Cafe Oud

Finally starting my sample of Aromas de Salazar with Café Oud, after having ordered the sample set some time ago. Café Oud is aptly named, providing a mix of rich coffee and resinous oud, with other interesting features, including some florals (rose, jasmine) and, unsurprisingly, vanilla, a great partner to the coffee. Between the coffee and the oud, there’s a darker, acidic intense side paired with the lighter, floral, sweet side, a great juxtaposition that brings together contrasting elements in a way that really lands well overall, and the floral/oud aspects in particular I think distinguish it from other coffee fragrances, especially, even perhaps some other coffee/oud pairings. Overall, I really love it, it performs well, and the price cannot be beaten—currently on sale for $35 for 30ml, but I figure this is temporary. This is definitely a great first experience from the house and I look forward to trying more and giving some more thoughts, since the main collection is now on Fragrantica. 8 out of 10

This fragrance opens almost like opening a bag of fresh coffee. The citrus and floral notes help to mimic that bright first sniff of coffee, quickly there after the top notes settle wonderfully. The perfume becomes warm, spicy, and smooth. Coffee, cardamom, and oud are definitely the soul of this perfume. They work together beautifully, none of them are too sharp, or cloying. Vanilla helps bring out the spices and a bit of the sweetness. I really appreciate how Salazar is able to calm oud to make it approachable and smooth. I tend to shy away from oud perfumes, but he is able to balance the harsh elements of oud, allowing for the richness of the oud to shine. I’ve been on the hunt for a good coffee fragrance and the only two that have spoke to me are this, and Otis & Me from Jazmin Sarai. I think the combination of cardamom and coffee works wonderfully. Cannot suggest both enough for anyone looking for a good balanced coffee perfume.

Café Oud is gorgeous... you get a bold spiced coffee with the sweetness from the vanilla. Then the burst of citrus freshness peeks through with a full bodied rose. At the base you definitely get Oud (it’s slightly animalic but not skanky) with a plush cashmere and earthy patchouli. Café Oud is a banger 🔥🙌🏽 - Lajolies2scents

I like this one!!! I got a sample through ScentXPlore and I’ve found myself coming back to it often. The initial spray gives MAJOR oud(?) funk but within 30 seconds that evaporates, leaving earthy coffee and wood with a hint of cardamom. About 1-2 hours in, everything calms down and the oud-spresso (espressoud??) becomes a caramel macchiato in the hands of someone freshly showered and dressed in a cashmere sweater. She probably gives good hugs and owns a “live laugh love” sign but if you hand her the aux cord she’ll play surprisingly obscure bangers. The whole composition sits close to the skin for such traditionally “loud” notes. Still feels like a good value to me because this fragrance isn’t terribly expensive (and might become overwhelming if it was louder). Compared to Kerosene Follow: Follow smells like straight up maple syrup next to this. So does Followed. I like all three but Cafe Oud aligns more with my personal tastes.

A beautiful blend of coffee, cinnamon, and oud. Warm, comforting, delicious, and incredibly inviting. Smells exactly the way I was hoping. The oud is damn near perfect in this one. Highly recommend!

Pulled this blind out of the ScentXplore bag, not looking at the label or bottle. The opening and first 30 or so minutes was a bit of a rollercoaster, starting off somewhere between very animalatic, something heavy and pungent and raw leather, like a skin before the tanning process, or a dog that was just shampooed. Some green notes seek in and is that a top note of a cigarette? Thankfully it calms becoming more aromatic and less animal fur but in my experience it takes some patience. After several hours curiosity wins and looking at the notes the early misdirection is better understood. The mix of cardamom, bitter orange, and definitely the cassia stick out in early fighting mode with the jasmine, cashmere and oud, while the rose tries to cut through all. I don't get the coffee note and the others just seem lost in the mix. At the end of the mesmerizing journey it really is an aromatic blend that holds its own, but for me personally the end is more home fragrance than personal fragrance.

An aromatic, spiced, and cool green opening, full of coffee and rich cashmere and vanilla as it dries. Right up front the cardamom, patchouli, and oud are prominent in the opening. This gives the first bit of this fragrance’s life an aromatic, woody, and medicinal feel. Slight hints of the orange bitters and cassia work together to add a more biting citrus nuance to the opening. As it dries, more of the coffee note comes out and is more pervasive. As well, more of the honeyed and floral mix of jasmine and rose blend with the coffee. At the very end it’s all about the sweet and comforting smoothness of the vanilla and cashmere, giving this a very gourmand finish.

this one’s a keeper. :) I’ve got my eye on a full size at some point for next autumn. It is caramelizing cinnamon sugar atop a brewed coffee during a festive outing to a pumpkin patch. To me, I don’t need to look anywhere else for a crowd pleasing gourmand where I will smell deliciously edible and perfectly fall forward in the midst of sweater weather. Hat’s off to the feelings of giddiness I get while I wear this super festive perfume, feels like a mood booster. Thanks for creating such amazing perfume that tells stories so well!

Got a sample of this from ScentXplore as well. It's quite nice, reminds me of an Intense By the Fireside or similar Febreze or Glade air freshener, or Yankee candle with a shot of Espresso. I would definitely suggest this in a home fragrance or candle, I just don't see really see this as something I would have in my collection or when or where one would wear this fragrance.

Cafe Oud smells pleasant enough, but is far from setting the world on fire. I just can't get past the hunch that there are pre-blended fragrance oils here doing much of the heavy lifting, much like with De Rosa. There's a lot of cardamom somewhere in the middle that verges on stifling, but its one of the more wearable of offerings from this indie house.