The Dark Heart of Old Havana 4160 Tuesdays 2013

Old Havana - thick cars, thick cigars. Cuban salsa to "Buena Vista Social Club," hot, dance-filled nights from the twenties to the fifties. Smoky bars where rum flows freely, perhaps an Arechabala S.A. Havana Club dark or, at best, a Ron Extra Anejo Arechabala 75. Glittering sequin dresses on the heavy, shiny hoods of very thick cars. Clark Gable, later Rock Hudson, guests at the legendary Sloppy Joe's Bar, a hotspot for Americans during Prohibition and a cult meeting place for all lovers of Cuba Libre and Pina Colada. And again, the heavy scent of thick, expensive cigars. The spice of tobacco, the smoky velvet, the sour sweat from armpits over hips that have swayed to ChaChaCha or salsa for a night. The smell of fresh flyers, expensive women's perfumes, expensive men's perfumes, the scent of the costly, chic, old club world of Cuba.
This is probably what The dark heart of Old Havana is alluding to. But alas, this fragrance fails to evoke those associations. If one tried it without knowing its name, one would likely never arrive at the destination that the scent journey aims for. Initially perceptible is a slightly sweet, primarily fruity scent, less citrus, more dried fruit, a slightly fermented component, prettied up by a bit of sugar that does not hide the delicate rottenness. And then one waits. One cigar long. Two cigars long. Three cig... Oh, is something happening? No, false alarm. There is no trace of tobacco. The sweetness of vanilla and tonka also does not appear, only after hours can a hint be sensed. Anyone who smells rum here has a lot of imagination. Understandable - who doesn’t dream of a few nights in historic Cuba, of the glamour of old times? But The dark heart of Old Havana cannot illustrate this dream; it simply does not penetrate to the dark, smoky, rum-soaked heart of Havana. Instead, it presents a tamed, gentle fruit scent with reminiscences of vanilla sweetness. That is quite little for what the name promises, and no comparison to the great tobacco classics. A pity, but still nice. Surely Havana also has a light, bright heart, a fruity, sweet sun heart. Those who wish to discover that will find the scent of 4160 Tuesdays to be the right choice.