Cuba Gold

I wore this daily for the last 20+ years with my wife. Cheap plentiful 10$ 100ml for daily compliments from customers and co workers is a good deal. I've had coworkers and customers say how good this smells and no other perfume I own has garnered more attention. We buy 10 of these at a time and burn through them all as we both wear this . It's my go to daily driver and dumb grab if I can't be bothered to pick something in the frag cabinet. It's warm cozy and clean and safe around a lot of people in my experience. I have a coworker that really hates perfume and likes this scent. I was saving my perfumes for a rainy day and finally decided to cycle through them. I wear this less now but still love it. When I first got this It just smelled awesome and every time I had it on people spoke up. People who are generally not outspoken. Sometimes a few in the same day Years later i ran across a Le Male wearer and assumed cuba gold....he set me right on his choice of scent. I recently got Le Male and the fragrance is very different albeit with a similar dry down. Cuba Gold is a safe bet. a sweet cigar tobacco dry down that brings us to a mossy vanillic drydown in Le Male. Similar. far from clone. But I mistook it at a distance due to the similar note. I have no bad words for this generous scent. Lasts a full workday and is detectable for a good while...but its 10ish sprays body and clothes without being agressive to your surroundings. In it's own right its a great scent without comparing it to anything. There's definitely a unisex zone inthis one. Smells sweeter on my sweetheart and the tobacco note is more prominent on me. I gave a scent sensitive coworker a bottle because her son wore something loud around the house and she liked this on me and my wife. That says alot.

"CLONE OF" OR "CLONED BY" ? I don't have many doubts that "Le Male" is what the market considers the original fragrance and that Cuba Gold is a very well-made and very inexpensive look-alike of the JPG bestseller. Although some people claim that Cuba Gold's launching preceded the JPG "Le Male" launch. I own both of them and I don't care about it. Usually, I don't like to write about clones just because they are clones, but now and then I may give an opinion like "This fragrance X is a very good dupe of fragrance Y" (or a bad dupee for that matter). Having said that I would like to make a statement and tell you a story: Statement: Cuba Gold is probably one of the best market clones of a very well-known designer fragrance called "Le Male" designed by Jean Paul Gaultier. Story: I sprayed Cuba Gold last morning, twice in my chest, twice in my hair and twice in the side of my neck. So, it was a total of 6 sprays. My wife told me during that morning breakfast: "I guess that oday you are wearing Le Male. I do like it. You are a lot more yummy with the real thing. Just put aside that other thing you have". Today I had a day off. I wandered a bit and went to the bank, to a mall, and to a Leroy Merlin shop. I received 8 compliments and two of them identified the "Le Male" scent. I never said to my wife that I use Cuba Gold often pretending to be wearing JPG Le Male. I consider to go on doing it every now and then. And the bottle is even cute. I may try the same trick tomorrow with Cuba Prestige... It will be a harder challenge as my wife loves every drop of juice inside Thierry Mugler's A*Men bottle. Music: "The Great Pretender" sung by Freddie Mercury

Just WOW.......as someone who always does their best to double check on smells of designer fragrances at JCPenney or Sephora, this beats out Le Male by a long shot. This instantly gives you a beautiful powdery smell that is not overpowering and damn near disgusting like Le Male, but has a nice deep smell behind that powder that makes it irresistible for under $10. The lavender comes through beautifully with vanilla following right behind, anytime I wear this I feel like Fabio on the cover of a romance novel. Personally for me, a compliment magnet from all genders and ages whenever I wear it. Having smelled Le Male multiple times over, I really could not bring myself to spend $50- 80 on a tester knowing Cuba Gold is just so much better. Do not listen to anyone here being a snob because they have a bottle with some bulge on it, and if you are getting BO or think it smells like nut sack like the comments below there is a possibility you stank in the winter and cologne cannot save you. If you know you are a suave dude and not a damn chud, BUY THIS!!! Go to Ross, Marshalls, Ebay, whatever and just spend the $10!!!! a damn cheeseburger combo from McSploinks cost more.

