Les Exclusifs de Chanel Coromandel

An absolutely beautiful execution of patchouli and amber with chocolate and incense Personal: 8.5/10 – Rich, cozy, and slightly sweet. I really enjoy the chocolate-patchouli vibe, and the dark amber is beautiful. Though, I find the white florals a bit overbearing. Nonetheless, I really like it. Mass appeal: 7.5/10 – Warm, sweet, and elegant enough to win compliments, though patchouli is always polarizing. Performance: 8/10 – Strong longevity and moderate-to-heavy projection. One of the better performers from Chanel’s higher-end line. Value: 6.5/10 – Chanel’s Les Exclusifs pricing is steep. The quality is there, but it’s still a lot for a DNA that others have executed in cheaper bottles. That said, it's still a beautiful execution. Uniqueness: 7.5/10 – Sweet, ambered patchouli isn’t rare, but Coromandel’s smoothness and polish give it a distinct identity, typical of what we see with most of Chanel's releases. SCORE: 76/100 Full bottle buy? YES, I could actually see myself wearing this regularly in cooler weather. Blind buy? NO, patchouli is divisive, and at this price, sampling is a must. Recommend? YES, if you enjoy patchouli or want a luxury level, polished ambery patchouli. Date night? YES, cozy, rich, and elegant. A very romantic option for formal settings. Office safe? NO, it’s too heavy and resinous for a professional setting, unless it's the dead of winter and the heat is broken. Pros: Rich ambery patchouli warmth, excellent blending, cozy and elegant feel. Supremely smooth. Cons: Expensive, patchouli is divisive, not truly groundbreaking despite the hype (or the price). Coromandel is one of the most hyped fragrances in Chanel’s Les Exclusifs line, and I understand why. It’s an ambery, slightly chocolatey, dark patchouli fragrance with gorgeous woods and florals wrapping it in an uplifting freshness. Despite being a women's fragrance, I actually would wear this and enjoy it in colder weather, and it's a great, relatively unisex fragrance that *almost* justified its steep price. Patchouli isn't for everyone though, and you should sample before diving head first into an expensive bottle like this one. It’s beautiful, cozy, and luxurious. Easily one of the best patchouli blends I've smelled, and probably the best one Chanel has released, even if it isn't entirely groundbreaking. Review #153 in my fragrance journey – this fragrance I own as a decant

I cannot believe I haven't reviewed Coromandel! Bad perfumista, bad! The EDT (discontinued) version of Coromandel is my signature. I cannot speak to the new version as I still have a full bottle of the old and no need to replace her anytime soon (I bought a bottle when it was discontinued so it's the most recent formulation of the EDT). Coromandel is, in a word, a masterpiece. If I had to own only one perfume for the rest of my life it would be this beauty. So let me break it down. Performance: If you are not getting *beastly* silage and 24 hours of wear you either have a bad bottle or a fake. : I hate to say it but Coromandel is a powerful fragrance. I am an undersprayer, I spray TWO sprays of her MAX. One on my neck and one on my chest under my clothing. And yet, at a horse barn (I'm an equestrian), OUTSIDE, surrounded by horses ladies half a barn aisle away will say "Oooh, Tandaina is here, Tand you smell AMAZING" They'll then go sniff the place I'd been standing or sitting because the scent hangs around that strongly. I apply her after my shower, and the next day when I get in the shower? Yup, can still smell her (faintly and the far, far drydown, but she's there). Scent: You really have to experience Coromandel yourself. This is patch for people who don't think they like patch. This is patch that is made of money and elegance. I get a creamy sweetness that I'll call white chocolate though it may not smell like the candy exactly. And sweet, smooth patch that sings. The scent is incredibly well blended. There are *no* hard edges here, nothing to disrupt what feels like being wrapped up in a luxurious cashmere robe, snuggled up in your favorite place. Coromandel is elegant, classy, sexy without being trashy, and comforting. She is simply beautiful, everyone needs to sample this at least once so you have something to judge all other patchouli against. Because you will, and it will all come up short.

