Wow! Pretty blown away by this fragrance. I knew this Andrea Maack line had potential to give me something to smile about and Coal has been the one to do it. It's not like anything I've tried before it has true dimension, because the smokey/earthy coal effect is like a veil of smoke sitting in front of the 'real' composition behind. A clever perfumers illusion and the olfactory equivalent of Dolby 5:1 surround sound. The opening is quite fresh with juniper and papyrus and just to mention that many fragrances which contain papyrus(with sandalwood usually?) are a turn off for me. Coal however is really nice and interesting and somehow does evoke the smell of coal. The intense pepper grows out of the opening and you get a kinda smokey effect but the drydown to me is a kind of patchouli and very spicy gorgeous sandalwood and maybe some ambery resin too...it's slendid! Longevity is good and coal projects for a little bit before retreating. This fragrance is nothing short of show stoppingly good and you have to check it out. I want a bottle.