To start with, Cuba Gold was released before JPG Le Male, so in actuality JPG copied this one and a more competitive price. On the initial spray of Le Male, its rough and rugged but then after a few minutes it mellows out into a sweet and soft blanket of lavender. Cuba Gold on the other hand, has that sweet and soft blanket smell straight out the the atomiser. I get similar projection and longevity from both Le Male and Cuba Gold. One is a fraction of the price for the same performance, the other is double sometimes triple the price of Cuba Gold. People do generally tend to gravitate towards this one over Le Male. I've put them both together to get people's views and opinions and the vast majority of them say Cuba Gold is more rounded, smooth and soft. Realistically this is the better one of them both, not just for the price difference but for the over all subtleness and blanket soft scent it produces. Try layering this with By the Fireplace, the warm chestnut and woodsy smell combining with this beauty. You will be the best smelling guy/gal in the room.

This is suspiciously 1-1 to Le Male and this is way older than Le Male, hmmm.... Well, people have been always saying it's similar to Le Male from JPG, but I didn't think it was that similar. Trying out Le Male and comparing it to Cuba, I found out there is almost no difference. If you're comparing EDT, longevity is the same and projection is also the same. A very versatile scent, that doesn't get boring, smells sweet and has this heavy, masculine character that is really nice. EDT is making the scent appear a bit light, but I feel like that's an advantage. EDP would be a bit too much for such a scent, that's why Le Male le Parfum causes headaches and is rated usually a bit lower, Cuba knew. Anyway really nice value with this one and you save about a 100€ without lacking anything, except the designer bottle. Even the atomizer on Cuba is exactly the same, amazing quality. JPG just really made a knock-off of Cuba, charged extra 100€ and it worked out.

This is firmly in the All Time Hall of Fame for best ever cheap fragrance. Made in 1979 and barely noticed since. This is a true hidden gem. It costs about the same as a cup of coffee in any airport these days and you get 100ml of warm woody smoky yet fuity beauty. Doesn't last long, poor projection and synthetic, were you expecting something else for 5-10 bucks? It smells fantastic, and thats the name of the game UPDATE....7 months on.......as time has gone by, my bottle of cuba gold has filled out, deepened and become more refined, smoky and masculine. Its surprisngly better than before and its lost the cheap nasty chemical opening and gained a ton of smoky warmth, way more depth and a lot more longevity and projection. Its pretty much an all dayer now. Wait a few months and i was rewarded with EVEN more value for money. Beauty. The Classic cheapie to end all classic cheapies. I love this and the price is ridiculous.

09/23/2022 Weather: L58, H90 I wore Cuba Gold to work today. It projected for about 2 hours. I think my body heating up helped Gold's performance as it was up to 80 deg in the factory. I was moving boxes and sweating all day but this little frag lasted 12 hours skin scent. I thought it was just about gone at the 7hr mark but I started sweating again and the fragrance lit up again. The massive sweetness had me feeling like I was a walking caramel candy because of the heat. Gold smells just like Le Male except Gold is powdery and Le Male is fresh. My nose picks up a woody note in the background along with a prominent vanilla note. There is a strange yet enjoyable note I am picking up, not sure what it is but it is equally prominent as the vanilla. Atomizer is pretty dang good on the 100 mL bottle; 35 mL slightly worse. 9.1/10

I have both JPG Le Male and Cuba Gold. The DNA of both is as others mention, is very close. Cuba is not a clone as it came our way before JPG. Of course Le Male is a little richer, fuller and classy as it should be for the price. Cuba Gold does a good job too, in a more sweet vanilla opening. It dries down well into a more creamy note and lasts for a long time on the skin. I am a fan of both for a nice lavender/vanilla scent. Both offer a great experience. I use JPG for work or going out. At home I save the juice and use Cuba gold as it’s almost the same just a bit lighter and sweeter. I find the scent of both comforting and pleasant. Soft and creamy. A nice contrast to my blues and spices .For the money (I paid 8 bucks) it’s a steal. Again it’s 8 bucks folks so you have to rate based on that.

