Red Tobacco

Is it a niche or is it a designer scent? Who cares! Red tobacco is wonderful, offering incredible performance and unsurpassed value for money. But, and there is a but. Firstly, the initial couple of minutes are quite harsh on the senses and the uninitiated may be panicked into an early, false judgement possibly jumping into a vat of bleach! Just give it a moment or two for the great reveal. It's worth it, honestly. Secondly, be prepared for a minimum of 12 hours of high performance that doesn't know when to quit. This is no shrinking violet and the delicate amongst us need not apply. So back to the initial application, 3-4 sprays is absolutely adequate but be prepared for a fairly brief chemical attack! No kidding, it's a shock to the system for a moment. Within a few minutes the scent just levels out beautifully, but only if you're unbothered by a myriad of strong, distinctive ingredients. It's beautiful blend is impressive though. Tobacco is the most noticeable but there are woody, floral and vanillic notes supporting and lifting it to a uniqueness not found easily anywhere else in the perfume spectrum. It's a bit of a one off. The astounding thing, apart from the value is the way this product changes just a little over the wearing experience but never loses sight of its character or strength. The individual notes swap places over the many hours until finally after 12+ hours of wear you are still left with a decent, noticeable, smooth, almost gourmand residue that will permeate at arms length, remarkable. 🥰 It's definitely a dominant red fragrance up until this point though, somehow all the individual parts combine to giving off an overall vibe of cooler days filled with outdoor activities, to me anyway! I also think that this is a fragrance to be worn by anyone who just ploughs ahead in life without taking prisoners. Apart from the first few moments of wear it's a highly pleasant and super noticeable fragrance that will get a reaction and almost certainly complimented, something I wasn't expecting when purchased at all. This is a more male heavy fragrance although a strong female would certainly carry it off too. It's probably a scent for the more experienced in both years and fragrance due to needing a little self awareness and control of the spray nozzle! Excellent in moderate to cold climate conditions and possibly warmish spring days but I'd avoid in any extreme heat or humidity. I think it'd be a little too cloying and as heavy as an anvil. A daytime scent for sure and suitable for evening wear as long as it's not freshly applied for an intimate setting. It needs a little time to develop and breathe in close proximity to others, not too long though, 15-20 minutes and you're good to go. If you are an individual that treads their own path, likes to be a little different, confident and unafraid of standing out and doesn't care for the great wokeness purveying society then wear red tobacco. It just screams "bring it on". I'd even go as far as to say that due to its presence, value and beautiful scent it would make a great signature for the right standout individual.

I've had my eye on Herod for quite a few months after getting a sample vial and absolutely fell in love with it. The price, however, kept me from pulling the trigger. I just couldn't figure out if I really could justify spending that much on a fragrance, even if I do love it as much as I do, an even if it was the best tobacco-based fragrance I've ever put my nose to. Then, I came across Red Tobacco. The moment I saw the notes and started watching the (very) limited number of proper reviews, I got super excited. Then, when I searched online to see if I could get it locally I almost fell off my chair when I saw that I could get the 120ml bottle for roughly $100. I received it, and WOW, I'm speechless. I really, honestly, have no desire to own Herod anymore. They're not exactly the same, but I like RT for exactly the same reason I fell in love with Herod in the first place...that natural, cozy tobacco smell. RT lasts longer than Herod too, so that was an obvious win right there. RT to me has a slightly more prominent cinnamon note, but you can definitely still pick up on the vanilla. Herod was the other way around for me. I still can't believe how great of a fragrance this is, and for the price compared to Herod it's a no-brainer. It's my first Mancera fragrance and it definitely won't be my last. I'm now way more interested in trying out more Manceras than PDM. The drydown also reminded my a hell of a lot of Carlisle. Funnily enough, I sprayed this on before going to visit my parents. I sat down, and about 2 or 3 mins later (this was after about 45 mins of actually spraying it on), my mom asked "what smells like tobacco? Like, not cigarette smoke, but just tobacco?". That right there was confirmation to me of just how authentic of a tobacco smell RT has. EDIT 1: yeah this is definitely, so far, my absolute favourite fragrance from Mancera for the colder weather months. It's right up there for me with Aoud Lemon Mint. Projects incredibly well and lasts for what seems like forever. What a fantastic value-packed fragrance. EDIT 2: Yup, still no regrets with this one. Lasts for ages and smells incredible. It does project quite a bit, so don't apply it too heavily. I wouldn't dare to go more than 2 sprays for indoors. I also get REALLY good compliments with this one. In fact, one of the most gorgeous women I've ever met gave me 2 or 3 compliments throughout the span of a few hours. There's just no denying it, Red Tobacco is an absolute superstar fragrance.

