Reviews of Café Noir
by Ava Luxe

When I put this on, I instantly feel as if I've spent an evening sitting in an English Victorian-era coffee bar with a man who's met me there after a trip to an opium den. As others have noted, the coffee scent here is darker than in other coffee fragrances. To my nose, it smells less like fresh espresso, more like too-strong regular coffee that's been sitting around a while. I also smell tobacco in the first moments. As it dries down, lavender comes forward -- ordinarily a scent I don't love, but here it's quite nice, not overly strong. The whole is under-girded by patchouli. If you're not a fan of patchouli, don't be put off; it's not strong here, even though it's present at each stage. The dry-down blend of lavender and patchouli gives a very licorice-like effect. This isn't my favorite fragrance, not even my favorite coffee scent, but I still really like it because it so clearly evokes a particular mood for me. I would prefer this on a cool autumnal evening, not on a hot summer day. Very Lauren Bacall.

EDP review:

A dark coffee scent that starts off with a strong blast and then dies down, with some woody notes, during the drydown. There’s hardly any creaminess here, so don’t go expecting a creamy gourmand. Lasting power is not great, though.

It’s an okay creation but its rich coffee darkness is too harsh for me.

[Original submission date: 29 December 2007]

Being a coffee (beverage) fanatic, I enjoy sampling coffee fragrances and own a few, though I rarely find myself wearing any of them. This is the best of the many I've tried. I've only tried the extrait version, and it starts with a powerful, dark coffee note mated to warm, winteresque spices. Lavender mellows out the power of the coffee/spice accord as it dries down, but it remains on the stronger side throughout. Most coffee fragrances are creamy and gourmand... Cafe Noir has enough punch that one could say it presents coffee as a note in a non-gourmand way. If you think of it, coffee itself has a very woody aroma and this is as much a spicy/woody/lavender as it is a gourmand.

Very good and highly recommended.

I agree with the all comment made before me. The coffee note is coffier than many real coffees. It is is really impressive with the wonderful smoky coffee lavender composition. İ really admire but is it wearable for me. No it is not. But i cannot stop myself saying "Great... "

Quite possibly one of the best perfumes on the planet. I was expecting a gourmand, and got rich coffee, spices, wood... and magic.

[b]Notes:[/b] Black coffee bean, Allspice Berries, Cardamom, French Lavender, Attar of Roses, Cedar, Patchouli, Vanilla, Mocha, Sandalwood, Siam Benzoin, Ambrette seeds.

The opening presents a potent rendition of the deep dark roasted coffee beans. While the opening coffee thing is happening, it is about the only thing that’s happening that I can smell. The coffee note comes on strong and stays strong for half an hour, then very gradually lessens in intensity to become a nice cup of coffee / floral accord with the intensity of a skin scent. The florals enter in as the coffee dies down. The florals are led by a rose note with the assistance of the smooth, creamy lavender. It is a light pristine rose accord – quite delicate. As usual, I miss the “sweet” that other reviewers mention – the vanilla, too – but I do get the catchy smoky background that comes with the rose / lavender. The dry down is basically wood and a thin layer of leftover coffee. This is one of my favorite coffee scents – I find it addictive, especially in the first half hour. I like the fact that I don’t smell the sweet and the vanilla. I love what I do smell.

I don't know... this is surely a lovely smelling cup of coffee. In fact its better than the smell of any Starbuck's dark roast or Verona; and it is complex and all. Maybe I just need to wake up and smell the Cafe Noir, but it's not the way I want to smell. I would rather be the "smell-er" not the "smell-ee" of this. One for a diffident minority view.

Very rich, very full gourmand, with an emphasis on the "rich." I sampled this with the perfume extrait version and it simply blew me away in its depth and complexity -- and I'm not usually a fan of gourmand fragrances.

This is a sweet, dark black brew, though, so don't go for it expecting creamy or mild. Also, it's probably not a good choice for those who avoid ambrette, as the ambrette notes here are quite distinct.

This kicks off with an amazing blast of coffee - it reminds me of liquer coffee or Tia Maria. A hint of lavendar appears soon after but emphasises rather than detracts from the gourmand quality. As it develops, the coffee becomes less pronounced and a chocolatey wood arrives on the scene. There's a hint of something musty, but it's smoky and earthy rather than skanky.
Of all the coffee-based scents I've sniffed, this is by far and away the most satisfying. Full bottle worthy? I can't say that I'm not tempted!

Black coffee bean, Allspice Berries, Cardamom, French Lavender, Attar of Roses
Cedar, Patchouli, Vanilla, Mocha, Sandalwood, Siam Benzoin, Ambrette seeds

To me this wasn't sultry nights as described on the website, rather it was stopping in the early morning hours at a roadside cafe off a dusty highway. It's brilliantly evocative, and I might buy a bottle simply to ward off the urge I now have to move back to the States and go on road trips..

I can't believe no one has reviewed this yet! I'm really pleasantly surprised by Café Noir. The coffee note in the top is very realistic and holds its own against Rochas Man and New Haarlem. Café Noir is less sweet than either of those, less creamy as well, with more of a woody quality. It is, to my nose, maybe the most complex of the Ava Luxe scents (and thankfully, I don't get any of the weird plastic-like smell I get from many artisinal fragrances). The wonderful, almost shimmering coffee topnote fades quickly and, as the scent dries, it is replaced by a smoother, rounder mocha-like scent, with vanilla and musky aroma. The musk here smells like ambrette, not quite as animalic as some musks, not the weird "laundry detergent" scent of some "white" musks. There's also a touch of cedar in there somewhere and maybe a lighter, sweeter spice like cardamom. I also smell a bit of smoke in the mix. The woods and spices give the scent some vibrancy and clarity, keeping it from being too flubby, keeping it somewhat crisp, while the vanilla and musks make it subtly sensual, and the coffee, comforting. Overall, very well done, and something of a surprise to me: I think I might like this better than either Rochas Man or New Haarlem. Nice work!

Starts out with a heavy hit of dark, dark coffee, mellows out very nicely in the drydown to a spicy, somewhat woody accord. I only wish it lasted longer on me. This is very nice layered with MPG Santal Noble, by the way.