Nabatieh

Jordi Fernandez? A date and coffee fragrance? With smoke and spices? Yep, this was one of the easier blind buy decisions I'll ever make. It arrived earlier this week from French Avenue and cost around US$25. The box is very fine but that bottle is something else. I've never seen anything quite like that before. It is 3D printed I think, made of some kind of resin, lined with metal accents. I don't hate it, it's just very.... different. "Different" is a bit of a theme for this one. The juice is quite something. It isn't like anything else I own and I mean that in a really good way. It is fascinating. You first get this big hit of black, roasted Arabica coffee beans and cardamom and it is sits a little bitter at first, in a nice way. As it dries down it changes on the skin. The coffee stays in but the gorgeous sweet dates and vanilla start to appear and it starts to go a little creamy and gourmand in this really strong, masculine way. There are a lot of Middle Eastern notes in this, and the bottle is very Middle Eastern, but it has a broader feel. You don't need to be Middle Eastern or enjoy Middle Eastern style perfumery to love this one. The orris in the middle is woven into the other accords so you struggle to pick it out, but it adds another layer of richness. The best way I can describe it is that there are lots of rich things in this fragrance all working together to make something super rich. Layers of richness. The coffee is rich. The sandalwood in this is one of the most attractive such examples of the noble wood as you'll ever find and yes, it is incredibly rich plus a bit smoky and bitter as well. The spices are rich. The vanilla and tonka accords are rich. I think there is some Benzoin in this as well and that is rich. The orris is - you guessed it - rich and the date and almond accords are also rich. If this was a dessert you would be asking for a takeaway container after three mouthfuls because you wouldn't be able to finish it. Again, if that sounds a bit confronting, it shouldn't be. It is very good and astonishingly wearable. As we would expect from Mr Fernandez, the blending is excellent and it never feels synthetic or cheap, which given the price is borderline miraculous. It is this lovely, dark, sweet, rich (there's that word again) fragrance that wouldn't work if the blending was not up to the mark. I imagine myself playing with making my own fragrances from time to time and would love to do one that has coffee, dates and cardamom in. My attempt at this would be akin to what it might smell like if a Cheescake Factory and the Starbucks next door was hit by a burning, out-of-control truck carrying dates. It would be a disaster. Nabatieh is, by contrast, a ridiculously assured masculine powerhouse that is about as well blended and judged as any fragrance could ever be. Sorry to repeat myself but I couldn't believe how wearable and accessible this fragrance is. Nabatieh is also a timely antidote to fragrance fatigue. In this world of dupes, "beast modes", bergamot, florals and yes, even oud, you can start to tire of looking for the sometimes small differences in what you get your nose on, especially if like me you're smelling something new at least once a day lately. But Nabatieh is nothing if not individual. It is properly different. This is something a bit special that is genuinely interesting. That bottle is also, as I've said, interesting too. When we talk about "successful blind buys" this one was an absolute home run smash hit. I greatly, greatly recommend this one. Three Word Summary: Have Another Coffee! Scent - 9/10 Drydown - 9/10 Sillage - 9/10 Bottle/packaging - 6/10 Performance - 7/10 40/50

The opening on this was kinda assaultive on my nose (a bit too warm spicy), but 15 mins later it becomes this beautiful dark gourmand scent. To me it becomes like this mix of 65% Initio Side Effect and 35% Lattafa Khamrah Qahwa. This was my first true blind-buy, and I thought it was a failed buy at first but the post-opening was too good. I still don't recommend blind-buying at all but if you like scents like Side Effect and Khamrah Qahwa, this is likely to be safe. Nothing to complain about with performance. Overall, I think the juice in this is of high quality. I don't wanna be a glazer, but I think Jordi Fernandez cooked with this one. This style of scent just isn't for everyone. I still hope that with maceration, the opening becomes more smoothed out.

