FreshFlow

On my exploration through the world of boozy tobacco scents, I got stuck on 902 because of the cognac-plum-tobacco combination. The acceptable price and the brand, which somehow evokes an indescribable interest in me, led me to make a blind purchase. Admittedly, 35 euros for 30ml is not exactly cheapie territory, but it would have been a bearable loss.

In fact, after the first sniff of the opening, I almost wrote the fragrance off as a mistake. Very alcoholic (and I don’t mean the cognac) and somewhat sour. Luckily, I was patient, because shortly after, an orangey freshness came through. This freshness is very nice, but it surprised me a bit given the name of the perfume and my expectations.

Relatively quickly, 902 then takes a turn, and the freshness essentially completely gives way to a sweet tobacco scent. I can’t really define the sweetness, but vanilla, plum with a hint of cinnamon could fit. The tobacco joins in, but it doesn’t push itself forward, and you really have to sniff a bit to find it. However, I want to claim that I can perceive it, as it interrupts the sweetness now and then with a touch of bitterness. It reminds me very much of my grandpa's old pipes, which he used intensively and which still had a very specific damp tobacco smell even years after their last use. Even though I was never a smoker, I always found that smell wonderful.

Unfortunately, I can’t smell any cognac, but maybe that’s a good reason to have a glass alongside it.

Longevity is quite good; sprayed in the morning, I can still smell it on my skin at the end of the day, but after the first few hours, the scent becomes quite close to the skin. For me, 902 therefore falls more into the category of light tobacco scents, but that makes it very suitable for everyday wear. On a cooler day, I wouldn’t have a problem wearing it to the office.

I bought Eternity Summer for Men 2010 on vacation in Fuerteventura, interestingly only in 2015. I think it was simply because I wanted to buy some new fragrance and was also a bit pressured by the saleswoman.

Due to the circumstances of the purchase, I actually regretted it shortly after, and whenever my gaze wanders through my shelf, I always grumpily linger on it. But wait! Then I sniff it again and am enchanted.

Is it the pineapple? Is it the cardamom? Or the woods with the salt? All favorite fragrance notes of mine, but they don't reveal themselves clearly at all. The scent is simply wonderfully herb-fresh with a bit of salty sweetness. Certainly not particularly creative in terms of perfume art, but just super beautiful, especially on warm days.

Ultimately, this fragrance is, on one hand, a lovely reminder of a beautiful vacation, and on the other hand, it has something that keeps drawing me back to it, making it far too precious for a sale. Even if it's just for one day a year.

And did the pushy saleswoman only foist this fragrance on me because it had been sitting in the store for far too long? After all, it had already been surpassed by five "Eternity Summer" generations at the time of purchase. I only just came up with this thought, but even if that's the case, I'm not (anymore) angry about it.

I bought the Antinomie Sample Set to see for myself what lies behind the "niche fragrances at designer prices." In short, none of the scents really blew me away, but I wasn't disappointed either.

With Ambre Insomniaque, I particularly loved the opening. However, I was surprised by the drydown, which reminded me a lot of something I had smelled before. If I'm not mistaken, it's one of the scents from the Zara Tobacco Collection. Either Rich Warm Addictive or Intense Dark Exclusive (I had the 2021 version of both).

I had to digest this realization first, as I had sold the two Zaras because I had essentially never worn them and thought that I simply didn't like them enough to keep them in my collection.

Now, having smelled a fragrance with a somewhat similar profile but marketed quite differently, I realize that I actually find this scent profile quite nice. I probably didn't dismiss the Zaras because of the scent itself, but rather was put off by the reputation and admittedly somewhat cheap appeal of the Zara perfumes.

Now I face the question of whether to buy a Zara perfume cheaply or invest more money in Antinomie. However, I’m not stressing over this decision, as Ambre Insomniaque wouldn’t stand out enough in my collection to be a must-buy. Because as I said... the Antinomie perfumes are not bad, but in my view, they don't shake up the fragrance world either.