Well, this is a perfume you have to smell because one can not truly describe what it smells like. When I first smelled this I couldn't stop myself from thinking "Where have I smelled this before? What does it remind me of?" And I don't think I've figured this out completely, but it sort of reminds me of my Mom's old clothes bag that she keeps in the basement. Like those 80s or 90s clothes. When I open up the plastic bag, it smells like this... minus the sweetness. I was very hesitant about ordering a sample of it because of the heavy patchouli, but I've grown to really enjoy it. The scent is a little different every time I wear it. Like a chameleon. It doesn't quite change it's colors completely but gives out some variations of the same concept. I guess it depends on your skin chemistry and what you've eaten the day before and so on. But I've found that a fragrance works best when you really feel the drive to wear it. Sometimes I end up smelling multiple different perfumes before I decide what I desire to wear on that day. And this perfume works best on me when I have a strong desire to wear it on a given day. When I've worn it on a day that I don't really feel like wearing it, the patchouli and woodsy notes get overwhelming and the white chocolate is barely noticeable. But when I wear it on a day that I really strongly feel like wearing it, the scent turns into wonderful melted white chocolate on my skin with strong woodsy-incensey-smokey notes with patchouli barely on the background. Just amazing! I do feel like it's an acquired taste and has a sort of a vintage vibe. The sillage is enourmous for the amount of perfume I put on my skin - simply amazing. And it also last very long. I haven't tried the newer version of this perfume, but as I've understood it can't be compared with this masterpiece.

patchouli perfected. that's what it is. sometimes when i talk to people that are not as obsessed with fragrances i can let myself go a bit and end up in an incoherent ramble about what i am ''seeing'' in the smell and what i love so much. like i try so hard to try to explain what makes french perfumery so good for instance and especially Jacques Polge legendary works. some stuff i show can be a bit out there and requires a more trained nose i guess to really enjoy to the max. but there are fragrances that when i show them to someone they can instantly understand what i mean. coromandel is one of them. it does this thing really really well and it stands out. it's easy to follow along. ''do you smell that earthiness? do you smell that airy quality? what's the temperature? cold, hot? now what about the delicious white chocolate in the background behind all of that?'' then slowly asking the more deeper questions like: ''how does it makes you feel? what image does it invoke?'' the stream entry towards fragrance nirvana. lol it's so easy to understand for most people if you run them thru with it and it might spark a genuine interest in high level art of perfumery. i just love how this scent can be the ambassador of that deeper spiritual emotive enjoyment in perfumery. it has a bit of everything. mass appeal, sophistication, elevation. ahh man the list goes on you get the point. quite unisex. i'm gonna leave it on the note above. i invite you to try with an open mind. and be attentive. the point is not to be blown away. stop looking for the next best thing. you might not find that here. read between the lines. meditate with it. our smells is more strongly connected to emotion and memory than our other senses.

(Review of 2007 sample, les Esclusifs). Patchouli bomb. But with a story going on. This is a very interesting fragrance, complex with a multi-fold character. And has a slow development, in the sense that it unfold many sides of its personality during the time you wear it. And therefore, can match many different tastes! It starts off aldheidic to me, and right after warm and spicy – I can smell some cinnamon, cardamom also something like pepper or nutmeg, but these spices are “clean”, not so much like the ones you would put in food while cooking. It also has a fresh, almost balsamic note that reminds me of juniper or better sniffed, cedar. The heart is powdery (iris) and flowery and then there is the patchouli note. I instantly got the same effect as in Voleur de Roses or Montale Patchouli Leaves: .... Earthy, moist, rotten wood.... Like in wine cellars. In Coromandel this mossy, moisty, hearthy note is quite camphorous but not so stingy and pungent. The combination of the spices, lingering all along the development, are mixing so well with this mossy wooden note that makes me sniffing and sniffing again my hand... it is really gorgeous and such a combination I would love and applause on a man as well. To me Coromandel is rather a masculine fragrance - although a lady can wear this as well. It has also a sort of animalic attraction that makes it very sexy, in a subtle, unscreamed way. A masterpiece fragrance, with a huge personality and loads of sophistication. Needs a proper attire and environment, not for office wear or secluded places. PS: in no way this is close to Prada (amber): eons ago I was used to wear that one that one almost everyday and I can affirm they are in no way similar!

