I finally tried Black Aoud

I find the oud frags to be nice once a month. I can't handle them much more than that. Lime Aoud (or whatever it's called) is currently my favorite, and I guess M7 would be next.

actually
Ive been wanting to try the montale line for a long time
now is the time!

I think all of the Montale Aouds - that I've tried, excepting Original Aoud - would benefit greatly from reducing the concentration and turning down the volume a bit. I really don't understand why anyone would want Montale to add more juice to any of the aouds.. to me it's a bit like an old man who keeps turning up the TV, which in turn causes more hearing loss, leading him to turn up the TV again.

I've not tried Black Aoud yet, but based on your review and others, I'm not sure I need to. I really like C&S's Dark Rose, and it seems more natural and of higher quality than the Montale Aouds I've sniffed. The only Montale I'm still interested in trying is Royal Aoud.

Thanks for the review, GB.

i totally disagree. C&S Dark Rose cud be compared to Oudh Damascus or Oudh Rose petals. Dark rose has a very beautiful accord of rose, which is very prominent and close to the actual smell of rose with a lovely dose of Oudh, same goes with Oudh Damascus and Oudh rose petals.

there is nothing "lovely" about Black Oudh. It's "Massive". it's probably the only fragrance available in niche offering with two of the mighty notes in perfumery in almost equal proportions. Oudh & Patchouli (dark rose doesnt use this combo). i simply despise the rose note in Black Oudh and would do anything to get past the tops notes...what BA has to offer after the topnotes is what makes it the legend it is. i have yet to come across a scent which offers such depth and complexity in it's earthiness and woody aroma...and why not, oudh and patchouli alone are capable of adding that depth.

Theres a reason why it's the cult fragrance from this line, so, don't rush into it.

And the search for your holy grail rose continues...
Thanks for the review, btw. It was interesting.

Coincidentaly I just received a sample of Black Oud today. I agree with GB so far, I sprayed almost 2 hours ago and it is a huge rose. I cannot find the oud, except for the first few minutes. I also have a sample of Red Oud and it was a scrubber for me. The saffron (I think it is saffron) combined with the rose and I were not getting along, and I could still smell it after a shower.

Yes, I also experienced that huge rose note, and did not like it.

Thanks a whole lot, G_B and other posters

For a while i have been trying to decide between Black Aoud, Dark Rose and Amouage Lyric Man (without access to samples). I am not too mad about patchouli (BA) but love the combo of Roses and oud. What seems to have tipped the scales for Dark Rose is that it is more accessible and it seems i will get more Rose/Oud per dollar (okay, i know that should not be a prime factor).

I ordered for the C&S samples 3 weeks ago but doubt if they will post to Nigeria. Will have to buy blind, sending the next person travelling

Thanks again, guys.

im not sure where you read me saying BA is not a Rose based fragrance? i simply said, "i despise" the rose note in BA, which in other words mean, i intensely hate the rose note in BA. Whereas in Oudh Damascus, Oudh rose petals and Dark Rose, i thoroughly enjoy it. my only argument was, the rose note as presented in Dark Rose cannot be compared to Black Oudh, therefore, the comparison is not valid. btw, you dont find patch/oudh combo in BA? and you find Dark Rose to have much higher Oudh content...? well, our thoughts dont match at all

edit: just checked out some reviews of our peers here and im glad im not the only one who thinks it's much more than a rose fragrance.

you dont have to be honest, just have to be open minded and enjoy many other things that BA offers and, you are takin me out of context, yet again.. i said before, i cud do anything to get past the initial blast of rose in BA(Top notes)...by mids to Base, it offers a lot more than "just" rose. but i guess all you smell in BA is rose absolute and nothing else....to each each their own.

Thnx!

are you saying if i dont like the rose note in BA, then i wont enjoy any rose based scent? anyways, i love Carnal Flower but, i wont buy a bottle of it. at the same time, i Love Serge Lutens Cedre(tuberose extreme, wont you agree?) and i already own a bottle of it with a 10 ML back up.

anyways my point was just tht, the Comparison of BA with Dark Rose is not justfied, Dark rose could be compared with Voleur du Roses, Oudh rose petals etc. BA is a different beast altogether.. but then, lets not play Table Tennis over it again.

cheers mate.

