Tabac Rouge / Turkish Blend (2013)
by Phaedon

Can't believe I didn't review this the first time I tried it. I find there's a real dearth of properly good tobacco scents, and this is up there in that category.

First of all, this to me is a blonde tobacco. It doesn't really recall pipe or cigar smoke, perhaps a lighter pipe tobacco before it is lit. And certainly not (ahem) plug or shag, or anything heavy. This is at the most civilised end.

It is pleasing that many of the stated notes are present and correct, particularly the honey and cinnamon. In addition there is a very slightly menthol-y, herbal edge in the early stages. But this is all about the tobacco itself, in addition to the benzoin that keeps things going (on my skin) for hours on end with good projection. Something this smooth doesn't really appeal to me in the long term - I'd prefer my tobacco scent to be a bit rougher around the edges, and 'darker' - but the quality is there.

yes, im getting a lighter version of tobacco vanille. the vanilla is very light or it may have been replaced with honey.this is more versatile than tv so i can wear it more maybe on a summer night.

Tabac Rouge reminds me of 18.21 and Tobacco Vanille but that cinnamon and ginger do standout and differentiate nicely. It is lighter and I'm not sure that's a good thing with this kind of scent. Feels kinda thin, like a watered-down drink. Actually, comes off kinda like a tea scent at times. The drydown gives way to a little bit more smoke but this is not a smokey scent. It's all tobacco and spices.

Projection and longevity are both above average.

Huh. At first all I could smell was Play-Doh and then after a month I tried it again and it smelled like L'artisans Tea for Two, which is also a kind of a watery chai like this ends up being. Either way, dated and kind of slapped together. Sillage.. weak and nondescript ... sort of like dusting yourself in McCormick's cinnamon and then spraying yourself with windex. Maybe in a month I'll appreciate it

Received a free sample with a purchase. This is definitely not my kind of fragrance as it's heavy tobacco, spice and benozin. The opening is a hot honey, ginger and cinnamon, but then a cigar humidor tobacco and incense kicks in and for me ruins what could have been. I don't think it's so much the tobacco but the musk and benozin base. Benozin reminds me of cough drops and gives a metallic, medicinal tone that I don't care for. I would have preferred something sweet, and I don't really see a comparison to Tobacco Vanille. At times it reminds me of Amouage Memoir Man, in that it's so heavy and sour it becomes a challenge to wear. I will say I like the tobacco note here, as it reminds me of a high end cigar humidor, with a rich deep somewhat woody undertone. As nice as the tobacco is, overall Tabac Rouge is just too heavy for me to wear comfortably, but it could be pleasant for a tobacco lover. Masculine and great performance, but just a neutral for me.