Reviews of 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.

Folks, this is it. This is the ultimate comfort scent -- the scent of sweet baked goods garnished with spices, fresh from the oven.

There is something to be said for the onset of winter. As the days draw in and the temperature plunges below freezing, there is a real sense of melancholy in the air. I often enjoy strolling outdoors at that time of year, taking in the smells of the neighbourhood and being a part of a bleak landscape painted in hues of pallid grey and midnight blue. But if the rain begins, or the wind picks up, I'll often pull my coat tight around my body, bury my nose under my collar and head for home. The allure of warm orange hues and the welcoming aroma of a hot meal blazing in the oven, will always win out over wet shoes and a dripping nose. There is something incredibly comforting and familiar about the smell of food when stepping in from the cold.

In 2004, Hermés nose Jean Claude Ellena managed to create one of my favourite "comfort" scents: the accomplished Ambre Narguilé - a deliciously charming blend of soft spice, woods and floral accords... the sum of which surprisingly emulates the mouth-watering aroma of fresh-baked apple cinnamon pie. One will surely swoon at the memory of such delights with the first spritz of this extraordinary fragrance. Its remarkable composition echoes rum-soaked raisins and cinnamon strudel with a light dusting of sugar, but in a very Hermés manner. Ellena has taken much care to lift the perfume out of the bakehouse, and manipulate it into something so much more opulent. White orchid, honey, ginger, amber, caramel and vanilla all lend themselves to the gourmand nature of this scent, but after an hour or two, the sweet edge subsides and makes way for a warm, tobacco, smokey, incense-like drydown which is peppered with allspice.

Many of the Hermessence fragrances each have a culinary quality (eg: the mildly spiced Paprika Basil, the anise-inspired Brin de Réglisse), but Ambre Narguile is by far the most paralyzing... it will soothe and narcotize with its deeply addictive bouquet.

Autumn dance has begun.
When red and golden leaves start falling I always get particolarly homesick. I miss walking through the woods collecting leaves in all colours, baking apples in the oven and sitting by the fire telling stories.

Ambre Nargiulé gave me that welcoming feeling of home from the first time I smelled it.
It is as warm and protecting as the open arms of Your Mum when You come from outside in Winter and she is already at the door with a cosy cashmere plaid to wrap You up tightly.
I get the same soft gourmand fond as in Shalimar, the same tonkabean and amber-vanillic mix.Deliciously woven into this thick liquor I get raisins, dry plum, apple and candied apricot , all sugared and spiced up with a touch of cinnamon.

Sweet, yet not overly edible; dense yet lightweight.

One of the few comforting fragrances which dont lack character.

smooth as catpaws

Hermessence Ambre Narguile and Ava Luxe Ambra Tibet Comparison

Left arm: Hermes Hermessence Ambre Narguile
Notes: benzoin, labdanum, musk, vanilla, caramel, honey, sugared tonka bean, grilled sesame seeds, cinnamon, rum, coumarine and white orchids (from NowSmellThis)

Right arm: Ava Luxe Ambra Tibet (thanks to Pebbles!!!!)
Notes: Tibetan amber, cardamon, Madagascar vanilla, ambergris, civet (from Ava Luxe web site)

Both started similarly--light spice, vanilla, a touch of leather and powder. The opening of each was really enjoyable, and different from most things out there. Unfortunately, neither stayed in this sweet spot.

As I have mentioned many times before, my skin dries scents out. Both of these are supposed to be very sweet, I am sure. Reviews of AN in the directory talk about its foody, sweet, sometimes cloying qualities. Well, on me, the sweet is gone, and all I have left now is tart, dry baby powder. The top notes were gone in a flash, and the middle was bypassed, going straight to the powder. This happened within 1 hour. I applied liberally since the Hermessences are known to have poor longevity, but it did not seem to matter. For most of the rest of the drydown, I have something that smells very similar to a baby's butt. I can see how this would work with the right skin chemistry--it reminds me of Bond Chinatown and Montale Sweet Oriental Dream. It may be worth looking into it if those other fragrances are appealing.

