Cisse86

Cherry seems to be a must-have in any perfume house - but here it is not typical. I have tested many cherry scents from Cherry X to the various Tom Ford flankers of the Cherry line. Time and again, I concluded that it is not my fragrance direction. When Mr. Gebauer announced an oriental cherry scent, I was initially skeptical. But with Arabian Cherry, everything is different. Instead of being sticky-sweet, it comes across as wild, rough, almost animalistic. At first, it bursts forth, later it gives way to darker, oriental tones.

Longevity: solid nine hours, with decent presence.

Conclusion: this will likely be my first cherry scent in my collection, I cannot personally relate to the negative reviews for the most part.

I was pleasantly surprised, as I initially expected a scent like Crystal Bomb or Tuscan Leather. Instead, here unfolds the most successful raspberry note I have experienced in a perfume so far - clear, present, and long-lasting, elegantly complemented by a distinctive leather note. Contrary to my initial fears, the fruitiness does not come across as too synthetic or too overpowering, but is harmoniously integrated, without causing headaches. For me, one of the strongest, if not Marc Gebauer's most underestimated release.

PS: The name polarizes, but it definitely has nothing to do with any underlying ideology. There have always been dictatorships in every time and ideology.

The scent is not complex, and it feels less synthetic than its siblings from the line, although there is likely some synthetic content present here as well. The blood orange in the top note is quickly complemented by rose and saffron, and it develops in the drydown into a light leathery patchouli scent from which the saffron-rose combination and, in small amounts, the blood orange keep emerging. For me, this scent is a true all-rounder and has found its way into my glove compartment in the car as a 15 ml bottle. It fits many occasions, and I enjoy using it, not just as a backup bottle in the car :) I particularly like the small bottle sizes of 15 ml from the brand, making them excellent for traveling. Test the scent; the 1.3 variant is the best for me in the line.

Layton is a great fragrance, but it was a bit too sweet for me, so I decided to test Layton Exclusif. The scent has the typical Layton DNA with apple and light citrus accents in the top notes. However, instead of drifting into sweetness as the fragrance develops, a woody note (guaiac wood) emerges with a slight patchouli touch. For me, this is clearly a more beautiful scent progression and a more complex drydown than with Layton. The woody note makes the fragrance feel rounder, more mature, and easier to wear in everyday life.

I had the opportunity to test all three fragrances from the Coffee Break Collection and would like to mention right away that I prefer the Golden Mokka the most. The scent starts for a coffee fragrance with a fresh unexpected citrus note of orange and especially lemon, but the top note is not perceptible for long and increasingly fades into the background as the rose-coffee combination comes to the forefront. The fresh note lingers for quite some time in the drydown and is sometimes more and sometimes less noticeable. Here, one can clearly notice the similarity to the Golden Dallah. I cannot detect the Oud mentioned in the fragrance pyramid, so I assume it is mainly used in small amounts to enhance longevity. In the base note, the similarity to the Golden Dallah becomes increasingly apparent. Overall, I find the scent development of the Golden Mokka, compared to the Golden Dallah, from the fresh note to a green spicy slightly sweet coffee-rose scent to be more complex and, for me, more exciting compared to its two brothers. Additionally, a certain exclusivity may also play a role, as the fragrance is currently only available at Xerjoffuniverse.