Reviews of Jasmin et Cigarette (2006)
by Etat Libre d'Orange

Dad used to smoke a pipe when I was a wee little tyke...he kept his 'pipe collection' in a wooden display sort of holder. They were gorgeously carved wooden pieces of art to my little eyes. I used to pick them up, and visually admire them. Then, as a small child would do, I'd put one in my mouth and pretend to smoke it just like my father! It did'nt quite smell the same as when he lit it and puffed, so I'd put my nose into the opening where the tobacco goes. THIS is what the cigarette part of Jasmin et Cigarette smells like! The remnants of already smoked sweet pipe tobacco - and it's amazing! When I first sampled this scent, my expectations were at about zero. Never in a million years did I ever expect to purchase a full bottle - but I did! The jasmin here is perfectly paired with the ashen & smokey tobacco, lightly sweetened with notes of hay and apricot. The blend is fantastic, a real work of art. Quality ingredients, craftsmanship and the finished product is not only one of a kind - it is completely wearable! Thumbs up, without hesitation!

Etat Libre D'Orange Jasmin et Cigarette

In the annals of perfect combinations I'm pretty sure that jasmine and cigarettes are not high up on that list. Which makes what Antoine Maisondieu has executed with his 2006 release for Etat Libre D'Orange, Jasmin et Cigarette; all the more impressive. There are a few scents out there that do wonders with the cigarette note; Hilde Soiliani Bell' Antonio is a good example. There are many more jasmine fragrances which use the note to good intent. I personally find jasmine to be one of my favorite florals because while it has some sweet aspects to it it also has a less floral aspect that appeals to me. In Jasmin et Cigarette M. Maisondieu accentuates that less floral aspect of jasmine and in combination with the raw tobacco accord creates a quite lovely fragrance. The top has that smell of a cigarette just after the match has lit it; that contrast of sweet tobacco and smoke. This accord is very evocative. The heart is the jasmine and its first appearance is as the slightly sweet floral but the deeper aspects of the note make their presence known and they are what linger along with the tobacco. This interplay is long-lasting and surprisingly interesting, on me. After a long time the base shows as a mix of cedar, amber and musk. This adds a warmth and an almost post-prandial feeling to contrast the beginning phase of Jasmin et Cigarette. Jasmin et Cigarette has above average longevity and average sillage. Jasmin et Cigarette might not be as perfect a combination as peanut butter and jelly but, as a perfume, its pretty close.

Etat Libre d'Orange is a little quirky and very interesting. it's almost like they don't care too much what people think - take it or leave it !
The name may put people off and maybe reading that there is tumeric in it . Well when I first put this on - I got sweet floral Jasmine - a really good jasmine actually with a hint of zing from the tobacco. The tabacco is not very strong at all- it remains a mere hint throughout and if I really really put my mind to it- yes, there is a slight suggestion of 'ashtray' but don't let that put you off !
The tumeric is not to be feared either - I think it's in there for edge .
All in all this is a pretty jasmine perfume with that naughty edge to it. For sinners ! It's quite delicious even - with the apricot /tonka bean notes .
Absolutely nothing to fear !
A good one !

Jasmine et Cigarette is a pleasant surprise among Etat Libre d’Orange’s jokily named and often banal fragrances. The topnotes are unpromising: unadulterated isopropyl alcohol. Once that blows over there’s a perfectly pleasant, (if rather chemical,) soapy green jasmine that tools along unaltered for at least a solid hour.

The cigarette comes later, in the form of a semi-sweet hay-and-tobacco accord that adds welcome warmth and depth to the otherwise dangerously two-dimensional jasmine. Given some of the brand’s other olfactory whoopee cushion effects, I half expected a fetid indolic sucker punch somewhere along the way, but the perfumer avoids adolescent temptation and it never arrives. The clean musk and cedar drydown is unfortunately barren, and seems so by dint of insufficient funds, not artistic intent.

I really like the idea of Jasmine et Cigarette, and Etat Libre d’Orange’s name is, for once, accurate. I only wish the concept had been executed with more finesse: a higher quality jasmine note, a smokier tobacco, a more substantial drydown. As it is I find the scent interesting, but just short of compelling.

Yup. Smells like jasmine -- perfume, not flower -- and cigarettes. The tobacco notes perform the interesting trick of starting out as fresh tobacco in the top, unsmoked cigarettes in the heart, and cold ashtray in the bottom. The life-cycle of the cigarette in olfactory narrative form. Neat. But I don't want to spend the rest of the day smelling like an ashtray. I'll give a neutral for being entertaining, but as far as wearability goes, it's a big, fat NO.

My mother's signature scent wasn't so much any one particular scent (she worked her way through several) - but more of a theme "perfume and cigarettes". She smoked 40 a day. Probably why she got cancer in the end. To me, Jasmin & Cigarette is instantly evocative of "perfume and ashtray". It is a chilling reminder of the not-so-good memories. Another powerful example of the subjectivity of our perfume experiences.

This opened with a very sweet smoke for me followed quickly by mostly jasmin with the sweetness cut off the top. A bitter-sweet smoke returns quite quickly. The combination of notes is a wonderful blend. Never too sweet nor too harsh. Never cloying. I actually think it lies more on the masculine side of the fence. Anyway, I really, really love this.

