Reviews of Vanille-Tonka (1997)
by Parfums de Nicolaï

Another winner from PdN! A straightforward vanilla, rich and powerful, and without the cheap, sweet notes that make so many vanilla scents unwearable. Lovely citrus top notes and a modest incense drydown. This is done in the Jicky/Shalimar tradition but it is pared back. If you like either of those but feel that they wear you instead of your wearing them, you might try this one.

Parfums de Nicolai Vanille Tonka

Vanilla is one of those love/hate notes. There are many, me amongst them, that love the comforting feel of vanilla. There are others who feel it is a sickly sweet intruder on their scents and would wish for all perfumers to lock up their vanilla. Vanilla is certainly a popular note in perfumery. Most times I know what to expect when I wear a scent which has vanilla or vanille in the name. Therefore it is a pleasure when a perfumer can surprise me with a new take on vanilla. Patricia de Nicolai does just that with here 1997 release, Vanille Tonka. When you look at the name you think, Vanille and Tonka, this is like double vanilla. The reality is far different, as by bracketing the titular notes with citrus up front and incense in the rear Mme. de Nicolai creates something entirely unexpected. The top is a mix of tangerine and lime according to the note list but it really is mostly lime there is some aspect of something less tart than the lime but the edge of the lime is what carries you into the heart. The heart is vanilla but this is the vanilla of the bean less sugary sweet and more subtly rich. The pairing with tonka bean is great because the sharp lime works to bring out the spiciness inherent in tonka. Particularly the cinnamon character. So often when tonka bean is used I get teasing hints of the cinnamon and clove character that is inherent to tonka. By using the acidity of the lime at the top it seems to make my nose more receptive to the cinnamon and clove, and in turn it keeps what could be a sticky sweet mess of a vanillla heart under control and really miles away from being sweet at all. The base is a magnificent contrast as Mme. de Nicolai gives this a blast of frankincense. This accord feels like as dry of an incense accord as I've encountered and that arid quality realy turns this scent on its ear and turns it into a sweeter than normal incense scent, on me. Vanille Tonka has average longevity on me and modest sillage. Vanilla scents usually tend towards the gourmand side of the street but Patricia de Nicolai has somehow made a genre-bending version of vanilla that is far from gourmand but very close to being unforgettable.

I tried this - while I like it very much, the limey kick,bit of spice, and incense move it ever so slightly to the masculine side for me. Hubby gets my sample and I think we both will be quite pleased with this scent on him.

Vanille-Tonka is a lovely vanilla and frankincense scent that is both delicious and alluring. Personally, I find it lacking in projection and longevity to justify wearing in public. However, this would be perfectly ideal for wearing as a bedtime scent or during more intimate moments.

[Original submission date: 25 December 2008]

Oh, wow. Wow. WOW. I thought I might like this, based on the listed notes -- but I had no idea I'd like it this much! Lime, tangerine, and carnation kick this one off, with faint hints of vanilla. I do love spicy carnations, and VT certainly gives me spicy carnations, with just a hint of floral orange blossom. I'm not a big vanilla fan (if you're looking for something primarily vanilla, this is not for you), but tonka is a favorite note for me.

I was also surprised at how unisex this fragrance seemed to me. Perhaps it's the lime and spice and frankincense, but I could certainly see a man wearing this. In fact, it reminds me vaguely of a male friend I haven't seen in years (who never wore fragrance per se, just aftershave). However, the hints of orange blossom and vanilla make it feminine enough for me.

Vanille-Tonka goes on my wish list immediately!

On my skin this is a beautiful frankincense fragrance, my favorite frankincense scent in fact. The vanilla and the tonka are subdued. This is not a gourmand scent at all, nor is it appropriate to be labeled as a "feminine" fragrance, as it is truly unisex. The vanilla is dry and blends seamlessly with the tonka and frankincense allowing the incense note to be in the forefront. This is another winner from Patricia de Nicolai.

The comparisons to Parfum Sacre are quite understandable.

Top notes: basil, lemon and mandarin
Middle notes: carnation, orange blossom, pepper, cinnamon
Base notes: frankincense, vanilla, tonka bean

A lot more tonka than vanilla, and more feminine than I thought it would be based on the published notes and the reviews. Very nice, very high quality, just not quite for me, even though I'm a big vanilla fan.

I used to love this to death. Now all I can smell is high grade, very resinous pot. Not the signature scent I'm looking for. Maybe 20 years ago...LOL! I'm selling my bottle. :-(

An amazing scent, simple, brings vanilla out of the kitchen by pairing it with frankincense, one of my most favorite notes aside of vanilla (and others). More weight taken off with topnotes of lime and tangerine. I would've been thrown into a fit of ecstasy if there was a subtle vein of jasmine or tuberose, but Vanille-Tonka still fits the bill for me. Sweet-Earthy-Sensual...PERFECT!

Vanilla based fragrances are often too sweet for me, but this one from PdN does it well, taming it with a subtle but earthy base. I'd love it if I were a bigger fan of Tonka bean; unfortunately I'm not and so as it dries down I start to turn away.

Nevertheless, it is definitely unique, warm, inviting, and worth a try. If you like a darker, warmer vanilla and you like tonka, then this is almost certain to be a hit.

Here's what I get, pure and simple: M7 mating with Bellodgia. I can't get any more succinct than that.

Smokey and mysterious, this one is a surprise. The oriental vanilla is there in the base, but the top and middle reveal frankincense, lime and tangerine. Though the citrus is subtle, the earthy tonka and incense-like frankincense create a rich and unique aroma.

This was the lecture that the Baron de Charlus delivered to the Society of Perfumes in Paris concerning Nicolai's Vanille-Tonka: 'Mesdames and messieurs, this is like the unfortunate offspring of Serge Lutens' already misbegotten fetish with florid and overripe adventures in vanilla. Why should Nicolai (who, incidentally, gave us among other things the excellent New York) apparently aspire to imitate what in the first place was neither worth imitating nor creating - namely, the vanilla belchings of the said Serge Lutens (who, to be fair, did present us, among other things, with the quite passable Douce Amere)? All too often, the creations of Lutens put me in mind of a three year old child splashing about in a paintbox of crude primary colours, producing only garish daubs without much artistry or finesse, too rich with the red, too glaring with the yellow, and so forth.
To me, Nicolai's Vanille-Tonka and so many of the creations of Serge Lutens seem a crass masquerade of luxuriousness and sensuality. Hence, I intend to send to Nicolai a bottle of Creed's Acier Aluminium and to Lutens a bottle of MPG's George Sand, each bottle bearing the message: "Children, suck your toes, sniff, listen and learn."'