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La Fumée Arabie Miller Harris 2012

7.9 / 10 95 Ratings

A popular perfume by Miller Harris for women and men, released in 2012. The scent is smoky-spicy. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Smoky

Spicy

Resinous

Woody

Oriental

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Cistus

Cumin

Cardamom

Coriander

Heart Notes

Frankincense

Birch tar

Cedar

Base Notes

Oud

Rose

Ash

Vanilla

Perfumer

Lyn Harris

Ratings

Scent

7.995 Ratings

Longevity

7.780 Ratings

Sillage

7.081 Ratings

Bottle

8.084 Ratings

Value for money

7.320 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro · last update on 10/25/2024.

Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

№ 02 - L'Air du Désert Marocain Eau de Toilette Intense

Epic Man

Chaleur Gitane

Ambre Fétiche Eau de Parfum

Reviews

7 in-depth fragrance descriptions

05/27/2017

8Scent 8Longevity 6Sillage

MasterLi
376 Reviews

MasterLi

La Fumee with a twist...

This is a really great incense fragrance. Like La Fumee before this, it is an labdanum and incense combination which is a winner.

The fragrance itself is dry and full of depth. The cardamom and dry cedar, coriander and other "dry" ingredients really add to this composition. To put it this way, this perfume definitely has a "mood" about it. It is a concept perfume which is designed to transport you into a world. A world of candles and spices and woods and mystery. It is incredibly evocative. I do like it very much.

Sadly, the downside to this one is that it does smell quite similar to the original La Fumee. Because of that, if this one costs more (reportedly) then I would have to suggest buying the original. The only discernible difference here is that (to me) it is more woody. There is a heavier emphasis here on the dryness of the woods than anything else. If you want the original with more of a dry, woody vibe, this is for you. However the original, with it's sweet, dry ambery incense balance is still the original benchmark, and a "classic" in it's own right. Still, this just goes to show, Miller Harris rarely does a bad perfume. Extremely high quality stuff here. Perfume as artistic expression.

10/09/2019

7.5Scent 10Longevity 9Sillage

Helena1411
107 Reviews

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Helena1411

Top Review 58

False Alarm

On the past first Saturday in October, an unknown person, presumably a middle-aged woman according to eyewitness accounts, triggered a fire alarm in various shops in a quaint village by the Teutoburg Forest. Consequently, the local volunteer fire department dispatched their firefighting unit, but according to the fire protection master, they were confused to find that alarms had been triggered multiple times, yet there were no fire spots or smoldering fires on site, allowing them to leave without having done anything.
The first alarm originated from the local bakery. The bakery employee reported that while serving the morning customers, a rather penetrating smell of smoke had entered her nose, prompting her to call the fire department out of fear of an oven fire. Customers who were also in the shop at the time made quite different statements. From a slightly musty orange smell to something vaguely bitter and herbal, to something truly resinous and of course smoky, everything was found in the reports. One of the volunteer firefighters confirmed: “What a strange smell! It was all there. But nothing with fire on site, so we could leave!”
The next alarm went off shortly thereafter from the Toto-Lotto shop, triggered by the owner himself, who shook his head and explained that something like this had never happened to him: “No, no, it smelled so burnt, really charred, and somehow also fermenting... although no, medically, it was like my wife's vein ointment, that's how it smelled! I even had to fetch my asthma spray from the back, it settled on my airways like that!” The incident commander of the volunteer fire department also confirmed the shop owner's perception but added that he had also smelled something woody: “It reminded me of my neighbor's conifer hedge, it smelled just like that, but only a bit, more charred, you know.”
The third alarm could be recorded about four to five hours later from the local supermarket, where the smoke detectors went off. Here too, there are countless eyewitness or better nose-witness reports that spoke of a smell of burnt or dusty-dry ash. Some even reported a slightly stronger leather smell that had mixed into this burnt smoke aroma. But again, the fire department could do nothing, as there was neither a smoldering nor an open fire to be found.
Meanwhile, rumors of a firebug were circulating in the village, which the fire department emphatically denied, as there had never been a fire. However, the fire protection master expressed his annoyance at the joker who thought he had to drop scent bombs here and throw the whole village into turmoil. “We don’t need such a fool, who makes the whole village smell!”
In the evening, the local gas station owner reported a slight smell of smoke at the scene, with his little daughter describing it as the smell of the vanilla cigarillos that her father liked to smoke. The gas station owner was asked to take another close look or smell to see if he noticed any lingering smell of smoke, which he denied, so the fire department did not have to respond again.
Based on investigations the following day, it was discovered with the help of various eyewitness reports that at the time of the smell's appearance at the respective locations, a tall, blonde middle-aged woman had always been present. Now there is speculation as to whether she actually dropped small scent bombs, whether she owned a poorly ventilated chimney in a saddlery by a conifer hedge, needed to rub her legs with camphor ointment, and liked to smoke vanilla cigarillos while doing so, or whether there was indeed a perfume that could spread these scent nuances. The latter option was deemed highly unlikely by the local fire department and the East Westphalian village community, and they agreed on the most probable solution, namely the chimney-saddlery-cigarillo alternative.
This riddle will probably never be fully solved, the village agrees on that.

