Hermèssence Ambre Narguilé (2004)
by Hermès

Hermes Hermessence Ambre Narguile

Since taking over as head perfumer at Hermes Jean-Claude Ellena's Hermessence line has been one of the consistently most interesting aspects of his stewardship. Not all of them succeed on me but thay have all been interesting. One of the more interesting members of the Hermessence line, for me, was Ambre Narguile. Amber is easily one of my three favorite notes so to paraphrase Dorothy from "Jerry Maguire" M. Ellena had me at Ambre. Ambre Narguile for all that it eventually gets to the amber comes off at the beginning like a full throated gourmand. The top starts off very vanillic but as caramel and honey join the fray the beginning of Ambre Narguile feels like a wonderful gingerbread accord on me. This is eventually contrasted with the lightest touch of incense underneath as the fragrance becomes less gourmand and more amber-centric. The gingerbread aspect never goes away it just becomes secondary to the amber which finishes Ambre Narguile in a swirl of warmth. Ambre Narguile is a fun fragrance to wear as it develops through the three distinct phases from gourmand to resinous to warm amber; all have their moment during Ambre Narguile's development. Ambre Narguile has outstanding longevity and average sillage. Ambre Narguile is one of my favorite cold-weather ambers from one of my favorite perfumers. I told you he had me at ambre.

The reviews I've read tend to focus on the first phase of its development where the gourmand aspect dominates. The honeyed cinnamon and vanilla, teaming-up with the roasted sesame seed notes in the opening have resulted in all sorts of olfactory associations with buns, cakes, and pastries.

The magic in this fragrance is how it improves over the course of hours. Much of the sweetness of the opening fades. The heart is about the warm spices playing against a sweet tobacco accord that I can only describe as totally enveloping. When compared with other ambers I've tried, or own, it occurs that there is nothing sharp, resinous, or amber dominant about it.

As Ambre Narguile dries down that velvety spice lingers over a base of sweet-smoky-amber. I would assume that this is the labdanum, which is used in perfumery as a substitute to ambergris. It is said to have a smell that is described as sweet, woody, ambergris, dry musk, or leathery; according to wikipedia.

Normally when a fragrance is this well blended I can't detect individual notes, but I happily identify the transitions. With Ambre Narguile I can enjoy each phase of its journey and also pick a few of the individual accords. I get very good longevity, a liberal application lasts all day on me.

Ambre Narguile is not an edgy composition that I appreciate as an artistic endeavour. If this was priced and distributed as a regular designer fragrance my view is that it would enjoy record sales. I feel lucky and privileged that I can own this gem; I'll never be without it.

One of the biggest disappointments out of the several hundreds of fragrances I’ve tried so far. When I first read about Hermèssence Ambre Narguilé, I thought it had the potential to be my holy grail scent – its description and list of notes filled me with so much excitement that I was so certain I would eventually buy a bottle. You couldn’t imagine how much my heart sank when I finally had the opportunity to test it…

Vibert’s review (once again) is spot on – it’s essentially a VERY sweet gourmand, mainly consisting of honey, raisins and spices. I, too, hardly detected much amber in its composition, and although this never initially bothered me its excessive sweetness did. Coupled with the fact that its mild sillage and longevity failed to justify its inflated price tag, I was left wondering who (apart from those who love cinnamon scents) would be interested in buying this. Yes, maybe some would consider this to be an easy amber scent to wear but it’s anything but an amber scent.

If you’re looking for a more complex and resinous gourmand (while retaining that exotic vibe), try Arabie. If you love the aroma of Hermèssence Ambre Narguilé but dislike its sickly sweetness, or its weak and linear performance, try Spiritueuse Double Vanille (a bit more expensive, overall, but better value for money). However, if you’re looking for an excellent amber scent, try Ambre Precieux, Ambre Sultan or Blue Amber instead – not only are these GENUINE amber scents but they’re a lot cheaper too.

[Original submission date: 18 July 2008]

Well, I'm addicted to this already. How sad that it is so pricey, but I will save until next fall just so that I can envelope myself in its tasty goodness. Not "sexy" as I think of most ambers, just yummy. I think it will be a great scent for dieting, because I literally feel satified and content just wearing this scent. On me, it lasts FOREVER. I put it on before work, and I could still smell it while I was driving home. I think I am in love with Gourmands if they are anything close to this. I did not like the idea initially, but this fragrance has opened my eyes. Bring on some ideas of other gourmands I should try!

This is what Liquid Karl tried to be. (And failed.)

Warm, rich, sweet and gooey gourmand layered over leather and powder (and, of course) oodles of amber.

The benzoin can be a bit sweet for my tastes in the first two hours, but that's just me.

Expensive as hell. Masterfully blended. Still not my favorite amber, no, but a damn good one.
A must-try for every Hermès fan and amber aficionado alike.

I read somewhere that Ambre Narguile is an amber for amber haters. I've tried three amber scents now and I have to say that it's true, in my case. It is sweet. It smells like gingerbread, honey, pumpkin pie spices, all things warm and delicious about fall. The amber keeps me from wanting to classify it as a gourmand because it contributes something that makes it not quite edible.

And about that amber....It mingles just beautifully with the sweetness and the spices, a seamless ensemble where you are just enough aware of its biggest star. There were no longevity problems here, either. Lucky me, no? Its phases are distinct and each one quieter than the one before, winding down from the business of a sunny autumn day into a relaxing evening eating something delicious and drinking something warm, to falling into softly perfumed sheets into a peaceful slumber. This last phase was surprising and delightful-- soft flowers gently wrapped in the delicate creaminess of the amber. That, I think, is what separates this amber from others that I've tried-- the soft creaminess from something I had since known to be spicy and sharp.
Ambre Narguile is just beautiful.