Melisse2

I don't even want to pretend that I had high expectations for "Tabac Exquis", since I already know a number of the other fragrances that the new house perfumer created last year in the accord. All no great throws.
The I tested, leave me rather perplexed.

Because of course they go past the target group of loyal Caron lovers. That would not be a problem in itself, I could explain that to me with the fact that you want to follow the spirit of the times and bring modern fragrances on the market. If they sell well, they may ensure the survival of the classics.

I just don't know if the math works out. Because I have such a hard time imagining young French women and women all over the world willingly spraying themselves with the sticky stuff that has been wafting around me since this morning.

Sweet cream and children's chocolate. Incredibly sweet.

Tobacco is still in the pyramid. I like to get screwed there and believe in what I read. Not this time. I smell smoky tonka bean. It's possible there's a shred of tobacco hiding somewhere, too. But how am I supposed to find that under all that sweet stuff?

In 2008, Tania Sanchez and Luca Turin bitterly lamented the state of Caron fragrances at the time in their perfume guide. Whether that was justified, I don't know. At that time, I did not know any Caron perfume.
In 2017, the then in-house perfumer Richard Fraysse had brought many fragrances to a remarkably good level in the Collection Privée series. They had a depth and beauty that made me think of vintage perfumes.

I get the impression that Jean Jacques is doing his best to retroactively live up to Sanchez/Turin's slating of the brand by creating completely arbitrary fragrances that have nothing to do with the spirit of Caron.

My goodness, Caron used to be avant-garde! They helped transcend gender boundaries with such fragrances as "Tabac Blond" and "Pour Un Homme de Caron". They were once courageous.

Tabac Exquis is the worse Confetto (I can also be wrong, this is my spontaneous association, without having made a direct parallel test).

Just to get right down to it: I clicked that 2013 version of Parfum Sacré is a fragrance twin to the original Nevertheless, both versions have significant differences.
But I don't understand "fragrance twin" in the sense that the fragrances have to be 100% the same, but also as a hint ("If you miss the old Sacré because it has been discontinued, then take a look here" or "If you like the old Sacré, but you are looking for it with a stronger emphasis on the cozy aspects, then this one could be for you").

I got to know Parfum Sacré in the 2013 version and found it rather trivial. Thanks to a lovely perfuma that knows my Caron enthusiasm, I now had the opportunity to get to know Jean-Pierre Béthouart's original formulation. Thank you very much for that.

Both scents I perceive as myrrh scents with spice. Myrrh scents seldom arouse my enthusiasm at the first go, I have had this experience e.g. with Myrrh & Délires, which I now also appreciate

I don't think both versions are spice bombs. Rather, they are balanced compositions in which spices have been skillfully and harmoniously integrated and which, thanks to musk, have a certain airiness that I don't like elsewhere, but which fits well here.

Now what are the differences?

The 1990 version is more elegant, finely soapy and that it also has a certain sweetness is hardly noticeable to me. I only perceive it when I ask myself whether the fragrance has sweetness at all.

Richard Fraysse has added more cosiness to the current fragrance. The delicate sweetness fits - for me it is by no means dominant. The fragrance emphasizes the floral aspects that myrrh has for me, even when smoked, more than the original. This version has a warmer effect and noticeably smells of vanilla and orange. I notice a discreet soapiness only very late.

I think both versions work. But my heart is not in both.
If Parfum Sacré from 1990 were my signature, I would certainly be indignant about how big the differences are and would firmly deny that this is a fragrance twin of the original.

This new creation also shows the effort to continue the Caron tradition. I like the idea very much.

A common thread of the old Caron fragrances seems to me to be that they constantly quote each other, so you can always find borrowings of one perfume in the other. Sometimes it seems to me that French Cancan, En Avion, Tabac Blond and Narcisse Noire are variations on the same theme, each with a different emphasis on a different aspect, while masterfully adding an original idea that gives the fragrance something unique. By the way, in my opinion, it's not only Caron that does this. Also the one or other Chanel Exclusif brings for my nose individual components from N. 5 into focus and plays with them

But back to Rose Ébène. The idea of combining the special leather-tobacco theme from Tabac Blond with Rose is actually quite obvious. It's surprising why no one before Jean Jacques has ever done this. Or had Richard Fraysse already tried it and it only escaped me because I had ignored "Secret Oud" until now ?

From my point of view, Jean Jacques unfortunately does not succeed with this creation, neither the call of Tabac Blond nor the great rose fragrances of the house. Instead, for me, Rose Ébène is very close to his own new development, Tabac Noir. For my taste, there is far too little rose to be perceived for the fragrance to have rose in its name.