I do not like Black Aoud as well, it is the rose note that ruins it for me as well.

so far my favorite Montale has been Lime Aoud but still not bottle worthy I am on the fence. I can probably do with a 5ml decant and that will last me a long time

I agree with everyone...the rose is just too much for me. Original Aoud is perfection in the Montale line...plain ole' oud. Haven't tried Lime yet, but that one sounds intriguing as well...otherwise the rose note in every other Montale I've tried has just been too much for me...which is strange, because normally I'm a big rose lover.

I am sort of on the fence on Black Aoud, personally I find it a beautiful scent. I don't do well with rose scents in general, which is why it's surprising that I like BA. To me I'd say the first hour or so is just too feminine, but after that I find it curiously wearable. It is incredibly heady as everyone has stated and because of that I think a decant can suffice, it's just something that make a huge impression and I feel would be great to have around for very special occasions.

Can the tops be unscrewed on Montale bottles? I think dabbing would more than suffice for many of their scents.

I love Black Aoud. However, my favorite Montale with rose notes is :

Queen Rose.

It is very close to Rose petals, but just a bit more subtle and refined.

Honnestly Rose petals and Queen rose are quite close, but there s something that I do definitely prefer in Queen.

Don't know, I've only held one once before, and that was at Aedes, where I wasn't particularly paying close attention.

Yesterday when I tried Black Oud I sprayed on my wrist. The sleeve of my sweater was sprayed as well. A few hours later, I could smell the Oud on the sweater, but I could only smell the gigantic rose on my skin.

I am a SUCKER for rose, Black auod , Montale all the above..

yes it can just unscrew the top ....it unscrews right off

I really want to try Black Oud. Well many from the Montale line for that matter. I have yet to find any anywhere so I have to order. I almost did it recently but then I assume these (especially Black Oud) are not warm weather frags?

I love Rose Poivree and M7 so I thought there is a chance I would like Black Oud. From M7, I thought I understood Oud but after trying Dark Rose, I am now lost again with Oud. I really just smell rose and maybe a sour note that doesn't suit me. I wil ltry it again.

But since I liked M7 (a lot), I thought the Montale Ouds would be good to sample. But, I am on the hunt for another warm weather frag so I am not sure if I will wait for cool weather again.

Thanks for bringing up the topic of Black Oud. I am very curious.

I've always loved Black Aoud for the sense of opulent, dark, almost sinister luxury it gives me but I have to be honest it's the only rose oud I've ever tried (unless you consider Aoud Limes). I'm curious if I tried one of the others if I wouldn't like those more. I find the blend of earthiness given by the oud and patchouli with the sweet rose sort of perfect and I guess I ended my search assuming it couldn't get any better. I'm going to have to try to prove myself wrong just for experiment's sake.

Absolutely. Although you could probably do with just one spritz of Black Aoud in warm weather. We have warm (and very humid) weather over here in India and I didn't dare wear more than one spray per application.


Count me in as one of those critics

I don't dislike Montale fragrances, but I'm surely tired of smelling rose in approximately 90% of their offerings. Take Musk to Musk for instance, I didn't expect to smell any rose in here, but I did (lots of it)

Like I said before I like Black Aoud, but it isn't something that I feel can be worn with any regularity. I have samples of Golden Aoud, Royal Aoud, and Crystal Aoud incoming within the next day or two and look forward to testing them out and hopefully finding one that isn't so damn rich. For those that don't care for the super rose aouds of Montale and don't mind the aoud itself should try White Aoud, its a very sweet, super creamy aoud-oriental that is damn sexy, but too much for me to wear.

Perfect...thanks!

I haven't tried any Montales yet, but have samples of both Lyric Man and Dark Rose.

Lyric Man left me feeling distinctly underwhelmed - I'm a great fan of Amouage generally, but I can't see what this fragrance brings to their line. It is very subtle and well crafted, but just doesn't carry enough oomph or originality to hold my interest for long. I have only dabbed this scent though, to be fair, so am not sure if spraying would bring out some additional facets.

Dark rose is very good, although can be a bit too soapy for my liking on occasion, but I think it would be wonderful to wear on an early summer's morning.

Spectacular. I am seriously excited about this. The way Dmitri describes it, sounds fantastic! C&S exploration to come soon!

I love Black Aoud and haven't found another Montale frag with rose that is better.

