Reviews of Cuba (2002)
by Czech & Speake

An atmosphere is created by C&S Cuba that is bold and a bit harsh, possibly dangerous, but definitely is very masculine. These fragrance note combinations aren't pleasant and they don't interact all that smoothely either - all angles and odd shapes - but they are definitely bold and strong characters. C&S Cuba is a jumbled mix of very different elements that transports you to Old Havanna and into the back of a cigar rolling room, bottle of rum at hand with a twist of lime and mint. The smells of Cuba are lime, mint, rum, incense, raw tobacco, some woods . . . more rum. The notes bounce around off each other blending with natural human body odors like old friends at night out on the town. This is machismo in a bottle. An acquired taste for sure. I think it's fantastic!

November 2008:

Juniper berries, bay leaf, and booze: that’s bay rhum, and that’s Czech and Speake’s Cuba. Some tobacco, leather, and a touch of smoke round out the structure until a somewhat abrasive woody drydown sets in. I like Cuba’s starting point better than its destination, so when I’m in the mood for booze and tobacco I’ll still turn to the richer, more complex, though sadly discontinued Havana.

August 2009:

The more time I spend with Cuba, the more I like it. The drydown is indeed angular, but warm weather also brings out a stupendous fecal-animalic component (civet and castoreum, perhaps,) that makes it paradoxically frightening and irresistible. Ideal for people who, like me, occasionally enjoy rolling in their own filth!

Czech & Speake Cuba

Growing up in S. Florida in the 60's I watched the Cubans who fled Castro turn Little Havana into a thriving neighborhood. I used to ride my bike down there and feel like I had entered a new country. One of my favorite ways to spend time was playing dominos with some of the older men of the community. They taught me the game, helped me sharpen my Spanish speaking skills, and told me stories of the Cuba that was. Because I have such a strong mental picture of what Cuba is like and the smells I associate with Little Havana I was very interested in a scent called Cuba. This 2002 creation by John Stephen for Czech & Speake lives up to its name and does a great job evoking the smells of the islands. The top is the mojito accord that Guerlain Homme promised, but Mr. Stepehn achieves, in Cuba. A mix of lime, rum and mint starts Cuba off and while this does come off as a mojito my long standing bugaboo with mint still stands as it comes off toothpaste like but thankfully not dominant as it is the rum and lime that carry the top. Next is the spicy latin heart of Cuba as clove and bay come in with some heat and bring this to life along with the lightest of rose. No trip to Cuba would be complete without cigars and the base of Cuba is tobacco laden goodness. Along with the tobacco are solid components of vetiver to contrast the sweetness of the tobacco and cedar to draw some clean borders around all of it. According to the note list there is some incense here but I have never gotten that in my experience with this scent. Cuba is a long-lasting scent on me with moderate sillage. Cuba does a great job reminding me of the stories the abuelos told me while playing dominos. It smells what I imagine a night at the Hotel National in Havana smelled like back in the 50's.

Imagine if you like that you are rolling cigars in Cuba and it is a hot day. You a sucking on a strong mint and have been drinking rum with a lot of lime.

You have been sweating a lot which has dried on your body and has mixed in with all of the tobacco that you have been rolling.

This is what I get when I sprayed Cuba when I received my bottle. Like everyone says on first application you get a strong opening of mint and lime. Then you get a dirty note like you have just pulled a geranium plant up from the earth. Then a strong sweet rum animal musky tobacco note takes hold as time goes by.

This is a very interesting scent as its like a riot of notes on your skin constantly shifting and changing. Its like nothing else I have tried before.

I like it because of the tobacco accord and that there is lot going on scent wise. You cannot accuse it of been boring but this one is not for the mainstream masses. More for the connoisseur who can appreciate unique scents.

Both reviewers mention tobacco but there's no mention of it in the pyramid note. Neither is there a mention of rum, but it's there as well. I'll bet you a mojito, along with a Cohiba.

Wonderfully warm, charming and effortlessly elegant. This is one smooth and mellow juice.

Unisex? Well, in the sense that the 'male' Egoiste could be worn by both men and women--provided they have good taste--the answer is yes, it works.

Why are there no more reviews? Because it's expensive and very hard to get, esp. in the U.S.
To my mind, this is what Idole de Lubin tries to accomplish, but here the idea is executed far better--with panache and with subtlety.
Well done.

