Mystery Tobacco

How did I get here....oh yes, I purchased "M.Alhambra - Hercules" last month, in my search for a good Tobacco fragrance to replace my "A.Fragrances - Hafez 1984" as it's getting low. Well that one has the "Cherry" note in the undertone and as smooth as that frag is...I can't stand it. So, my search for a good Tobacco fragrance began again. I considered "M.Alhambra - Tabac" but didn't want another super sweet gourmand honey-tobacco like my "Animale Animale", so I passed and kept looking. My search led me to this fragrance and when I saw the notes I knew it was what I needed. A softer smoother "Mancera - Red Tobacco" with added citrus and vanilla! However, when I saw the price....yikes. So the search continued and led me to "M.Alhambra - Exclusif Tabac" which is an exact clone of this fragrance. Placed my order yesterday and it's on its way... Will update once the package arrives this weekend. 11AUG23 Arrival day. First spray...this is a smoother and more refined version of "Alexandria Fragrances - Hafez 1984". "Exclusif Tabac" has the same powerful dry tobacco with a hint of spicy green something in the background. Performance appears the same also. This is very powerful, with HEAVY projection in the first few hours, then reducing to a foot-wide scent bubble until you shower it off. "Hafez 1984" is a brighter, more "punchy" and less refined version of this fragrance DNA which now makes me think "Red Tobacco" is it's closer kin. I will have to order another sample of that one to compare the three together. "Exclusif Tabac" lands warm-calm on my skin, whereas "Hafez 1984" lands bright-energetic. On clothes I expect this to never stop radiating for hours...just like "Hafez 1984". Thankfully, I won out on the pricing of this venture!! "M.Alhambra - Exclusif Tabac" is $30 for 100ml delivered. "Alexandria Fragrances - Hafez 1984" is $120 for 100ml delivered. So yeah..."Exclusif Tabac" is a better deal for a smoother version of the same tobacco fragrance DNA. 15AUG23 Wow...I've been wearing this as a base layer for EVERYTHING in my collection. It goes great with ALL of my "Vanilla" fragrances, ALL of my "Citrus" fragrances, most of my "Floral" fragrances and ALL of my "Musky" fragrances. I'm absolutely floored....I did NOT expect this level of layering compatibility and flexibility!!! I'm torn between buying a backup bottle or just finding other fragrances like it to experiment with. There are about 3-4 other "Red Tobacco" type clones that are close to this fragrance. But then again, why mess with perfection...I should just get a backup bottle on sale before it's too late. 09SEP23 After wearing a sampler of "Mancera - Red Tobacco" and experiencing both fragrances.......I can say that this fragrance is "Red Tobacco light". Much more controlled, softer, rounder, more wearable. "Red Tobacco" is that friend you ONLY get together with once or twice a year and paint the town red. That friend that is loud...abrasive...starts bar-fights...gets you into all kinds of trouble and adventure. You'll wake up with a hangover, tattoo and strange woman in your bed hanging out with them... "Mystery Tobacco" is the friend that you can invite over to your mothers house any day of the week. Always dresses respectfully and speaks intelligently, always has your best interests at heart, makes sure you don't fall for the wrong woman and makes sure you conduct yourself wisely so that tomorrow isn't affected negatively.

