Paris La Havane 2019

Vivaguevara
15.11.2020 - 08:56 AM
11
Very helpful Review
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8
Bottle
9
Sillage
10
Longevity
9
Scent

On a Cohiba at the Buena Vista Social Club

After Paris Shenandoah from this series had already convinced me completely, and I bought it for the late summer days, I wanted to try it now, as the cold days of the year were approaching, to see if Carven could also convince me with Paris La Havane as an alternative winter scent.

As I am more of a friend of fresh scents, it is often not easy for me to find winter scents that I don't find too pompous-sweet-heavy, which is why I already became curious when I looked at the scent pyramid of La Havane. No vanilla, no tonka bean - promising.
What awaited me at the test, however, blew me away. Rarely has a fragrance captivated me so much from the beginning. A fruity and spicy, but still not sweet prelude, in which the mandarin can only take over the helm for a short time. Already here La Havane's deep, smoky character is revealed. A wonderful tobacco note, which in combination with the elemi resin, leaves a smoky-dry impression.
Not the usual sweet pipe/shisha tobacco "Gedöns" that is found in so many winter scents, no, rather the heavy, noble smoke of a wonderful cigar. After a short time, the leather in the background starts to resonate, but never becomes so dominant that La Havane could be described as a pure leather scent. The only discreetly appearing notes of lavender (and rose - I couldn't really perceive them) support the gentle transition of the fading tobacco to the leather, which plays the leading role for a few hours, whereby the smoky note is never completely lost. Only after about eight hours does the leather also fade somewhat and reveal a soft, amber base note that lets the fragrance fade away pleasantly.

The durability of the fragrance is, even with economical dosage, at least for me, enormous. If you want to get rid of it before the end of the day, scouring milk and Abrazo are probably needed. Even if it is not at all room filling, the sillage is neat and the scent is clearly perceptible even at a distance.

I, for one, have found a winter favourite that actually takes me to Havana. There, when I close my eyes, I sit in deep leather armchairs with a Cohiba in the Social Club in Buena Vista and listen to Compay Segundo and Ibrahim Ferrer.
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