Tam Dao 2003 Eau de Toilette

Tam Dao (Eau de Toilette) by Diptyque
Bottle Design Servaire&Co
Shop now
Search on
Search
More
We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network.
Shop now
7.4 / 10 399 Ratings
Tam Dao (Eau de Toilette) is a perfume by Diptyque for women and men and was released in 2003. The scent is woody-spicy. It is being marketed by Manzanita Capital. Pronunciation
Search on
Search
More
We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network.

Main accords

Woody
Spicy
Green
Fresh
Powdery

Fragrance Notes

Mysore sandalwoodMysore sandalwood CedarCedar CypressCypress MyrtleMyrtle

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
7.4399 Ratings
Longevity
6.5309 Ratings
Sillage
5.9300 Ratings
Bottle
7.6289 Ratings
Value for money
6.081 Ratings
Submitted by DirkDS, last update on 28.04.2023.
  • RateRate
  • CollectionCollection
  • ClassifyClassify
  • NotesNotes

Reviews

16 in-depth fragrance descriptions
8.5
Scent
Stulle
Translated Show original Show translation
Stulle
Stulle
Top Review 48  
Time Travel
In the late eighties, ceramic scent lamps were very fashionable. At the bottom you put a tea light in, at the top you put some water in a bowl to evaporate and then you added a few drops of scented oil. I actually only remember ylang-ylang, which created a numbingly heavy but insanely fascinating and erotic atmosphere.

Now I've smelled TAM DAO for the first time, and it has flung me back to that era unabated - sandalwood was, of course, the most popular scent for those little lights! May contemporaries correct me, but I think 90% of all young ladies had one of these in their chambers. No visit to the adored/adored creatures without a tea light flickering and occasionally, in the heat of, er, discussion, completely forgetting to light a new one after it went out.

It is also entirely within the realm of possibility that a not inconsiderable number of our younger perfumos were conceived to this very scent. Perhaps the sandalwood children could just get this almost incidental information out of their parents for me without any obligation...

But not everything was so romantic at the time. I had a colleague with whom I started an apprenticeship at the same time after graduating from high school. Sympathy at first sight, and M. was a funny, but at the same time also in itself resting person, with which one did not come at all into the proximity of an argument. Night-long discussions about God and the world, as they are just standard at this age.

Since just at the transition to the nineties the triumphant advance of the personal computer began and M. was not quite unfortunate from home, he had of course such a box in the apartment (wow, he had his own apartment, while all friends of the same age still had to live with parents!). So we spent many days and nights with the then brand new game MONKEY ISLAND! With the obsessive potential we both had, weeks went by before we had played through the game (there were no tutorials to be found online yet). And in the background, non-stop, the eternally simmering fragrance lamp with - sandalwood oil!

As life is then, we parted ways. I had my plans, and M. dümpeln so a bit in a "decent" job. Life purpose was not, but good money, and so he could then every weekend a little too much drinking over the villages and through the (small) cities and let it rip. Occasionally and with growing frequency then also on weekdays and in the morning.
At some point they stopped seeing each other, but I heard much later that he had been out too much with strange people. More, much more alcohol and plenty of drugs; his psyche only took it all to a certain point, and at some point he couldn't take it anymore. And then he didn't want to.

*

They say that someone still exists as long as a person thinks about them. That's what I'm doing, and I'm putting an imaginary stone on your grave, which I never saw, dear M.

*

TAM DAO is just that deep and warm sandalwood smell that reminds me of the intense time of that friendship, of growing up, of existential questions, of doubting and guessing, of unbridled curiosity, of an uncertain, exciting future, and also of another very long and very intense love story.
The perfume has a light, cypress and woody tone and remains relatively unsweet on me. Nothing distracting, everything fits and makes sense, to me it seems structured and transparent. Just as when you look back into the past, you can suddenly see clearly the path you have walked until today.

I did not even know until now that I can like sandalwood so well and have also experienced no fragrance of this orientation so emotional and moving. Wat nu? 10 points for the time travel, 8.5 points already for the fragrance - a bottling must be here to trace this fascination even further.

To the old times!
24 Replies
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
10
Scent
MisterShaver
Translated Show original Show translation
MisterShaver
MisterShaver
Top Review 20  
What's that smell?
... asks the nice waitress at the Resturant. I had Tam Dao in my pocket as a sample when I bought it and had it on completely unsuspectingly. It has provided that evening for long conversations.
Now I can see it is slightly woody, it has something creamy and maybe that's why the association with vanilla comes along. The rose is rather in the background, but amber and musk are also perceptible. And all in a nice order. But what remains from the beginning is with me the creaminess.
The thought of a forest clearing is somehow there, but the image of dark woods is also present. All times it is a fragrance that fits very well into a dignified bar with fine gin. A jazz band plays light evening music and a light breeze blows through the open balcony doors, smelling of fresh rain on dry forest ground. Just such a lukewarm autumn evening when summer is still so long in October. In the room you can hear the gentle rustling of the dresses from the ladies, a cigar is lit, some ice cubes clink in the glass, other scents make their way through the room from time to time or pass with their straps ....
Perfect! Perfect! And I feel safe and cozy enveloped by my Tam Dao scent. Sit back, enjoy. Slowly the sun is setting behind the horizon as a glowing red ball ... That's all it takes.
1 Reply
8
Bottle
6
Sillage
6
Longevity
7
Scent
Taurus

3 Reviews
Translated Show original Show translation
Taurus
Taurus
Helpful Review 11  
A lot of fuss about dust-dry sandalwood
Tam Dao reminds me of "Upper Ten" by Lubin right from the first snort. To be fair, it should be the other way around, because the latter came on the market 12 years later. So I'm honestly saying that Tam Dao definitely passed by my nose for 17 years, but I've heard the name more often than not
For all those who do not know one or the other fragrance: Tam Dao is a really very dust-dry sandalwood creation with a good pinch of myrtle and some cedar. It comes extremely woody and spicy, and you think you'll notice some amber, musk and a few drops of rose oil later on.

