Hindu Kush

Wow this is gorgeous! I love it! This one leans more masculine imo, more so than Red Tobacco to my nose. Red tobacco had more warmth and sweetness than Hindu Kush, which makes easier to wear as a woman. They both share a grassy note, which is a bit more wet and muddy in Red Tobacco, and a bit more dried and hay like in Hindu Kush. Looking at the notes in both I think it’s actually the green Apple in RT that I pick up as grassy , as I have the same with the green apple in Light Blue intense. The grassy note in Hindu Kush is probably the cannabis, as it’s more herbal and dried/hay like. Funny how the nose and brain work. To me the cannabis note does not overwhelmingly smell like weed, there’s a resemblance, but my first association is not with weed. I do agree with Ariodante_invictus that the opening smells like dried field grass. There’s herbs in there, maybe some wild flowers. It’s definitely not plain hay. It’s more green and fresh. There’s a huge blast of spices too, definitely cloves and cinnamon, perhaps some black pepper. There’s little to no sweetness. Whatever sweetness the cinnamon, incense and vanilla provide, it serve more to soften than to sweeten. It is classed as an Amber woody fragrance, but I would personally describe it as more of a fougère. The amber is barely there, and it has a strong herbal foresty vibe going on. It’s quite smooth and leans a bit blue for an overall green, herbal scent. Which is the reason I feel It’s a bit too masculine for me too wear. Even though I enjoy wearing men’s fragrances, I have found that blue fragrances are the category that’s hardest to wear as a woman. And this fragrance has exactly that quality. I think it might be something in the combination of amber, patchouli with aromatic and somewhat wet green notes.. regardless of what it is, this fragrance makes me feel like I’m wearing aftershave, there’s this specific type of smoothness that reminds me of freshly shaved chins. I think a lot of old fashioned after shaves have that same blue, clean smoothness. which is just a bit too much man for me. The musk also gives it a hint of armpit smell (which I adore in warm fragrances), which combined with the freshness of this, makes me think of men deodorant, not because it actually smells like that (is much More classy and beautiful), but because it seems out of place on my female skin. All in all I think I will give this to my brother. I’m sure it’ll smell much better on him. Despite how this may sound, this fragrance doesn’t smell cheap at all. In fact It smells very elegant. It’s a pretty natural smell. There’s something slightly synthetic, but it’s not as present as it is in some other mancera/montale fragrances. It’s a fresh smell, but warm and spicy at the same time. The dried grass and herbs quality in this makes me lean towards fall as the best season especially with the spices in it and sometimes I smell wet leaves.. However the freshness is reminiscent of spring and even summer. Sometimes it smells like freshly cut grass too. I believe this can be worn year round safely. It’s not a safe blind buy imo. Definitely not for women. I assume it’s somewhat safer for men. You have to be into aromatic, fougere and blue scents though, and as this is such a complex and constantly changing fragrance, I strongly recommend testing it first, not once, but a few times as I also think this is the type of fragrance that requires a few wears to truly understand it.

Six years after the commencement of Viktor&Rolf's lauded Spicebomb franchise, Mancera ascended to the challenge. In the Dune universe wars would be fought over the spice that is Hindu Kush. Supremely indulgent, it exclaims its wearer is the youthful heir to an empire with prowess and powers of seduction beyond compare. Oh, and there is also absolutely zero cannabis on this spice world. Let me explain... Hindu Kush is an ornate box full to the brim with authentic incense sticks that were hand rolled in a mountainous Indian village. Composed from a combination of locally harvested spices and expertly crafted perfume oil, the incense will soon be reached for, a stick will be lit and carefully placed to smolder, the smoke will drift into a ray of sunshine, illuminated as it melds with the vapors of cannabis freshly exhaled by two lovers. A sitar is expertly plucked in the distance. Hindu Kush is an element of this scene - the box full of incense - but it is not the entire scene. The spice of Mancera's Hindu Kush belongs in two extreme climates: the raging desert heat of Arrakis, where such a muscular fragrance will endure a summer's onslaught, or the frigid cold of a Siberian winter where the magic stays close enough to not inadvertently leap out and cast a love spell upon every passerby. Absolutely not office safe if sprayed on the skin just before leaving for work. Only acceptable if sprayed on fabric the night before so it has time to settle. As I sit here writing this review I can almost taste it. Monumental radiating projection, sillage, and longevity. Hindu Kush can be found on sale through various spice smugglers for below $90 on occasion. Be daring: at that price the generous 120 milliliters is a definite and immediate blind buy.