This is the first time I have tried the Ava Luxe, and I had no idea what to expect. I applied liberally with this one also, since it didn't seem very strong right out of the vial. The opening was beautiful, and I actually prefer it to the Hermes. It is a bit less "staunch" in its minimalism, and yet retains so much charm and perhaps some innocence (if a scent can have such a quality). AT has a bit of a modern leather note similar to the sharp leather found in Ambre Russe and some of the new Parfumerie General leather scents. That seems to be just the nudge needed in the top notes to give it a bit more balance than the Hermes. I sure wish this stage lasted longer, but given the affordable price of Ava Luxe frags, maybe needing to refresh a couple times a day is not all that bad. The dry down is very straightforward--mostly a simple vanilla skinscent. But I must say it is lovely, not pretentious, and not a caricature of vanilla (which is often the case with strong vanilla scents).

Neither of these really compare to my "go to" ambers for complexity or longevity. Of what I have tried in the Hermessence line, I must question the price, given the behavior of some of the compositions. I think it is normal to expect better performance out of a high end frag, and I just have not been getting it with Hermes. For the Ava Luxe, I am reminded of Comme des Garcons--very straightforward, affordable, modern, and most important--not FUSSY. This is a line I will enjoy exploring more!

Definitely sweet! Only got this in the last couple of days so can't tell you the effect it's had on others as yet but I have enjoyed the bakery smell to it. Reminds me of when my mum used to cook the christmas cake every year!

Baked cookies, gingerbread, honeydrops... I can list a whole bakery minus any chocolate confections and it would smell like Ambre Narguile. If you are looking for an overly sweet and linear yet refined and elegant gourmand fragrance, look no further than this! There's really nothing wholly special, unique or daring, just simple, succinct and very nice smelling.

thick, doughy, sweet spicy. Ambery ? I don't know.. to «pleasent» to be a real amber fragrance. I mean no comparaison with ambre sultan which is THE amber reference on the market imo. Although very aprochable and positively gourmand indeed. Ambre narguilé is more of a fresh-outta-the-oven raisin bread loaf (I don't know if it is raisin bread in english; pain au raisin) with sweet dough, cinnamon and raisins than some sort of «real» amber.
thumbs up for the fragrance , thums up for the name

Top note smells exactly like black walnut cookies my father would share with us. Cools down to a well behaved but conventional amber warmth. The good news: seems to last longer than other scents on the Hermessence line. The bad news: seems too juvenile and laboratory concocted for the price tag.

The reviews of the fragrance below are simply too good to improve upon, especially buzzlepuff's description and floatingpoint's analysis that this a fragrance better suited to wearing than sniffing on a wrist. I will therefore relate my experience with Ambre Narguile.

I like gourmands and was made a special trip to a Hermes boutique while traveling just to try this. I made the horrible mistake of zapping the back of my hand with two full sprays. I almost choked it was so strong and overpowering, and therefore I wasn't that taken with it. I ended up buying the Hermessence 4-pack of travel bottles, which includes this. Playing with Ambre at home, I came to learn that a fine mist - one spray from a distance - is the correct dosage for this fragrance to appreciate it. It must be diffusely applied and not concentrated in one area on the skin. One such spray on the chest/lower neck area, and perhaps one misty spray on each arm, allows the wearer to be enveloped in the most wonderful aroma of spicy-vanilla-amber-cake for hours and hours. Unlike the other Hermessences, this is not minimalist, it throws significant sillage, and lasts forever.

If I were to spend $210 on a 100ml bottle of one Hermessence, I'd be hard pressed to decide between this and Vetiver Tonka.

Thumbs way UP!

It boggles the mind that something so sweet doesn't grow cloying, but there you go--the transparency saves it from that fate. Others have noted that there's very little amber here, and I would have to agree. The best description, to my mind, is Turkish Hookah Dancer's. I really can't better it, so I'll do the next best thing and cut and paste it: "a delicious, yeasty raw dough swirled with black raisins and sweet cinnamon. The amber in this fragrance anchors it, acting as a warm, skin-scent undertone throughout, and emerges on the drydown to meld with a sweet and dry, woody cinnamon stick and cedar."

Hear, hear! I would only add this: the important thing to remember about the Hermèssence fragrances is that they may not always be that interesting to sniff on your wrist (no pyrotechnics here), but they are FANTASTIC to smell like, beautiful with an understated yet persistent radiance. I think perfume connoisseurs get so caught up in identifying notes and in pursuing new horizons of complexity that sometimes they forget it's nice just to smell GOOD in a quiet, classy, almost ambient way. Ambre Narguilé is no exception to that rule.