I find the Caronian leather note with saffron and patchouli and a rather flat rose scent. And then I wanted to follow the pyramid first and smell coffee, latte. But when I follow that, I can't really put coffee out at all. It just smells too much like leather, tobacco and patchouli. Instead, it is rather a strange sweet and creamy note that pushes the scent into the gourmand realm. What's not so good for him, I think. The coffee connotation should certainly add something new to the fragrance and make it more modern. For me, it makes it more trivial

I gave Rose Ébéne a good rating because of the idea to be recognized and the line in which the fragrance is placed. Amidst the abundance of already existing leather and/or tobacco rose scents, I would have wished for more drama for this theme, if it came from Caron, a wow. Unfortunately, that's not what happened with this fragrance

I never liked perfume with coffee anyway. But if coffee is in a caron, I can only imagine this scent with Arabica, freshly ground and combined with suede gloves and a not yet lit cigarette

But not as coffee cream

In the top note, it is not yet clear that Jean Jacques, Caron's in-house perfumer since last year, is continuing the founder's tradition with this fragrance. Because first of all I think: Ah, a leathery sweet patchouli scent with a milk chocolate feel that the world doesn't need.

However, it becomes less sweet quite quickly and makes clear reference to Tabac Blond.

Tabac Blond, this symphonic fragrance composition by Ernest Daltroff, which quietly turned 100 years old last year, was recently relaunched in a new reformulation. What was I trembling about whether I would still recognize my favorite perfume. I rummaged through the list of fragrances previously created by Mr. Jacques, which had often found little mercy in perfumers' noses, and doubts grew.

After I saw that the newly formulated Tabac Blond was back on Caron's website as an eau de parfum, I resumed the thread of my now very nice email communication with customer service. The extract is only available in the Parisian boutiques. When I held my bottle in my hands in early August, my relationship to the hurdles of Caron's ordering process had also changed: What kind of friendly, sympathetic contacts develop when you can't order your perfume by mouse click! I now know two of the boutique's employees by name, one of whom took care of my order from her vacation. Also a direct telephone contact was mastered despite language barriers.
By the way, I had asked if I could try the four new fragrances when I bought them. There were no samples of these in serial production yet, so I received samples that had been bottled for me by hand.

Full of excitement but then sprayed the new extract of Tabac Blond. And lo and behold, everything still there: the cognac-like dark powdery leather note, accompanied by tobacco, clove, vetiver, cumin and iris. The smoky animalic abyss and mossy depth can also be perceived, and all this without the oakmoss extract in the list of ingredients on the box. The weights have shifted a bit, but all in all, the current fragrance is close to the previous version by Richard Fraysse.

Mr. Jacques now quotes the leather tobacco note that is so typical of Tabac Blond in Tabac Noir, lighter, more tonka-sweet, woody-drily. More modern. Certainly not a temptation for me. I love the original

But for those who like the special leather from Tabac Blond and are disturbed by the dark smoky animalistic component, Tabac Noir with its patchouli accentuated leather could be an alternative.

In any case, I like the fact that Caron, with his new tobacco perfume, is borrowing from his classic and trying to combine tradition and modernity. As long as the original is also cultivated, I also welcome this version, which is more pleasing and more in tune with the spirit of the times.

Yesterday, the Fleuri blog prompted me to do a parallel test of the current EdP with a vintage EdT, of which a lovely perfume fortunately sent me a sample. Thanks a lot for this.

I'd like to say something else, but: Joy is rightfully employed. Anyway, the shadow left by this fragrance with a great past.

This old eau de toilette will delight you with a bouquet of flowers, in which the duo of rose and jasmine is particularly dominant. Lily-of-the-valley remains discreetly in the background, the other flowers of the pyramid I can't even perceive individually. This wonderful floral scent is accompanied by soft citrus notes and soft aldehydes. Very gently a breath of civet blows over, which does not let any urinary associations arise for me. I read "dirty soap" somewhere around here. I think that's it. Zibet, in much smaller doses than in Jicky, brings a little wickedness to this wonderfully gentle soap. I find Poliboy furniture polish a bit trite. But I can't express better how the flower melange blends into a breathtakingly beautiful, slightly waxy fragrance with a distinct vintage character. What do I consume now after a few more drops of this EdT, not to mention higher concentrations.

The current eau de parfum on the other wrist shows only superficial similarities: It's also a soapy floral scent.
But I smell mostly lilies of the valley. Lily of the valley even more than jasmine. In my opinion, an attempt has been made here to compensate for the impression of civilization with lilies of the valley. Synthetic civet might have been better, but I have no idea.
And yes, the rose is gone. So is the softness. Instead, more of a harsh curd soap impression without polish and without minimal residual sweetness. No refinement

Now my disappointment may also be due to the fact that I have problems with lilies of the valley anyway. Friends of lily of the valley may also enjoy the new fragrance, which is now being discontinued, with its lovely facets. In any case, I will not bunkering any fragrances in the current version.

Instead, I hope that Dior will one day have a "Joy. Eau de Toilette Originale" Well, Miss Dior has one. It would be good if they didn't try our patience until 2035