ELOREA — Local services in New York

I previously experienced ELOREA perfumes through their sample set that I purchased online, and when I found out they had a flagship store opening in New York I made a reservation to try their tasting experience.

The store itself is modern and minimalist, with options to smell/try all of their perfumes and candles, as well as a cafe with signature (non-alcoholic) drinks and art on display from Korean artists.

ELOREA is the combination of "elements" and "Korea" and is a Korean brand. I paid $30 for the tasting experience and pre-booked online. I chose the fruit chocolate set that goes with their new "Forgotten Words" collection. You receive four chocolates by Vesta that were specially created to pair with each scent, plus a drink of your choice. I can't remember the name of the drink I chose, but it had coffee, oat milk, and black sesame. It was delicious and not too sweet (ultimate Asian dessert compliment), and the chocolates were fantastic. It really did make for a full sensory experience and I would recommend it for perfume (and chocolate) fans. You don't have to make a purchase beyond the tasting, but I ended up getting the "Be By My Side/흐노니" travel sized perfume for $45 as well.

Their website says the tasting lasts 45 min to an hour, but it was not crowded when I visited and with a reservation, it still took only about 30 minutes. The staff is very knowledgable and was able to answer all of my questions. I had a great...

＊ Iced Corn Latte The corn latte was my absolute favorite. I tried corn latte once in Seoul but it was sadly excessively sweet, yet Elorea’s had the right amount of sweetness.

We discovered the consistency of their drinks was questionable, since all three corn lattes we got had different tastes and textures.

#1 I liked mine the most as it was creamy and had the perfect ratio of corn syrup and espresso.

#2 While my friend’s corn latte was on the sweeter side, it was relatively infused with a stronger corn flavor.

#3 The third corn latte was served in a to-go cup and it tasted the worst among all—lack of corn flavors and very grainy.

＊ Midnight Dream The kind barista lady introduced their coffee to me enthusiastically, and suggested me to get the hot midnight dream as she promised she could pour a good latte art, and she did! The espresso base was overbearing though which covered the black sesame flavor. I could only taste a subtle hint of black sesame from the foam.

FYI according to the barista, sweetness level: Corn Latte Sweet Potato Latte Midnight Dream, but all their drinks are very lightly sweetened.

Don’t forget to try their perfume! I tried Inflorescence on my skin and it lasted for the entire day. I could still smell the scent after I took a...

The fragrances here are interesting, have a cohesive theme, and beautiful packaging. There are multiple sizes to choose from or a sample pack of 4 fragrances per 2 different fragrance lines. The 10 ml inflorescence I bought had a small dent in the cap when I first opened the box it came in and leaks a bit when it sprays. However the folks that work at this location are very cold or just plain rude. I watched as other customers that walked in after me were greeted mildly and helped, but I was ignored or brushed off. The perfumes were good enough that I decided to purchase regardless, but when I went to check out the person at the register all but sneered at me. I was polite and didn’t act out in any way, but watching this person harshly throw my perfume into the store provided bag and then toss the bag at me was jarring. Then having the other employees nearby watching and laughing at this situation wasn’t the best feeling either. For what they charge, I’d expect at least bare minimum neutral interactions versus obvious and open condescension. It felt like I was one step away from being spit on for daring to be a customer. There was one nice employee that I sadly didn’t catch their name, but at least one person was...