Habanita (1921)
by Molinard

Molinard Habanita

I have pretty much set foot in every country in the Western Hemisphere, but one, Cuba. What is funny is that for a country that I have never set foot in and only seen from the deck of a sailboat in passing I have a vivid picture of what it must be like. That mental picture comes from the Cuban ex-patriates that moved to Miami in the 60's. As a kid I would listen to the stories of Havana and the countryside of Cuba and soak it all in. While many people would focus on tobacco and rum as the scents they most associate with Cuba there is one other scent I also associate with Cuba, flowers. One of our neighbors, Sra. Menendez, grew a garden in her yard, full of tropical flowers. She would tell me the story of how, in her home in Havana, she had the most beautiful garden. She took the time to teach a young man about the different flowers in her garden and to identify them and they all had a distinct smell. I am reminded of Sra. Menendez's garden everytime I wear the scent created in 1921 for Molinard, Habanita. While there is tobacco present in this scent, this is more like a stroll in a tropical garden and what makes this a stand-out scent for me is that it is like a walk in a garden as each floral note seems to appear very distinctly only to be replaced by the next one. The top of Habanita starts off with a light breeze of bergamot and cedar and then I enter the olfactory garden and the first floral note I get is lavender. Thisi is a very powdery lavender and it might be too powdery for some but it doesn't last long before I get a hint of orange blossom then comes jasmine, rose, heliotrope, and ylang ylang all in succession. underneath all of this is an earthy accord which really brings to mind the garden milieu of cedar mulch and dirt underneath lush florals. As Habanita progresses into the base the florals fade to the background and amber, leather, vanilla, and tobacco come to the fore. These four notes combine to create a divine drydown in Habanita that smells great. Habanita is a long lasting scent with a lot of projection. If you are not a fan of florals this is not the scent for you. If you are a fan of florals this is a scent which allows everyone of them present to have their moment in the spotlight and shine. For me Habanita is like a walk in Sra. Menendez's garden all over again.

I think Habanita all comes down to the body chemistry. I do get the baby powder note, quite intensely for a rather long time, but when the drydown finally comes, Habanita turns into a complex little burner on me: smoky, tabacco-y, dark and sexy. The powdery note keeps this scent from becoming too dark, but this is one you have to be able to carry off, lest it carry you off.

Habanita is a woman with dark short hair, sitting alone at a mahogany bar, drinking a dry port, downwind from an elegant grey-haired man who's looking her over with while smoking a Cuban cigar. She notices him from her peripheral vision, but what she wants is not in sight...yet.

Habanita makes you wait for it, and you will be rewarded.

I’ve now tried both the EDT and perfume extrait concentrations, and I still can’t make my mind up about Habanita.

Granted, this is a very rich and opulent oriental (consisting of vanilla, amber, leather, tobacco, light florals, vetiver and oakmoss), with the EDT being as potent as any respectable EDP. Unfortunately, its leans too much towards smelling old-fashioned and tends to spoil my enjoyment of it. I really do think you have to be in the right frame of mind to appreciate its qualities but (for such situations) it’s usually difficult to determine this until it’s too late.

Unlike other reviewers, I don’t have an issue with its powdery nature or with the EDT’s harsh opening nature (which I think is due to the lavender top notes). However, while there are times when I can appreciate it for what it is, there are also moments when I simply can’t – it’s just one of those Jekyll and Hyde fragrances that demands an acquired taste.

Habanita is most certainly a sophisticated and sensual scent but it often fails to completely (and consistently) captivate me to an acceptable degree – so much that I’ve long lost count of the number of times I’ve considered purchasing a bottle, only to later change my mind. There are very few fragrances that have the ability to both allure and dissuade me, in equal measure, and I’m afraid this is one of them.

It’s definitely a classic creation but its age is far too evident and, as much as I have wrestled with unconditionally admiring it, I have finally conceded defeat. However, regardless of my disappointment, I think anyone with an interest in perfumery should give Habanita a try at least once.

Thank you, Basenote folks! If you had never blogged about Habanita, I might have missed out on one of the "greats". This scent is NOTHING like I expected. I expected a heavy on the kaboodles Oriental fragrance from the 80's (not my favorite perfume era). Instead, I discovered an abruptly green opening followed by a thick jammy spiced-fruit accord. Next come the florals. Then the drydown is all vetivier & vanilla...very dry hay with just a touch of vanilla. Yes, there is amber but the final star of this show is the vetivier. I can see this as a masculine if you put it on early and go out for the drydown. Bravo!

I like vanilla. I like vetiver. I don't like them together, I guess. This just smells very old.

To my nose, this is the model upon which Jaïpur pour homme has been created.
Jaïpur is spicier and habanita fruitier, but I feel they share a lot of similarities, and the same structure and feeling.
Kudos!