Wafa Ard Al Zaafaran / ارض الزعفران التجارية

Here we have it, the next remarkable discovery in the field of affordable Arabian fragrances with a truly impressive scent character.
As things stand, the Wafa from Ard Al Zaafaran is obviously still an insider tip. However, I wouldn't be surprised if this Orient Express were to run full steam ahead on the hype train in the near future. In my opinion, it certainly has what it takes.

First of all, you get a thick, high-quality, artistic presentation on the table here, which, however, typically for one or two Arabian fragrance houses, also tends to be kitschy. Golden bling bling and personal taste or not, for twenty euros this level of detailed outer packaging is certainly not to be taken for granted. The slide-open box catches the eye with an artfully curved and ornate -W- on the front, which is enthroned on the cover in a rather elaborate, three-dimensional recess and gives a preview of the contents. The bottle then presents itself beautifully framed in a recess in the inner box. Everything poses in a slightly boastful and extroverted manner amidst the inflationary use of golden color. Nevertheless, objectively speaking, the whole thing looks lovingly designed.
The bottle itself is of the bulky, solid and high-quality variety. It looks solid and stable. The heavy metal cap with decorations on the edge and on the cap completes the high-quality presentation.
The velvety front cover of the bottle is the biggest objective point of criticism here, as it obviously tends to peel off easily at the edge due to the edging in the box. This shows that the cover was stuck on rather clumsily. With the overall bold visual and material presentation, however, this can be overcome.

About the juice itself... What you get here is a perfume that catapults you into the world of oriental fragrances in many ways and reveals a very comprehensive insight into them. First of all, a plum is thrown around your ears (and nose), which comes across like sweetened dried fruit. The fruit sweetness here is very approachable and free of acidity. However, this stone fruit is already quite sugary here.
The whole thing is then skillfully grounded and rounded off by an earthy, woody and slightly smoky base. A distinctly resinous incense gives the fragrance a warm base. At the same time, it makes the fragrance appear quite dark and noble. One could also assume a hint of tobacco as a fragrance note here.
The classic dark, earthy patchouli note underpins the fragrance throughout and literally grounds it. Furthermore, there is always a subtle, creamy vanilla floating in the fragrance veil, which makes it somewhat playful, but above all pleasing.
I detect a subliminal hint of rose, which lends the fragrance something noble and mysterious at the same time. Fortunately, this note is extremely subtle here, to an extent that seems appropriate for a fragrance of this type.
Overall, you can expect a fragrance character that can be briefly described as sweet-spicy-oriental, with a warm, dark and somewhat wicked appearance. The fragrance has character, but will not offend most users and consumers too much. The sweetness here is stylish and well balanced. In my opinion, it gives the fragrance a solid pleasantness, but never comes across as overdriven or squeaky.

The whole thing seems, at least to my nose, to be of a level of quality that you would not expect at this price point. The fragrance is round, soft and the notes are harmoniously interwoven. The fragrance is interesting and not too synthetic. Even 50-60-70 euros would be perfectly ok here. To be honest, an expensive niche house could also bring out this fragrance and it wouldn't attract much negative attention. Hopefully Ard Al Zaafaran isn't reading this. But perhaps the hype train will also ride the supply and demand curve with gusto and do the rest.

Due to its opulence, I would definitely place the fragrance in the cool season. The worst possible use would be at 30 degrees in summer, before a visit to the sauna, to create a negative image so that you can discuss a different use for yourself ;-)

Sex? Due to its resinousness, spiciness and smokiness, I would rather see the fragrance on men. However, this gourmand fruity sweetness paired with the vanilla and the light creaminess of the fragrance is also suitable for a woman, as long as she is strong, wicked or dark enough to want to wrap herself in this mysterious cloud of fragrance. In any case, I find the idea of perceiving the fragrance on a woman quite exciting.

Pleasantness? Definitely! My wife really liked the fragrance and approached me about it on her own initiative, which doesn't happen too often due to her only rudimentary affinity for perfume.
Longevity and sillage are not on the beast-fashion side, but they are good. I get about 6-7 hours of longevity here and a perceptible sillage for 3-4-5 hours.
Other Arabian fragrances can do this a little better, but I think the level of strength here is quite appropriate as it suits the warm, chic, classy and mysterious scent. It doesn't scream "Here I am!" from meters away, but knows how to seduce those around it.

For me, associations and comparisons with other fragrances of the same species arise, for example, in the direction of Parfums de Marly Carlisle, even if this one "crackles" a nuance more in the air and seems a little more multi-faceted. My nose has not yet been able to smell the Black Phantom mentioned here, which is why I cannot say anything about its comparability. What did come to mind, however, was the memory of an Argos - Triumph of Bacchus. The latter is of course a whole lot more artistic, harmonious and "expensive", and comes with a cool, playful alcohol note. However, I couldn't avoid being confronted with this comparison. Where Bacchus tends to triumph with peach, here the related plum takes the place of stone fruit. In terms of spiciness, tobacco/smoke, vanilla and basic "orientalism", however, the fragrances follow similar paths.

In this sense: Wafa is definitely worth a test for fans of this fragrance! I would describe it as an absolute price-performance hit, which has positively surprised in many ways, and the quality, both the outer packaging and the fragrance itself, is in the upper league.