Cuba Black

Cuba Black is apparently intended to be clone of Azzaro Pour Homme. Is it? I like Azzaro Pour Homme, but you can tell that the current juice is an extremely crude and inferior reinterpretation of the original formula. Cuba Black matches Azzaro Pour Homme's opening notes fairly closely, but then it starts to do things a little different in its dry down. Current Azzaro Pour Homme dries down into this harsh, dirty-soap scent. Cuba Black goes a different route. At first I thought it was more of an oriental, with some sweet tobacco in there. Then it felt more like an aromatic fougere. After many more wearings though, the lightly sweet/lighty tobacco'd smell seems to have a soapy element to it that somehow makes it smell more in the barbershop sense than the current formulation of Azzaro Pour Homme. I want to say it gets a bit dirty at the base, but it's not dirty at all. Just kind of smoky in the way that One Man Show does. However, I can't stand the base of OMS. The difference here is that Cuba Black's macho smokiness is balanced well with the anise and soapy elements, making it far more pleasant. It's really it's own thing at this point and really nice. Longevity isn't great, as I get about 4 hours with it. CONCLUSION: This is a hidden gem. This soapy-anise-tobacco concoction is exceptionally good and I actually prefer it over current Azzaro and Aramis Tuscany. Probably one of the better 80s-styled fragrances to ever come out. Unfortunately longevity is poor but I really love the scent, top notes to base notes. 8/10

This is another great value from CP - the opening is essentially identical to Azzaro Pour Homme, but I've learned after a Left-Right showdown where the difference lies that makes these not only offsets of one another, but allows room for some degree of yin-yang mutual compatibility. I posted the following comparison on the Azzaro PH profile, so it only seems appropriate to repeat it here: I found the difference between CP Black and APH - it's the musk - there's a considerable leather/musk accord in APH, none in CPB which makes them distinct from one another after the opening notes dry down. I'd now go so far as to say that you could keep them in the same collection and use APH in the fall/winter (when I am much more prone to wear musky/animalic scents) and use CPB in the spring/summer. Another key difference is longevity - not atypical for Cuba Paris deals, I still love them for their value (even their relatively simplistic bottle is somehow an aesthetic delight) - but on my skin I only get about 3-4 hours tops from CP Black, whereas even this more simplistic iteration of Azzaro PH still gives me a few hours with some measure of projection and another 5-6 as a skin scent.

I must confess I have a knack for more or less obscure and inexpensive fragrances (as my reviews can attest). And I can say that many times these products can be immensely rewarding. This is one of these cases. Cuba Black is, to my nose, a well-blended mix of lavender, a HEAVY dose of anise, some "white" flowers, and a woody background. All in all, it is extremely masculine and rugged. There is no sweetness here. I would say it is an atemporal smell and suits any age range. It is suitable for any occasion but more leaning towards informal settings. It lasts some 8 hours, projects very well, and blends perfectly with any lavender-based deodorant/soap. The quality/price ratio is, in my view, outstanding. CB resembles to a certain extent Azzaro PH (another fragrance I love) but is not the same and cannot be confused with it. APH is much more subtle, has more notes, and is more complex; a more "formal" fragrance. None of them is redundant If you like -as I do- this type of smell. Try it! Best,

I agree with gmmcnair, it's the best you can find for this price. It's one hell of a dry scent, very barbershop-ish and masculine. During the drydown, the wood note gets a bit sour or burnt, I can't explain it very well. I need to say Cuba Black fits me better than Aramis and gets me more positive reactions (for one fraction of the price). A total must have if you like dry scents. Also, if you don't wear this kind of scent too often and wish you'd have a bottle just in case, go for this. It won't cost you much and it's of a very good quality.

Took me some time to understand why I like this fragrance. It is a lavender bomb! The opening is balsamic-floral and reminds me of a powerhouse, Ted Lapidus pour Homme. Middle way is so some pencil shaving notes maybe due to scandalwood. The scent keeps being fresh with light citrus tones. Wow, as a reviewer already said, it screams 80s tropical Florida - Miami. I love it!