Black Vetyver Café (2003)
by Jo Malone

First we give the notes as given at the Jo Malone website:

Top notes: black roasted coffee, cistus oil (woody floral)
Heart notes: nutmeg, green pepper, coriander (spicy herbal)
Base notes: vetiver, sandalwood, sequoia wood, Colorado lichen, temple incense, vanilla

The intent was to create a “perfect coffee note”, inspired by Dean & DeLuca in New York. Further it is described as the “deep, bitter character of the coffee bean is steeped in earthy notes of vetiver and temple incense.”

I think this description is apt. To me this scent is about two things: black coffee and vetiver. It is interesting that some reviewers speak of sweetness. To me, it is anything but sweet until well into the drydown when the vanilla peaks through. I wish it didn’t take that turn (just a personal preference). This is a neat fragrance. I wouldn’t buy it for myself, but I think it is well executed.

Sweet delicious coffe on vetiver and woods. the coffe is sweet and it is better that way because bitter coffe note rarely dissolves into a scent succesfully. This is a well blended, smooth and manly scent. All of a sudden it takes you to a hunters cottage, in front of fire, with a cup off coffe in your hand; comforting. A bit flat though or may be unfinished; a few notes more would make it more shiny and finished.

Jo Malone Black Vetyver Cafe

Jo Malone Black Vetyver Cafe is my favorite coffee scent out there. Usually when one mentions coffee you think that indicates the scent should be a full-blown gourmand. What is completely refreshing about Black Vetyver Cafe is coffee is used as an aromatic note and not as an excuse to roll out the olfactory buffet of food notes. This 2003 release by Jo Malone is a coffee centered scent that is different. From the top the coffee note calls out its presence but this is the coffee of the roasted bean prior to being ground up. I can smell the rich almost nutty quality of a whole coffee bean and it is beautiful. Where another scent would start piling on with chocolate and vanilla this one takes a different road and instead turns towards the woods . The heart of this contains a woody note which comes out in stages and acts as a bridge to the vetiver in the base. The herbal, green character that the vetiver imparts really compliments all that has come before and finishes things quite nicely. This is a beautifully composed scent which shows that coffee is a note which can stand all on its own without needing something else to go with it.

Wonderful smell of salty liquorice meets me at first. I love this dark, spicy and very tasty beginning.

When it dries down, the savory quality continues to please, but unfortunately it looses very soon much of its strength and it becomes very weak. Personally, I would like to see much more volume in this, especially considering the fact that I enjoy the aroma itself very much.

I don’t get much coffee from this, unlike vetiver which is of course very notable. It has also very spicy tone; it reminds me of cloves although there is not clove in this scent to my knowledge.
Dark, sweet, little bit bitter, smoky. Slightly “oily” structure brings Black Cashmere in mind.


Great smell that is too weak for my tastes. And the lasting power is a total disaster.

This has a kind of nutty tone (like nuts, not goofy). I don’t really detect a coffee note. And I don’t get the usual sorts of vetiver notes, though I can imagine some sort of vetiver here. The drydown is interesting, a bit of "lite" incense there. This is kind of odd or unusual, in my opinion. It gets more powdery and sweet as it progresses. Don’t really care for it.

I had been warned off by perfumistas who claim that everything Jo Malone has ever done is underwhelming, but this is one I like and wear semi-regularly.

Its a journey perfume-- starts as coffee and ends as vetiver. A little perfumey for my taste, but sooo interesting that I can't resist jumping on every once in a while for the ride...

I agree with Surreality that the coffee note is very gourmande, but I fine the vetiver to be refreshingly sharp and green, and not so smoky.

The longevity is decent, and though the coffee open fades quickly, on my skin it makes an encore appearance in the dry-down.