Val

Cuba - a communist island state steeped in history in the middle of the Caribbean.
Polarizing and fascinating at the same time.
Hated and loved by the elites of this world, Cuba has one thing above all else -
A unique charm!

This small country, hardly like any other, stands for revolution and resistance against a capitalist and opportunist America.
It stands for anti-capitalism in its purest form and has made history with the charismatic revolutionary leaders Ernesto Guevara and Fidel Castro.
Even if the revolution was successful, Cuba has still not been able to build a stable economy due to the subsequent embargo by the USA and many Western states.
Thus, despite the pride in its revolutionaries, Cuba has remained a poor country.

And despite the poverty they are rich in culinary delights.
The Cuban rum and cigars are considered the best in the world.
And I too have already had the pleasure
smoke a Cohiba while tasting an ancient Legendario on the terrace of a beautiful Hacienda in Vinales.
The smells that came to my nose when I smoked and drank and caressed my soft palate were allied with the tropical air of sweet tobacco fields and sugar cane plantations
An absolute feel-good moment.

One day, when I accidentally tested a fragrance with the label Pure Havane without great expectations, I experienced a fantastic deja vu.
It was incomprehensible to me how someone could preserve the feelings of that time in a fragrance.
Pure Havane manages to reproduce this wonderful warm tobacco sweetness.
To me, Pure Havane smells like a mixture of fresh cigar smoke and ripe, sweet rum.
Masculine, warm and positive.
A fragrance that would have suited Ernest Hemmingway as well.

Should I one day travel back to Cuba, Pure Havane will definitely accompany me and tell my story.

The latest creation from Trussardi actually spoke directly to me once again, after which most of the previous fragrances could not convince me.

Of course, Riflesso does not reinvent the wheel, but it is a very pleasant fragrance, especially among women.

It starts off slightly fresh with bergamot overtones, then quickly turns into a sweet floral chord that covers the masculine leather.
From start to finish, the combination of the sensual flower bouquet with the masculine leather base remains intact, giving the fragrance a warm aura and strong appeal.

I would describe Riflesso as a feel-good cuddly fragrance, because it creates a relaxed, fragrant atmosphere.
There you can also overlook the mediocre Sillage and durability.

Overall, Riflesso is a pleasant all-rounder, which can be worn in the office as well as on evening occasions by younger and more mature men.

Riflesso convinced me and was allowed to move into my collection

Many fragrances want to copy the great Aventus, but they often fail due to decisive attributes such as durability or refinement. Everyone smells like Aventus somehow, but perfection is missing. Certain nuances smell unround or missing.
They tickle your nose, or are not even noticeable shortly after take-off.

I've had pretty much every halfway known clone under my olfactory bulb and none of them was a real Aventus killer!
Some of the clones do not even deserve a mention because it would be an insult to Aventus.

In the end, there are less than a handful of clones left, which are not quite enough for an Aventus in refinement, but at least represent a financially smart alternative.

One of them is Club de Nuit of Armaf.
The top note is a full chemical catastrophe which also arouses associations of a cheap WC stone in me, but...
... after 15 minutes the top note, thank heavens, is replaced by the smoky, warm, seductive Aventus DNA.
This has then also a good durability and above average projection, similar to Aventus.
In terms of durability and sillage, CDNI is definitely the number 1 Aventus clone!

The personal preferences will probably decide about the basis then.
Some prefer the fruity pineapple-heavy batch, others the older, smoky batches.
For me, birch tar smoke has always been the main distinguishing feature of Aventus and with CDNI there are lots of them!

At the end there is a well made and long lasting Aventus clone, which unfortunately lacks soul due to its synthetic composition.

By chance I came across the Arabi Cana of Kolmaz here at Parfumo and the consistently good comments of the users made me very curious.
Finally I didn't think long about the price and made a blind purchase again.
And as already mentioned, the fragrance is absolutely unique!
I now have a quite large collection of different fragrances, but Arabi Cana is somehow incomparable to anything.

I'd most likely put Arabi Cana in the Gourmand fragrance, but there's something animalistic, resinous about it too.
Dark, warm woods that are still damp from monsoon rain and probably never get completely dry.
A medical, smoky leather note wobbles in the background like fog in the rainforest and gives the oriental overtones a certain seriousness.
The sweetness of vanilla or tonka bean then gives the fragrance that bittersweet beauty.

Beautifully cuddly, a little synthetic, strangely masculine and yet so familiar, Kolmaz Arabi Cana moves into my collection.
A fragrance like from 1001 nights, but due to its good wearability it would also find many fans in the Oxident, if it wasn't so unknown. But it's all right with me :)

The durability is madness! On my skin are loosely 16-20 hours in it.
The Sillage is also a hammer and I warn urgently against too much hanging up, because then the environment could fall into a coma and not wake up!

I see Arabi Cana in both younger and middle-aged men.
Guaranteed no sports scent, but a great dating and night perfume.
Compliment getter? At least one hot candidate!

The Leather Oudh by Al Haramain has long been in my focus as a cheap Tuscan Leather alternative, but was not available in Europe for a long time.
Now I have him and am happy that he makes such a good figure for just 35 €/100ml!

I own beside Tuscan Leather, also La Yuqawam of Rasasi, who is described by many as one of the best Tuscan Leather clones.
To keep it short: Al Haramain makes it better and more portable.

Leather Oudh is better balanced for my nose and does not have such a swelling fruit sweetness as La Yuqawam.
The raspberry is also present at the very beginning, but does not perform quite so strongly and fruity, but leaves room for the other ingredients, especially the floral and woody nuances, to unfold.
The leather note always remains under control and also becomes slightly smoky during the process.

Compared to the Tuscan Leather, Leather Oudh is more cautious, but still noticeable in the first 4 hours.

Conclusion: Super round fragrance, top alternative to Tuscan Leather, at a price that is easy on the wallet!
Tuscan Leather fans can hit blind here!