This opens with a clean, fresh jasmine note before turning a corner to reveal a sweet, leafy tobacco presence, not a smoked cigarette in an ashtray, but a freshly rolled one manipulated through the fingers of a woman waiting for a light. It is at once both illumination and shadow. And like a cigarette, this is satisfying yet fleeting.

Bold and brash and a little tacky, Jasmin Et Cigarette is the only ELDO fragrance I've tried where these apparently endemic ELDO qualities seem appropriate.

There's not a lot I can say about this fragrance. It's granddaughter's fruity jasmine fragrance spilled into grandpa's tin of tobacco. It's a fairly linear progression from "mostly jasmine" to "mostly tobacco". It's rich, fruity, dirty, smoky, and all in all, a unique creation in the world of florals.

Like most ELDOs, it lasts till you're dead and has nuclear-fallout sillage. Apply cautiously.

Jasmin et Cigarette is an odd combination of tobacco and jasmine (with fruity notes) that I can actually appreciate. A little too synthetic for my liking (or maybe it’s the jasmine accord occasionally irritating my nose) but it’s definitely one of the better releases from this house.

The tobacco in this smells exactly like a freshly opened pack of cigarettes (before sparking). The mixing with the jasmine and fruit is quiet innovative and elicits back street clubs at 4am surrounded by women (just a guess though). But there's the caveat for me -- I think this fragrance slightly sits on the feminine side of unisex.

I guess that the strong indoles of the opening are meant to deliver the Etat Libre D’Orange message. This is the third fragrance of theirs that I’m testing, and my thought as I uncapped the bottle was “Let’s see what weirdness this one has in store.” Indoles… not exactly weird, but they do deliver a potent message. I am comfortable with the indole abundance here… after all, what is jasmine without the indoles? The combinations of jasmine, tobacco, apricot and hay at first sound disfunctional, but they work surprisingly well in Jasmine et Cigarette. This version of tobacco is a wet version, and, as others have said, the tobacco does a good job of cutting the excessiveness (and in this fragrance the perfumer chose the most excessive form) of the jasmine. The hay is a very clever neutrality that calms down the potency of both the jasmine and the tobacco. But I’m also impressed by the selection of apricot as the fruity sweetener. Ordinarily I find an apricot note too cloying to enjoy, and I’m happy that I don’t see it too often in pyramids. But here it works… it really does: While providing background sweetness, the apricot smooths and makes more palatable both the tobacco and indolic jasmine. Personally, I enjoy this fragrance very much.

Very interesting. Of all tobacco scents I've sniffed, this is by far the most reminiscent of dirty ashtrays, mixed with strong jasmine. Not terrible, might be appropriate for when frequenting strip clubs

The scent of fresh, moist pipe tobacco with a gentle whiff of jasmine. Shame it doesn't last a bit longer but still excellent.

Honeyed pure tobacco, like in a pipe not a cigarette. I was half expecting this to be florals and ash. The opening somewhat suggests that but delves into something more unique. THe drydown reminds me of Cool Water and YSL L'Homme, kind of a weird metallic vibe that says, "a cologne used to be here". Overall, does what it says and it very nice.

Never thought I'd like the smell of an old ashtray (and I'm a smoker) but loved this. Is it just me or are ELdO really quite clever and innovative..?

I love it. Tobacco and hay take away the indolic, sometimes nauseating quality of jasmine.

Ooh, nice one! JeC reminds me a bit of an old fave: Biche dans l'Absinthe, it has a same kind of oddball elegance and understated glamour. A confident, comfy scent that doesn't try too hard. Such a lovely idea to combine jasmine with tobacco and hay!

Great idea to add some dry and herbal tobacco note (as from wet tobacco or cigar) - to sweet and fruity jasmine!
It`s one of the best scents of ELDO! :)

I got ashtrays full of stubbed-out cigarettes from this one, so I didn't pursue it any further.

Reminds me the Guerrilla 2 CDg in a smoky way with the add of the jasmin.
Sinthetyc in a fab way, clean:
jasmin,cold jasmin surronded of industrial smoke.
Agreeing gerald the smoke note is more like unsmoked liht cigarretes. The curcuma is prominent giving a sweet like chewing gum twist. Delicious. Worth a blind buy.
Extremely suitable for male/female.

This fragrance is unique without being weird. The combination of tobacco and jasmine is surprisingly harmonic and comforting; the two main accords are well-balanced and equally present from the top to the base. The tobacco doesn't remind me of smoke (as in Tea for Two), but more of unsmoked cigars (as in Tabarome). Not very complex, but well constructed and with decent staying power. Perfectly suitable for a man or a women.

I'm not a fan of jasmine or white florals in general. They tend to be musty and waxy and lack freshness. Jasmine et Cigarette is a jasmine scent I appreciate though. The smoke - very fresh cigarette smoke or more of an aromatic incense note - is a great complement to the floral. In fact, I'd call this "Jasmin et Encens". I think fans of CdGs Incense series might appreciate this.

After all the buzz about ELdO I managed to test Jasmin et Cigarette yesterday. I think it's a very nice and interesting scent, I really liked the combination of jasmine and the smoky tobacco note. Unfortunately it didn't last very long on my skin.