Coffee Bomb

My second sampling of Maison Tahite is Coffee Bomb, one of a quartet of 2022 coffee-themed releases, and like Café Gourmand, it’s really a blend of notes, not coffee-dominant, but coffee is certainly more present in Coffee Bomb than in Café Gourmand. Still, Coffee Bomb, while having some black coffee, too has prominent notes of rose and black pepper, a really fun blend that, for obvious reasons, reminds me somewhat of Café Rose in the Tom Ford Private Blend collection. There’s comparatively a little more coffee in Coffee Bomb, though, with the notable pepper note as well. There are a handful of other notes—frankincense, iris, vanilla, patchouli, etc.—that may factor in, but for the me, the coffee, rose, and pepper trio tell most of the story. Overall, I really like this. It has a Montale/Mancera-esque quality of well-used rose and pepper notes, which create something special with the coffee. There could certainly be a Montale fragrance with a similar-enough composition but none come to mind immediately. Coffee Bomb, like the rest of the entire house, is priced at $115 for 100ml in EDP concentration, a fairly modest price for niche perfumery. The discovery set is currently out of stock at Luckyscent, but individual vial samples are still available. 8 out of 10

Too peppery top, the flowers add a grandma pot pourri vibe and the base ingredients make a hairspray accord. Sadly, because otherwise the scent is good

I initially hated the coffee note. I agree it’s the smell of your clothes after you get off shift at a coffee shop. Not terrible just not something I would ever want in a perf. I like that the coffee seems to completely dry down which was a relief making the rose a pleasant surprise. I get NO oak moss as someone mentioned but who knows maybe I’m just not there yet. Overall I call this one an acquired taste and IF you vibe with roses and you’re NOT looking for a creamy sweet coffee gourmand then you might like this. Very non edible gourmand which IMHO saves it but I also get why people would not like it.

This is a step into a coffee shop, but this time you’re waiting in line behind a sweet old woman. The pure black coffee is wafting all around you, but the powdery perfume she’s wearing makes an appearance in the dry down. As you get your order and take a sip, you can still smell her from across the shop, but now there’s a slight floral note, like someone (perhaps their lover) brought one of the baristas a bouquet.

Jasmine, milk, coffee opening in that order. A soft coffee-flavored glass of milk sprinkled with earthy spices, adorned with an airy nosegay, lightly chocolate drizzled. The coffee gets stronger as it dries down and dark to the point of having a burnt woody undertone. Moderately soft projection for 2-3hr, longevity 8-10hr. The coffee is there, but it's no bomb.