Edit: I have to adjust my prior opinion. After a few weeks of regular use this has jumped to the top shelf and indeed I find it worth every scent! It’s performance lasts 24 hours though it wafts in and out becoming a little anosmic but it’s there for sure. It’s also realistically far superior and not really comparable the Mancera RT. This easily sits with TF TV and PDM Herod. Best discovery in 12 months! As it’s so expensive and I’m on a budget I’ve had to consider upgrading from my decant to more decants or even a full bottle. For me this is a technical masterpiece even though it is not necessarily my favourite. The reason over simplified - two things 1) It’s one of only a few that present a photo realistic pipe tobacco other than TOm Fords Tobacco Vanille, Parfum De Marlys Herod and though more blonde cigarette tobacco maybe Atelier Colognes Tobacco Nuit and Ormande Jaynes Montabacco 2) The blend is just right with performance boxes ticked. Before I go further, for reference I own: For reference - my current tobacco collection: PDM Herod Atelier Cologne Tobacco Nuit TF Tobacco Vanille Phaedon Tobacco Rouge CSP Rhum and Tabac Killian Light My Fire Miller Harris Feuilles De Tabac Xerjoff Naxos Xerjoff Comandante SL Chergui Czech and Speake Cuba Kerosene Broken Theories Ormonde Jayne Montabacco Ormonde Jayne Montabacco Intensivo Farmacia Ss Annunziata Tabacco d’autore Nicolai Perfumer Cuir Cuba Captain Fawcett Booze and Baccy Sweet Tobacco Spirits 18.21 Man Made Slumberhuse Baque Slumberhouse Kiste Initio Side Effect Angelo Caroli Vanilla and Tobacco Pierre Guillaume Animal Mondaine So, I’ve enjoyed some reviews here. Some comparisons are reasonably spot on such as Initio Side effect though it has a much sweeter cherry and cinnamon like middle vibe as well as class leading woomph. Side Effect which is one of my favourites also has a synthetic feel - even though it’s natural- and this is what makes this work - same goes for Mancera Red Tobacco. This has an almost linear sweet dusty tobacco throughout darkened, again perfectly, with just the right amount of patchouli. The vetiver providing just enough rounding to make it feel organic. The initial ginger and citrus burst gives you a wake up call reminding me of a Cuban cigar before the warm fuzziness of sweet tobacco lulls you into a feeling of alpha male manliness and others start to turn to sniff and their beer goggles turn you into a sophisticated moustache twirling besuited gent with an expensive Lock and Co. Victorian Top Hat or Coach hat and your Pin Stripe suit. Elegantly tipping your hat as you pass the ladies... the secret I think is just enough chocolaty tonka just rides out the bottom. It just about exactly the right amount of everything - I know Quentin Bisch is good but I’m going to have start going through his catalogue. This may not be perfect - I’m yet to verify whether it has the stamina of some of the others but geez I just want to smell it so much... if you like tobacco you have to try a sample.... So sad - still can’t work out why this is so hard to find???

As it’s so expensive and I’m on a budget I’ve had to consider upgrading from my decant to more decants or even a full bottle. For me this is a technical masterpiece even though it is not necessarily my favourite. The reason over simplified - two things 1) It’s one of only a few that present a photo realistic pipe tobacco other than TOm Fords Tobacco Vanille, Parfum De Marlys Herod and though more blonde cigarette tobacco maybe Atelier Colognes Tobacco Nuit and Ormande Jaynes Montabacco 2) The blend is just right with performance boxes ticked. Before I go further, for reference I own: For reference - my current tobacco collection: PDM Herod Atelier Cologne Tobacco Nuit TF Tobacco Vanille Phaedon Tobacco Rouge CSP Rhum and Tabac Killian Light My Fire Miller Harris Feuilles De Tabac Xerjoff Naxos Xerjoff Comandante SL Chergui Czech and Speake Cuba Kerosene Broken Theories Ormonde Jayne Montabacco Ormonde Jayne Montabacco Intensivo Farmacia Ss Annunziata Tabacco d’autore Nicolai Perfumer Cuir Cuba Captain Fawcett Booze and Baccy Sweet Tobacco Spirits 18.21 Man Made Slumberhuse Baque Slumberhouse Kiste Initio Side Effect Angelo Caroli Vanilla and Tobacco Pierre Guillaume Animal Mondaine So, I’ve enjoyed some reviews here. Some comparisons are reasonably spot on such as Initio Side effect though it has a much sweeter cherry and cinnamon like middle vibe as well as class leading woomph. Side Effect which is one of my favourites also has a synthetic feel - even though it’s natural- and this is what makes this work - same goes for Mancera Red Tobacco. This has an almost linear sweet dusty tobacco throughout darkened, again perfectly, with just the right amount of patchouli. The vetiver providing just enough rounding to make it feel organic. The initial ginger and citrus burst gives you a wake up call reminding me of a Cuban cigar before the warm fuzziness of sweet tobacco lulls you into a feeling of alpha male manliness and others start to turn to sniff and their beer goggles turn you into a sophisticated moustache twirling besuited gent with an expensive Lock and Co. Victorian Top Hat or Coach hat and your Pin Stripe suit. Elegantly tipping your hat as you pass the ladies... the secret I think is just enough chocolaty tonka just rides out the bottom. It just about exactly the right amount of everything - I know Quentin Bisch is good but I’m going to have start going through his catalogue. This may not be perfect - I’m yet to verify whether it has the stamina of some of the others but geez I just want to smell it so much... if you like tobacco you have to try a sample.... So sad - still can’t work out why this is so hard to find???