Buzzlepuff and Odysseum reviews, if I can combine them, are what I would say. I have worn Cuba twice. Once I had a bottle and today, wearing a sample. First time, I thought it a scrubber. Today, I am rocking it!!! The notes sorta seem discordant, citrus and tobacco, rum and greenleafy. You know how you see a wreck on the highway, up the road, traffic slowing down and you just wanna get on to your destination, but you get closer and you know you are gonna look? Cuba. But, this is a macho scent for sure. I can see why some ladies are drawn to it. Today is a summer day, about 84 now, and this scent is nice, plays nice too. Very well done and this one is gonna have longevity and nice projection.

Cuba is probably my favourite release by Czech & Speake and, as others have mentioned, is a better substitute to Aramis’ Havana (which I later found to be too harsh and synthetic). Now, I’ve never tried the vintage formulation, so I am unable to comment on how good this once was. However, based on the current formulation, I’m still pleasantly impressed with the refreshing mojito accord, married to the bay rum and tobacco notes.

I wouldn’t say it’s bottle-worthy (well, unless I had the chance of obtaining the vintage formulation) but it still deserves a thumbs-up.

This one sure is curious. I'm having a hard time giving it a rating. I'll tell you some certainties: it is weird. It is very natural and high quality. The sillage is excellent and the longevity is medium-long. It has all the hallmarks of a quality fragrance. But what is IT? Is it a fragrance, is it a trick, is it a Segway?

"It" is just... odd. At first sniff I though I smelled sage. YSL Pour Homme without the citrus note - which is better than YSL, to be certain. (Read my review of YSL... try though I may to like it, it smells like urinal cakes.) But how could I characterize this other than... pungent? It's an herbal fragrance all the way from top to bottom. I could pick up a minty effervescence in the top note, but not citrus, no lime or bergamot. It's a down & dirty, earthy, herbal, medicinal fragrance. It is in no way "fresh" and the pyramid I read before I bought it certainly misled me to that kind of conclusion. It is a musky, pungent fragrance. My wife HATES it and I almost think I would not wear this one in public because it could be easily mistaken for a light application of perfume over a man who hasn't showered in a few days...

But it also tells a story, and that's what I find interesting about it. It's thematic. I can smell this and think of being in a club in Havana, smoking cigars on a hot night. Ocean air makes everything damp, the cigars, pungent. Men sitting in open shirts drinking rum and enjoying life. That's the weird thing about it. I could not wear this to work, nor even to lunch with my family... but I still think I like it. It's in your face, visceral, and it actually does make you dream a little, think of other places & times.

You have to work to understand & appreciate it, so it's not something you should buy if you're looking for pleasant, agreeable fragrances. My positive is based on the fact that this base note IS captivating - strong, natural, challenging, interesting, and masculine. I wouldn't say you should own it, or try it - I'd say, you should experience it. Take that for what it's worth!

Tried this half-heartedly when I went to purchase No. 88. Never been to Cuba, but have been to several places nearby. While I understand how this concoction of very strong essential oils would not/could not be to everyone's liking, I found it invigorating. It truly is meant to be worn shirt unbuttoned in warm and humid conditions which has a synergistic effect that enhances this unmistakably masculine scent. I am not good at describing perfume as one might wine or coffee so I'll leave that particular job to others. What is clear to me is that Cuba is very powerful -- long-lasting on your skin/clothes and leaves an impressive vapor trail! Women seem to like it. No. 88 is certainly more famous. Cuba is an equally impressive scent that has the advantage of being less known.

The opening is strong, startling and uncompromising - rather like waking up inside a cigar box that doubles as a medicine cabinet. But what is so appealing about Czech & Speake's Cuba is the way that this opening olfactory jolt soon transmutes into a softer, far more complex adventure, unique in its way, of the kind which frequently has you sniffing your wrist and declaring "Hmm, that's rather fine." This well-crafted scent, as it develops, somehow manages to combine the pungent with the delicate, warmth with reserve, the earth with the flower, gaiety with gravity, and completes the equation with an authentic air of mystery and distinction.

I'm not a fan of tobacco scents but I'm a big fan of Czech & Speake, so I gave it a shot. The opening was very harsh and "dirty" and, unfortunately, it lasted more than I would have wanted. I was hoping that once the mid notes would emerge, the scent would soften and become warmer and more wearable. It did, but just a bit. It still remained a heavy and strong scent. After a few hours, things finally became smoother… The drydown is a woody-herbal-leathery-tobacco mix which, although sounds like a heavy combination, is much easier to take and much more wearable. I actually like this final phase quite a lot, but, unfortunately, the good things in this fragrance emerged too late.