Just received this and wow, I'm glad I picked this up. I don't tend to like Vanilla but the way this comes together is addictive. Can't speak to longevity yet, but it's a "heavy" scent, though one that I don't mind, it may be too much for those around you. It evolves quickly, within 30 minutes the top notes fade (fine by me they are a bit astringent as others have said). The rich smokiness as it dries down makes me want to keep putting more on but it's strong enough to give me pause. Wonderful fragrance, would buy again

This is really good and one of the best fragrances I have tried from French Avenue. Nabatieh smells very similar to Toy Boy 2 and it makes sense, since Jordi Fernández is the mastermind/nose behind both fragrances. Nabatieh and Toy Boy 2 also both share coffee and Akigalawood notes as well, but Nabatieh is less fresh, less spicy and more powdery and sweet, because of the added dates, almond and vanilla. I definitely recommend this.

Wear this in the cold. Very cold days. And it truly becomes an amazing scent. It's warm, cozy and hugs you. Sweet, smokey and soft yet packs a punch. Unique and a special day scent. Not a everyday wear. But more for those very special nights. Smells like something that Lubin or Atkinson would make. Extremely high quality stuff. But certainly not a blind buy.

A quality scent from French avenue. I have been after this for a while and am not disappointed. Initial verdict is it won't be for everyone but definitely for me.

As a woman of a certain age I find this scent unisex for women who can handle it. Very unique and interesting scent profile. Totally enjoying this.

This is stunning. I can’t believe how niche this smells considering the price.

Love this. By far the best from french avenue so far.

Excitement was definitely high going into this one. I just received my bottle this week, and the first few wears have already made it clear that this is going to be an interesting fragrance to watch evolve over time. Right from the opening, the spice profile stands out. Cardamom and cinnamon give it the warm kick you’d expect, but it isn’t a sharp or aggressive spice. The almond brings a subtle creamy nuttiness that rounds the edges without muting the spice. It softens the composition just enough to keep it balanced. The sweetness is unmistakable. Dates are very prominent, delivering a syrupy richness that sits at the heart of the fragrance. Coffee also shows up early and clearly, adding depth and a slightly roasted character. Vanilla, however, plays more of a supporting role. It’s present, but it isn’t the star of the show. One of the more interesting elements is the akigalawood. It gives the scent a slightly ethereal quality that I didn’t expect. There’s also an underlying freshness, but it’s not the typical “fresh fragrance” freshness. It’s more of a subtle lift beneath the darker notes, creating a contrast that keeps the composition from feeling overly heavy. At the moment, I’m sitting at a strong “like.” It hasn’t crossed into love yet, but the quality is undeniable. This isn’t going to be an easy mass-appeal fragrance either. The profile is bold and distinct, and I can absolutely see why opinions on it are so divided. People are either going to really get behind this scent profile or strongly dislike it. The timing of the release is a bit strange, considering we’re heading into spring and summer. This fragrance is clearly built for cooler weather. It feels dark, dense, and unmistakably Middle Eastern in style. Fall evenings, winter nights, and late-night settings are where this will shine. Performance has been solid so far. It leaves a noticeable sheen on the skin and carries a rich presence without feeling thin or fleeting. The bottle design is another talking point. The 3D-printed-style plastic casing isn’t my favorite aesthetic, but I also don’t think it’s nearly as bad as some people have made it out to be. It definitely gives the bottle a unique look. My bottle has a February production date, so it’s about as fresh as it gets. Because of that, I fully expect this fragrance to evolve as oxygen works its way into the bottle and the composition settles over time. The notes feel like they have the potential to deepen and blend more as it matures. For that reason alone, I’m very curious to revisit this one in a few months. I can absolutely see it moving into the love category later. For now: strong like. Blind buying? I wouldn’t recommend it. This is a scent profile you should probably try first. As far as wearability goes, I’ll reach for it whenever I’m in the mood, but make no mistake—this isn’t a warm-weather fragrance. It’s dark, bold, and very masculine in character. While anyone can wear whatever they enjoy, this one definitely leans heavily toward a traditionally masculine scent profile