Coromandel is the best fragrance I’ve experienced in my entire life. I have vivid memories of the first time I entered a Chanel store and asked for the famous fragrances: Bleu, Allure, Antaeus, Egoiste..... With the exception of the last one, which is amazing, I remembered that I was a liiiiitle bit disappointed. At least they didn't seem to me, at that moment, to live up to the extremely high expectations I had created. It was then that a salesman entered a room and brought from there some bottles from the exclusive line. He opened a yellowish one and gave it to me to try: I nearly fell over. It was an indescribable, unparalleled feeling. “This scent got to be mine,” I thought. The pricetag, however, was way beyond my means (still is). Many months later I bought a small sample just to remember that feeling. When I opened it, I physically felt a storm of endorphins in my brain. I never felt like that before. It was a moment of divine inspiration that its creator (whose name I now know, he is the legendary Jacques Polge) had when he made this. I don’t mind the fact that it’s considered “more female” my most reviewers (and maybe by Chanel itself). I’m a “manly” man and still want to make this scent mine, some day. In any case, any human being wearing this instantly becomes something more than what he is. More noble. More divine. More beautiful. Closer to Heaven and the angelic realms, lol. If I can call a fragrance a masterpiece, this is it.

Been wearing this EDT for a couple of years, on and off, evening time only. this bomb is something I haven't found easy to review, for some reason. now that i have sat down to do so, I can't think why. Coromandel is a rich blend of oriental Chanel. This is an amber fragrance to my nose, with patchouli, a facet of which smells like chocolate powder, in this case, white chocolate. A leathery smoke unfurls in the opening, with plenty of frankincense throughout. this is rich. sharp. bitter sweet. complex. amber spiced. and lasts about a day. it is more powdery than creamy. and projects. really projects. Coromandel is very wearable. definitely unisex. intense and rich. one squirt will do. not a gourmand. and yes, in the vein of Coco (they do not smell alike), a voluptuous Chanel. Since discovering the EDT's one by one, I reach for a Chanel Exclusif virtually every day. The more I get to know them, the more I love to wear them. This has nothing to do with the name, the bottle/packaging (although I do enjoy their clean simplicity), the marketing never reached me - I am a small-town bumpkin in deepest darkest Cumbria, who has no desire to buy Vogue, visit harvey Nics, follow fashion, read Sunday supplements, or watch TV. Les Exclusifs line have me in their spell, through their smell alone (and through your fantastic reviews on Fragrantica) and much as I love it, Coromandel is not my favourite.

I have reviewed the EDP version of Coromandel before, finding it to be an excellent spicy-amber perfume, reminiscent of classics such as Shalimar. I since received a miniature of this earlier iteration. They are very similar, but this EDT version is a little more transparent and less sweet - the white chocolate accord is less pronounced here. It is still rich, but wears a little lighter, and is a little more animalic up top. Coromandel has a spicy-orange opening, warm and rich. The animalic amber base is present from the beginning, developing throughout. Neroli follows, bridging the gap from the citrus opening to the powdery floral heart. I get some powdery rose, but this scent is all about the spice and amber. Churchy incense comes to the fore as it develops, wonderfully smoky and balsamic. The spices remain, cosy and vintage-style. The amber becomes resinous as it develops further, becoming sweet at the drydown stage. Some patchouli adds an earthy twist, complementing the spicy amber to perfection. It fades to become a soft, powdery vanilla-amber skin scent with spicy remnants. Sillage and longevity are moderate. A top-quality, timeless yet modern oriental, Coromandel is perfectly unisex by today's standards. Utterly chic, it competes with the very best of the classics. Very similar to the more recent EDP, this is just as good. Opulent elegance in a bottle. Exceptional. 5/5.

