Tobacco
by Santa Maria Novella

I didn’t like this one at first. I was expecting something different – something more on the order of SMN’s Acqua di Cuba. I thought that since this one actually has “tabacco” in its name, the tobacco must be even stronger than the tobacco dynamo that is Acqua di Cuba, which is the tobaccoiest quality fragrance I’ve encountered… An even stronger tobacco than Acqua di Cuba would be an accomplishment and a phenomenon… but it’s all a moot point. It turns out that this scent, Tabacco di Toscana presents a soft and refined interpretation of tobacco… a tobacco that is presented with the sweetness of amber and vanilla and a slight smoky resinousness that seems more like an environmental aroma than personal fragrance. The version of tobacco in Tabacco di Toscana can be worn almost anywhere and in most situations. I have come to like the idea of this softer, kinder tobacco. The opening of the fragrance presents tobacco amid a floral sweetness. I immediately get a strong amber note from the base and I find it hard to identify the floral because it is dominated by the tobacco – it seems like orange blossom, but I’m unsure. But the floral sweetness presents another moot point because it is quickly gone and I am left with this light, aromatic bitter tobacco note in a dry, airy leather / tobacco accord that lasts beautifully through to the far distant end of the fragrance. I don’t get anything of a separate, unique drydown, just a gradual waning of the delicate, bitter tobacco accord accompanied by a bit of a leather note… as for me, I could do without the leather note, but this is an excellent fragrance.

4th April, 2010.

After the amazing tour of the pit stop with Nostalgia, I was half-expecting a similarly macho interpretation of the Toscano il sigaro (a brand of Italian cigars). Instead what I got was a subtle take on tobacco more reminiscent of an empty cigarette box. Dude, where's my tobacco? To me TOSCANO is a pleasant low sillage skin scent with a well blended base of amber, vanilla and malt lending a complementary touch of airy sweetness to the fleeting tobacco and presumably greater mass appeal. It's wearable even on sunny days. But fans of Tobacco Vanille and richer tobacco notes may find it as hollow as that empty cigarette box, marking this release as yet another triumph of marketing sensibilities over what could have been unadulterated artistry.

12nd October, 2009.

This is called Tabacco Toscano and is a lovely almost wet deep tobacco scent. It has a really nice elongated sweetish drydown and lasts well for a cologne. Some class here.

18th August, 2009.

The full name of this is Tobacco di Toscana. It certainly smells of rich tobacco, a darker sort of tobacco than the blond leaf found in Acqua di Cuba. It is sweet and aromatic, and yet also powdery-dry and airy. I think it has a healthy dollop of coumarin (which often is used to scent pipe tobacco) and also tonka bean, since there is a strong vanilla note. Another rich and powerful scent from SMN, not my sort but quite interesting.

16th May, 2009.