Overall, Cuba is a strong, robust fragrance but which is not my cup of tea. Maybe if I were a smoker, I would like it better. I have to admit, though, that this is probably one of the best opinions I could ever have on a tobacco-based fragrance.

Wow, the discordant and gutsy top notes can certainly knock a horse down. It's really repugnant. But things got better, much better, as it mellows down to a very classy dark tobacco and gorgeous drydown. A truly complex scent and also very memorable. Certainly bottle worthy.

On me, the mint just lasts too long, and obscures everything else (though there is a bit of muskiness that is clear). There is also the "abrasive" or "synthetic" quality that others have mentioned. I simply don't find this nearly as good as Michael for Men (Kors), and while wearing Cuba I can only think that I would rather be wearing MfM. I also have other fragrances with strong mint that I prefer to this, so Cuba really has no place in my large rotation. I don't find it especially pleasant and I like other fragrances with similar qualities more. Perhaps those with different skin chemistry will find this is smoother and more balanced that I did. If I took price into account, I'd give this a negative. Since this is not terrible and others seem to have better experiences with it, I'll choose the neutral rating.

This really is a puzzle?! 16 reviews before me, 3 neutral and 13 possitve. Nobody else here mentions the fecal smell?

I did some quick research and on other sites they say Cuba contains civet. Well I don't know whether that is the cause of the pong but there is certainly something wrong with the scent!
Others get rum, cigars, wood, etc....but all I get is the smell of ar*e (or a*s for you yanks).
After the fantastic reviews above I hunted this down and found it in Harrods and Selfridges.
Tried it first in Harrods and the female assistant who sprayed the paper strip for me smelt her fingers afterwards, turned her nose up and said she'd need to go wash her hands. I then went to the Bond No9 counter and the assistant there had a whiff and also detected the very pronounced fecal note...I three the paper away.

Thinking the bottle at H was tainted or that it would transform once warmed on my skin I went to Selfridges 1 week later and tried there....but the same problem, except now it wasn't paper that smelt of a*se, it was my hand! Again I checked with another assistant who confirmed all he could smell was faeces too. I determindely left it on me to wait for the booze, cigars to burn through the poo...but it never happened. It just smells of a*se from start to finish. Now there is something vaguely intriguing about the smell but it certainly doesn't smell good and smells nothing like my experience of Cuba.

I wonder if the batch these two bottles came from was bad? Surely nobody would buy this?
Or perhaps my nose is overly sensitive to the civet, but then why did others get the bad smell too?
I really don't understand how our reactions could be so different from the other reviewers?

I wanted this to be a better version of Idol or Havana but what I tried was unwearable!

Fragrance is about contrast, and Cuba has contrasts in spades. Bright, peppermint opening, but then there is this fecal (sh¤t) note (tobacco + clove?) hanging out in the background. This fecal note instantly brought to mind Polo Green's fecal note. Then the genius of C&S shows up...the fragrance all of a sudden starts to dance in unison, the result is an irresistable, attractive yet diabolic blend of good and evil. I call it 'holy gangster'. Sort of a righteous killer kinda thing. I have never been to Cuba, so I can't tell you if this is related to Cuba in anyway shape or form.

It smells like the raw version of Issey Miyake's L'Eau d'Issey Intense.

It also smells like money. A gangster's or pornstar's money.

It dries down to Andy Tauer's L'Air du Desert Marocain

This is a beautiful male scent. Don't be put off by the unisex label, this is not sweet, or fresh, or powdery. This, to me, is close to the definition of a male scent. The middle notes are addicting, spicy tobacco wonderfulness. It went to mostly bottom notes within about three hours, leaving a wonderful incense/vetiver accord that is not as imposing or durable as their No. 88, but still enjoyable for the wearer. This is great for the office, as I get to enjoy the best this has to offer at home and on the drive to work, and by the time I have to be in contact with others, it has mellowed into something not nearly as aggressive, but with enough of the aggression left to not blend in. Cuba may not be recognizable, but it won't be mistaken for anything else, either. A touch more sillage, a couple hours more of the middle notes, and this is perfection. This one has immediately moved into my top 10.

Cuba is a wonderful, rather complex spicy creation. Clove and herbaceously medicinal bay oil with a dash of mint is very strong and overwhelming in the start. It looks like it will be a gigantic powerhouse fragrance, but it really isn’t.

