Le Gemme - Kobraa Bvlgari 2020

The only reason this fragrance isn’t stealing the show is because its “furball sibling” somehow charms the crowd with its feline antics. But make no mistake, the real alpha of the jungle is Kobraa (with a double "a" for maximum alpha energy).

I can appreciate the merits of Tygar, and I tip my hat to its clone, Turathi Blue (shoutout to Afnan for that "gem"). Still, Kobraa operates on a whole different level. Sure, the scent profile is relatively simple, but its genius lies in making a notoriously tricky note - frankincense - surprisingly wearable. Paired with geranium, it achieves a sweet, smoky incense accord that's versatile enough for all seasons. Just remember to dial back the sprays during a heatwave unless you want to fumigate your audience.

Performance? Absolutely stellar, 10+ hours. It’s has a good projection, enveloping you in a scent bubble that is equal to Tygar's.
Unfortunately, it also mirrors Tygar’s price tag, which, while reflective of its quality, still feels steep.
Thankfully, I managed to snag a smaller bottle at a reasonable price, or I’d never have had the pleasure of meeting this hypnotic serpent.

If Interlude Man is the Blue Beast then this should be considered the Green Beast. They both take the same spine of herbal/spice, incense, and oud in different directions. And by god are they both potent! While Interlude is dark and brooding, introducing leather, patchouli, and amber in the base notes as the scent opens up, Kobraa is surprisingly fresh given the note breakdown.

As other reviews have stated, there are surely many notes missing from the official pyramid. The peppery-floral geranium top note is joined by some citrus (or maybe it is the lemon-y nuances of the frankincense?) and an herbal note, perhaps coriander or rosemary? I also detect a camphoraceous pine or eucalyptus.

Olibanum dominates the heart of the fragrance, but it is not overly smoky like Search. It smells closer to distilled frankincense oil rather than burning olibanum resin, for example in a censer.

The incense note is supported by oud, but nothing fecal or animalic. Soft woods, more like a sandalwood or cedar, give the frankincense longevity. And such longevity! You will be smelling this all day if it is applied first thing in the morning.

Overall, Kobraa is a very high-quality powerful fresh incense fragrance that makes a statement. This is not a daily wear or dumb reach. Another reviewer said that it "spreads a feeling of aloofness" (translated from the German "verbreitet ein Gefühl von Unnahbarkeit"), and that is a perfect description for it. You wear this scent for yourself and not others. Let them think what they will. A Kobraa doesn't concern himself with the opinions of mice.

I will tell you a little story.

I smelled this fragrance for the first time half a year ago and it blew my mind.

I have smelled a lot of fragrances but with this one i felt as the first time i smelled interlude, back a few years ago. This one opened my mind and created the need to get a bottle.

I spent the next six months trying to get a good offer for a bottle until the opportunity rose a few days ago.

Three official notes. Geranium, Franquincense and Oud. Of course this is a lie but oh my god, what a lie. I wish more fragrances lied to me like this one does.

This is a picture of a funeral pyre (minus the body) geranium flowers above and below the oud and the incense that burns

Dark, seductive, addictive

opening - oud is prominent, not dirty or animalic. pretty spicy with a lot of a green note (I cant tell what note though)
early dry down - light green notes with some prominent incense
late dry down - somewhat creamy woods and almost sweet
9 hours longevity so far but got much weaker after 2 hours
6/10

MOVE LIKE A SNAKE!!!! What an interesting green scent. In a way it kinda smells this a gym where it has that metallic funk and fabuloso cleaning product scent to it

But on the other hand it does smell green and a little smoky. Like you’re in safari or forest temple as Laura croft or Jumanji. Not your typical fresh scent, and its pretty versatile too. I definitely like it. Little but of an acquired taste. Fresh but a lil dirty. Nice stuff here