As I write this review, I have Mystery Tobacco on one hand and TT Arrakis on the other. This specific genre of fragrance is one that I absolutely love, and therefore have sampled a large number of them with minimal differences. I'm going to do my best to differentiate between five of the best IMO from the ones I have sampled in this very narrow scent profile. Those I have chosen are: Mancera RT, PDM Carlisle, Argos TOB, Mystery Tobacco, and TT Arrakis. From a distance (or on the back of my neck) the sillage on these are pretty indistinguishable with slight differences. Up close, I believe the closest two are Mystery tobacco and Arrakis, and the main difference for me is the emphasis on certain notes. I'm going to be rather general in my descriptions of these five so as to save words. MT and Arrakis I would describe both as sweet cherry tobacco scents, with MT having slightly more emphasis on an underlying ashy tobacco, and Arrakis having more emphasis on the aromatic and sweet cherry accord. I believe Arrakis leans more towards TOB which is boozy, sweet vanillic, and aromatic; whereas MT leans more towards the opening of RT and the dirty tobacco. NOTE I said 'leans'! To me RT is not super pleasant, too much sweetness in the drydown and harshness up front. Carlisle in the opening comes the closest for me into gourmand territory, with an almost baked pie accord. Unfortunately the dyrdown has too much vanilla and is pretty guaiac dominant. I have finally ended on Mystery Tobacco because it is my favorite blend and fusion of all these characteristics, despite being probably the weakest of the bunch in performance. However, by no means is it a weak fragrance. I'm not going to rank these; it depends which characteristic you want to be highlighted. BTW I don't think Herod belongs in this discussion, as it is too far removed from these five. If you're deciding between these, give 'em a sample! You can't go wrong secondo me :)

This is far far better than TV, I was much surprised. The initial tobacco wave isn't as overpowering as TV but it is a photorealisitc blonde roll; fresh, sweet and very high Quality. The sweetness comes through right from the start but from what I tried you should also get that satisfying muscle from the tobacco. What is standout is how smooth the blend is while being a 'true tobacco' scent (ie; tobacco focused) and while not using vanilla Carolina has made this more refined than the Tome Ford as well from just using Tonka. There are no nasty surprises here; no random animalic, oud or saffron notes tossed into the mix. And none of that Cyroil oil of Herod. Ahem; are you taking notes Herod?? The addition of ginger is genius; I simply could not detect it in it's 'fresh prickly' form in the scent but did get a wonderful 'smooth spicy' vibe. The drydown is even better with hints of some pipe cherry or other fruit and creamy, smooth floral but always playing as support for the woody tobacco. A great scent and deserves much more fame than TV which it obliviously won't get despite being a CH and by far the best scent She has ever release. Strange World, non? =)) Testing courtesy of Harrods. I will test further, as I feel this 1 is very close on verging on a 9 or even a 10 if I can find the vanillic cherried-tobacco baker shop drydown of Herod on some wearings; we'll see but for now, an 8/10 is bottleworthy enough for me since I own Tauer's Desert Marocain; and I gave that Fragcomm's hearthrob a 6/10!! My rating: 8/10 Well done Carolina H