I find the drydown to be very gentle and classy (yet not boring) rich mixture with very masculine presence. Also, there is something slightly animalic (or perhaps primitive is a better term) in this smell. I don’t even presume it has some animal ingredients, but it really does have a refined primitive appeal to it. When you “dive” deep into this scent you can also probably see that fur of a wild animal-like accord (Or skin of a savage-like….choose yourself)

Cuba is a terrific skin scent: warm, sensual, long-lasting plus it reacts very nicely to changes in skin temperatures.
Haven’t tried it yet, but I bet my life that I would love to wear this during the summertime.

Not especially butch or macho by any means, but in my opinion much more suitable for men despite the unisex clarification…

Very good-looking bottle too, btw.

Cuba is intriguing and complex. I’ve worn it twice, and each time I get different aspects from it. It uses elements I normally don’t like (tobacco, tonka) and yet wins me over! There is an aromatic, lime-green and bergamot opening blast. The citrus freshness is very quickly followed by an appealing, slightly ‘dirty’ chord of clove spice and tobacco leaf. This chord is freshened by mint and herbal bay. This scent is powerful but not heavy or sweet. There’s lovely frankincense in the dry down, giving a bit of a heady, soapy air. The mint persists for a long time. The interplay of elements is fascinating. This is definitely worth checking out, it surprised me by how good it is.

Notes:
Top: Lime, peppermint, rum
Middle: Bay leaf, Clove, Rose, Tonka
Base: Tobacco leaf, Cedar, Vetiver, Incense

Czech & Speake's Cuba was based on company owner Frank Sawkins trip to Cuba, and a bottle of rum from Annabels nightclub in London. Cuba is a slick classical woods fragrance which successfully recreates various facets of the laid-back and joyous atmosphere of Havana through a restrained colonial British filter.

Opening with a "mojito mix" of zesty lime, uplifting peppermint and rum, Cuba makes a statement. The rum note is probably the best that I have smelled; it has a clean light-molasses aroma characteristic of spanish-style rum. Cuba's "mojita" opening leaves most other inferior renditions in other fragrances both shaken and stirred. It then changes gears and displays another perfect blending act of two notes: bay leaf and clove. The bay leaf with its clove-like spicy herbal aroma is infused with clove and rose to create a bright spicy-herbal spark which prevents the mojito mix from delving into the DUI zone. A couple of hours later, the tobacco leaf-dominated base closes out the show. The tobacco leaf note is of excellent quality; its moist, sweet and earthy/indolic and displays the leathery, caramelized tobacco tones expected of fine quality absolute.

From its mojito mix opening, a fragrant spicy/clove-y herbal heart notes and a moist rich tobacco leaf drydown, Cuba showcases skillful blending and good quality of ingredients. While its no lightweight interms of sillage, Cuba never plunges into "airline middle seat suffocation" sillage hell. Cuba is a sophisticated businessman in a fedora suit chilling out in a Cigar lounge, looking through the window at the Conga drum stage..
**Comparisons to the supposed classic Aramis Havava: Cubas blending is far superior, with none of the clashing discordant notes that so negatively make Havana smell like a Castro regime. It also lacks the loud "Aramis" house note: that brash, synthetic, 80s porn-star moustache note. Cuba completes the demolition by making better quality ingredients fly off the skin.

Rating: 8.75/10.0

Being shackled to Cuba for the first few minutes was deeply unpleasant. It was industrial and terrible artificial. However, within the hour it had mutated into something a little more worthwhile. Having recently tried No. 88 from C & S I was familiar with acidity of the Rose, but I am not convinced that it really works as part of the constituent parts of a man's fragrance. It is now the end of the day and I can confirm it has a very acceptable longevity. I can live with this, but whether this would ever lead to more than friendship, I am not sure.

wonderful scent - grows on you

A green tobbacco fragrance. Top notes are a blast of mint and citrus with a medicinal after-taste...reminiscent of Halls candy. When the top notes fade into the background, a rich moist unsmoked cigar note comes into play and stays, and stays, and stays...

A very calming, mellow, warm fragrance. Love it!

Disappointing. Others before me have already described this juice well; I also give it a thumbs-up on its own merits. My "meh" rating is based on the sole aspect that the new juice is a copy of a copy of a copy of itself (current stock is a reformulation according to reliable sources). Meaning, all the components of the original seem to still be there but it feels diluted compared to the vintage formula*. Specifically, the "headiness" mentioned on C&Ss website in its description is considerably diminished. The heady effect becomes most apparent late in the drydown but again, it is a fraction of its former self. In the vintage version, the effect was CLEARLY noticeable within about 15 minutes and it lasted throughout most of the drydown.

