Ylang-Ylang Espresso

Love it! All the other reviews on this have covered pretty much my exact experience - it's vintage-ish, it's a bit of a cacophony, it's evocative of a time and place that some of us remember and have a deep nostalgia for. This is definitely not for everyone - people of a certain age may appreciate this more than others. There is uncertainty in here - there's a little bad with the good. It is not pristine, perfect or lovely, but that's where its electricity is. When I wear this, here is where my thoughts take me - it's 1989. I'm 18 and we are driving around collecting friends, getting ready for a night out on the town. Some of us are home from college on Christmas break. The cars are used Celicas, Sciroccos and Chevettes - there is stale smoke, some spilled stuff. It is cold but we don't have coats. Some of us are under-age, some are not. We arrive at friends' houses, and we greet the parents - we are polite and on our best behavior until we get back into our caravan of cars. There are cigarettes, in the homes and in the cars. We have on our Obsession and our Magie Noir. (This fragrance does not smell like those though!) We have our hairspray and our harem pants with black turtlenecks. There is Michelob and Bud Light in bottles. The music is Erasure and R.E.M. and even Escape Club and Tone Loc, and we're piling more people in the cars than there are seat belts for. There's a physical closeness in the cars that electrifies a young person's senses. There's a guy you don't know very well, a friend of a friend or someone's roommate, and he's squeezed in next to you, the side of his body pressed against yours. You can smell his aftershave. Somebody lights a cigarette and opens a window, and the cold air comes in.

My coworkers said it smells like massage oils, but I get a hit of cigarette ash. Smells like a gourmand perfume mixed with stale cigarettes. Or, like the dirty earth mixed with something creamy. I thought this would have had patchouli and some other green florals but I can see I was off. This smells like a raunchy, dirty very adult scent to me. Not what I expected from such a floral pretty looking brand. I feel like this fragrance would be more of a dirty secret for me to revel in. I feel conflicted between wanting to smell adult and take what I want, and wanting to be a good girl! This is a rebellious fragrance for me. It's definitely not innocent. I would like to add that this one generates compliments. The 'cigarette ash' vibe I only get when I smell close to my wrist but others don't smell it. As it dries down I just get a warm, cocoa sort of floral. It's a very good smell. I'm glad I persevered with it. Edit: I don't get the cigarette ash anymore now that I have worn this a few times. What I get is a warm cocoa bitterness, and a natural floral/herby vibe. Can I just say that I have NEVER understood why fellow fragranticans have 'bedtime' fragrances. I have never had the desire to wear a fragrance to sleep as I feel it is something you wear to go out but at night you should be clean. HOWEVER, tonight after showering I had the urge to apply this. I'm not sure what it is but it has a natural, calming sort of aroma to it. I think my friends were right in their likening it to massage oil. It smells like a lovely expensive bath product. I absolutely love it. It's quite modern, errs on the unisex... this is a very good fragrance, and the price is nothing to sniff at either.

The more I wear this, the more I love it. I purchased the sampler and have favored wearing Ylang and Espresso to trying the others. On initial spray, there is a burst of bitterness that reminds me so much of the coffee my grandparents used to roast when I was a kid. It is an uncanny resemblance and I could sit in a cloud of this initial phase all day. The bitter coffee note is also an apt representation of the perfume's name - a true espresso. The bitterness fades rather quickly for me, but the scent turns more "friendly" after the top notes. It becomes more of a creamy floral with a slightly bitter undertone. It seems to continue to mellow throughout the day, until it is predominantly a creamy floral. Just a slight pepperiness remains. However, the "floral" comes off as a generic floral rather than something I could pinpoint as Ylang Ylang proper, so if you are here for the Ylang, you will likely leave disappointed. Unlike others, I have not experienced any sense of tobacco or cigarettes here. I think my nose is reading any bitterness as pure coffee and I'm fine with that. :) Like others have noted, this is unique and exotic smelling combination. I have not tried Cafe Tuberosa, the top voted similar scent to Ylang and Espresso, but am now very anxious to do so. Also, Sephora lists "tiramisu" as a note for Ylang and Espresso, which is a little ridiculous sounding, but it does make sense. This perfume is like eating a coffee-based dessert in a floral garden and that's a magical image for me. Love! And definitely need a big bottle!