Wearing it right now and unique is definitely the right word. Firstly, right at initial spray is the only time I smell cannabis, but it’s strong and definitely cannabis for about a minute, combined with a baby wipe alcohol scent. And honestly for the first minute I was scared I wasted my money, but immediately the sweetness and woodiness came in, and it stays for a long time. The incense, spices, and patchouli come in as the green from the cannabis leaves, and it honestly turns pretty fruity, mixed with a very dry, powdery wood, and some spice. I was surprised when there wasn’t mandarin or bergamot notes. Cause it stays pretty bright refreshing and fruity for a while It just continues to develop so smoothly and nicely for the whole life of the scent, as the green and fruity feel fades, it just gets more woody, sweet, and spicy. And towards the end (8-10 hours later) it’s a nice woody, alluring skin scent. On clothes it lasts days and comes off a lot more sweet and woody than on skin. Overall it’s amazing and unique, but absolutely an acquired taste, if you don’t like powdery, or intense then don’t go for it. Projecrion and longevity are great. Only drawdowns are how harsh it is at the very beginning, and sometimes in the first hour it can smell like grandma or grandpas house when the powder, spice, and patchouli all combine. Other than that I LOVE this fragrance, definitely get a sample and see for yourself. 9/10

An incredible offering from this perfumer, somewhat unique among their fragrance line but also has that "dense" Mancera footprint. Warning that this has a Mancera opening, meaning you need to give it anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes to settle into its true opening. I also suspect that this one will macerate in the bottle over time much like Red Tabacco did for me as it was largely absent from the sample of Hindu Kush I bought before purchasing the full bottle. Opens with dried field grass (not hay) and a strong medicinal note from the spices, incense and cannabis but manages to sit light in the air due to the overall dry heat of the accords. Not overly sweet but with a lovely floral accent to soften the other openers. The dry down of Hindu Kush is sublime, dominated by Patchouli and woody notes with a leftover hind of floral and green from the opening and a mild, rising sweetness from the base. The fragrance has a solid end, loosing the floral but somewhat retaining the patchouli and even a lingering green spice as it settles into a wonderful woody, musky, vanillic lullaby. This fragrance is very difficult to pin down seasonally. The notes seem to skew cool to cold but there's a dry heat to the total composition that lends itself to summer as well. You could technically wear this all seasons, though it may skew daytime over evening wear. Would suggest sampling first over a blind buy.

Ive been hesitant to try this due to the cannabis note. But people told me its not what i would think. Its opening is a sweet green, incensey smell. The cannabis is not "pothead/marijuana." Its a very sweet herbal note. As it dries down, patchouli is VERY prominent. A very earthy soil dirt scent with the cannabis and spices. It smells VERY organic and natural. It would be like lighting a stick of incense in a forest. The patchouli is the main note to my nose, so if you are not a fan of patchouli, stay away from this one. I cannot smell the vanilla or white musk. Once it dries down, it stays a very warm wood meets moist earth smell with a sweet smoky vibe playing in the background. Hours in it settles into a calm sweet spicy green ans earth accord. This is definitely a unique scent! I want to say I love it, but I find it so strange. I dont dislike it at all. I just havent smelt anything like it. Ive even dpuble checked with others to see if I smell like marijuana and they all say no 😆 Great sillage and longevity as many have noted. The patchouli makes this quite masculine. Spring and summer is where Id feel this fits the best. Fall as well. I feel winter it would feel out of place for me personally. Its a popular one by Mancera and definitely unique. Im still trying to decide if I like it or love it and if I want a bottle.