Nose Note #981 To me the overall impression from this is not of dates, coffee or smoke. I'm getting a solid smell of something like a spicy milky oolong tea - that's the best way I can describe this. If I try to dissect the scent then yes, I can smell dates and coffee undertones, these are quite obvious, everything else is just supporting this image of dates and coffee. It can be viewed as something a bit dark and smokey, but this is not what I have in mind when smelling this. If I never looked at the notes and didn't see the bottle I'd actually think this is not as heavy as it's probably intended to be and I'd think it's a spicy and very milky oolong tea! One more important thing I must say - it's jumping off the skin very very far. With some scents you can bury you nose into the skin. Do not even try putting your nose closer to skin than approximately 5-7cm. Coming closer it just hurts my nose. I get similar experience with some fragrances from Amouage. With some others from French Avenue and Lattafa too, for example Art of Arabia III, Ajwaa (which also have a strong dates note, coincidence?). Indeed, this is suprisingly similar to Grow. It's like one perfumer made two of the better formulas and the company couldn't decide on one, or the company gave two perfumers one task and these were the results. I must say I like Grow better. They are different enough. Grow feels like something from a high-end niche house, Nabatieh smells like something also from a niche house, but just not as top tier. In the sillage though they both give me a very similar image of spicy milky oolong tea. More about Grow in the respective review. Hard to give it gender. It's sort of unisex by design, maybe. But generally I'd say this is more masculine. Confidently strong. Sillage is medium though. If you overspray - it will give you blasting sillage. 7.2/10, I guess I'm not a fan of dates note. The best dates fragrances I've had are Ajwaa and Lumiere Garcon (former is very gourmand, latter is very elegant and very masculine). Overall best is Lumiere Garcon

Later edit: after a couple of days this Nabatieh thing started pulling it's own weight. Lasted on a t-shirt more than 12 hours with decent projection. Initial impressions were very bad given the high expectations because of the price point but I think this one can redeem itself in time. Long lasting? Strong projection? This???? What the fuck are these people smoking? After 30 mins it's gone from the skin and after 1 hour it's gone from clothes too. Same shit happened with Amber Empire. Grow was a big disappointment and now this one too. "Extrait" lmao. FUCK YOU French Avenue. Maybe start investing more into your juice quality instead of fucking fancy boxes and influencer glaze. The absolute fucking audacity to charge so much money for this shit and not deliver quality.

For me, all of these "spicy-boozy-dates" perfumes are iterations of the same fragrance. French Avenue "Nabatieh" is another iteration of this familiar scent profile. Nabatieh is 100% Khamrah with an EXTREMELY faint coffee note. The cinnamon adds a sweet spiciness to the opening. The coffee note in Khamrah Qahwa is much more detectable than the coffee note in Nabatieh. I cannot compare Nabatieh to Khamrah Qahwa. To me, Nabatieh is a lighter, smoother version of the original Khamrah. And FWIW, all of the newest, spicy-boozy-dates perfumes remind me of Une Nuit Nomade "Jardins de Misfah." If you're on a budget, Kamrah, Khamrah Qahwa, Nabatieh, Grow...pick one. They're all pretty okay.

Initially, it feels very similar to Grow, but about 2 or 3 hours later, they become completely different and smell quite like Guidance/Guidance 46, so I’m going to vote for Guidance. I'm grateful to whoever brought Guidance on because I might not have noticed it otherwise, as Guidance is a scent I really love sniffed on my wife.

Two months have passed since my first review and I can finally say I'm pleased with the state of this one. It had a rough start with shit performance but now it's good. It easily lasts 12 hours on clothes with decent sillage and it smells really good.

Nabatieh by French Avenue is a linear fragrance built around a dominant blend of dates and coffee. Interestingly, this combination comes across very close to a dark chocolate accord ... about 90% of what you perceive throughout the wear feels like rich, slightly bitter chocolate mixed with some old woody note similar to old wooden wardrobe. The scent leans heavily toward an old-school character, making it more suitable for a mature audience ... I'd say 40+ fits it best. It performs better as an evening or winter fragrance, where its depth and richness feel more appropriate. In terms of performance, longevity is quite good, while projection sits at an average level. This is definitely not a safe blind buy, as the profile is quite old fashion and may not appeal to everyone. For younger users, this likely won’t be an appealing choice unless you're considering it as a gift for someone older with a preference for classic, heavier scents. I’m aware this may go against the hype surrounding this release, but it’s important to be honest and keep expectations realistic. Overall rating: 6/10

It’s a mix of different fragrances not a direct clone. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the combination of dates and iris. The presentation is amazing, I would love to have the bottle in my collection. I wish they had used this bottle for a different scent.

