Tobacco Cider

Another unusual craving for this time of the year. Hendley's Tobacco Cider. The temperature has taken a significant dive over the last few days. And then, the garden floor is decorated with summer apples, and since we can't collect and eat all of them, a vast amount starts to ferment, resulting in a beautiful "apple cider" aroma that permeates the air. Hence, I have been craving Tobacco Cider, which remains to this day my favorite interpretation of this phantasmal "boozy accord." Then, I realized I had never reviewed it, and since I know it's difficult to sample, perhaps my thoughts will help some of you who are looking for it. Tobacco Cider has grown to be my favorite creation from Hendley Perfumes. While I also love Myst and Narcis, the former came to feel incomplete, rather a base for a perfume than a final product, while the latter is not as distinctive, although charming. Tobacco Cider has also significantly changed, to my nose, since 2021; it is lovely and unique, making it a high-ranking composition in Hendley's catalog for me. The name is partly misleading because I never got much tobacco from it. In the beginning, I didn't get any, but lately I do see how it might play its part in the later stages of the fragrance. Still, it's not a major player. To me, the most prominent notes and accords are: the woods, the boozy apple cider accord, the spices, and unexpectedly, the civet. For the longest time, I had been searching for a perfume to capture the perfect apple cider accord, but was unable to find one. "Apple accords" in general are more mishaps than hits for me, just like with coffee. They either smell like toilet freshener (Apple Tabac), too sweet (Mond), or are overtaken by annoying synthetics that wreck the entire composition (Promise). This one is perfect: the fruit accord smells like summer apples, with that nice balance between sweet and sour, on the verge of turning, showcasing this fermented-boozy quality that makes me think of the alcoholic beverage. Hans perfectly complemented this accord with woods, a touch of vanillic sweetness, mulled spices, and added a good measure of all. The spices are strong in the opening and tame down gradually. The woods are the hallmark of this fragrance, smelling like a combination of cedar, oakwood, and sandalwood. There is a perfect touch of sweet vanilla and benzoin. The big surprise was the addition of a rather loud civet note, most welcomed, I might add, as it gives the fragrance a nice dirty edge, yet just like the sweetness, it's kept in check and never crosses the line. Moreover, I feel this perfume has only aged for the better. In the beginning, I felt that if the sweetness from the vanilla had been dialed down a notch, it could have been perfect. Time worked its magic, and now it's just like that with the woods coming more to the forefront and overshadowing the vanilla. I get plenty of cedar and oakwood, not much of the sandalwood. They give the impression of an oak barrel where the apples were left to ferment and later used to flavor the cider. I love the way he worked the wood base in here. As for the tobacco, as mentioned, it is hardly detectable and smells on the leafy and wet side of the spectrum. I don't complain, though, I like it much better as it is. If you love the idea of a boozy apple (cider) with spices and lots of woods, and you're not afraid of the extra dirtiness from the civet, chances are you'll love this one. If you like Hans' woody and smoky perfumes, add some spices, light sweetness, and cider, and you'll get a good impression of Tobacco Cider. I find it fairly unique and an Autumn staple, although I enjoyed it immensely over the past few Summer days. IG:@memory.of.scents

Sampling Hendley Perfumes Tobacco Cider, originally a 2019 release as #6 of that year’s limited Laboratory Series, recently re-released but promptly sold out. Its name is very apt, as I get both sweet and spicy cider as well as a more acidic, darker tobacco note. The blend seems about midway between these two. It’s dense, rich, and smells resinous and elaborate, the with the resins (benzoin, mainly) bridging the gap between the cider and the tobacco. It performs well and overall does not land too sweet, not as sweet or bright as, say, Cola, which I also love, but not as dark or spicy as Fume. I’d definitely recommend that others try this the next time it’s available, as it’s unique and different from other creations in the house’s catalogue, for sure, but also unlike other fragrances that I’ve tried and is well-crafted. For this most recent release, Tobacco Cider (in extrait concentration) had comparable pricing to the rest of the line, at $250/160/85 for 50/30/15ml. 8 out of 10

Again, blessed to have been given the chance to sample this... From the instant this hits my skin, I haven't been able to stop sniffing this. It's mesmerising. It's regal. It's majestic. I get slight flashbacks to my first time trying Xocoatl. It has that same boozy quality to it (though they are not alike). It's vanilla, but not as I know it. It's a lighter, more airy (airier?) vanilla. Like nothing I've even tried. There is also a dairy quality to this, really adds to the whole air and feel of the whole scent. However, given the fact that this was released as a 9 ml spray to around 30 people in 2019, I'm probs never EVER going to get it any time soon -- and even if I did get anything, it wouldn't be anywhere near enough. Love this!

Tobacco Cider unfortunately suffers from hype as an unreachable unicorn that only a few could ever put their nose on. I purchased a 15ml and I’m really glad I did because I could tell almost immediately this fragrance just wasn’t for me.

A good swing, but a miss for me. Overall I really like Hendley's creations. But this one has one thing that don't work for me. The note Civet doesn't do any favors for the Tobacco. Civet is an animalic note. It's supposed to have a degree of "dirty" in it. Which it does here as well. But it blends with the Tobacco, giving it (the Tobacco note) a touch of "ashtray" which kind of ruins the Tobacco for me. And ultimately, since this is a Tobacco heavy scent, the whole composition.