As I have mentioned elsewhere, I am a big fan of Mancera Red Tobacco. However, since this is a fragrance that cannot be worn at just any time of year or day, and also not for every occasion, as there is a risk of overwhelming those around you with its sillage, I am constantly on the lookout for scents in the same genre.

For me, Sweet Tobacco Spirits opens with pure honey. This is not a bad thing, as I am a big fan of honey. After a short while, it settles in and develops a very similar vibe to Red Tobacco on my skin, with a somewhat indefinable, pronounced sweetness that, while delicate, is noticeably infused with rather dark tobacco.

Both with Red Tobacco and Sweet Tobacco Spirits, I find it difficult to break down this sweetness into distinct components, although in Sweet Tobacco Spirits, the honey remains very dominant throughout. I find this sweetness very pleasant, and the gentle tobacco balances it out nicely, so it never becomes too much for me.

I consider Sweet Tobacco Spirits to be more universal than Red Tobacco, as the sillage is not quite as overwhelming and the fragrance has a slightly less wild blend of aromas. As mentioned, the honey remains distinctly recognizable, even as other notes come into play.

The bottle is nothing groundbreaking, but I like the simplicity, and the metallic cap gives it a high-quality impression.

Sweet Tobacco Spirits is my go-to fragrance for cooler days when I simply want to enjoy cozy sweet Red Tobacco vibes in the mundane everyday life... and hopefully my fellow humans do too. I have already experienced that at least my female acquaintances are practically invited to cuddle by the scent cloud of Sweet Tobacco Spirits. Red Tobacco has rather met with "interested skepticism."

I have become addicted to sweet, intense, and thus somewhat heavy tobacco scents. In expectation of such a fragrance, I acquired Tobacco by Franck Boclet.

The bottle and packaging are simple, yet have a very high-quality appearance. This further heightened my anticipation.

Unfortunately, the first spray was a direct reminder to me not to make any more blind buys based solely on scent notes and reviews. I was overwhelmed by a biting-spicy ginger that somehow also had a smoky component, and nothing else. In fact, the opening reminded me a lot of Bentley for Men Absolute, which stood in complete contrast to my expectations. Since ginger is mentioned in the scent notes, it shouldn't have been such a surprise, but other reviewers mainly talk about sweet plum, which is why I didn't expect this sharpness.

Admittedly, my first thought was that I needed to get rid of this scent as quickly as possible because it doesn't fit my style and isn't what I was looking for. However, after surprisingly positive feedback about this fragrance from my surroundings, I took a closer look at it again. I was astonished that my environment apparently doesn't perceive this sharpness, which I had fixated on, as strongly.

In fact, now that I have discarded my expectations and perceive the scent independently, I find the opening to be much softer. Personally, I would say that it truly shines in the drydown. Here, the sharpness completely disappears, and the vanilla sweetness that I had originally hoped for comes through. Although not as intense as in some other representations, it is there and very pleasant.

However, it takes a few hours to reach this phase on my skin. Generally, I would describe the longevity as very good, as I can still perceive this sweetness the next morning. However, I find it difficult to assess the sillage because when I wear this scent, I have to bring my nose close to the areas where I applied it to notice it. My surroundings, however, seem to perceive it clearly enough to comment on it. Accordingly, it could simply be that I become quickly anosmic to this scent.

As others have mentioned, I would also describe the tobacco here as very restrained. It reminds me more of the tobacco as it comes across in Versace The Dreamer. Somehow airy and light. Unfortunately, something plummy has so far eluded me.

All in all, I expected a very sweet, tobacco-heavy scent that is best stored away in summer due to its heaviness and only brought out again when it gets colder. In fact, Tobacco by Franck Boclet has a considerable lightness despite the slight sweetness. I can easily imagine wearing this scent on cooler summer days or summer evenings.

An addition, now that I also have TF Tobacco Vanille for comparison: there is indeed a noticeable similarity. I don't want to describe where exactly the similarities and differences lie, but for anyone looking for a scent in the "Tobacco Vanille family," I can only recommend testing Franck Boclet Tobacco as well.