I hesitated and deliberated at length about getting a bottle of Mystery Tobacco. As a note in fragrances, tobacco can be a hit or miss with me, case and point TF's Tobacco Vanille which I do not enjoy. A lot of tobacco centric scents can go the apple pie route which I greatly prefer but when the note veers into the more realistic loose/pipe tobacco route, things can get a bit tricky for me. What convinced me to give it a shot was the perfumer, Quentin Bisch and if anyone could persuade me to like a a realistic tobacco it would be Bisch and I am delighted to say my faith was rewarded, this is a beauty! To my nose it opens with a bitter alcoholic note mixed with a citrusy note combined with the tobacco which is present from start to end. The opening notes fade quickly leaving just behind a hint of gingery spice in the background. The mid notes are so fantastically blended that I was found it impossible to pick any of them out. My favorite part of this composition is the base when the most gorgeous vanillic, slightly chocolatey and powdery Tonka comes out to play with the tobacco. The dry down is heavenly! This composition flirts with the idea of being a gourmand but the realistic tobacco note keeps it from crossing over completely. This might is be the tiniest bit masculine leaning but one that wouldn't be difficult for a woman pull off. Performance is excellent with 8-10 hrs longevity and moderate sillage. Definitely one of my favorites from this line!

Alright, before I get on with this review I should probably address the elephant in the room. Yes this does smell like Red Tobacco and yes this does smell like Carlisle. This came out a year before Red Tobacco and to me Mancera here were trying to clone this or atleast do something VERY similliar to this with their own little twist. This opens with a beautiful ginger and warm spiciness backed by a beautiful dry pipe tobacco leaf. It’s sweet warm and inviting, becoming woodier on the dry down while still keeping that sexy sweetness. If you fell in love with the Red Tobacco scent profile but found it too harsh, dry and sloppily blended like I did, this fragrance is a MUST(if you can justify the price point). This is also an absolute beast in terms of longevity and projection although definitely not as crazy as Red Tobacco(that fragrance is in a league of its own, it’s unmatched). Even while weaker than RT this still easily gets up to 10 hours on my skin with projection for the most part of those 10 hours. This is a beautiful, sexy, sweet, classy and sophisticated scent and a great upgrade if you have Red Tobacco and want something more, or if you found Red Tobacco too harsh for your nose and want something that's just objectively better made. All in all Mystery Tobacco by CH is a masterpiece of tobacco perfumery and definitely in my top 2 tobacco fragrances along with Tobacolor. 11/10

Since I purchased my first bottle of Mystery Tobacco in 2015 I've always considered it to be one of the best (if not the best) Tobacco fragrances on the market. Since it was first released it has spawned a couple of smell-a-likes in Red Tobacco and Carlisle. Red Tobacco is a harsher, more acrid experience as opposed to Mystery Tobacco whereas Carlisle is a more chocolatey, sweeter blend with a much weaker tobacco note. I own all three but Mystery Tobacco is the best of the lot and the one I reach for most. My original bottle was down to the last 10ml so I was all set to purchase a new bottle, however, I noticed a few reviews here stating that Pendora Scents Mysterious Tobacco was a good clone of Mystery Tobacco. I thought what the hell, it only costs £18.00 so I bought a bottle. So how did it compare? I sprayed both fragrances on opposing wrists and I cannot detect any difference whatsoever between Mystery Tobacco and Mysterious Tobacco. I am astounded that a clone that only costs £18.00 matches the quality, performance and silage of a fragrance that costs £215.00. It is absolutely amazing and a complete no brainer purchase for anyone who likes this type of scent profile! I'd like to pass on my thanks to @Vikkinca @RobbieX and @LordCharfield for making me aware of Mysterious Tobacco. You guys just saved me £196.00.