Reporter on site: Olf Aktorisch

Updated on 10/09/2019

10/02/2015

8Scent 7.5Longevity 5Sillage

Meggi
1018 Reviews

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Meggi

Top Review 25

The Excuses Are Running Thin

The name of the fragrance is not without reason. The relationship to the progenitor La Fumée is unmistakable; here, as expected, the focus has shifted even further into the Oriental.

Even with La Fumée, I was reminded from afar of the scent that escapes from a freshly opened can of mandarins. I find this again this time, without having a compelling idea for the source, although the mentioned cistus might be involved. But that doesn’t matter, because - can or not - the light fruity scent is flattering and palatable.

Those who had mentally prepared for a nose-clearing experience with the three classic "K" (cardamom, coriander, and cumin were already part of La Fumée - what did you think?) will be pleasantly surprised at how the spices are softened by the mild, balsamic cream smoke.

This very spiced mildness determines the character of the fragrance for hours. A slight bitterness and a lasting, well-measured sweetness round off excellently from late morning onwards. Very noble. I find it less oriental than at least my ideas of the Orient would suggest. But again, that doesn’t matter, as the fragrance is undeniably as delicious as a non-gourmand (or rather just such) can be. The cedar peeks out soon, and I dare to claim that it is real and not the pencil variant from Virginia.

After six hours, a decent portion of vanilla is undeniably present, consistently kept within the tolerable by the smoke. Ash? In this case, it would be quite sweet. Perhaps someone has carefully and aroma-preservingly turned vanilla pudding into ash. Maybe Ms. Harris also enjoys a little joke now and then.

Oud? Rose? Someone must have inhaled that already. If so, it would be an extremely strangely fruity rose, as I have the can-mandarin impression once again in the afternoon. When it comes to oud, I might find a hint in the woody aspect with some imagination. But without announcement: No chance.

Conclusion: Among incense fragrances, a sensitive nose-pleaser and cuddler. A great tip for people who don’t quite get along with the overly smoky fellows and prefer it balsamic. Possibly even something for the smoke skeptics among us! The impacts are getting closer, and the excuses are getting thinner…

Need proof of suitability? Coming right up: About three hours after application, my wife did NOT complain about any smoky stuff, and she usually ALWAYS does, even in the evening.

Many thanks to Ergoproxy for the sample!

09/05/2014

9Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

DuftJunkie
31 Reviews

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DuftJunkie

Top Review 18

The Aging Man and the Oriental Tea Room

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The aging man sat in his old armchair and opened a sample that a perfume company kindly sent him. He had heard of the brand, but this scent from the house of Miller Harris was unfamiliar to him. The name La Fumée Arabie suggested smoky notes from the Orient. After the first application, he felt an urge to brew a pot of black tea. And suddenly he realized that the perfume reminded him of his personal house blend of black tea.
For this tea, he used airy Turkish tea from Rize and Ceylon highland as a base. Together, they created a light, fresh-spicy blend, which was further enriched with Ahmad Tea Cardamom on a strong Assam-Ceylon foundation. These three components were the starting point for three additional teas, which were dosed lower due to their intensity, yet still represented the main attraction of his house blend.

These included, for example, the Earl Grey Imperior, which was scented with noble bergamot twice as strongly as other Earl Grey blends, but had no citrus notes. Since it rested on the finest Darjeeling, it appeared fresh-floral and formed a wonderful, floral-spicy connection with the Ahmad Tea Cardamom.
Additionally, there was the hearty-smoky Tarry Lapsang Souchong. This Chinese black tea from the Yunnan province is smoked over burning birch wood and has a strong smoky scent. Thus, it was the perfect condition to create an airy-smoky atmosphere with the Turkish Rize.
Lastly, of course, the Pu Erh tea could not be missing. With its strong, earthy-woody note, it brought the lively highland tea from Sri Lanka back down to earth. For they were all made from earth, and everything, including the aging man, would one day return to the roots.