This was the scent that made me want to try Floral Street. Beautiful white florals and creamy, rich tiramisu and chocolate in this gorgeous gourmand. It’s sweet, comforting, and downright edible. It’s like drinking coffee with your dessert on a romantic date with your partner. The longevity is pretty good. I recommend layering it with a vanilla lotion to have it stick all night. The projection is moderate. It’s not close to the skin but people won’t smell it across the room. Funnily enough, I got the rose stronger in the dry down than in the top notes. It opened up with the ylang ylang, spice, and jasmine, with the cream coming in a few minutes later. The tiramisu comes front and center about 20 minutes in. After the first few hours, you can smell the florals, the sweets, and the coffee in equal measure. The coffee is never overwhelming. Overall, this is a great scent for coffee lovers, gourmand fans, or anyone looking for a unique floral. Floral Street is great at creating these unusual yet beautiful true floral scents. I’m obsessed!

The masterpiece of the Floral Street lineup! This smells like a delicious melange of coffee and exquisite dark chocolate topped with whipped cream, all blended with a stunning ylang-ylang that slowly unfolds its beauty on my skin. I love how they combined the dark gourmand notes with this airy tropical flower. The opening is bittersweet and I kind of understand why it makes some people think of cigarettes, but I don't mind it as this doesn't have that gross trashy note that you get when you smell a full ashtray. The ashy-smokey note vanishes quickly and then the scent gradually becomes more floral and creamy. It keeps the coffee note but loses any hard edges. Truly like a tiramisu. This has some similarities to Rihanna Rebelle and even more to Atelier Café Tuberosa. It doesn't have the fruity rose note I get from CT though, and the ylang ylang and extra creaminess take the scent to a new level. I had CT on my wishlist and replaced it with Ylang-Ylang Espresso, as this is so much more rounded and all in all better!

I hated this at first spray because it smells so mature and smokey and like burnt expresso but it develops into a really nice spicy, deep coffee scent. It’s definitely not sexy to me, it’s more elevated and calm, like a smoke remaining after a raging fire. It’s a strong floral and I don’t pick up on anything creamy or too sweet although the scent does settle down to a dark chocolate smell mixed with smoke, pepper, and coffee, then it builds to become sweeter and a bit prettier. It sounds odd but think of the bars of dark chocolate that have pepper in them. Its divine. Ngl, I think a guy could really pull this smell off too. Yeah, it’s a bit like an ashtray, I can definitely smell that. But I love the chocolate and sweetness and I love my spicy smells so I’m gonna keep using it. It’s a shame people overlook it because of the opening, it’s a beautifully crafted piece of art and an insanely rich coffee gourmand. I can’t wait to use it in the colder seasons. ❤️

I own a bottle of this and have been revisiting it in the last couple of days now that the weather is cooler where I live. I love it. For me, it’s predominantly the yellow floral of the ylang ylang and a very heavy dose, right up at the front and through out, of a dark, damp, forest floor patchouli. This kind of patchouli will clearly not be for everyone. The “yuk” review responses make perfect sense. It’s not pretty. It’s super earthy. The type of patchouli seems to me to give this an extra impression of coffee. Maybe in addition to the actual coffee note. In particular the wet coffee grounds that are left in a pot or plunger once the liquid has been poured off. The combination of that with the warm sweet yellow floral is unique. Overall I find this a warm and comforting fragrance with some heft to it. Ideal for cold days and stay at home nights. It projects for about 3 hours which is generally what I get out of all the Floral Street fragrances I’ve tried.