Cuba Gold has quickly become the fragrance I reach for the most, even though I own a few more expensive ones in my collection. The scent is warm and inviting, and I’ve received compliments from several people who say it smells great. Sometimes, it even lingers in the room I walk into after spraying it on. It doesn’t smell synthetic or overpowering, and it never causes headaches or nausea, even after wearing it for a long time – something I can’t say about certain other fragrances. The longevity and projection could be a bit stronger, as somebody said on here; you'll have to spray more than a couple of times on the same spot to get strong sillage and projection, but for the price, it’s hard to complain. This is simply a fragrance that works every time. I love it!

Cuba Gold is really excellent and it has it's own character. A strong lavender opening then changes to a vanilla. Finally a rich/spicy/tobacco/marzipan drydown and quite floral. (Incidentally, the drydown reminds me a little of a cross between Pi by Givenchy and Au Masculin by LL). It is close to Le Male but if you do a simultaneous comparison, there is a difference, well, on me anyway. Staying power is good and sillage is great. In my opinion, this is an oriental woody. Don't make the mistake of thinking this is a cheapo fragrance, it is not. Already had complements about this. This was a blind buy and I was pleasantly surprised. Cuba Gold is a gorgeous and very masculine scent - a real gem!

A cheapie favourite of mine. Very powdery clean lavender smell. It could stand to be a bit sharper or sweeter because it does kind of resemble talcum powder or dry shampoo smell as is. You'll have to wear a lot. I probably wear 14 sprays to get it to last all night. You could do worse for the money. If you buy on sale it's only a couple bucks more than a can of body spray. You really can't beat Cuba for the price. You'll get a solid hour and a half or two hours of being able to smell it on yourself with 6 or 7 sprays, three to four with the amount I wear. Skin scent for a few hours after that with a lower amount, I can smell it faintly the next morning with 12-14 sprays.

I found out about Cuba Gold while looking into the origins of a cigar shaped perfume called "Tiverton" that I'd recently been gifted, and, enjoy very much. The bottles sure look the same, but the Tiverton one having a portrait of Karl Marx on the label as opposed to Benjamin Franklin (?) on the Cuba Gold. So my curiosity got the better of me and I ordered a bottle of C.G - which arrived in the mail today. Man alive, this is even better! Much more refined, similar but obviously of better quality. Apparently, Tiverton is made by a chinese company called Mei Bao Cosmetics. Who would do such a thing, rip-off such a dirt cheap fragrance as Cuba Gold?

A powdery, semi sweet, and a little bit musky cigar tobacco scent. It is dry, light and airy, delicate yet masculine, and clean without being soapy. Somewhere in the middle of JPG Le Male and Prada LR Sport. If you like either of those, or anything relatively close, then you’ll at least be satisfied with this. CUBA GOLD has quickly become a favorite of mine. With what it cost, you can go nuts and spray this everywhere on everything without any hesitation. I think it would be hard to overspray. There’s zero heaviness to it. Minimal projection, but you’ll smell it on yourself for most of the day. Sticks to fabric extremely well.

Cuba Gold it's the cheapest fragrance of my collection but it doesn't smell cheap at all, indeed it has high value for the price. This is Le Male without the mint note, that's it, hard to believe but it's the truth. The only think i dislike about this one is the opening, it's almost stinky to my nose; thankfully that goes quickly away and after 30 seconds this starts to smell exquisitely. I don't know why but the aroma of Cuba Gold put me in a good mood, it's a suprising and admirable fragrance, totally recommended. Perfomances are not amazing but for the price this goes for, it's not a problem at all. 9/10

I can’t review this one objectively. My dad brought me a bottle of this stuff as a teen and it was my one and only fragrance for some two decades. Never had much of a reason to wear a fragrance, except on dates, and wear this on dates I did. The olfactory anthem to that period of time in my life. Only when I became more interested in fragrances I found out that many people compare this to Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier – makes sense as that’s probably been my dad’s ‘signature scent’ since I can remember, so it explains why he’d buy me this and why it felt so familiar and ‘belonging’. Anyway, top stuff.