As the aging man pondered his house blend, it seemed to him that the perfume coincidentally took a similar course as his beloved tea. It reminded him of various stages of his life, which would take too long to enumerate here. However, some memories stirred him emotionally so much that it would be appropriate to mention them here in connection with the scent's development.

There was the fiery top note with spices, cleverly cooled with cistus. This combination of cardamom and coriander was quite complex, as it apparently omitted a pronounced citrus component. Unfortunately, the aging man could not perceive his cherished caraway, which he regretted. These notes reminded him of a rather young episode in his life. His second son, who was born a few years ago, was just as fiery as this note. He also bore the corresponding name: Fire.

The distinctly smoky and slightly woody heart note transported the aging man back to his childhood. Back then, not only in winter were the stoves fueled with wood. And with any woods that could be found. Just not cedar. They were in short supply. Often, the smell of burning wood was the first thing he smelled in the morning, warming his child’s heart. When he came home from school in the afternoon, he noticed how the whole area smelled of smoke. He loved this scent, just as its creator did.

The base note was on one hand very lovely, almost sweet, and evoked memories of the great love of his life. On the other hand, the note indeed had something of ash, as if wood had burned, the smoke had dissipated, and only the ash remained. This made him think of many things he would prefer to suppress, which was, however, unavoidable. Where there is fire, there is smoke and ash. Where there is life, there is also ... .
He perceived the overall impression of the final note as earthy. Was there a hint of patchouli, vetiver, and/or moss involved? In any case, this earthy note triggered true feelings of happiness in him. Even as a small child, he loved to play in the sand above all else. So did his firstborn, who loved to secretly stuff sand into his pockets to take home. Perhaps it was only due to his name: Earth.

While he was lost in memories, he had prepared his house tea. When he took the first sip, he noticed that the tea tasted a bit more bitter than it had a few years ago. Yes, the aging man had indeed become forgetful. He had forgotten to sweeten the tea. Plain sugar was out of the question. Rose jam was the best option. For this, Turkish rose petals were soaked in sugar jelly, so that over time a kind of rose absolute in honey was created. The scent of the rose harmonized the whole blend wonderfully.

In this sense: Enjoy your tea :-)

p.s.: A heartfelt thank you to Yatagan for providing me with a fragrance sample that brought back such wonderful memories.

04/25/2023

8.5Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

Ergreifend
530 Reviews

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Ergreifend

Top Review 21

In the Rapture of the Orient

La Fumée Arabie is just right for those of us who are into smoky, sweet orientals. Because it is a rapture of the Orient, an eruption of liquid resin, from warm sand, when you apply the fragrance. Right from the start, you know that the scent will wrap you up thickly to protect you from the night’s cold of the desert.

Strong facets of sweetness, delicately enveloped by a hint of coriander. Nutmeg crumbles between the fingers and merges with the desert sand. All the while, an unmistakable scent of incense carries droplets of resin within. The stars dance in the dark sky. Nowhere is the night sky as clear as over the desert...

In the base beats a lovely heart of vanilla, which has been drizzled with rose water. It becomes dusty dry in the end, before the scent turns to ash and is carried away by the desert wind.

It clings long to the heels. It feels cool and warm at the same time. Day and night in the desert spent with La Fumée Arabie. It’s a shame that it has been discontinued, so I cherish the last drops I have in the beautiful, yet timeless bottle.

More reviews

Statements

19 short views on the fragrance

ElAttarine

1 year ago

8Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

Cistus tears flow into the distance
further spiced landscapes
tar-dark cedar smoke
and the finiteness
cool ash on my face in the evening

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Edda32

4 years ago

7.5Scent

Smoldering fire in the nomad tent. Stay calm! Akhw al'umi sprinkles rose water, someone offers date sweets. The spice cabinet is gone.

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Seejungfrau

5 years ago

8Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

A_Smoked Vanilla Spice
R_ that lures me with a giggle
A_Hummus Bi Tahina
B_Rock Rose on the lapel
I_Warm ash clouds
E_ I lay in green balance

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Helena1411

6 years ago

7.5Scent 10Longevity 9Sillage

KN: Fuzzy bergamot smokes bitter resinous-
HN: rubbing in with camphor & ash, in leather pants at a conifer campfire
B: - a vanilla cigarillo

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Seerose

9 years ago

10Scent 10Longevity 7.5Sillage

Delicate blend of exquisite incense, floral, roses, vanilla, slightly citrusy, balanced balsamic-resinous-waxy, woody, birch tar balsam. Unique balsamic oud.

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