This would be relatively similar to the Upper Ten, except that the Upper Ten seems a bit creamier and has a good pinch of cinnamon, so that the association with cola is relatively close.

Correspondingly, the upper ten is ahead of me personally, even if this is currently reflected somewhat differently in the overall perfume ratio of 7.5 to 7.3.

Surely a sultry hot day is not the best condition to test the rather autumnal Tam Dao, but my imagination and experience are sufficient to know that it has this nerve potential with me, although it is made of high quality and additionally brings a fine spicy-sweet smoky note into play.
Probably the most people will love this the most, but the whole thing around it is a bit too exhausting for me.

Therefore: interestingly made material for sandalwood species, but I would not overrate it.
11 Replies
8
Scent
Greysolon

74 Reviews
Greysolon
Greysolon
Very helpful Review 6  
Hoping to find balance
I’ve worn Tam Dao a number of times over the past year and have been unsure how I felt about it. Finally, after wearing it again today, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a very fine, well composed fragrance and deserves its generally recognized status as such. However, similar to Drseid's assessment, I don’t love it. It just doesn’t speak to me or seem to suit my personality. But my absence of passion for Tam Dao doesn’t mean it lacks quality. I truly believe Tam Dao is a great example of an elegant woody oriental. Sandalwood is the key player and all the other notes homogenize with it in a way to highlight its facets: from woody to sweet to spicy to resinous. All those elements whirl and swirl together to create, what is considered to be, one of the finest sandalwood fragrances available.

For all those accolades, Tam Dao still isn’t my favorite fragrance. It simply doesn't suit my tastes.

Reconciling the dichotomy of our intuitive, emotional reaction versus our intellectual analysis is difficult when speaking of perfume. In critiquing other arts, we can point to, for instance, how the character development in a novel coincides so well with the plot structure that we love the characters, yet we still don't enjoy the story. Or how the metrical stress of a poem matches the syllabic structure of the words so perfectly that the rhythmic impact of the verse drives each stanza forward. Yet, for all the poet's invention, the words are dead on the page. As I said, this kind of objective analysis is difficult to do with a fragrance.

That being the case, all I can do is believe in the structural quality of Daniel Moliere's work and hope the ineffable qualities that imbue it with a magic others see, but can't be readily explained, will someday touch me.

That’s why I keep coming back to Tam Dao. Perhaps one day my pallete of experiences will have expanded so I can appreciate the full beauty of this fragrance in a more personal and emotional way. For now, I simply know Tam Dao is an excellent creation.
0 Replies
5
Bottle
5
Sillage
5
Longevity
6
Scent
Drseid

819 Reviews
Drseid
Drseid
Very helpful Review 6  
Sandalwood and Incense...
I tried this years ago and did not like it. I just revisited Tam Dao, and I guess I have done a near 180. I still can't say I love the scent, but I at least like it now. I get some sweet sandalwood at the start that is quite nice, and then the scent turns briefly green. The green transition is brief, but a bit medicinal and unpleasant smelling. Finally the sandalwood returns, mixed with a strong incense accord. Neither the best sandalwood nor incense scent available, but worth a sniff if your tastes run to either of those notes. A mild recommendation from me at 3 out of 5 stars.
1 Reply
More reviews

Statements

5 short views on the fragrance
HermeshHermesh 2 months ago
8
Bottle
6
Sillage
6
Longevity
7.5
Scent
Delicate sandalwood with green notes. Powderiness and moisture of the wood skilfully combined. Delicacy costs sillage and durability here.
0 Replies
GreMuserGreMuser 1 year ago
8
Bottle
4
Sillage
4
Longevity
5.5
Scent
Very light and inoffensive sandalwood, very weak in performances, not worth the price.
0 Replies
Topfpflanze3Topfpflanze3 5 months ago
7
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
5.5
Scent
So dry that you think you sniff pure tannins. You get thirsty just smelling it no joke. Dry woody and slightly spicy. A pass for me
0 Replies
PedroCabralPedroCabral 1 year ago
8
Bottle
6
Sillage
6
Longevity
7.5
Scent
This sandalwood is wonderful! Too bad the performance is poor...
0 Replies
SyddemizardSyddemizard 1 year ago
7
Bottle
6
Sillage
7
Longevity
6
Scent
Only Wood..a lot of wood
0 Replies
More statements

Charts

This is how the community classifies the fragrance.
Pie Chart Radar Chart

Images

25 fragrance photos of the community
More images

Popular by Diptyque

Philosykos (Eau de Parfum) by Diptyque Eau Duelle (Eau de Parfum) by Diptyque Philosykos (Eau de Toilette) by Diptyque Eau Duelle (Eau de Toilette) by Diptyque Tempo by Diptyque Fleur de Peau by Diptyque 34 Boulevard Saint Germain (Eau de Toilette) by Diptyque Orphéon by Diptyque Eau Capitale (Eau de Parfum) by Diptyque Volutes (Eau de Parfum) by Diptyque Benjoin Bohème by Diptyque 34 Boulevard Saint Germain (Eau de Parfum) by Diptyque Tam Dao (Eau de Parfum) by Diptyque Oud Palao by Diptyque Eau Rose (Eau de Parfum) by Diptyque Opsis by Diptyque L'Eau du Trente-Quatre by Diptyque Eau Rose (Eau de Toilette) by Diptyque L'Ombre dans L'Eau (Eau de Parfum) by Diptyque Volutes (Eau de Toilette) by Diptyque