Qué Chimba! Lorenzo Pazzaglia 2025

Rich, layered colors: south america, the ambiance of a colonial hotel’s grand reception, where the remnants of an elegant living lingers. The scent blends wood and sugar, transporting you to a spirit bar with polished surfaces that reflect a vibrant sunset. While not a precise memory, it evokes a powerfully realistic one.

When I first smelled the juice (perfume) straight out of the bottle, it almost came off medicinal. It reminded me of something born deep in South America, straight out of the jungle. Almost like a small village had created a powerful recipe that can cure anything.

The first spray on skin was a shock in the best way. Guava and passion fruit jumped out immedialty making it feel unapologetically tropical. It felt like an exotic fruit salad, warm and vibrant. As time went on, I honestly forgot I was even wearing it. So when I suddenly picked up a tobacco note, it completely caught me off guard (since it was a blind buy and I had not looked at the note pyramid beforehand).

The transition was truly incredible. What started as bright, exotic fruit slowly melted into warmth. Before I knew it, it was giving me strong Tobacco Vanille vibes from Tom Ford. The sweetness became deeper, the fruits faded into the background, and the tobacco took control in a really comforting way.

Lorenzo doesn't make the best fragrances - purely in terms of quality and content, but the good man can do one thing; bold yet wearable scents! Now, after I have been able to test several fragrances from Mr. Pazzaglia, his signature is often unmistakable; not that the fragrances all smell the same, but you can definitely sense the DNA. "Speechless | Lorenzo Pazzaglia" was nice, but somehow it didn't captivate me. Sex Sea was much more exciting for me. Therefore, it was all the more important for me to buy this fragrance after the first reviews on TikTok. Why? It is supposed to be a "dedication" to Colombia, a country full of life and color. Did the fragrance fulfill its mission?...

...long story short. Let's get into it:
- First: the fragrance is truly brilliant and has a niche character. In the opening, you get a good dose of sweet-spicy anise, peppery with a hint of cinnamon, intense, but somehow also fruity; guava, a bit of passion fruit, and citrus automatically join in and prevent the fragrance from drifting into the unbearable in the opening, even though star anise is definitely more noticeable. A truly brilliant interplay.

- As it develops, the fragrance gains a subtle, underlying floral note. Subtle, as anise remains the main player. The tobacco is for me rather medium-moist, so not the dry amber tobacco like in XXI: Art Deco - Blonde Amber, but slightly moist, playing a brilliant symphony with the floral notes. Individually, the flowers are hardly detectable, as the spice is simply still too present, but rose and orchid are slightly perceptible.

- In the drydown, this spice remains the main player and is rounded off by an ambered, slightly earthy base, which does not clash but is well-rounded by the amber, vanilla, and sandalwood. Here too, the spice prevails, but nicely rounded with a hint of tobacco, slight floral notes, and the minimally remaining fruitiness from the opening.

- Longevity and sillage with this fragrance are finally good again; probably also due to the good dose of spice :) For the sillage, I would have liked to give an 8.5, but an 8 would be too little.

In summary; a bold fragrance that perfectly captures the life and contrasts of Colombia while remaining true to the brand's core principles. Not a top-level fragrance, but a creative, bold, and above all exciting scent.

Definitely test it beforehand, as the spice might not appeal to everyone :)

Five-year-old Lorenzo is sitting at the kitchen table in his grandmother's house, who hails from Colombia.
In front of him is a fruit bowl and various spices.

Lorenzo takes a peppercorn and puts it into a banana. Nothing happens.
Lorenzo takes a grain of salt and puts it into a kiwi. But nothing happens either.
Then Lorenzo takes a guava and sticks a clove into it.
The guava starts to vibrate, becoming warmer in his little hands until it finally gets so hot that Lorenzo has to drop it.
Before the guava hits the ground, it explodes with a loud bang in the air, releasing an exotic fruity and simultaneously Christmas-spicy scent.
Grandma Lorenzo stands in the doorway, throws her hands up in the air, and shouts: "¡CHÉ CHIMBA!"

... ¡Ché Chimba! means "How awesome!" and how awesome is this fragrance?

I have never smelled anything comparable. If I had to describe the scent in two words, they would be: exotic spice fruit bomb.

Immediately after spraying it on, my mind started racing:
Which genius created this fragrance and how did this unique scent composition come to be?
The image above came to me because Lorenzo Pazzaglia was obviously born with a God-given talent and must have experimented with scents since he was a small child.

I am quite sure that’s exactly how it happened ;D

Qué Chimba is a fragrance that has slightly irritated me throughout its entire progression.
It undergoes interesting transformations that you wouldn't expect, especially when first sprayed. Fundamentally, it is definitely not a bad scent. It is imaginative, multifaceted, and quite pleasant. That is precisely what defines the niche theme. Nevertheless, I can't fully warm up to the fragrance.

The scent starts for me with fruity vibes that mentally transport me to a "Tutti-Frutti" world. It is fruity, sweet, and has that Tutti Frutti touch. You have to like that! I actually find that very cool here! I like it.
The ginger also adds a slight freshness to this phase. I really enjoy the interplay!
To be honest, I was even a little excited. However, the tide turns relatively quickly..

Qué Chimba changes quite dramatically after a relatively short time.
You can feel that the freshness from the ginger is gone after about two minutes. The fruity, sweet part still lingers but becomes more subtle. It now somehow heads into a sweet wood direction.
I get slight sweet wood tea vibes from it. Yes, those are the associations I have here.
Totally crazy! The fragrance now also takes on creamier notes.
A hint of tonka bean peeks through, along with some floral facets here and there.

The longer the scent stays on the skin, the creamier it becomes. The fruity, sweet impressions fade more and more until they suddenly disappear completely.
Amber, vanilla, sandalwood, and a bit of benzoin take over.

Quite a beautiful scent!
However, I would have actually wished for the slightly refreshed "Tutti-Frutti" vibes to last longer.
It could have even been a linear progression for me, as I personally liked the top note so much.

Qué Chimba! lasts about 7-8 hours on my skin. The sillage is good.
It really radiates wonderfully from me.
Unisex wearable? Definitely!