Heady, ethereal, intoxicating, enveloping warmth - all terms I would use to describe the vintage version but unfortunately, very abstract. It is a quality that one will recognize when one encounters it but that cannot otherwise be adequately described by words alone. Other fragrances I've tried that have a similar effect in varying degrees are Creed Silver Mountain Water, Green Irish Tweed, Himalaya, Basala, Stardust (men), and Dune (men). Could it be ambergris and/or tonka? I believe one or both of these ingredients are common to all the frags I mention.

* I'm making my comparison from memory of the sizable sample of vintage formula I had a couple years ago.

SirSlarty described this well; I don't need to add anything to his description of the scent. I can just say "Wow". This is a gem. Why aren't there more reviews of this wonderful fragrance (price perhaps?).

Oh my -- this is lovely. Tobacco soon takes over the top notes, which then mixes gloriously with rose and herbs (this part has to be experienced) until it all melds into a spicy/woody drydown with the tobacco still hanging on in there. This is a 'cologne' but lasts for ages. Exceptional.

Minty citrus and tobacco opening and a floral and tobacco middle. There's a medicinal quality to the overall structure. It almost smells like the minty pine of bay rhum. Good robust fragrance.

A fine, controlled, unusual tobacco fragrance. This opens with a medicinal blast of mint dressed with some citrus, incense and florals. This is the only fragrance other than Creed's Selection Verte where I have experienced the menthol cooling my skin.

As the medicinal beginning fades spices and rose give a traditional barber shop or cologne feel to the heart which fades into the amazingly long lived base of sweet tobacco and green woods.

The frankincense straddles the whole composition as a good accord from this resin should.

In cuban music the bass anticipates the beat. This is disorientating to those unused to it who expect the bass to to state the beat while other registers push and pull. Similarly, this perfume suggests it may go over the edge into sour, into harsh, into abrasive, into chaos with some strident accords but always stays inside and pulls back when it really matters.

Wonderful fragrance..... for a woman. I really can't see this for a man. I has a very clear rose, overlaid with a spicy tabbaco. This would be a great fragrance for a womans formal wear. It gets its seductiveness from the spicy tabbaco, and a charming inosence from the rose.

Cuba opens with a strong citrus / spicy / tobacco accord that makes itself known without equivocation. Quite unusual, it is dense for a citrus accord, it contains a heavy load of passion and romance. Actually, what I really get the first three minutes is a strong fecal note, which then turns into the excellent spice and tobacco accord. After several minutes of the opening, the fragrance takes an astounding turn: It becomes a substantial and compelling green / woody / floral / mild spice accord the like of which I’ve not experienced before: It is totally captivating but I really have a difficult time identifying it; It seems as if it could be patchouli based—such as the patchouli in Borneo 1834, but even Borneo couldn’t match this accord. Since there is no patchouli listed in the pyramid, probably the opoponax / incense combination that is responsible for that extraordinary luxuriousness. I have always been a fan of opoponax, but I have never before experienced it so rich and lusty as this. I can readily accept that the ginger and the geranium are major players in that accord, too, and the combination, with a mint, rose, bay, tobacco, clove (very little), and greens tossed in, is wonderfully fulfilling, satisfying and… compelling. No kidding, this is one of the most accomplished accords I’ve ever encountered—completely addictive. I just have to own this one!

Absolutely fabulous, and smells like nothing else out there! Cuba starts and stays a rich tobacco scent. The first hour or two, Cuba is fresh, moist tobacco, fontal leaf to be exact, with the smell of damp cool earth and rain clinging to the leaves. As the scent wears on, something bizarre happens: it tranforms completely, leaving behind the amazingly realistic live tobacco leaf scent for something far more complex and interesting.

The geranium and ginger in the midnotes makes this scent sing. The sweetness of the geranium combined with the piquancy of the ginger elevate the scent into something organic and aggressively plant-like. It smells like being thrown into a pit of semi-decomposing leaves and flowers, mostly geraniums, with maybe a few musty rose petals and the odd lime blossom thrown in the mix.

The resiny base is genius and makes this scent hold for hours, continously developing. Tendrils of the early earthiness and sharp citrus peek out here and there, and Cuba keeps on going, a full day of scent, from sunrise to sunset. The day starts out in a lime orchard, damp, wet, musty, dirty. You work in that orchard, arranging velvety geraniums under the hot sun, petting a musk deer that passes by and gently places a rose at your feet, while occasional rain showers pass by, moistening your sun-warmed skin. That is Cuba.

An amazing tobacco based offering from C&S. Cuba starts off with a citrus-like edge, but quickly mellows into a rich, warm middle and base. Very well suited for a frosty evening date.