Tales from Zanzibar Memoirs of a Perfume Collector 2021

Safari Breeze, its dupe, was realeased recently, and it was the only way I could get close to this composition, given how difficult the original is to find. I liked it, but there was something harsh in the drydown that never fully convinced me. So I thought… no matter the price, I need to try the original.

And indeed, as similar as they are, the small details make all the difference.

Tales from Zanzibar is a mix of rich, dense, summer tropical fruits. It smells of guava, papaya, mango… as if the bowl itself were a coconut, figuratively speaking, wrapping the fruits in an aroma that oscillates between creamy and the green freshness of the husk. I also detect a subtle aquatic nuance that makes it feel even fresher and more summer-like.

In the drydown, a greener minty facet shows up, with a grapefruit-like edge. The fruits are still very present, but now everything is enveloped in this green, at times slightly bitter scent that, for me, makes the difference between smelling like a perfume and smelling like tropical juice. Many fruity fragrances on the market are hard for me to wear, but this one, on the contrary, is majestic.

It leaves a luxurious trail, fruity and fresh, green, with an almost molecular touch. Super chic.

This is the fragrance I’d wear walking around Marbella, Capri, Nice, or Rodeo Drive. It elevates you, catches attention, and is very likeable, yet never loses sophistication. It’s that extra layer that makes you stand out. And to top it off, it’s almost impossible to find. I believe only one perfumery in all of Europe sells it. To me, that’s true niche.

Going back to the beginning: Safari Breeze is the sketch, Zanzibar the finished work. Safari is the demo, Zanzibar is the fully mixed and mastered track. Safari’s rough edges feel sharp and annoying to me. Zanzibar is round, smooth, filtered, and refined.

I shouldn’t have tried it, because now I need it. That’s its only downside: €225 for 75 ml, and being clearly a summer fragrance, it makes me hesitate. But that’s the nature of expensive treats

Definitely one of the best summer fragrances out there today, in the same league as Pacific Chill or Porthole without resembling them, and with a DNA of its own.

I was really wary of trying this one after trying Limonata and God of Fire considering the parallels being drawn between them. On paper, they seem to be alike, and I can see myself thinking they smell similar if I smelled them months apart, but I think side-by-side, there is a clear difference between Tales from Zanzibar and the others — the base here is much more woody. A lot of fruity scents use the same base as Erba Pura, the strongly musky accord, but in Tales from Zanzibar, I actually get a good bit of woodiness even in the first hour or so. I think it's the oud accord, which is actually using something like vetiver or cypriol, gives a nice warm base for the fruits to sit on.

The fruity notes themselves are more realistic than in Limonata too, and less sour and off-putting than in God of Fire. Juicy tropical fruits, with a hint of lime keeping them from becoming too sweet. I'd love to compare this side-by-side to Passion Island, which I liked on strip but haven't yet tried on skin, to see which tropical fruity scent I want in my collection. But Tales from Zanzibar is definitely on my shortlist.

Yes! This is good! This fragrance opens up with a blast of airy effervescent fruits. Doesn't seem to be heavy at all. Innocent, not too sweet. First similarity that comes to mind is "Blue Talisman | Ex Nihilo" . At first, you think this is not going to last or project. LIES! ALL LIES! Do not be fooled by the opening. The fruity component, however, is akin to the tropical fruit/mango you get in God of Fire. This note/accord is sweet, fruity, dense and very long lasting. Comparable to the heft you get from God of Fire and "Erba Pura | XerJoff" . I can see this being cloying in high heat situations. I think this to be perfect for a summer date night. You can easily get carried away with the sprays. Start with 3 in the summer and go from there.

Just a warning review so you don't get caught up in the hype and buy blindly:

I had a love-hate relationship with this perfume.
I wanted to like it so much, but every time I smelled it, it had that thick sour and dry sweat smell on my skin.

Out of 5 friends who tried it, 2 identified the same smell on their skin.

Without a doubt, you should try it on your skin before buying.

Unfortunately, because of this, I had to sell it.
From some reviews I've read here, I'm not the only one who smells this.

Having read reviews stating this was a very realistic Guava scent, I was excited to get my hands on it! This isn’t anywhere near as fruity or as juicy as other reviews would lead you to believe. It’s also much nicer, lighter and quite different in my opinion to any of the scents it has been compared to. I’d pick this over the heavily aquatic Porthole or cloying Pacific Chill day. To me this is way better than anything it’s been compared to.

Tales from Zanzibar is a very wearable, inoffensive, clean, refreshing, light, airy, relaxing, uplifting scent that would be absolutely gorgeous in summer or really hot weather. It’s definitely unisex. It isn’t anywhere near as strong or as fruit heavy as Id expected it to be. It creates a nice scent bubble, but turns into a skin scent quite quickly for me. I can smell the Guava faintly, but it’s mixed with the other notes of lime and mint. I do get a good bit of Ambergris, which makes this more of a fruity oceanic scent. I’m not keen on scents that are heavy on Ambergris, such as Nassau which I currently find unwearable due to this. Tales from Zanzibar has a nice balance. If you’re an Oud hater like me, don’t be put off by this note. It’s completely undetectable here… thank god! Tales from Zanzibar gives me a picture of sitting by the ocean and drinking a light fresh fruit cocktail, but the fruit juice has been diluted in quite a bit of ice. I just wish it had been stronger on the Guava. I’d say this scent is 35% fruits and 65% ocean vibes.

Is it worth buying? Honestly I’m not sure …. I think the 75ml bottles are much better value than the previous 50ml, however I’d rather have bought a 50ml for less! I do love it and bought it anyway, because it’s unique to anything else I own. I feel torn on its worth due to finding the performance weak. Maybe it’s my sense of smell, maybe it’ll do better in high heat, time will tell. Either way, if you’re expecting a juicy Guava forward scent like I was …. this isn’t it. However it is a gorgeous scent.