@Barbarajg Whilst I don't get a waft of cigarette ash from YYE (as I explained in my review below, to me there's a very powerful coffee note on first spraying), I do understand what you mean about smelling cigarettes; sometimes coffee smells like cigarette smoke to me and, having just done a quick Google search, it appears that this is not uncommon. I am an ex-smoker (I gave up nearly 30 years ago) and - in common with many ex-smokers - I now cannot abide the smell of cigarette smoke or ash, although I do still enjoy the smell of "fresh" tobacco. Despite there sometimes being a similarity in the smell of cigarette ash and coffee to my nose, there's sufficient difference for me to love the smell of coffee (although it will make me feel more nauseous - as will cigarette smoke - if I am developing a migraine). Are there any experts who can explain the reasons for this phenomenon simply, in words we laypeople can understand?

on me, the opening smelled like super strong, smooth, chocolatey, bitter, dark espresso beans with a burst of ylang ylang that quickly faded into just the strong coffee smell. it's very invigorating and refreshing and gave me the opposite of a headache, i kept wanting to smell myself cause it felt like aromatherapy! as the scent fades I would catch whiffs of the ylang ylang here and there a bit more as the strong coffee smell died down. at the dry down was when i started getting the tiramisu and whipped cream, and it smelled sooooo good. cozy like a good quality mocha. this scent is more masculine than i would typically wear but i love it! i almost want it as a candle or room spray since it would be a bit more of an attention grabbing scent than i would like to wear out during the day, even though i wouldn't mind smelling this all the day!

This is such a weirdo scent I freaking love it. I bought it last June after a long day with pals smelling through both Bergdorf’s and then Nordstrom’s. It was closing time and I randomly grabbed the bottle. Sold. Bought the ginormous one on the spot. It fills this glorious void when you need all the drama and thingssss- patchouli! bitter chocolate! buttery ylang-ylang! espresso! Kinda like Fzotic “Ummagumma”, another kooky chocolate. This is the kind of gourmand fragrance I enjoy- NOT screamo sweet and some twists. Scents like Opium Extreme with coffee-chocolate notes and alleged tamed sugar are still revolting to me. This is not that. So the negative reviews might be by people with a predilection for sugar bombs. Great longevity, totally unique, pretty bottle- I’m stoked to own this. Highly recommend.

@vellocet, trust me, this one is wayyyy better than Intense Cafe (IC) by Montale. IC is GORGEOUS when it opens. Deep, dark coffe and rose. BUT. When it dries down, and I mean in about 20 minutes, it becomes a disgusting musky, metallic, sour rose. It's awful. This is lighter in performance in comparison to IC, but the scent profile of this is far superior. I forget the exact name, but this smells like a middle eastern coffee that's served in a tiny espresso cup as a welcome drink at some hotels. When the Ylang ylang begins to peek through, it nods at Black Orchid by Tom Ford, with none of the harshness and complexity of Black Orchid. This is very nice. I dont get Tiramisu either, but I get this creamy feeling that perhaps is the Mascarpone of Tirasmisu? All in all, this one is a true beauty!

Mmm...coffee and ylang with a dollop of cream. Inspired. Coffee and ylang very evident. It settles and both notes as strong as each other. I can only briefly pick up on a cream like note. What an intriguing combo. How to describe it is the thing. It's not foody. It's more like some alien exotic flower scent. So unique. It's not heavy or obviously floral. I think you have to try it for yourself and let us know what you think. If you want to be unique, modern and intriguing then this is the scent for you. It's definitely unisex. Moderate longevity and sillage. Update Dec 22 My diet has changed and I'm a spicy vegetarian. What a difference. I no longer detect cream. It is a really nice, unisex coffee scent with a patch/cacao base and a wee dob of cream on top. Very nice. Possibly a love now.

Ylang-ylang is a note that doesn't always work for me, so I wasn't sure about this. After trying though, this is an instant love. In fact, the ylang-ylang is pretty subdued here, on my skin anyway. For me, this is cacao and patchouli heavy with a noticeable coffee note. I find this scent to be pretty easy on the florals. It is lightly sweet, not as sweet as I would expect for something with notes of tiramisu and whipped cream, but this does sit pretty firmly in gourmand territory. Ylang-Ylang Espresso lasts pretty long and projects pretty well. It is easy to wear and a cozy-type scent, but I also think this is polished and unique enough for a night out. Black Lotus used to be my favorite Floral Street, but I think this one just stole the top spot in my book. I love this stuff.