#118 I owned the EdT of this which is, alas, long gone. However, this is (the EDP, that is) actually remarkably similar to it. In fact, I'm reasonably certain I prefer this. The EdT was a gift from my lovely mother, who has recently started to enable my Chanel addiction despite both of our limited incomes. This is the best example of why perfume exceeds social status to me, as many Chanels have a coldness to them that makes me wonder if I should wear them at times. I do when I feel comfortable (especially Coco) but it exists. I've never smelt something so inviting and inclusive. I should just say, should she read this ever, thank you ever so much and I love you! She cannot take most perfumes as they make her sneeze, but she quite enjoyed this. Secondly, I may consider saving up for a new bottle. It was my first owned Chanel, of quite a few. The prices have risen, which will make this hard but still... I may need it again. I won't use it anywhere near as quickly as I did. a 75mL gone within 7 months. Quite sad, I still keep the bottle as reference. Love this with all my heart, its so unpretentious and something that everyone can at least like. May be worth the price point, if not for the sheer quality then the comfort and sense of wellbeing it can give you. Smells very French and classy, which I always need ... even when I'm not feeling classy. 10/10: a modern classic

When I die, I will be wearing this. While I'm alive and glamorous, I will be wearing this. A fragrance that quite literally transcends time, a masterpiece. I don't say this lightly, in fact, I may be wrong, but I don't think I've ever said that about any of my loves (I'm reffering to my many precious perfumes, of course). This one wins the title. It may even be winning the oh so coveted "Signature Scent" title. Art Deco, 1920's glamour. An aura in a bottle. Here we have the most perfect Amber to ever come into existence, smoldered in incense and freshly rained on leaves (the patchouli, I suppose)and dipped into creamy, WARM white chocolate. A resinous confection that is not to be eaten. Oh no, you would die if you tried. The leaves have fallen onto mushrooms that could be toxic and even though they've only faintly brushed up against them, you wouldn't want to take the chance. You'll have to settle for the puff of pure mystery and enchantemnt this brew has to offer, even though all you really want to do is wrap yourself up in it and then eat your way out. It's not looking good for me, this bottle of mine. I fear it's going to be a multiple times a year purchase, at the rate I'm showering in it. Sigh. Chanel, your silk screen dreams and glamorous Siren ways have been captured to perfection and I am offically devoted to the religion that IS Coromandel.

I'm cursed with tastes far too expensive for my budget. I've been managing this by not going anywhere near anything I know to be too pricey, but today Coromandel came looking for me! I sampled Coromandel years ago, and fell in love on the spot. Real fragrance love, that eyes-roll-back, make-inappropriate-noises, nose-stuck-to-wrist kinda love. But nothing could become of us because I couldn't rationalise the price tag (only the big bottle will do). Time and distance helped... I haven't sniffed the stuff in at least two years, and I had even taken it off my want list. Today, because life is cruel, I sat through a meeting all afternoon next to a lady who wore this juice, and wore it BEAUTIFULLY... and now I'm pretty much foaming at the mouth with gotta-have-it-itis again - which is a real illness, as far as I'm concerned. Mmmmh, delicious, sensual, earthy cocoa and powder wondrousness! I forgot how improbably gorgeous Coromandel is. How can it be so PRESENT and yet so ephemeral and dreamy? How can such an obvious chocolate not smell like food? How can something so CHANEL be simultaneously so very Guerlain? How can something so perfect for me not be my RIGHT to own? So many questions. I told the lady that she smelled amazing, and she got all bright and said her husband got it for her. Hmmm. Time to get married? (Send help.)

