Reviews of Hermèssence Vétiver Tonka (2004)
by Hermès

Not only do I consider Vetiver Tonka to be the best from the Hermèssence line, but it's also better than Serge Lutens' Vetyver Oriental. Fresh, well blended and simply delightful. I've given it a neutral because of its disappointing longevity and sillage.

[Original submission date: 25 May 2008]

This is my second review... With that in mind; I got a lot of pepper and smoke on the top and a sweetness that seemed more pronounced as it wore on or dried down as it were. I felt as though I had a nice little secret that I kind of wanted to let other people in on while wearing this....

I tend to shy away from vetiver, as it usually brings the masculine gender to my mind when I get a whiff. What a nice suprise to find this Vetiver Tonka! It doesn't have the usual "masculine" feel to my nose, which makes wearing it a dream! bbBD's commentary is thorough and accurate. VT's sillage & longevity are superior, especially for such a sheer scent. As it wears on my skin, it becomes a bit 'acidic', but not to the point of disdain. This entire range of Hermessence fragrance is simple, quality & fun, I'm lovin' it!

In a field of vetivers, this one does NOT stand out. Truth in labeling, the vetiver here is of the minimal variety. Smooth and a bit dull if you ask me. Tonka is the star here. It's nice but again, the competition in Vetivers is very strong, and this does nothing for me. Exorbitantly overpriced for what it is. Spend your money elsewhere. And get back to work Monsieur Elena, you can do better than this.

Vétiver Tonka is a very interesting creation. bbBD's review mirrors my opinion on this fragrance perfectly (and writes it much better than I would). I need to highlight though just how well the vetiver and the tonka balance each other out; together they become greater than the sum of their parts. My favorite vetiver implementation and one of the best Hermessence products.
Hint: Vetiver Tonka and Ambre Narguile layer beautifully.

Tonka beans are the star here. They aren't edible, but if they were, VT would smell like a picnic on the grass with many sweets made from tonka bean to choose from.

Anyway, tonka bean seeds contain coumarin, which can be lethal in large doses. For this reason its use in food is banned in the US by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Many anti-coagulant prescription drugs are based on more powerful forms of coumarin.

Truth in labelling--how refreshing! An expert blend of the marquee ingredients. The vetiver is the top note, distinct but light, not an edgy, earthy vetiver. The tonka adds just the right touch of sweetness. The two combine into a beguilingly smoky hazelnut with the vetiver still dominant, but never aggressively so. No, it will not make you hungry, but it is a scent that reaches the palate in a lovely way. It remains very linear; alas it does not last very long, I found myself coming back to this again and again.

Vetiver Tonka---ouch, near asphyxiation! I thought all the Hermessences were faint and short lived, so I poured this one on, too. The beginning is really more of a burnt caramel, probably from the Tonka. The vetiver comes out a bit later, and unfortunately, has a sort of "fennel" quality to it. That is a very unattractive scent for my skin which tends to amplify this in some scents. Then, the real bomb hit with very heavy sour (probably citrus) and woody notes along with the vetiver. Plus some smoke. It was really harsh and slightly nauseating (gave me a terrible headache). In the late drydown, the citrus lingers and smells of bug spray. I can't say I would recommend this one. It really lacks the refinement of other vetiver scents I have tried.

It took owning this for nearly four months before I could sufficiently 'get' this enough to write a review. Perhaps I needed to understand Ellena's work better, and perhaps I needed to experience more vetivers in general to put Vetiver Tonka in context. Whatever it is, I'm now able to describe Vetiver Tonka in a meaningful way.

As with the other Hermessences, this is an Ellena minimalist-type of composition. A few notes, melded together, without filler or noise in the background to distract from the primary accord. IMO, Vetiver Tonka works better in this respect - as a composition - than does Poivre Samarcade or Paprika Brasil, which are so simple that they come off as somewhat boring.

I disagree that this is a gourmand, at least not in the traditional sense of the 'gourmand' genre. It doesn't really smell like food, but rather it's sweetened enough by tonka bean (which is a lot like vanilla) to give it an edible-fragrance quality, but it doesn't smell like any identifiable food that I'm aware of. There's certainly no chocolate, coffee, licorice, or other traditional gourmand notes. It smells more like an imaginary food than an actual food item.