I was so disappointed when I smelt this I thought I will get a beautifully sweet dark and smoky fragrance that is different cuz is had dates in it But this is like 10% dark and 90% sweet gourmand winter scent I get no smoky vibes no iris no woods and no Vanilla no cinnamon. the notes are very misleading You almost can't get most of them In the opening the cardamom note is strong but not so beautiful like other fragrances The date note somehow comes way too sugary to me I am sad cuz this didn't live for the hype and didn't expect a Jordi Fernandes work would turn this bad I hate to say this but khamrah kahwa is better than this Don't blind buy this and take your time trying it This gets 5 out of 10 Maybe with maturation it will get better But for now I don't like it

Recently aquired a 3ml sample for this fragrance and let me tell you, it's just not it. I was led to believe it'll be a mind blowing scent by tiktokers and youtubers however its mediocre at best. Its extremely heavy, strong coffee background (not like amore caffe mancera) and just pure spice and date bomb. Its also very nauseating type of scent DO NOT BLIND BUY. It's really for aquired tastes. It's also synthetic during the 5 minute opening but that fades away quick so not a problem. So glad i didnt blind buy or else it'll just sit collecting dust. You wont lose anything if you skip on this one.

Recieved a free sample of this in my order from an online Arabic store. Yikes migraine straight away. Pure cinnamon and strong incense coffee etc bletch. So so bad.

If you have Kamrah Qahwa , don't buy this.

Wow! Received this yesterday and it’s an instant love from me. I’ll need to wear it a few more times before writing a proper review, but looking at some of the comments and ratings I’m like... 🙈🙄 Two people think it’s overpriced? 🤣 Let’s just be clear about what you’re getting here for around £35–£40: A Jordi Fernández release — one of Givaudan’s top perfumers (and my all-time favourite) — delivering a unique, spicy, deep and moreish release. This isn’t a dupe. This is French Avenue spending the £££ and presenting their own Givaudan-created release. So first of all, let’s give them credit for actually bringing something new. And secondly, let’s give them credit for the fact that it’s an absolute banger. That is all for now. I’ll write a more detailed review once I’ve wore it for a week or so. But my initial thoughts are 10/10 🔥🔥🔥

I’m usually a big fan of French avenue, notes look amazing but it doesn’t smell like anything particular, the opening is sour, astringent, sweet, like sour-fruity, spiced coffee powder, given the notes I should love this, but the combination is not for me, notes blend together in a messy blob, everyone I made smell it, all of them winced and strongly disliked it. Dry down an hour later is much much better, though after an hour it’s not strong enough from that point on to keep it in my collection. If it was beastmode and that dry down projected and lasted for ages I would say buy it and wait. Otherwise this isn’t a safe blind buy. Love the bottle but this is a pass for me.

10iq under me, no idiot im not. im calling for change and removal of bots and slop from THE FRAGRANCE REVIEW PORTION OF THIS WEBSITE. if u cannot understand that, it just shows u r 10iq. i am fine if fragrantica deletes ALL OF MY COMMENTS AND BANS IF THIS SECTION IS FINALLY REGULATED TO BE ABOUT REVIEWS ONLY NOT RANDOM PIGLET SLOP

If you’re a fragrance snob, this will smell very familiar to you because it carries the same DNA as YSL Babycat and Caden by Oman Luxury. It feels like repeating the same formula over and over again, only adding a slight twist each time. I’d rate this 3/5

5 comments all random piggies that just want to be noticed. FRAGRANTICA DO BETTER AND START BANNING THESE PEOPLE FFS

Your dumbass is doing the same fucking thing so by that logic they should ban (me included) all these reviews....

French Avenue is slowly but surely rising to being my favorite "dupe" house along with Swiss Arabian.

The way this smells, I’d rather eat it than wear it.

First comment!!! Smells good 👍🏻