This is a perfectly nice fragrance that starts off as amber and vanilla and ends up as spice cake and vanilla. It's a very simple scent from start to finish. Like that unmarried friend with a great face, figure and personality who never seems to go out, this is, for no discernible reason, monumentally unsexy. I think it's just too simple - there are no hidden depths to catch the attention and fire the imagination.

I am SO giving a bottle of this to my teenaged daughter! :-)

I'm probably the wrong person to review this. I dislike foody,vanillan, sweet, ambery scents. Yet a friend gave me this, so I thought I'd give it a try. It has some very interesting top notes which are slightly dry and smokey. Hence the "narguile" (water pipe). Ayala has a very apt description below, when she talks of dry, leathery notes which morph into round, sweet, fatty amber. Plenty of vanilla here. If you like a uber-opulent oriental, try this. It's just not my style. Very persistant, very sweet.

Ambre Narguile is good enough to eat. It is a very gourmand fragrance with cinnamon really reinforcing this impression. Like a cinnamon syrup one might top vanilla ice cream with... yes that's it! I was trying to think of what kind of food impression it was giving me and this is it, though the texture and weight are not at at all syrupy. As it develops my food impression changes to something more of the moist holiday spice cake variety, but in its entire progression I never lose this gourmand impression.

It's hard to go into great detail about Ambre Narguile because it's not very complex and I guess that's part of its charm: it's rich and delicious, by in a simple way.

Ambre Narguile was something of a disappointment for me. At first it's honey, spice, and raisins, all of which somehow remind me of khyphi. Must be the raisins. The scent is very oriental. Very sweet. Very gourmand. Very Arabie. But with fruit on top.

Amber is not the dominant note, as it is in Ambre Precieux and Ambre Sultan, which are my two "benchmark" scents among modern ambers. As Ambre Narguile ages cinnamon that's present in the top notes strengthens. Soon I'm smelling middle eastern pastry, or maybe Christmas potpourri. At any rate, Ambre Narguile is about food, not sex, and there's very little that's lascivious about it. This will probably please those who find the deeper amber fragrances too overtly suggestive. The sweet, spicy accord at Ambre Narguile's heart reminds me of Dawn Spencer Hurwitz's Cimabue, but that scent is a touch drier and quite a bit more complex.

Ambre Narguile remains pretty linear once it settles down. Eventually it dries down to cinnamon and vanilla, with very little amber to be found. I suspect this fragrance will appeal more to lovers of cinnamon than to fans of amber. Meanwhile, there are plenty of outstanding sweet spicy oriental fragrances like Ambre Narguile out there: I've already mentioned Arabie and Cimabue, plus Rousse, L'Air du Desert Marocain, Eau Noire, Eau Lente...you get the drift. And guess what? They're all cheaper!

Ambre Narguile is the most immediately likeable fragrance from the Hermessence series. Smells like warm pipe tobacco +raisen nut cake + old leather bound books + kitchen smells. Lots of great warm scent memories tied to this one. All the scents are mellow and in a low baritone kind of register with a warm masculine feel. No one notes stands alone and there is not too much sweetness. A warm tapestry of fragrance. The amber never takes over the scent, unlike almost every other amber scent that has amber in its name. In fact this could easily be named something else because I don't think amber is the primary story at all. . . A winning combination.

I can not say enough about Ambre Narguile. I keep sending people into the Hermes store to score samples for me....I am a junkie. I told my two teenage daughters, when we were in the Hermes boutique recently and as I completely doused myself in AN, that when I die I want to be embalmed with Ambre Narguile and then set on fire. They REALLY think I am crazy now but that is what this fragrance has done to me....I will never be able to get enough of it.

Ambre Narguile has become one of the most important fragrances of my acquaintance — an immediate, welcoming attraction, like "I'm home."

The crazy thing is, I got a small Hermes bottle as a blind buy, something I'd never normally do, especially given the high cost. But the descriptions I'd read told me AN was the sweet, deep, dried-fruit-and-amber entity I'd craved and never found elsewhere. I've read others complain it has an apple-pie quality. My dears, it's much darker than that. It's like fine, sweet, melt-in-your mouth dates.