Cuba Gold might offer the best bang for your buck of any cologne. If you like JPG Le Male - and I do - this is indeed similar. It's more linear and doesn't last as long as Le Male, but the dry down scent is close and it smells really, really nice. There's absolutely nothing about the smell of this scent (despite the tacky cigar bottle) that comes across as cheap or chintzy. I wish I could say the same about the brand's other scents, but I got this one in a multi-scent pack with Cuba Red, Orange, and Blue, and the Gold is by far the best of the bunch. It's a no brainer for the measly $10 price point.

Does this smell like Le male? Close...but no cigar. Actually, it smells like Le Male mixed with a cigar in a bottle shaped as one! Opening is isopropyl alcohol fading into 1:1 Le Male. That disappears very quickly and becomes almost completely the scent of rolling tobacco.(not listed in notes?) Though that may sound insulting, I enjoy it as a cheap alternative and will buy another bottle when it’s empty. Perry Ellis 360 white smells more similar but I enjoy this more. My challenge is for somebody to prove this actually came out in 1979. ( before Le Male ). People will agree with anything they hear.

Cheapest fragrance in my collection but gets the most compliments. Had a Dr. appointment today and as I approach the desk to sign in a group of nurses were smiling. As I signed in one of them says "excuse me, what cologne are you wearing?" I say "wow you can smell that?" Cause i had applied only 2 sprays. She said, "yes, and you smell good" lol listen fellas, spend your money how you like but remember you don't have to go broke trying to smell good. A $5 cologne will still get compliments like a $500 cologne just find what fits you and your personality and wear that sh*t with confidence 👌🏾😎

The best bang for buck EDT out there.I think every cologne collector should have this. It's the first cologne I consistently bought as a teenager and still buy it 20 years later. People compare it to le male but I have tried all versions of it and think it's similar but not a clone....I'll have to keep trying and experiment with the dry down. if I could find a high quality EDP of this I would buy it. It's very hard to describe the smell but the lavender blends beautifully with everything else, it's sweet but still has a masculine smoothness.

100% Le Male rip off.. Smells just as good for $10.00 US.. Man I wonder if Le male is pissed.. Now will it last?? I'll let you know in the future.. Wow this is really nice.. If it last I found a new regular... Edit as of 12-8-2012.. Not as deep in layers as La Male.. La Male has the vanilla and Tonka that really takes it way ahead of Cuba Gold.. Cuba Gold is a great scent, very similar to La Male and last 8-10 hours.. Great deal. If you asked I would say if you can afford Le Male then buy it over Cuba Gold.. It is better..

Do you know how ridiculous it is when people buy more expensive fragrances but exactly same scent and they tend to give more points for more expensive perfume and overrate? people tend to give more points when perfume gets pricier but same smells. even this Cuba released earlier than Le Male yet people tend to give more points to Le Male just because its more expensive and Cuba is cheaper and they think it's not better. I'd say many people won't notice two of them in blind test.

I am not a cologne connoisseur, but blind bought this and happy I did. It's a mellow kind of a mellow vanilla scent I would say with lavender and gives some slight dark tobacco/leather vibes. It is very inoffensive and likeable. Fits my personality. You could definitely get away with this anytime, but I think it is more fitting for cooler weather say 60s and below. Definitely something you could get away with at work too. Overall recommend picking this up at this price point.

