Habanita Molinard 1988 Parfum

Hmmm ... I don't find the "old" Habanita and the "new" Habanita 1849 to be that different at all, at least that's what my nose says in direct comparison:

I received a sample of Habanita 1849 from the lovely DeGe, and I had a bottle of "old" Habanita sent to me from FragranceX (USA) for almost no money (before the Euro crisis :-) ). At least I assume it's the "old" Habanita because the bottle has no tassel and because it is labeled with the now banned oak moss here in Germany (it's a wonder that this hazardous material was able to pass through the EU border at all).

The comparison test showed that the "old" Habanita is better. The fragrance name "Habanita 1849" somehow suggests that it is a particularly original composition. But that's misleading; a more accurate name would be "Habanita light" (or L'Eau d'Habanita, or Habanita légère, or Habanita Tendre ...). Because H. 1849 - I completely agree with DeGe - smells like a zeitgeist-friendly smoothed-out light version of the admittedly very idiosyncratic and bold "old" Habanita. It clearly goes in the same direction, but Habanita goes all out, while Habanita 1849 only shyly dribbles.

What this new edition is supposed to be, I really don't know, because Habanita 1849 is also a heavy scent that is not exactly office-friendly. Habanita fans are certainly not looking for office suitability. And if one is in the mood for a heavy scent, then the "old" Habanita, with its unmistakable opulence, is definitely the better choice.