I'm happy to report my husband likes my wearing it. And AN can play well with others layering-wise — from my wardrobe that's Guerlain's With Love (which has a blond amber base) and that crazy spice girl Black Cashmere (the dark-on-black cloud makes me feel like an all-powerful, fear-my-sillage witch).

My fragrance "key signature" is contralto, and this sings down around middle C perfectly.

Ambre Narguilé is probably my favorite Ellena scent. It is the only one I think I'd consider wearing (well, maybe also Amber Extreme). Ambre Narguilé, while it is nice, is still something of a disappointment. I just expected more of a special, uber-expensive Hermès fragrance. I also expected a lot more (any?) noticeable amber. Instead I get a very sweet, almost gourmand fragrance with lots of vanilla, some very light spices, and a berryish, almost boozy fruit note. The topnotes in particular lacked pizzazz; they smelled like any of a million other sweet-fruity-warm-fuzzy-fizzy oriental fragrances. It's pleasant, it's sweet, it's slightly more "feminine" than "masculine," it's softer than most ambers...but where is the amber, and where is uniqueness that one would expect of a fragrance at this price point, made by a world-class perfumer? All-in-all it reminds me of a weaker, paler, less interesting, more linear version of Ambre Russe.

I adore this fragrance, though it is very sweet so I find myself reaching for it only occasionally.

I would not classify this as an amber scent, as amber is detectable, but hardly the key note. Instead, this is a mélange of sweet bakery smells with a very sweet top note blast of yellow raisins and white wine, followed by the predominant note that characterizes Ambre Narguilé: a delicious, yeasty raw dough swirled with black raisins and sweet cinnamon. Perhaps I detect a touch of cardamom which lends a slight baklava feel. The amber in this fragrance anchors it, acting as a warm, skin-scent undertone throughout, and emerges on the drydown to meld with a sweet and dry, woody cinnamon stick and cedar.

Overall, I would say this fragrance has a dry, sweet, sparkling feel to it like a crisp white wine, despite some of the more syrupy and dark notes. It's bewitching, but in a kind way, an enticement that says, "eat me" but without any sexed up connotations. It captivates with an ever-changing progression of notes, not one moment of which is anything less than delectable.

Yum yum, I love amber, and I love the warm, enveloping, foody sweetness of this scent. Such a comfort scent, but also very sensual, not some sticky, girlie dessert scent.

Ambre Narguile is I believe one of the most popular of the line, which is not surprising. It is sweet and satisfying, yet without being cloying. If I had to pick an amber scent from all the rich, oriental ambers out there – this would be one of the candidates for sure. Amber is such a round, sweet and almost fatty note that it can be almost tiresome to be around it on its own. I remember when I was in an amber phase about five years ago, and I couldn’t get enough of amber. Well, it seems that I did get enough of it after all, it is a note that builds up and can saturate your system... It can affect the mind almost like a sedative or narcotic drug, and makes everything feel sensually slow and romantically mysterious. But as I said – I am out of this ambery phase of mine, and the only amber I really love smelling on a constant basis and don’t tire of is pure labdanum – or any amber that is based on plenty of labdanum and has some dryness to it. Ambre Narguile has some dryness to it which I find very appealing – it has almost leathery undertones, reminiscent of pipe tobacco. But still, I can’t imagine myself wearing it very often as my amber addiction was cured long ago.

Notes: Labdanum, Musk, Benzoin, Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Caramel, Roasted Sesame Seeds, Rum, Coumarine, White Orchid

I LOVE this fragrance, Many samples and on the second large, big bottle, Compliments and I always feel special, this is one great fragrance, the best

This is the ultimate "comfort" scent, and I'm not a foody scent person generally, being more of a dark chocolate dessert fan than a sweet sticky pudding or candy kind of person, which it seems that most of the gourmande scents emulate. I find that I crave this at times when I'm home working on a deadline or on a cold rainy day.

This scent has pulled me in and will not let me go. I will end up buying the big bottle, I know it, despite the shocking price tag. Many have described this as a gourmand fragrance, and it does have mouthwatering undertones of apples and spice, but I cannot think of it as a foody scent. The amazing amber and the touch of orchid transform this into a contemplative, almost spiritual scent. Warm and exquisitely enveloping, Amber Narguile acts to keep me centered and present, senses focused on the deliciously unfolding Now. Another winner from perfumer Jean Claude Ellena.