Tuba Attar

I would advise anyone who really wants to know how this attar unfolds to visit Kafkaesque's page. He only had a small sample but he, as usual, has a whole lot to say that is useful, and to me, accurate. This tuberose is purely distilled. It does have a mushroomy but also green note that mixes beautifully. As always, Tuba does not last nearly as long on my skin as it does on his. Russian Adam has some hints about which other atars to mix with this one, but I think I will try each over a period of time. Right now I am just testing one of them every few days. This can be worn any time of day and any season. If you want to discover what is so special about Attars and Russian Adam's pursuit of perfection this might be the place to start.

When I first received this shortly after its release, I cannot say that I was entirely impressed. Tuba opens with such a savoury nuttiness that I was actually annoyed at having been sold something in a base of sesame oil. Where Gulab from this range is nearly akin to experiencing heaven, the way it opens like boiled milk, cools down to a dewy, green rose, and finally settles to the creamiest Mysore Sandalwood, I find Tuba to be smoky, bitter, and sort of fatty smelling. I had experienced this pressed sesame oil smell overwhelmingly the first few times I'd tried the attar, with a very faint fleshy tuberose presenting itself after my third wearing. Tuba may be more linear when compared to Gulab, for example, and wanting for a bit more greenness to cut through its unctuous headiness, but it is still an evocative and sensual scent. The fragrance really does remind me of India, but more so of Ayurvedic clinics and places of worship. It is dry, savoury, mushroomy, and then it tapers off to a nutty sandalwood with a dusting of dried temple flowers. The lasting drydown is still of creamy, lactonic Mysore sandalwood, and is detectable on my skin for over 12 hours.

Of the three ALD attars I have, Tuba, Champa and Genda, Tuba undoubtedly has the best sandalwood accord of the bunch, it’s creamy and earthy notes amplified by those of the tuberose, with the latter’s indolic nature adding a heady effect. Red planter pots dried out in the sun. Loose soil. Green leaves and subtle white flowers. Creamy, slightly nutty aged wood. Don’t pick up too much of the banana nuances Mr. Adam mentions, but is a very nice and transportative scent nonetheless, reminiscent of innocent days spent in the garden. Sillage intimate-moderate, longevity excellent. The same as I say in the reviews of my other two ALD attars, at $75 for a full 3g with the expectedly high quality presentation from them, it’s not too bad a bargain. Bravo, good sir!