Déjà vu! I once got Bvlgari's Magnolia Sensuel which is amazing but when I got Chanel's Cristalle Eau Verte and realised (to my astonishment) that it is magnolia-based, I finally understood that it was "magnolia made right": transparent, crispy, white, pure, absolutely safe to wear outside (which I did). They're both good but Chanel's version is much more wearable outside. The same happened with Coromandel: at first I thought it smells benzoin (which I like a lot) and also leather but seeing patchouli as a prominent note I realised: yes, I do have two patchouli scents that have a very strong chocolate-like patchouli notes which was a bit terrifying at first but I grew to like them over time. And now, smelling Coromandel really has the same patchouli but it is "patchouli made right" again: it's wearable (outside among people, not only at home), it's modest and rounded enough. But for my nose this very nice version of patchouli still smells like leather (or a mixture of sweet patchouli and leather) and I like that. Very nicely done! Even though I don't smell it much on my shirt, only on my hand -- but shirts are different so time will tell more. What I don't understand is their after-market price: why so high? I don't really see that it's that special among other Chanel scents but maybe it's discontinued, that's why.

I'm not a Chanel fan : most of their fragrances don't like me at all and they start a loud, obnoxious, chemical-smelling symphony on my skin:)) I dislike the Chanel signature, easily recognizable in most of their fragrances and I m not a fan of their bottles either (yeah, as stupid as it sounds- I enjoy a perfume more if It comes in an equally nice bottle). The only Chanel that I really like is Chance eau fraiche and I tolerate Chanel N5 L eau and Jersey. Well, at least until a couple of weeks ago when I was gifted a bottle of Coromandel.I didn't have high hopes for it and when I first sprayed it on me I got downright disappointed. Where's the chocolate, where's the sweetness and why do they compare it to my beloved Angel when they have nothing in common? Then I tried it again on the second day. Slowly, but surely I stares liking it more and more to the point of becoming obsessed with it. It's so warm, and complex, never the same, never boring, unconventional. Woody -yes, add some sugar free chocolate and warm, earthy patchouli to the mix and here you go- you have Coromandel. There's also the Chanel base in it, but I really enjoy it in this combination. Amazing perfume. Worthy of all the positive reviews and that long "love" bar. I think I found a new favorite!

I have owned Coromandel in the mini-splash and sample spray for almost a year now. I've worn it many times, except for during the summer. It is truly beautiful, interesting, complex, elegant, and classic. On me, it's a huge patchouli blast at first for about 20 minutes. From there, it is a bit chameleon-like. Some days my husband says it smells like candy (the white chocolate, but never gourmand which I dislike), but mostly to me it is spicy, creamy, and woody. It's not remotely dry; in fact, it can be a little "humid" at first, if that makes sense. The spices are calming and comforting, not stimulating, and never foodish. This is a perfect sweater-weather scent. I loved the idea of Youth Dew, but it was never wearable to me. This is wearable to me, especially once it settles into a more subdued complexity. Sillage: Excellent. One spray to the chest has good, arm-length projection, especially if I get even a bit warm. Longevity: Incredible. At least a full 10-12 hours on skin and much longer on clothes. Occasion: date night, comfort scent in cold weather, too complex for office wear unless you have a very light hand in application

I'm going to write my thoughts on the actual scent right now, as my other one was just a loving look back on what I had. I purchased a 5mL decant of it, might be receiving more and purchasing another 10mL decant because my love just keeps growing. 75mL was not enough. This review will be for the 2007 edition, which is surprisingly not too different from the 2014 edition which I had a full bottle of. The voted on notes are reasonably accurate, but I'd say that the vanilla and white chocolate are a lot more noticeable than represented. The patchouli, however, is definitely the most noticeable of notes. The patchouli and white chocolate combo is very reminiscent of Jessica Simpson's Fancy Nights, although the latter came afterwards. Fancy Nights is much more dirtier whereas Coromandel is absolutely delicious. The smokiness, the the comfort - truly, truly opulent. Not something to wear every waking moment like I did. Not something to overapply, as you only need a bit - don't waste it like I did. I love, love, love this scent way too much. It may be my financial downfall ;) Enjoy the scent, everyone!