I consider this a more refined version of Red Tobacco. It's sweet, fruity and has a chewy vibe. Like some kind of candied tobacco edible gourmand creation. Maybe it's the osmanthus doing this. In any case i really enjoy this fragrance. Alhambra also does a very cheap clone of this (exclusif tabac) which is very similar, if you are strapped for cash. I prefer this tobacco fragrance over Red Tobacco. More refined and less beastly. Less is more sometimes. I also prefer this over Herod, there's some note in Herod that my nose disagrees with. I notice similarities with Triumph of Bacchus as well, except ToB has a more prominent apple and peach note along with more boozy notes. I would say that it might feel a bit redundant in a collection if you already have a bunch of stuff like Herod, ToB, Arrakis, Red Tobacco, Carlisle, etc. This is very unisex and quite sugary sweet, i think any person could can rock this in cold weather. No idea why these kinds of fragrances are voted masculine, they are so sweet that they almost make me think of vanilla candy with tobacco blended in when I smell them. This would be sexy on a woman or a man, as long as they aren't wearing it on a hot day.

I tend to get headaches when I wear fragrances that go heavy on the Tobacco. That’s why some popular in the community are not in my collection (Bvlgari Man in Black, Spicebomb Extreme). Don’t let the beautiful bottle, and presentation to fool you thinking it’s a lackluster scent. The presentation is amazing, the magnetic cap is one of the strongest I have in my collection, the sprayer is great. Now, just a warning: this thing is potent, but well also balanced. Before you knockout yourself, start with 2 sprays, and see how it develops. It can be overwhelming if you apply 4-5 sprays of this. I am not going note by note, but what I smell during the wearing. The tobacco is there all the time. It’s sweet but not as TB by Tom Ford. The tobacco in here is denser, without getting ashy. The patchouli and Vetiver are slightly noticiable, but never takes over the tobacco. It has the distinctive Quentin “woodsy” touch, but never obnoxious. Just to give you an idea where things go with Mystery Tobacco. Imaging the dry down of JPG Le Male Elixir, with a toned down sweetness, and the tobacco amped up a bit without any trace of lavender. Cheers

Hello: So I have read many of the reviews below and have my $0.02 to add. I purchased a sample of Mystery Tobacco. I already own Maison Alhambra's Exclusif Tabac. To me, on my skin, they are indistinguishable. I will say I feel bad for saying that because I am sure Mystery Tobacco is of higher quality and is a great fragrance. It's just that on me, to me, they smell the same. I also own Red Tobacco and I smell only a slight similarity in them, Red Tobacco is much more ashy to me where Mystery Tobacco is more spicy. I also don't get any cherry in the tobacco at all. I own and love Late Harvest from Fort & Manle and that, to me, is the most authentic cherry pipe tobacco note I have smelled yet. Regarding Carlisle, I don't see that AT ALL. Now, I am a novice, and I only had a sample of Carlise (and I loved it), but I would not compare the two. So, in the end, I love this fragrance. I highly recommend anyone who likes tobacco fragrances try this and/or the clone. I am confident you will love them. Enjoy!

Very High quality sweet tobacco fragrance. This retains its niche credentials while managing to also be mass appealing. This will definitely earn compliments, 8/10 hours longevity. It manages to keep its tobacco identity without being too sweet. Definitely up a league on the likes of Herod and TF TV, which I personally find to be overly sweet. Closest comparisons I can make to this are Sospiro Ensamble and Boclet Tobacco in terms of fragrance quality. If you want more bang for your buck I'd look at Boclet Tobacco. While I really like Mystery Tobacco I'm a bit uncomfortable with the retail price tag. Edit : I'd not bother with Boclet tobacco anymore due to reformulation. Looking at current formulations this is probably the best sweet tobacco out there. Ensemble is lovely but I wouldn't call it a pure tobacco scent due to the vanilla, in the same way that Naxos isn't a pure tobacco due to the honey. (16/12/20). 100% unisex.

There is a very good reason for the picture of Pendora Scent's Mysterious Tobacco appearing in the Fragram Photos above. It is a wonderful, absolutely stunning clone of Mystery Tobacco. The reviewer Swiftnick mentioned Tobacco Myth by Fragrance World, and he is correct about the description of it, too. Both clones are around the $15 to $20 mark. I am wearing Mysterious Tobacco today and have received two compliments so far. Okay, not sure if my mom counts but hey it's a compliment😊 Both Tobacco Myth and Mysterious Tobacco last at least 12 hours on me, so performance is outstanding. Both appear to be easily found in most countries. As a lover of tobacco scents I just had to get them both, but you can have your pick because they're pretty much the same beautiful, intoxicating juice that is Mystery Tobacco💖