I also happen to be wearing Aoud Leather today by Montale (a rose-less scent) and it's also a winner - too bad it's only available in France for now.

I bought this blind for a great price a few days ago.

Initial impressions were good, but not that good. I got so much oud and that's it. No rose, nothing going on really except a lot of oud. Good oud, but only oud. That was an arm test, sniffed up close. And I learned that arm tests don't really say the whole story about any fragrance.

So that night I gave it a full wearing. And considering how powerful I read that stuff is, my first wearing was just a single shot to the stomach. Getting whiffs of the scent felt very different from smelling it up close. I got a lot of oud, but also the rose note was present. I went to sleep and didn't have the chance to observe it develop.

I woke up the next morning and I thought it developed into something incredible. The one spray I had from the night before was still going strong and it still projected very nicely. The rose was more dominant now, and the oud was just there to help. My family were amazed at how good I smell.

Last night I gave BA its second full wearing. I was out in town late at night, and I thought I'd spray more. I went with 2 to the stomach, 1 chest, 1 back of neck. It wasn't too much, since I was mostly in wide, open air spaces. This develops very slowly. Now the opening is not my favorite part. Too strong, with too much oud. This time I was able to watch my best part kicking in, after 3 to 4 hours of application, when the rose takes over and the oud note is toned down, taking the fragrance to a smoother, more refined area.

This really is a well behaved fragrance. It's really strong, but it's not one bit annoying, and I had 4 sprays on. I love that about Black Aoud. I smelled it constantly throughout the whole time, and I can still smell it now 16 hours later, but that didn't seem to annoy me or others. It even got me a positive comment.

My best blind buy. Black Aoud easily goes to my top 5. Now I know that since I like this, I should have other Montales on my radar, and I do. But I'm just going to sit back for a while and enjoy the single Montale that I have.

Would be curious to hear how Micallef's Aoud Homme compares to this. I've tried a fair number of Montales but not Black Aoud, but find Aoud Homme to be an absolutely spectacular oud/rose combo.

Btw, beau_mode_arome, Lyric Man is quite subtle in its development. Instead of the traditional head/heart/base note progression to me it has rose as a constant thread..no, not thread, the rose is a velvety backdrop wherein the other notes are enfolded. It takes a number of wearings to pick them out and also requires a bit of attention during those first few wears. I found though that after I realized how it progresses (from a clear/smooth lime/rose/galbanum opening to a cocoa like note provided by the cardamom back to a green and now slightly musky/smokey note of angelica, and finally to the drier slightly green and coniferous base, again all stages with a healthy dose of rose) that its seamless quality is what sets it apart from others - that and the fact that rose is prominent from beginning to end.

One other thing to mention.. Lyric is deceptively strong both in sillage and longevity, so watch out for overspraying and accompanying olfactory fatigue.

Those two remarks are exactly what make good Montale releases top quality. I had the same experience with Royal Aoud. It was present FOR ME during the entire wearing but in a way that was neither distracting nor ovebaring and I don't think it was annoying for others as well. In fact I have never before been aware of another fragrance without having to sniff the poins of application. In that sense RA (and BA) are the equivalent of a garment, not a scent.
And yes, of course the presence on the skin on the next day is something definately worth refraining from bathing for . Someone else has described it here as "aoud hangover" and that it is, in a good way.
Those are the two reasons why although Montale's initially left me cold, I have now turned into a big fan. I suppose to me this is what niche quality (in terms of meterial and specifications) is all about.

Different strokes for different folks I guess as I've found almost every Montale to be oppressive and with a certain "flat" quality - akin to that of cheap fragrance oils. Considering their EDP concentration and yet designer like prices in the middle east, I think that the only reason they get touted as composed of quality materials so often here on BN is because of the ridiculous longevity. Of course, ridiculous longevity usually and most likely in this case implies high concentrations of ridiculously long lasting synthetics. I never understood the correlation between longevity and quality.

This issue has been discussed exaustingly here in the forums. When I am yalking about quality, I refer to the technical aspects of a scent. I do appreciate a long life on my skin and I believe there is nothing more frustrating than a beautiful grafrance that dissappears within an hour. I believe that four sprays is too much for a Montale and I find the idea of increased concentration absurd. I am in no position to discuss weather the ingredients used in them are natural or synthesised but it doesn't make a big difference to me as I do not believe there is a single scent out there that does not contain synthetics nowadays. I have to say though that having smelled Patchoulli Leaves I cannot imagine this one having a lot of synthetics.