Cuba Gold Paris. This is the best in winter. This is a great fragrance where you can smell the lavender and vanilla 100%. Many people say this is very similar to JPG Le Male, but no. It smells a bit like it, but it is a 1 to 1 cheap dupe of JPG Le Male Le Parfum, but it does not last that long as the JPG. If you want a similar-smelling but also long-lasting perfume, you can get Zara BLUE ZENITH EDP for only 22 euros. 8.5/10

This is 95% identical to Le Male, the fact that anyone can say otherwise boggles my mind. The only difference is Le Male has a mint note that isn’t in this one. This is also slightly more powdery. But if you own this you don’t really need Le Male unless you want that mint. For 5 bucks which is what I paid for it, it’s ridiculously worth it. Great scent. Still testing performance, will see if its as bad as people say.

Female review - never tried Le Male but this is a really good dupe for the now sadly discontinued Bvlgari Black. Smells a lot more expensive and niche than it is. It radiates through the note profile pretty accurately through the pink pepper and vetiver to amber. The only down side is that it doesn't last long on the skin so you will need to reapply every couple of hours. Lasts longer on clothes.

This is a great fragrance. Opens with a strong lavender and dries down to a leathery masculine vanilla. It is "darker" and sexier than Perry Ellis 360 white in my view (although 360 white is better for warmer weather). If you want to try something similar to Le Male, I think try this first.. I blind bought it and happy I did for $10. The bottle itself is pretty cool too.

Was my signature fragrance in 2006, 2007 and part of 2008. It's sweet, very strong, with enormous sillage and long-lasting, everyone will note you. It's an attention grabber. It's very similar to Le Male what makes people think it was inspired on it, but Cuba Gold was launched many years before Le Male; so, if there was an inspiration, it was the other way around.

I got this as a set with three other Cuban Paris cologne and this one is by far my favorite. You can definitely smell the lavender. For this one I thought it was a little gender ambiguous but the other es where definitely more masculine. I really like these a lot. The designs where super cool and special. This one was even long last which I enjoy!

The best Le Male clone with BETTER PERFORMANCE. Disclaimer: I have older bottles at least 7 years old so I'm not sure what the newer bottles smell like. IMO Cuba Gold is the best scent from the Cuba Paris house... bar none! @BigHawk how do you know it smells like nut sweat? Maybe you should change your username to @NutSniffer

Women love this scent it’s sexy, deep and masculine. sharp on the nose at first with pepper and grapefruit, then mellows out on the dry down with vanilla and lavender with sandalwood. Awesome fragrance. throw it on before the club/bar or any social outing. similar to John Paul Gaultier’s Le Male

I really like this one, starts off with a hint of spice, fades into a lavender vanilla type of scent, I love it. Then it turns into a earthy warm smell its really nice. Although I've never smelled Le male but I've heard that it smells really similar. It's overall a great buy for 10-20$.

Woman writing here. This is the most delicious and the sexiest mens fragrance i have smelled so far! Its not sophisticated or too complicated, but its sweet and delicious and sexy, guys, you can't go wrong with this one! And to top it off, its cheap and perfomance is okay

This is not a fragrance to be the center of attention or to show off its simple and smells beautiful. This is one of the few fragrances I want to wear at home its inoffensive and clean and doesn't bother my nose at all. In both sillage and long lasting its average. 9/10

Amazing fragrance for the price, got it for 5 €. To me it smells like powdery lavender and vanilla. Haven’t tried all the cuba fragrances, but if you are deciding between 3 most sold cuba fragrances - gold, prestige, and royal, this one is the best one imo.

I got this one at 20C$ and it's a steal. This is very very similar to Le Male by Jean-Paul Gauthier but it's a lot more manly and powerful. It lasts longer and I find it's just a better buy overall. The performance is insane on this fragrance.

I do love this fragrance; especially for less than $10. It smells similar to, but better than often compared Le Male to me. Performance is not the best but it is cheap enough to respray as needed. Very easily the best Cuba brand fragrance.

