Kahwa

Kahwa is a surprising triumph of all things camphorous and aromatic, a whirlwind of overdosed ingredients that initially drew a very strong negative reaction from me, 4 hours after the first spray though, I was totally smitten. Bay leaf, cardamom, ginger, clove and eucalyptus impress an almost overwhelming therapeutic vibe for the first hour, smelling more like an apothecary than any fragrance. The lightest touch of opulent florals and a subtle earthy coffee note accent the camphorous fireworks of the open and bring the whole into more relatable fragrance territory before the stunning creamy mossy and powdery base brings perfect balance to the composition. A wild and addictive ride! The opening will not be for everyone and will divide opinion, something Boadicea openly and proudly note, but those who stick with it will find something really quite special overall and may even fall for the open. Coffee is but a background player on my skin that is only noticeable briefly in the mid, Boadicea barely mention coffee on the website so perhaps that is a hint, instead they talk about 'rituals, relaxation, stimulation' etc, so fair enough Boadicea, it's a tenuous connection at best, a misnomer at worst. *** Update *** Almost a year later and the coffee is becoming increasingly prominent in my bottle, particularly in the opening 2 hours. The drydown is so elegant and sophisticated, truly a masculine leaning (though unisex) gem from Boadicea!

Aromatic contemporary Arabic delights 🍃☕ ᴋᴀʜᴡᴀ means coffee in Arabic. This is what driven me to blind buy the perfume in the first place. Unexpectedly what I get is more beyond coffee based fragrance that surprises my senses in a satisfying way. It starts with a burst of aromatic delights from ginger and eucalyptus that is very fresh yet warming and spicy immediately awaken my olfactory sense. Then amped up by subtle spiciness from saffron and cardamom. The opening is very impactful right from the start and stays present until the end. The heart and base notes are playing as supporting to create a highly complex experience and only can be distinguished if I really dig into. The coffee notes are there but wonderfully reserved as one full bodied experience along with the woody notes from Cambodian oud and cedarwood. It's perfected with floral tone from Bulgarian rose, neroli and jasmin sambac that again I only noticed by the bright aura. A highly unique blend and addictive ones I enjoyed almost every morning this year as a wake-up call. An uplifting and relaxing experience at the same time. I will definitely enjoy drinking one too if there is a real cup served from this magical delights. #vscentorientreview

Sometimes I smell bad, generic, or OK perfumes for a long long time. And then I decide, hey let's try something that's supposed to be good.... and sometimes, sometimes I get really lucky and blown away. This is GORGOUS. I need to own this. This is the most realistic beautiful interpretation of an Arab styled coffee without being unattractive, abstract or avant-garde. قهوة is such a well done cardamom but also a complex array of notes that it's just really hard to articulate just how good it is and why. Really this reminds me of qishr (also known as cascara) which is coffee/tea made from the husk of coffee beans, which you can brew with cardamom, ginger, cloves and sometimes other spices. And really that's what I get from the 'coffee' note here, it's something lighter and sweeter. I feel like this perfume aligned my energies, woke me up, and gave me a boost. I've never felt so enlivened from a perfume before. Fantastic. Sets out to do exactly what it does. 10/10

Love at first sniff. I grew up in Saudi Arabia and this is a scent that evokes deep rooted nostalgia. It masters to portray the very essence of Saudi Coffee. It actually smells more like the coffee grounds than that of the brew. It's the Eucalyptus that makes this happen as it lifts the scent in the begining with a strong hit of cardomom, the coffee note is there but it is subdued somewhat throughout. Top points for this one. I'd say this is a morning autumnal suited perfume although it could work in all seasons. Longevity is ok, but the scent doesn't linger on clothing the next day. I love it, but I'd say if it wasn't for the nostalgic element it would seem overpriced.

A lovely energizing woody aromatic scent, this is a dreamy unique offering from this eclectic house. The scent opens with aromatic bursts of cardamom, bay leaf, ginger, clove, saffron and eucalyptus. It starts transitioning to a unique heart of rose, jasmine, neroli and coffee. The perfume settles on a woody powdery base of patchouli, cedar, oakmoss, amber and slight oud. The unisex scent has moderate to strong sillage and good longevity. Unlike its name suggests, this is not a coffee forward scent but definitely energizes you in a way a good brew does. Enjoy!

very beautiful balance fragrance. but a Really ugly bottle. The bottle design is dated and irrelevant. i really enjoyed the cardamom opening with coffee heart. perfect scent for winter work day.

A brave, bold and ultra-realistic smelling scent of green aromatic spices and freshly ground coffee beans. The cardamon leads this powerhouse, closely followed by cloves, coffee and ginger. It’s all so freshly ground - it’s the most realistic gourmand scent I’ve ever encountered. I’m impressed and overpowered in the same breath, as it takes no prisoners in dominating the senses. On me it wears as only the 4 notes: cardamom, clove, coffee and ginger but with amazing realness and strength. I imagine this is what Aesop had in mind when creating their much, much, much milder ‘Marrakesh Intense’. I will have to wash it off as its boldness and glorious confidence is overwhelming.

Opened up quite green on skin with eucalyptus making it quite aromatic and medicinal. After the greeness died down I got a very light coffee mixed with oud. On clothing, however, the medicinal green scent never did go away even after twelve hours, and yes, no coffee or oud or anything else appeared. The projection was alright for the first hour on skin but anything after that was skin scent. The scent was bearable but the performance was indeed lacking.

It's a NO just for the opening. It's coffee with A LOT of cardamom. I've never smelled this much cardamom in a fragrance.

Sweet freshly made Arabic coffee. Shukran Habibi!

Just leave it at Vomit, there is something in it that can be enjoyed if you can get above the rancid vomit note.... unfortunately for me, I couldn't. Fortunately a friend managed to see past that and took it off my hands.

What a surreal cardamom scent with coffee in the background with some other spices sweetened mildly by florals. Bit similar to Diwan, Spirit of Dubai but Diwan has incense and a woodsy note too. This Boadicea is based on Kahwa where as Diwan is based on the theme of Majalis where Kahwa is served and oud chips are burnt and incense fills the air. Both are good and not too similar. If you like Kahwa you might also like Diwan.

I blind sniffed this after letting the sample sit for several years. Immediately, I thought it was a very, very sharp, spicy herbal fragrance. I enjoy herbal fragrances, but this was different in a way that made my stomach turn. Looking at the notes, I am now aware of the complexity. Bay leaf, coffee, and oud are all challenging notes for me, and are far too much together here.

Peppery cardamom and golden saffron hues initially. White flowers, soft amber and clean musky notes quickly share the space but then stops evolving. Simple spicy scent but very pleasant and one of the house's best so far. In the same realm as Xerjoff's Starlight.

A medical aromatic bayleaf fragrance with hints of coffee? It's a mess! Can't believe still fall for this brand given the price point of some of their fragrances vs the quality. Run away! IG: eatandsmellgood

The gingery spiced cardamon with hints of coffee beans is to die for.... it gave me midsummer dream vibe due to the overload of cardamon... just pure bliss my new daily scent along side with violet Sapphire

Kahwa = Coffee in Swahili and I am guessing Arabic

The smell of Gulf coffee in brief