So what do you get? Vetiver by itself is a very full bodied, complex smell that can be herbal and pungent. In Vetiver-Tonka, vetiver provides the depth and 'base' of the accord while tonka completely takes all of the edge and pungency of vetiver away, hence why the the vetiver itself is not immediately noticeable. Vetiver is in there - it's just that it's traditional face is masked. Conversely, the one-dimensional sweetness of tonka all of a sudden has complexity and body to it. It's taken me countless wears to nail this down. It's an ingenious use of both vetiver and tonka - two notes found in countless fragrances but never juxtaposed directly with each other. If you're a vetiver fan and like your vetiver strong, such as in Malle;s Vetiver Extraordinaire, you will be disappointed.

This is my favorite of the Hermessence line (though I haven't tried Brin de Reglisse). Although I own travel bottles this and the rest of the line, this is the only one I would buy a full bottle of when I run out. As with the other Hermessence, and Ellena, creations, projection and longevity are average at best, but I find it acceptable for such a unique fragrance.

It's as if Rochas Man (minus sweetness) took a tumble in a bottle of vetiver oil. To me, it smells of chocolate, coffee and grass. I like vetivers that add an extra accord in them like Le Labo's with incense or CdG 2 Man with woods. Herbal gourmand bolstered by tonka bean. Very nice and light.

This is 'Mechant Loup', but sweeter. Can't detect much vetiver though. Good sillage and lasts well on me. Buy the 4 x 15ml travel set if in stock -- much cheaper. Forgot to mention -- it's very very lovely.

Lovely. casual, in a sophisticated kind of way, like an Armani suit model at the beach with his shoes off. I feel like I'm having tea and pastries in a lush but simple herb garden. smells fine on me, but I need to find a manly chest to put this on:)
As with the other Hermessence fragrances, awful pricey for something that doesn't last very long...

It's obvious that each component of the Hermèssence line is meant to be a minimalist interpretation of the name of the perfume in question. Bearing that in mind, and not expecting more than that, this is a very good quality vetiver/tonka perfume. I wear it occasionally, but there are so many vetiver interpretations that better suit me that I rarely reach for it. Ellena is quite brilliant and never ceases to produce quality products. His sensibilities are different than mine, but I can still appreciate his work for what it is.

I love vetiver, and though I agree with foetidus that the vetiver note is not very prominent here, I love this fragrance anyway. The tonka is extremely well integrated, making this the rare gourmand that never becomes cloying.

The Hermèsscence line gets a lot of criticism from many quarters for being "weak" or watered-down, but I feel these scents have tremendous radiance (which is hard to notice when you're the one wearing them). The base notes (especially the white musk) are surprisingly tenacious considering the subtlety of the top and heart notes.

Luca Turin compares this unfavorably with the licorice-rich Yohji Homme, which he considers better and more intense. They *are* similar and they are both extremely beautiful, but for me they serve different purposes: YH is bolder and more in your face, better suited for cooler weather and nights out. VT is subtler, sweeter, a little more elegant, a little more edible, and better when the weather is warm. It can be worn in the office but also in the boudoir, when you want to lure your partner in with sweet hazelnuts and tonka instead of blaring out your intentions with licorice from across the room.

Thus, I have room in my wardrobe for both. Also, Yohji Homme has been discontinued, so after it disappears from eBay, this is the closest you're going to get.

I tend to agree with neutral ratings awarded thus far. The vetiver is not from the root which gives a pungent, eathy aroma as in Guerlain's Vetiver. The vetiver must be taken from the leaves because it is very fresh, clean, and surfactant-like. I would award this a higher rating but as already mentioned, I also feel that the tonka note ruins the fragrance. I wished I could skim off the top notes and just wear that but thats dreaming. 5/10

I'm smitten with Vetiver Tonka... To me it's so simple and playful, and you can't take it too seriously which is a good thing! I enjoy vetiver in all its carnations, beit smoky, citrusy, and/or dirty, and Vetiver Tonka gives me a whole new facet to love: gourmand vetiver! With neroli in the top aiding in creating that tang I can literally feel on my tongue (literally), to the tonka and hazelnut combo which creates an entirely different mouthwatering sensation, these two aspects stand side-by-side in my "vision" of the fragrance, not exactly blended to create a separate entity, but working together from start to finish, distinguishable one from the other the whole time, always retaining that sour quality that is simply "delicious." The side benefit of this great fragrance is I don't think one could be in a bad mood wearing it... it's so cheerful but not ridiculous or immature. Good job, JC! :)

The first few minutes present a touch of bite and spice which segue to a cow barn -- oh, yes, all the hay, straw and earthy qualities drawn from the dankness of a long-occupied, concrete-floor milking barn. I like it in that perverse way you're sure no one else can appreciate.