Big, harsh opening, huge tobacco. Prickly, spicy. Main notes on opening are unflavored tobacco, oud, a little cinnamon and vanilla coming in behind. There's something pretty deep inside, a jammy flower, not sure what it is - yet. He makes me wait. That's ok. Saffron knocks softly, and there he is. But he's not willing to say much. Incense, yes, incense immediately after it's burned. Tobacco and incense ash mingle in my bedroom burning tray; I'm waking up late after being out late rock and rolling, came home to twisted sheets and blankets, red light over the bed shining dimly and the shades down. Light some incense, have a smoke, turn off the light. That next morning, I draw the curtains and squint. Light streams in. The scent of incense and pipe tobacco from the night before lingers on everything, and as I crack the window, a light scent of sweet white flowers drifts up from below. I go into the kitchen, grab a ripe red apple and a pear from the counter. I throw my shoulders back, open up my chest, and take a big bite of each. They're juicy and mildly fragrant. This day is a good day. The platform of tobacco, vanilla, oud and incense is strong. Something in me wants to say too strong, but I don't know if that's true. Red Tobacco is like the massive wildman Enkidu, made by a goddess from clay; the big, wild clay man is tamed with accoutrements hung from his belt and waist, or placed on his head like a wide-brimmed hat. The accessories give him a personality beyond his big, strong body, and so his body is the basis for everything, and you can't understand anything unless you understand first his strength, what he is. The saffron, apple, and spice that emerge slowly are how this wild man is dressed. The jasmine is like the memory of his lover's perfume still faint on his mantle. There is a supporting, smoky note of guaiac wood, though I barely get vetiver and I don't get any patchouli under late in dry down. This perfume is not for the faint-hearted, for collectors of fun-loving gourmands and spring florals. This perfume means business, but if you are patient, it'll protect you and treat you right (apologies to Pat Benatar). The pome fruit remains together with the tobacco, vanilla, smoke and resins, long after dry down. Later dry down is when the musk note really emerges for me. The scent goes on for hours, all day long. It gets better and better, sweeter and more magnetic, as time goes on. The persistence is beast mode. Wildman - yeah.

I'm going to take a bold stance on this fragrance. After hearing all the reviews of the spicy, masculine, dark powerhouse, I really did expect something much more polarising. When my sample bottle arrived, uncapping it meant I could only smell this bright, juicy pear scent. Spraying it however immediately brought forth all the signature spices. I agree with the consensus that the agressive opening isn't the most pleasant. But if you sprayed this in a store and immediately discarded it, you can't claim to have smelled it. The opening really isn't represantive of wearing this in anyway. After about 10 minutes, the spices subside, and the tobacco (Which goes from photorealistic and harsh to something more sweet and mellow quickly) and that apple and pear combine to make a sweet, fruity, room-filling treat with these gorgeous creamy undertones. I'd say the fruit was more dominant to me than the tobacco. There's definitely a medicinal note that's quite reminiscent of cherry (Maybe swerve this if medicinal isn't your thing, but I quite like it). A lot of people compare this to Carlisle by PDM. Initially I picked up this sample as Carlisle truly won me over when I sprayed it - but being far too expensive for me to daily drive, I tried the more affordable Red Tobacco instead. They smell similar in terms of notes, but the overall impression was starkly different in my mind. RT reminds me a lot more of the L'homme Ideal line by Guerlain; I've not seen anyone make that comparison yet but it's those fruit forward notes to me. This fragrance - post-opening - is massively appealing. In the short time I've had my sample, I've had so many compliments. Not small "You smell nice," compliments. I've had girls approach me, sniff me, ask why I smell amazing and what I'm wearing. My girlfriend has mentioned it three times now, and was looking forward to her whole bed smelling like me after I left. The morning after, she could still smell it strongly on my clothes. TRULY, don't overspray this. It is powerful enough as it is. Though since I only have a sample, I couldn't say if this is from a screw or magnetic cap bottle. Either way, I'll be picking up a full bottle. Girlfriend's orders.

Red Tobacco is a beautiful peach, tobacco, woods, and incense fragrance beautifully blended. To me, it is one of the best fragrances you can wear during autumn, and especially throughout winter. The first associations that come to mind are Christmas: sweet holiday pastries and candles on the dining table. Red Tobacco opens with a warm woody accord and a little bit of incense. Right from the first spray, there is a beautiful sweet peach note that reminds me of the fuzzy skin of a ripe flat peach. Peach with a little bit of a gentle incense and a slightly sweet tobacco accord. The peach is never overly fruity, the incense never dark or intensely smoky, and the tobacco does not resemble a cigar lounge in the slightest. Instead, all three notes come across as soft, slightly gourmand and well balanced. The woods resemble the warm, nutty aroma of hazelnut skins. The result is a combination of authentic-smelling peach, warm sweet woods with a hazelnut-like nuance, subtle tobacco, and a gentle touch of incense during the opening—without ever becoming animalic, harshly smoky or overwhelming. As is often the case with Mancera, the performance is phenomenal. Projection is extremely strong, and longevity is phenomenal. On one of my zip hoodies, I could still notice Red Tobacco for almost an entire week whenever I walked past it in the hallway. Even with several sprays, I never find the fragrance suffocating because its character remains smooth, sweet, gourmand with no sugar and a hint of tobacco. If you apply it generously, be prepared for people to notice you from the other side of the street. To me, Red Tobacco could also be renamed in "Winter-Magic" with a touch of tobacco. It leans toward the winter gourmand category, but with considerably less sugary sweetness than many other fragrances in that style. Unlike many people, I consider this an perfectly safe blind buy for anyone looking for a beautiful winter fragrance.