the 1500s for culinary and medicinal purposes, but these fruits proved too bitter for European tastes. When ships stopped at Curaçao, crew discarded the inedible oranges overboard. The harsh volcanic soil and intense Caribbean sun transformed these stranded trees over generations into the hardy, aromatic laraha now synonymous with the island. Dutch traders later recognized commercial potential in the intensely fragrant peel, developing the blue Curaçao liqueur that bears the island's name. Perfumers adopted the laraha's distinctive oil for its complex citrus profile that offers more depth than typical sweet orange materials.
At a Glance
Not Classified
Olfactive group
Curaçao
Primary source region
Ingredient Details
Cold pressing
Fruit peel
Did You Know
"The laraha tree grows from bitter orange seeds the Spanish discarded on Curaçao in the 1500s, when their ships deemed the fruit inedible and left it behind."