Espresso. Skin test, winterbut sunny day. Ooh I love the coolness of this. Out the gate it’s rounded and creamy like milky coffee, not strong bitter espresso, feels like some lush white floral perhaps, and maybe a sweet but rounded and deep tonka? It’s so smooth. After a bit: slightly watery sweet through my clothes, yellow fruit, yes I understand the whipped cream, this has a density to it (not like Ariana grande in her scents) this is not tart. Much later: hmm Taylor swift dies a scent with a similar feel, this one here is not as strong and syrupy as hers, this is more wet and cool. This is still lush, with dense apricot perhaps, but in the fresh rounded side. On my skin these don’t last that long, on fabric they last all day. I love the sillage.

Reminds me of going to late night coffee bars/Italian restaurants in London, in the 90s, back in the days when smoking indoors was still a thing. I do not look back at that time with unalloyed joy (giving up smoking, though necessary, was a pain) but the fragrance overall takes me back to some extremely fun times and the fag-ash note seems to come from an over-enthusiastically roasted Italian coffee rather than actual tobacco. Love the tiramisu and cream-cacao notes, though the ylang-ylang and rose don't add much to the overall composition, being largely undetectable to my nose. It came as quite a surprise to me that the perfumer responsible was Jerome Epinette - doesn't seem to be his style, but I love it. Definitely not a safe blind buy though.

Ylang-Ylang Espresso is unique, dark and mysterious. It's also a weirdly addicting scent! The cocoa and coffee brings a dark dustiness that I love. The cream and tiramisu doesn't make this as sweet and gourmand as one would think, but there is a creamy vanilla that does round everything out (nothing sugary though). The rose note (which I normally hate, but actually love here) gives me femme fatale vibes and I find the whole concoction quite seductive! It's got a bit of bite to it and it truly makes me feel like I am wearing something unique. I can see that it's not for everyone, but if you love it.. then you've really found yourself a gem I have Café Tuberosa and I prefer Ylang-Ylang Espresso, it's more complex and less cloying.

Ok, I don't know a lot about how to properly identify notes, so I won't comment on that (to be honest, I don't even know what ylang-ylang is meant to smell like), but I love this fragrance! I definitely smell bitter coffee with a teeny bit of sweetness. I do smell tobacco too, but when I mention this to people when I'm wearing it, they don't smell it. It's definitely a super bold, strong scent. I love it for winter. It literally lasts FOREVER - sometimes I can smell it over 24 hours later even after a shower. I've had lots of compliments on it. With all of that said, I know this is definitely not for everyone. But I think it's amazing and will be wearing it all winter long :D

I'm testing from an official sample. This is really unusual; I don't think it's similar to anything else I've tried and wouldn't compare it to TF Noir de Noir. There's definitely a powerful coffee note on first spraying. I would never have thought of putting coffee and ylang ylang together in a perfume (but that's why I'm not a perfumer, right?). I did - initially - think I could smell banana, which must be coming from the ylang ylang. There is also a distinct creaminess underlying the coffee and ylang - and there's also a fairly powerful pepper punch. Definitely unisex and niche quality. I think I love this. I may need a FB. Update: I bought a full bottle. This is gorgeous.

anyone else get cigarettes from this? i initially thought maybe it had galbanum cause i usually get smoke and cigarettes from galbanum and i am really surprised that it doesn't. the opening of this is probably one of the best non-sweetened or non-latte-like coffees i have ever come across. then u r faced with this extremely earthy and damp, almost soily facet. then there's a little bit of a sweetness and just a tad bit of something like coconut. the dry down blooms into an earthy ashtray while the coffee still lingers. this is actually quite nice. u don't usually expect something so moldy and polarizing from brands like floral street. the coffee is legit here.

Omg! My new signature! I LOVE this one! It's the type of scents that my skin chemistry adores. I expected coffee to be the dominant note, and as a coffee lover I'd love that, but it's not really the case. Rather, it is a very deep, dark with prominent patchouli and sweet, smooth woody notes - a smoky dark combo scent. Not a gourmand, not at all. I totally agree with @phrogfrau ! Addicting, too! It's...gothic! A vampy and romantic one! It has a great longevity, especially when on clothes (lasts for more than 2 days). Update: The more i smell it, the more coffee and cacao I get! Tiramisu is prominent and the bitter cacao wonderful! Oh my! LOVE it! ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