Its just like Le Male, but weaker. And 1/10 cheaper. I feel a sour cherry note, just like JPG Le Male. Theres no sour cherry on the piramide, but im feeling it. Overspray it and it will last longer, like Le Male. Must buy for the price.

This perfume is worth buying not just fir show, but for wearing it as well. The scent is so good, it has a good formula that girls love. Of course,Le Male has a better one in its base, but consider this perfume to be a copy of it.

Love the smell. Wish it lasted longer. But for the price, a good initial 15 sprays for sillage and a few sprays every 2-3 hrs. Get compliments every time I wear it. I'll probably always keep a bottle in the collection.

Doesn't smell cheap despite the low price point. I love it. Performs really well for a cheap EDT too. Also the 35ml bottle is possibly the coolest perfume bottle ever made. For this price, it's a no-brainer.

For a quick review. It reminds me of english laundry signature but with a twice as strong lavender note and a stronger vanilla note. If you like vanilla and lavender scents you would appreciate this

This stuff is very good. last 6-7 hours, and smells very good. i would buy this if I was you Edit: In summer Only wear this in summer evenings or cool summer days

Unless there is some poison cancer causing chemical in this, YOU JUST CANT BEAT THIS!!️Price per performance, per scent. Everyone just calm down.

I absolutely love this from the opening to the dry down, except it does not last long on me. About 3 hours at most

Very very similar to Le Male.... Almost identical, and for that price, maybe even a better buy

Un aroma caro pero a precio muy accesible sexy dulce y seductor, me encanta cuba gold

is it perfect no, is it JPG Le male for the price of a McChicken fries and coke yes

I love it but performance is not so good. 9/10

more soapy and better smelling than le male

One of the best dirt cheap bottles out there. Personal: 7.5/10 – Sweet, cozy barbershop vanilla with a hint of lavender/amber. It scratches the Le Male itch without the price tag. A bit powdery and synthetic compared to Le Male. Mass appeal: 8/10 – Familiar, warm, and approachable. Most people will find this pleasant; the sweetness can lean juvenile if oversprayed. Also the Le Male DNA is a bit overplayed to some. Performance: 6/10 – Moderate at best. Decent first couple of hours, then fades to a soft skin scent. Value: 10/10 – Dirt-cheap and widely available. For the cost, it’s hard to complain. $1/10ml is wild. Uniqueness: 3/10 – Very derivative of the Le Male template (vanilla-lavender-amber). It’s the point here, but as with all clones, uniqueness takes a hit. It would be lower, but this takes a much more musky-powdery twist that Le Male doesn't. SCORE: 69/100 Full bottle buy? YES, at the price point why not? It's cheaper than a 2ml LV sample. Blind buy? YES, at this price, it’s a safe gamble if you like sweet barbershop and Le Male. Recommend? YES, great budget alternative to Le Male for casual wear. Date night? YES, cozy and inviting, but keep it light as it can get *too* powdery. Office safe? YES, one to two sprays max as sweetness can get cloying. Pros: Extremely affordable, comfy sweet-vanilla barbershop vibe, easy daily wear, giftable. Cons: Synthetic and linear, low uniqueness, can smell juvenile if overapplied, average longevity. Cuba Gold is one of the cheapest bottles out there, but one that I encourage pretty much anyone to get their nose on. If you enjoy barbershop fragrances that feature aromatic notes, including lavender, and if you don't mind a sweeter vanilla-musk vibe, then this is for you. Honestly, it's sweeter than Le Male but it takes a much more powdery, musky turn in the opening before fading into a, though shorter, pretty similar drydown progression. It's synthetic, it smells a bit cheap, but it IS cheap, and it's a pretty solid option for how cheap it is. One of the best purchases out there for about $10. An absolute steal. Review #164 in my fragrance journey – this fragrance I own as a full bottle