AMEN SISTAH!!!! *takes shoes off and takes earrings out* THIS...is what I'm talking about. To me..this is the epitome of Chanel fragrances. It takes everything I've smelled before from Chanel which is "classic" "classy" "refined" "swoonworthy" and then goes that one bit further and sprinkles that extra fairy dust of class when when you least expect it! So...it's woodsy, it's gourmand...it's dripping with golden benzion and vanilla, the woods are creamy..it's multi faceted and one of those smells that gives your olfactory senses a smell-gasm. Sheesh...the main feel of this is a sweet woodsy perfume, it's gourmand that;s been rubbed up against tree bark in a loving way,. but it has Chanel stamped allll over it. This is truly a special occasion perfume and I think for once I can say it's worth the money. The quality is not scrimped here.. I just think I'm going to have to come back when I'm not so intoxicated by the components and disect them properly.. For now..I will say..it smells like the most luxurious woodsy gourmand you can think of slathered with Chanel glamour and magic! :)

Coromandel opens up with bitter orange and patchouli, but soon some white chocolate sweetness picks up, and it stays earthy-sweet for the next 12+ h. I'm amazed at how beautifully this plays on my skin, especially because Chanel perfumes usually smell like pure aldehydes on me, but it's really hard to smell the different notes apart. The sillage and projection cloud are enormous, too: my partner could smell it when I was still in the other room. I'd like to give a better portrayal of this fragrance but honestly can't add anything else because it kicked me off my socks, and I'm too enraptured sniffing the sleeve of the sweater I was wearing yesterday when I sprayed it. Yes, please. Believe the hype and give it a try. It is yummy but earthy, and as opulent as it gets. I have no idea if I would ever use Coromandel outside my house because I don't get invited to fancy black-tie events, but I don't care: I want some of this baby. Please PM me if you're in the EU and interested in selling/trading a small decant. 10/10

Hello everyone, this is my first ever (mini) review on Fragrantica :) Maybe I should not be doing this little review as it's just the first few hours of me smelling an authentic sample of Coromandel by Chanel for the first time ever, but I just want to say one thing. I really get it why some people are saying that this perfume smell very "grandmother-ly", or simply just reminds them of an elderly family member of their own and I can confirm that it's true. On the dry down and once it reached the base notes, Coromandel really smells exactly like my late grandmother. I fell in love with it, I will definitely be buying the big bottle one day. It's a gorgeous fragrance and a meaningful one for me at least and will be great for the times when I truly missing my late grandmother. Probably be doing a few sprays to comfort me a little bit and just reminds me of her and all the memories we had together when she was still here with me. May she Rest In Peace, I love you and I miss you grandma. Easy 10 out of 10 for me.

(Review of the original EdT) Gourmand is not my thing. I typically will take a pass on anything gourmand, particularly if it goes down the sweetened chocolate route. Cue Coromandel EdT to provide the exception. The opening notes of bitter orange, or perhaps orange blossom, is inspired. It sits so elegantly and effortlessly over the white chocolate heart and base to convince you that you are smelling some light beautiful French confection out of a local cafe. That white chocolate accord is what is most interesting, though. Really a combination of the most restrained and relaxed, pleasantly sweet, and mildly-earthy patchouli, benzoin, and vanilla, it invites you into its depths of comfort and calories without any hint of guilt or shame to follow. Effortlessly breathable, light, charismatic, warm, inviting, and everything in between, while also being pleasantly sweet and sumptuous, makes this one of the best gourmands I have experienced and have had the pleasure of wearing.

This is the fragrance that made me forgive patchouli's presence in the world. It think it was Angel's fault for making me dislike it in the first place, but Coromandel certainly made me rethink. It's like catnip! All day I'm snuffling at my wrist, trying to get my fix. I first tried the EDP, I believe that's all Chanel is making now. It's really luscious, smooth and rich. Kind of buttery, with the patchouli giving it a bit of texture. Lasts for hours. Today I'm wearing my decant of the EDT. The notes seem pretty identical to the EDP to me. It's a little more sheer. I'd probably want to reapply the EDT once during the day, where I think the EDP would go all day. But since the EDP is so very lush, I think it can afford to be sprayed lighter than the EDT without missing out on too much. Update: Actually the more I use the EDT, the more I yearn for that rich hit of the EDP. The EDT never quite gets there.