Thai Tabac

What an amazing scent. This one took no time to be my favored scent for fall 2020. We have been primed to the notion that tobacco scent should smell a certain way. All the time its either smoky, half smoked cigar like, aggressive, virile scents or saccharine laden sweet vanilla gourmands which have been presented to us as a Tobacco perfume. I am not saying that those are done wrong or I do not like them. I like them all. I am just trying to say that Thai Tabac is not like any Tobacco fragrance I have smelt, till now. This one is offbeat and contradistinctive. To me, this one is towering unisex oriental gourmand. It could be a leather jacket motorcycle rider scent or a cozy date night scent. Opens very tart. Tart and green, not citrus. Sour, like a green mango. Not too racy, still it will make to pucker a little. As the time passes by, the threesome of Sourness, sweetness and green notes come into play. So, intertwined, that you can not easily pick out the notes. I guess, there is neroli in it. Perhaps, juniper berries are responsible for that fruity green vibes. I guess, Ruh Kewda has been used. That gives that gourmand type of feel to this scent. A bit of Civet perhaps. Ensar’s scents are like riddle for a rookie like me. A couple hours into the wearing, It smells like Kiman(or Kiwan). Kimam is basically a paste of tobacco leaves and betelnut, flavored with saffron and mint. It is used in Pan shops across india as an Ingredient to Paan. Paan is a rose jam laden digestif wrapped in Betel leaf that people in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan enjoy as an preferred intoxicant. In my opinion, these both share a lot of notes. Dry down is very admirable tobacco that I cannot smell enough of. I picture dried tobacco leaves in bunches, cured and tied in bunches in a dark room. As a child, I used to accompany my grandfather to bazaar. We, oftentimes, used to stop by a tobacco shop where my grandfather used to buy some tobacco for his hookah and have a little chit chat with his old buddies. The shop smelt like this, just take the florals out. It leaves me wanting for more. Just like all good things in life. Also, It lasts for ages. I can still smell it on my scarf, after a week.

Here's another personal favorite Tobacco-centered perfume composition, the OG iteration of Thai Tabac from Ensar Oud. I miss some of the early releases from this house. Thai Tabac is one of my favorites. I noticed it changed in the subsequent iterations, where the emphasis shifted to the green facets. The first version was all brown in feel. This attar is one of powerful contrasts, something that I love in perfumes. The contrast between the aromatic, green, and earthy facets and the gourmand, sweet ones. Between these, the main player, the tobacco in its full glory. The focus here is on the dry aspects and aroma of the leaves. And that is what you get with this composition, a three-staged play. The opening is strong on juniper and very aromatic. A major player in this attar cleverly complemented by accords of fresh hay and earthy, green vetiver. Not long after this bracing opening, the brown, dry tobacco facets reveal and go along this peculiar yet well-chosen brew of savory elements like vanilla, cream, and faint coffee-like tonalities. And so, you get these juxtaposed savory and aromatic facets that work so well. There is a good amount of natural oud that warms up in the base, maybe an Indonesian variety akin to New Guinea, to complement the aromatic and earthy quality of the attar. But the tobacco is at the center of the composition and never lets go. The other mentioned notes and accords only punctuate certain facets and round out the composition. A brilliant and unique take on a genre that feels supersaturated and one of my favorites. IG:@memory.of.scents

This is probably the most sophisticated fragrance released by Ensar, if you are considering typically citrusy opening fragrance, you will be mistaken. This is rather highly narcotic and addicted which opens with tobacco floral combo luckily, I got 2.5gr of champaca from Ensar and I think I got lot of champaca and a hint of jasmine along with the green tobacco. I can get some hint of patchouli and leather also in the opening. After few minutes like 10-15mins tobacco became more prominent I think presence of hay and vetiver elevates the tobacco here, though it’s very green. In the middle I was surprised by the presence of honey and vanilla along with the leather. Things get very interesting at this point a sweet gourmet meal where you have some herbal to eat, and the air is filled with green tobacco smoke! However, unlike other Ensar like NO1, Santal Sultan and Black Chango etc. it has limitation in longevity, 8-9 hours and it projects more than 4 hours in my skin. But its extreme complexity blown my mind off, this is like magic spell. This is probably a billionaire’s scent, and I am lucky to have it in my collection. I was not a big fan of tobacco-based fragrance but after having couple of wear of Thai Tabac now I am kind of obsessed. Interesting part is every time I wear thai Tabac I can detect something new in it, That’s probably the Ensar style 

I couldn't disagree more with @Dr B1414.Thai Tabac is good, but in a more bitter and animalic way.I'm not sure where he got all these impressions from, as stated in his review. Thai Tabac is complex, full of spices and dissecting the different smells would not be possible without reading the ingredients list🙂.

This is for the Pure Parfum version: Sour green resinous base, tobacco leaf, a bit of a leathery aspect and earthy in the opening to mid. It’s ok in that stage, but nothing mind blowing. The dry down however goes straight into moldy dishrag territory with a moist damp green feeling. Not very nice in this stage to be honest. A classic example of how expensive ingredients mixed in a bottle doesn’t necessarily translate into something great. Less than the sum of its parts.

This attar got me drunk or something. Just a sip. A sniff. I could swear I smell gardenia. With tobacco and honey and pollen some sweetness I would never imagine wearing but I am pushed back and horizontal and I can't believe my head ~ the sparklers set off. The lights. I have a specific memory of a similar event 5 years ago? At a vegan restaurant, tasting I don't know what. Soil? A Bravo TV chef, known for foraging blew my head off. The sensation was similar and what I can only describe as a tier higher than goosebumps, a level up. A rolling revelation maybe its dancing brain cell emoticons? Or heaven? I have American Oud on my left wrist and Thai Tabac on the right. Just when I was going to recommend my unsolicited advice to Ensar Oud to give up the jig and just write and teach and lead us by our nose rings, this composition, this spectacular flower.

Thai Tabac is a leathery tobacco fragrance that smells like a new car. There is a chemically aspect to it I assume is due to the leather accord and whatever he used to compose it. There is something very off putting about this when wearing it. There is a burnt rubber feel that I cant just get passed. If it didnt have this, I would say this is a decent fragrance. Maybe there were some furans used to create the 'Toffee" note and it just is throwing my nose off. 2/10

This is a masterpiece. I got this as a sample with my order and after wearing it, immediately ordered 2x2.5ml bottles right away. The entire journey from opening to dry down is wonderful. Good sillage and longevity. It's an art.

On my skin this comes across as quite floral, I do get hints of hay and patchouli, however I do not detect tobacco. Overall, green and floral.