Galamb thanks for a very interesting detailed review. I guess we are talkin' mega longevity ... I do love how Montales last and last- talk about value for money. I promise to try this ,from your review it is not the scary monster I have been thinking it is. I am not really a rose scent person either

I must say.. i did a turn around on this one. only recently i got hold of a full bottle (Can?)...and boy, it's very different from the small decant that i had. i feel if a decant is not stored properly this juice turns a bit rancid. with my new bottle, the opening accord is still loud, but a lot more refined...and the mid-notes...jeeesus... soft creamy cloud of Rose heaven. simply amazing...

Jenson, can you compare the rose note in Black Aoud with the rose note in Lyric Man.

I'm pretty sure Black Aoud won't be my thing but I suppose I should order a sample just for reference and discussion purposes.

Well ,this is making me want to try Black Aoud. I take it, it is not much like White Aoud at all ?

Red Aoud , I thought I liked when I sprayed myself at The Scent bar ,then I ordered a sample and it's abit peculiar ...... Montales are hard for me to read too. White Aoud I DID surprisingly like but it's strong stuff.

If my memory serves me well the rose in BA is fresher and more transaprent than the one in Lyric. I found Lyric a bit too creamy and lipsticky while BA is just the type of rose I like. I think "black" in the name predisposes for something less bright and this is why people are often dissappointed when they try it.

Interesting. I found the rose in Lyric to be light and transparent in a way, but it does have a smooth/velvety texture and I can see how that can be considered creamy.

It's good to know this; thanks cpk. I too, would have assumed by the name alone that it was an extremely dark/heavy rose - something I'm not necessarily looking for. I'm going to include Black Aoud in my next sample order.

heya SOS, i would say the execution of "Red Rose" is done exlemplarily well in Lyric, there is no doubt about that and like you, i too feel it's velvety and ethreal in nature. But, i consider Lyric as an exclusive rose based scent. What makes Black Oudh "The" montale scent is the extraordinary blend of Oudh, Patchouli and Rose - it's just perfect.. like a perfectly tuned guitar. After the initial harshness of Oudh wears out, what you get is a creamy *think nivea cream* soft cloud of Rose, Patch and Oudh..you could almost feel the powdery smooth creamy nature of it surround you forming an halo. No wonder it gets the respect it does, and it deserves it.

Simply put, if you are looking for a rose based scent with oudh/patch combo, Black Oudh is as good as it gets.

I read all the nuances everyone seems to get from the Montale Aoud line. I seem to be Aoud impaired. They all smell too similar to me with Aoud permeating every accord...albeit in different concentrations depending on the frag.

I don't find them unpleasant....just too similar.

well AE...if you try 10 Patchouli prominent scents, your feedback would still be the same...With Montale, they have a dedicated line for Oudh and Oudh will smell like, well, Oudh Montale is simply offering different combinations and textures to suit to one's taste..and believe me, they have offered some remarkable scents in the process (Black Oudh, Oudh Lime, Royal Oudh on the heavier side and then the refined (lighter) versions such as Golden Oudh, Sliver Oudh, Musk to Musk - to name a few).

this one's potent too, for the initial hour or so (i havent sampled White Aoudh, so cant comment..)...the trick could be to apply couple of sprays to torso...i used to despise the opening accord, but got used to it once i experienced the complete cycle of this scent on skin..! it keeps on morphing! thats the beauty of it.

I think the best way to apply the Aoud Montales is spray in the air towards you a couple of times, walk through the mist, and repeat. Four sprays directly on the skin is something I like but it makes me a bit uncomfortable around other people.

I love Black Aoud , super strong . Typical rose with aoud and lots of rubbery burnt notes IMO

Can anyone compare Black Aoud to Micallef's Aoud Homme?

To me Black Aoud is not unpleasant but somewhat linear take on rose and oud. It's an affordable alternative to the real thing but not much else. I'd much rather wear Amouage Homage for the breath-taking Taifi rose and Oudimentary's KSSS Cambodian oud for the refined and luxurious woody sweetness that Black Aoud only hints at. Sadly (and naturally so), the real thing is much more expensive..