The barn scene fades and a faint, sweet tonka bean aroma lingers so meekly one has to strain to locate it, darn it. Give me more oomph.

Part of a larger collection of fragrances called Hermessence. Fresh, elegant, casual; definitely a summer fragrance. Not too complicated and doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't. Beautiful packaging and also available as part of a junior sized boxed set.

nicely composed-well balanced note of vetiver-not too strong,quite smooth-very agreable.well the tonka note is ok but the more you know the fragrances of ellena you will get used to some mysterious and strange compositions and mixtures and at the end you may like the result.this one is ok-if you look for a tough and loud note of vetiver then take the scent of guerlain-if you look for something more distinguished and superb try annick goutal´s vetiver.this one is ok-not less not more but hermes has done the superb caleche -but in the end they should stick what they can do best: leather goods and ties! perfumes by hermes 2006 are ok but nothing outstanding or amazing-oh yes!the price is ridiculous high and not understandable!

Truth in packaging: The Hermes people are honest enough to call this fragrance by the name of its real star…’tonka.’ This scent could get along nicely by simply being called ‘Tonka.’ What ‘vetiver’ it has is minimal— in the opening salvo there is a wonderful stab of raw vetiver plus iodine, but that great accord is gone in seconds. The vetiver then turns wimpy to the point where it does not deserve the name, ‘vetiver.’ I like the smell of vetiver and I search out vetiver fragrances. Malle’s Vetiver Extraordinaire and MPG’s Route de Vetiver and Annick Goutal’s Vetiver and L’Artisan’s Vetiver (and likely many more that I have not tried, yet) are all wonderful interpretations of vetiver that actually make use of vetiver. CDG’s Vettiveru is superb as vetiver light. Hermès Vetiver Tonka is too un-vetiverish, too linear, and too sweet for me, but it is a very nice tonka fragrance.

Fresh and green vetiver bite. I enjoy it, but it's quite one-dimensional, boring almost, and my skin has a way of turning the sharpness of vetiver sharper and sourer with time, to something like mosquito repellant.

Vetiver Tonka, my most favourite so far, is simple and interesting at once. It is one of the best Vetiver scents I tried, equally revealing the sweetness and freshness of this magnificent root. The opening reveals the green freshness of Vetiver, as it is accentuated by citrus notes – a very common maneuver in Vetiver scents, but one should not dismiss it because of that. As it dries down, it reveals the sweet earthiness of Vetiver as it is accompanied by the rich cigar-flavoured tones of tonka bean. What I love about Vetiver Tonka is its rich simplicity. It does not have that many notes or facets, does not go through any significant transformation (once the initial fresh citrusy opening subsides, it is Vetiver and Tonka all the way), yet it stays interesting all the way. Both Vetiver and tonka are very complex notes, and there is something quite magnificent about two notes so different from each other working together so well. It lasted for a very long time as well, despite the fact that this is just an Eau de Toilette.

Notes: Neroli, Bergamot, Vetiver, Roasted Hazelnuts, Dried Fruit, Cereals, Tonka Bean

The vetiver note is the frreshest vetiver I have experienced and defines the term superb! However, tonka is the worst note to ride tandem with the high quality vetiver. The tonka drowns out the vetiver and makes it smell like cheap garbage found in old lady perfumes. I want to give it a thumbs down for ruining the composition with tonka, nontheless, I award a neutral insofar as the characther of the vetiver.

A surprisingly light scent considering the name, and one that worked well in hot weather. Has a Middle Eastern edge to it , perhaps the woodiness of the tonka...one of the leat vetiver-ish vetiver scents I can think of.

Transparant and lemony at first, later Vétiver Tonka becomes sensual. Who would have ever thought that vetiver could turn out as a gourmand? Another great Jean Claude Ellena.

The BEST of the Hermessence line IMO. Very Clean and fresh. The Tonka and Hazelnut give it a slighty sweet tinge. One of my favorites.

Ellena creates a fresh and citrus personality with this one, and I hardly pick up the vanillic properties of the Tonka note--just probably there in the background to give it just enough body.