Ragas

The opening is harsh reminds me of Signature Leather Tabac by Zaharoff, which I do not like, luckily it just flirts with the harshness and doesn't veer to ashtray territory like Zaharoff. After 10 minutes it settles down and morphs into spice, smoke tobacco blend which is vaguely reminiscent of Royal Tobacco - but it is more mellow and more wearable. While comparing this fragrance to the afore mentioned perfumes I am not saying it is the same or clone but rather it shares the same DNA/Family. I think I am slightly harsh with my rating of the scent but I prefer Royal Tobacco, as an overall composition in this style of perfumes, however if I have to rank it in terms of wearability it is easily 9/9.5.

I do not understand why it is labeled unisex, while I understand it can be worn my women, this is definitely masculine scent.

On the first spray the fragrance is photo realistic mango, sweet but not too sweet, you can get a whiff of other fruits also but this is all balanced out by lavender which slowly becomes more apparent. As the scent transitions the sweetness recedes fougere accords take over a beautiful powdery lavender is supported by oakmoss and woods.

I do not like Erba Pura with its on the nose fruit cocktail accord, but here the mango in the opening is more muted and blends perfectly as the scent transitions. Will I buy a full bottle? Maybe as I am currently very selective of what I buy but it is definitely worth exploring in the future.

After testing hundreds of perfumes - I realized that I am not a fan of peach or pear forward scents. That is the opening of Triumph of Bacchus a big let down as the peach dominates, the booziness from the Rum balances the off-putting peach smell. Those two accords dominate the opening and I am not detecting apple or saffron.

The scent takes a turn for the best in the mid and drydown where the pear fades, the booziness continues but amber, tobacco and patchouli surface. In those two phases Triumph of Bacchus is almost 90 percent reminiscent of Side Effect. If I have to compare the two I will say that Triumph of Bacchus is stronger an a tad harsher and definitely last longer. Side Effect while not as strong and long lasting is a bit more refined in its structure.

The structure is the same as Il Padrino (I know Triumph of Bacchus was released first) who follows the same path but the peach is replaced by blackcurrant which I prefer.

I won't be purchasing it because of the opening and the fact that I have Side Effect and owning the two is redundant. But if you do not own Side Effect and enjoy the smell of peach in your perfumes I would recommend that you at least try it out.

Almaz has the same DNA as Erba Pura but upgrades on it with better construction and scent development. For me Erba Pura is overly sweety fruit cocktail with great longevity and projection but can be too sweet for the summer heat.

Almaz has the same longevity and projection, however the initial spray is less sweet and the fruit is more complex. As it develops the fruit recedes, while never going away, and fain whiffs of caramel/brown sugar can be detected. The scent particularly on the dry down is very sensual.

I have been looking for a mild vetiver scent - I have Guerlain's Vetiver Parfum but it can be quite harsh, although the performance is outstanding. Someone recommended that I try Vetiveria - I ordered a 2 ml decant and the composition had me at first sniff.

Initially you are hit with citrusy/flowery scent which is quite effervescent there is no vetiver. The lack of vetiver is the opening notes is not a deterrent but on the contrary - the opening resembles youthfulness and freshness. As the scent starts to settle down and "mature" as it transitions and gentle slightly mossy vetiver bubbles up to the top. It is a beautiful transition and has a calming uplifting overall effect.

The longevity is good, projections is good but nothing spectacular, quickly after 2 hours it becomes 1-2 inch scent. Vetiveria is (while I hate this word) a true dumb reach summer daily scent.