Saaqi by Śasva Review: A Silk Road tavern in a bottle

If a perfume could lean in and whisper a dangerous secret, it would be Saaqi by Śasva. The name nods to the cupbearer, the one who pours the night’s next chapter, and perfumer Chris Maurice delivers a coup de foudre that feels like walking into a tavern along the Silk Road at closing time, when the last song is deep in the wood.

On first spray, I get a flash of saffron heat and sticky dried fruits, not jammy, more like dates warmed by a hand. There is a wine-like shimmer that makes the opening feel flushed and a touch wicked. Give it a minute and the room shifts. Smoke curls up, oud hums low, leather hangs from the rafters, and something resinous starts to glow. Think labdanum and myrrh sweetened by a bitter edge, like pomegranate rind or spiced tea left a tad too long. It is not gourmand in the pastry sense, it is gourmand in the way a story feeds you.

The middle is where Saaqi really wins. A dusk-rose thread stitches the spice to the smoke, never powdery, more velvet petal crushed under a ring. The sweetness recedes, the resins get chewy, and the whole thing becomes tactile, almost textural, like touching hand-printed cloth that still smells of dye and sun.

Performance on my skin is formidable, which makes sense for a Chris Maurice composition. I get a confident sillage in the first three hours, then a steady aura that lasts 9 to 11 hours. The drydown lands on balsamic amber and leather-soft woods, with a faint wine-stain memory that keeps the narrative alive. It is night-leaning, autumn to winter friendly, and dangerously good on fabric.

If you’re tired of loud sugar bombs or sterile woods, Saaqi by Śasva feels like a grown-up alternative that still flirts. It is intimate without shrinking, romantic without cliché. Wear it to a dim dinner or a solo train ride where you intend to change your mind about something. The cupbearer pours, the tale unfolds, and for once, the hype feels earned.