Feuilles de Tabac (2000)
by Miller Harris

I get a highly aromatic, smoky opening — quite spicy — a clove / pine resin kind of spicy that probably comes from the pimiento berry or possibly the cascarilla bark. I really don’t get much of the peppery note that other reviewers mention. The opening is very warm — almost hot, which is something I didn’t expect from a tobacco fragrance. I can’t help but be impressed by this unexpected and dramatic opening. The clove / pimiento berry note gradually diminishes but that is one of the few changes I can find in the fragrance’s development. Then I get a vague, quiet moist tobacco note, but it’s not strong enough to really change the linear smoky direction of the fragrance. This progression is long lasting but eventually it settles down to a mellow wood accord that contains a moist tobacco background — reticent but enjoyable. I like this fragrance. I believe it is creatively designed and constructed with quality. Feuilles de Tabac is, though, an arguable fragrance — the kind of fragrance that the potential buyer should test quite thoroughly to be sure of a proper fit. (Edit of 03 April 2008 review.)

Running out of Havana/Havana Reserva are you..? Fear not, Feuilles de Tabac is here to save the day. sayin so, FdT is an original..only thing the use of Tobacco..i must say the explicit use and quality of tobacco used in it is exactly the same as the Aramis classic. only thing, it's stripped down of all the other accords Havana R has to offer. this one's a straight ahead, no nonsense blend of florals, tobacco and animalic notes. extremely pleasant and invigorating to wear. cant wait to go stay at some resort in midst of wild life during monsoons...ummmm.. :) gritty/pungent at the same time realistic & wearable.

Cascarilla bark comes from a plant native to the West Indies, Croton eleuteria. Cascarilla bark is (among other things) used to flavor the liquors Campari and Vermouth. Maybe that's why it makes me think of Negronis (minus the gin, of course). But at least part of the magic in Feuilles de Tabac comes from the weird triangle of sage, coumarin, and tobacco leaf. Tonka bean (the coumarin note in this) is usually found in fougères, which this definitely isn't. The patchouli rounding this out into a kind of woody-oriental vibe doesn't make sense either. Even so, all in all, this is one of the best and most novel tobacco scents out there. It deserves to be better known. I don't wear it enough, but that's got to change.

An aromatic and compelling take on tobacco. I agree completely with lilybelle's impressions! An interesting and intelligent presentation of unusual notes. Wearable too, I give it two thumbs up!

I don't remember Cuba being quite this unisex.
What the Hades is Cascarilla anyway?
This is a tough one for met to judge. I can see the downside; yes it does smell a bit too "drug store" and yet, on the other hand, the sweet woods are captivating and the sillage is mild and subtle. Bottom line? I feel there are better tobacco scents out on the market, or at least more enjoyable ones.

FDT is not ground breaking or earth shattering in any way, but it is pretty good. I would have thought an EDP would have better longevity, but with fragrances, that's not always the case.

This is a quality tobacco fragrance and if I liken it to....let's say Zino or Santos Concentree.....I find Feuilles de Tabac to be the best of the 3.

If money is a consideration, then there's more cost effective tobacco scents out there to be had, but if you look for deals on this fragrance and find a bargain, it would behoove you to pick up a bottle.

Thumbs up for FDT