Cafe Gourmand

to me this is a beautiful saffron and hazelnut latte scent mixed with a smooth wood scent. this is not a coffee forward fragrance, despite what the name might suggest. it is very creamy and woody. if you hate saffron or tend to think it's a bit too doctor's office chic for you, definitely sample this first. the saffron definitely could hit your nose as medicinal, but for me it is sweet and lactonic.

Completely disagree with the previous review. This is not a starbucks dark roast photo gourmand, if you want that try Akro - Awake. This is a sophisticated, moreish, grown up interpretation of a coffee scent. If you just want straight up coffee, this is not it. That is what makes it wearable from my perspective.

My very first try of the house of Maison Tahite is Café Gourmand, part of the coffee collection of 4. This first entry is actually not too coffee-intensive but rather a balanced gourmand, unsurprisingly a bit sweet with some spicy and savory qualities, as well. The full note list is brief enough that it seems worth mentioning all of it: saffron, milk, coffee, hazelnut, patchouli, vetiver, sage, sandalwood, musk. So it has a tempered sweetness, albeit without too much coffee, but more notable are the savory elements that remind me somewhat of L’Artisan Parfumeur - Tea for Two and The Dua Brand - Chef Will Birge / Mealbox, both with interesting savory elements. I find Café Gourmand fairly easy to wear, though, not too heavy and not remotely over-the-top in terms of the gourmand sweetness. While I imagine others who find the savory aspect a bit distracting may not enjoy it, I think it’s surely worth a try for most, at least to know that fragrances like this (the sweet/savory/spicy blend) are out there. Café Gourmand and the rest of the house is priced quite modestly for niche, at $115 for 100ml in EDP concentration, sold at Luckyscent (where I bought the coffee sample pack and an additional larger sample set, as well) and other boutiques. 7 out of 10

Creamy hazelnut milk poured on roasted coffee grounds spread over a tree stump. A toasted nut breakfast pastry served on a wooden plate with a cup of joe. Creamy and very nutty gourmand, but somewhat light on the coffee much like its siblings. Soft projection for 2-3hr, longevity 8-10hr.

Beautiful and undeniably strong. The scent truly captures the atmosphere of a bustling café or bakery during peak hours - rich, warm and full of life. Unfortunately, the coffee note is a bit too overpowering for me. As someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy the smell of coffee, I found it slightly heady and even headache-inducing at times. I was drawn in by the cozy, gourmand description and wanted to give it a fair chance. While it definitely delivers on that promise, it’s just not quite “me.” That said, my boyfriend really enjoys it on me, and I’ve received a few compliments while wearing it - so it clearly has its fans. But personally, I prefer something a little softer and less intense.

Instant “nope.”.. literally, within 3 seconds. The opening had that odd dirty back-note I can never do (skin chemistry!), and once it settled it still felt like a flat, slightly off coffee that was just a bit middle of the road. Not terrible... but absolutely not something I’d ever reach for. Sample first — this one is very skin-chemistry sensitive.

Rating: 🤨😷☕🏙️ Do I like it: For wearing? Nah Who it is: an underslept big city dweller trying to survive another day in the modern urban dystopia Smells I get: coffee, metal, smoke, Black Opium vibe, vanilla, musk Meyer's Briggs type: ISFP If Maison Margiela took this and renamed it to "coffee in the city", it would sell like water. A 1:1 ratio of city pollution and black opium perfume. Opens like straight up coffee with a zing of something metallic, as if someone was drinking coffee in a café in a building next to a construction site. You notice that a few ladies in the café are wearing Black Opium, and the loudness from the construction continues rattling on, becoming intolerable. You'll finish up and get to your apartment block through gusts of perfume and city pollution, wrapping yourself up in a blanket while you work from home, subconsciously desiring nothing more than to set your eyes on a green patch of land.

Far too woody to be considered gourmand.

I am a perfume lover and can appreciate many different fragrances and notes even if they aren't what I would personally go for. This is one of the rare times I ever found a fragrance revolting. I sprayed it on my arm and gave it about 30 minutes before I had to wash it off. And it wouldn't come off! Lasted for hours. All I got on my skin was an old school men's aftershave mixed with coffee. Not for me.

Very weak perfume, I just can smell coffee aftertaste (if that makes sense).

Nauseating. One of the most off-putting fragrances I've ever smelled.

Smells quite terrible to me, in the opening I get a tiny smidge of coffee, then the “saffron” takes first place, and it literally smells like those blue scented gloves that dentists use to check out your teeth, br540 doesn’t smell like a dentist, while this does. Edit: the dry down is actually pretty good, but it pretty much just smells like a jammy saffron with not much coffee, which is not what you would expect with a name like “cafe gourmand”

Smells so sharp. I don't get any gourmand. Just alcohol (this was well after the alcohol evaporated) and some sharp bitter coffee.

If you wanna smell like a literal coffee shop uh you found the scent

Coconut water and sage. No BR vibes (fortunately)