Ralph Hot is the first gourmand fragrance from the Ralph Lauren brand. Like its predecessors in the Ralph by Ralph Lauren line (Ralph debuted in 2000 and Ralph Cool followed in 2004), it is aimed at women in the 15 to 25 age cohort. It was formulated by perfumer Pierre Negrin, and features cinnamon, almond blossoms, mandarin, mocha cream, orchid, honeysuckle, jasmine, fresh milk, fig, maple, creamy vanilla, amber, musk and sandalwood.

Ralph Hot starts with a brief flash of citrus overlaid with lots of cinnamon. The mocha cream comes on strong in the early stages, along with a creamy-sweet fig, and the maple syrup joins in shortly thereafer. The floral notes are fresh and light and indistinct, and they help to counterbalance all the sweet foody notes, but still, what it calls to mind more than anything is an indulgent Sunday brunch: french toast floating in syrup with a sprinkling of cinnamon and a side of fig jam, and a cup of mochachino, heavy on the frothed milk and sugar, easy on the coffee.

The foodiness, and to some extent the sweetness, lessens over the next hour or so, and eventually it is overtaken by a mild musky wood base. All the same, it is sweeter and foodier than I care for personally, and to my nose (which granted, is quite outside of the target age range) it simply has too much of too many good things. It is also sweeter and warmer than you would expect from a spring-time launch — I would think it would be overwhelming in hot weather — and I'm surprised they didn't launch Ralph Hot in the fall.

Ralph Hot is available in 50 and 100 ml bottles of Eau de Toilette.

Note: image via Images de Parfums.