This is amazing....smooth dark(earthy)chocolate, which I'm guessing is coming from the patchouli, sweet tobacco and creamy tonka...no "cherry" note in this, so a lot closer to Carlisle parfum de marly than red tobacco or Herod. The blend is perfect...smooth, a little sweetness and a pleasant tobacco note that is not too over-powering. For me this is night and day better than its nearest alternative (red tobacco) nothing chemical smelling in this....full bottle worthy. If you already have Carlisle you might not need this but it is excellent even at the higher price point....9/10 edit: After wearing this a few times I'm also picking up a hint of ginger which just lifts the fragrance slightly and gives it added depth....this is great stuff!

Ever since I started this hobby and tried small samples of fragrances like Guerlain Tobacco Honey and Mystery Tobacco Carolina Herrera, I knew that one day I'd get myself full bottles. I thought that I remembered this scent as a great tobacco fragrance, but it's even better. The combination of davana, ginger, and osmanthus envelops you with a creamy, spicy, warm, and boozy scent that almost feels like it's teasing you in the sexiest possible way. It may resemble Mancera Red Tobacco, but Red Tobacco is nuclear. If Mystery Tobacco feels like an embrace then Red Tobacco is a heavy sucker punch to the face. It is powerful but not pushy, it is sexy but not vulgar, it lasts long but does not tire you. This, my dear fellows, is a work of art.

This is a fantastic tobacco forward fragrance. Think RT but MUCH smoother and no harsh opening. It's also much better blended. I've actually almost run out of my bottle and I'm having trouble finding another one in north America, so i ended up picking up Exclusif Tabac from a local shop when i was looking for this one. Remember kids, tobacco is the main player with this one - unlike others like SBE, Naxos, etc. - in those fragrances tobacco is an equal player or a little on the side lines. So definitely try to purchase a small decant of this before committing to a full bottle - it is expensive after all. Also, i think you can pull this off in transition weather to summer, but i keep it as a cool/cold weather staple for myself.

Nice creamy loud tobacco fragrance. I don't understand the comparison with harsh Red Tobacco but also understand notes are perceived differently by different individuals. It's better than PdM Carlisle IMO. Carlisle is very vanillic for my taste but this is super creamy with tonka without being it the main note. Gorgeous creation indeed. I was hesitant to get this given it is a CH for 200+. Comparing it to Carlisle I think it's a better buy although it's a bit more expensive than Carlisle in the US. If you like tobacco base frags, this is an easy blind buy. Guaiac wood in this is also very creamy and beautiful. It's just unbelievably creamy for this type of fragrance.

Wow! Just wow! I really like that this isn't just another tobacco and vanilla (yes, vanilla is rightfully there, but not a primary note), but rather a tobacco wood and fruit. Anyone complaining about performance, I'm three hours in, and it has started to appear like a skin scent. Not so. I'm just a tad nose blind at this point. Just had someone tell me it was still projecting a good 5 feet, but that they liked it. Needless to say, I love this also. I think I might like this more than tobacolor...though they are a different style, so that's hard to actually say. Oh, and it's spring and I'm wearing this happily.

It's great. I love tobacco perfumes. This one is awesome! I have Red Tobacco, PDM Carlisle, Exclusif Tabac, and a few other clones or dupes. This one and Exclusif Tabac are the most similar and both great. This one is a bit smoother. Red Tobacco is my favorite and I love it all even the harsh opening most people complain about. To me Red Tobacco has a bit of a cherry note on the dry down the others don't have that I also love. They are all great if you like tobacco perfumes.

Mystery Tobacco comes across as very close to Carlisle. Not too surprising considering both are by Quentin Bisch, and to my nose they share a nearly identical structure. The overall profile, the balance of sweetness and spice, even the way the tobacco is handled all feel extremely familiar. Whether that's coincidence or just a case of a perfumer revisiting a similar idea is up for debate, but the resemblance is hard to ignore.