Tabac Rouge / Turkish Blend (2013)
by Phaedon

Many people prefer Tabac Rouge over Tobacco Vanille because it is much lighter, has ginger instead of clove, and more honey than heavy vanilla. Oh, and the price, of course – although not massively cheap, Tabac Rouge costs far less than Tobacco Vanille.

I agree that Tabac Rouge smells like Tobacco Vanille. But as with Meharees (Musc Ravageur clone) and Dolcelixir (Ambre Narguile clone) and yes, even Oud Black Vanilla Absolute (SDV clone), the resemblance is skin-deep really, based on a superficial reading of the notes. The biggest difference between these clones and their source material is texture and weight. And a whole world of difference can be found in the small detail of texture and weight.

Tabac Rouge catches all the notes of Tobacco Vanille, but in a kind of “skim-reading” type of way. The difference is, like I said, in the small matter of texture and weight. Tabac Rouge has the texture of hot, clear tea. A sparkling ginger note is an improvement over the (frankly) awful, metallic clove note in TV, but that contributes further to the feeling of spicy, lively winter tisane rather than the thick duvet feeling I get from TV. It is as sweet as TV, but derives its sweetness from honey rather than from dried fruit. (Honey is yet another element that makes me think of tea).

I think that it smells great, though, and I would certainly buy this. It would suit warmer weather than Tobacco Vanille, due to its relative sheerness, and for this reason alone, it is by far the more versatile fragrance of the two.

Love this one. I always love these tobacco scents and anything with tobacco and honey is great. I really feel like this is a great fragrance to compare with Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford. Having said that, this is more versatile than that one, albeit different. This has a ginger note, and other great notes which are sheer and transparent when compared to the Tom Ford. I would recommend this as an alternative but not a clone.

The scent lasts for a long time on my skin, with a spicy ginger, honey & tobacco vibe. It is better suited for warmer (but not hot) weather. So where I would wear the Tom Ford in winter and autumn, this is one I would wear in the spring and early summer. As a standalone fragrance, this is just the right amount of tobacco that I like. The honey and ginger and spices are the main partners here with the tobacco not overwhelming anything. This is a great one to try for those who like warm & spicy fragrances, but which are also transparent and sheer too. Great stuff!

Greetings

I agree that this (one of my favorite frags; not just because of the luscious ginger/ honey/smoky-tobacco.... I adore those notes) is not a TV clone.

At least after (shortly) the opening, which is pretty close.

TV stays more linear.
TR (Turkish Blend)... Not so much.

TV -stays a sweet vanilla/ tobacco... Deeper and slighter "heavier" (even a tad powdery/ woodsy???) At least to my nose.

TR... Morphs into more of a honey frag that has a smokier vibe --constantly dancing between that smoked pipe and spices ( ginger/cinnamon)... To me it's smokier and more spicy than TV.

In the end (after 10 hours easily) I get a spicy smoked pipe tobacco w/a smidge O'musk.

Not as "thick" as TV (I've gotten 12-14 hrs) but IMHO, better blended. (I've several big Rottweillers).

I like TV...a lot (Who wouldn't?).

I LOVE Tabac Rouge (Who wouldn't?).

Factor in the price difference and.... Well I won't beat that horse any more.

I own both because I want both. Sometimes I crave one. Sometimes the other...

Now that that's outta the way:

Tabac Rouge has stellar performance on my skin. Projection and silage are both well above average. Compliments? Always.

See above for longevity.

I can't say enough about this juice... not a clue about the other offerings from Phaedon.

Rating 4.5 out of 5

Ok...
I get it...there are similarities with this and TV...but really, this is not the same, and as someone who owns both, I see reason to own both, because, well, they are DIFFERENT.

TV is more linear - I do not have an issue with this - in fact, I like it. Sometimes I want linear. Sometimes I do not want incense. And that, my friend, is where THIS fragrance comes in...

Tabac Rouge is the answer to what you may want from TV but fail to get - again - TV is its own thing - but sometimes you want more depth, more angle and more...questions from your scent. You want it to evolve into something that makes you think and feel more. I really get this scent...it is something of a layered story, one that evolves with time, and one that may make you think one thing one day, and quite another the next.

Don't hesitate to pick this bottle up...it is quite a gem at this price!

This is a beautiful scent that curls around one in clouds of sweet tobacco smoke, an aromatic blend as rich and warm as the glowing bowl of my father's pipe, blended seamlessly with spices and delivered with a smile. Tabac Rouge's longevity is astonishing, well over 12 hours on my skin after a single spray, with great sillage. I have to be in the mood for it, given its strong personality, but when I am...what a companion!