Intense Cafe

Smells just like Cafe Rose by Tom Ford, which is the perfume that kick started my most recent perfume adventures. Lasts FOR EV ER. I haven't smelled Roses Vanille, but I assume it has roses and vanilla as the dominant notes. This is mostly roses and coffee. Its a dark rose....not a tea rose not a jammy rose. I've been searching for a roses and coffee perfume that isn't a $350 2.5oz Tom Ford for a while now and this smells just like that one I can't believe its not in the "smells like" section yet. The rose in it is the same kind that's in Atomic Rose and Infini Rose too but instead of vanilla and pink pepper you get coffee in there with the vanilla and no pink pepper instead. Those smell most similar to this to me. But the best thing for me is that Montale really knows how to make ALL his perfumes last and project much better than all 3 of those that I have smelled. You'll smell like a rose latte until you wash this off. I'm so done with perfumes I have to keep topping off throughout the day. Why are most perfumes now lacking so badly in longevity and sillage compared to 80s 90s and early 2000s perfumes?! It's ridiculous. Back then they used to make a perfume with such good sillage and projection, I'd have to spray it in the air and walk through it. Now I have to spray it directly on myself and even then, it's a ghost after 4-6 hours. Anyway, I love the Intense Cafe. If you like the queen of flowers this is definitely one to consider for your collection if you don't have TF Cafe Rose.

Yes, I am going to be obnoxious this summer and wear this out and about. It’s beautiful, but honey it is l o u d!! This perfume is precious. Precious. Where has this been all my life? This perfume is gourmand, powdery and rosy, sharp, and very warm. Like an incense that’s constantly burning in the background. It is so gosh darn beautiful. I will say this perfume is sticky. Think of syrupy roses. There’s a hospital-like smell that kind of pierces your nose, but fret not, as it is only the amber and coffee settling. Overall, I can describe this as sipping smooth espresso while sitting in a dark room with the smell of rose incense burning, along with fresh roses by the bedside. You sniff the sweet roses, sip your espresso, than catch a whiff of the smoke. This perfume isn’t complicated, per se. It just has too many perfectly blended notes that happen to show up all at once. I mean, you immediately get the coffee, amber, and vanilla rose. It packs a punch. However, it is soooo ethereal. This might sound weird but this reminds me of growing up catholic? Like, it reminds me of praying the rose petal rosary I had. Wearing white, sitting at the foot of my bed praying, the candles, the silence, the rose beaded rosary. It smells like youth, innocence, nostalgia, yet something that’s beautiful that can’t yet rebel. It’s totally a gourmand and I would repurchase this in every lifetime.

Massive compliment getter, if you use it right. I hated it at first, it was unwearable and gave me a headache so it stayed on the shelf. Few years later, I rediscovered yet - my nose changed, and I think the perfume in the bottle did as well. The scent was less chemical, more mature with greater depth and complexity, like a bottle of aged cognac. It’s rose forward with a lot of coffee, but not a fresh rose - this is jammy and sticky, like a rose preserve. On the skin it goes through multiple stages, from intense pungent rose with strong coffee notes, to a powdery and milky gourmand, and finally a dessert with the rose a background singer, like the aftertaste of gulab jamun if you had it with a cup of cappuccino. It is however beast mode and requires careful application- I find one spritz on the back of the neck, OR on the inner corner of the elbows is the perfect way to use it. It’s noticeable, sweet but subtle, and still manages to leave a beautiful trail without nauseating people around you. Avoid on clothes because it will not come off until you wash, and never more than 1-2 spritz on the body. This is surprisingly good for layering, since the intensity and depth makes for a good base layer, I top it off with spicy scents that can cut through some of that overpowering sweetness, like something with cloves or cardamom.

I’m not usually a believer in macerating perfumes, but this one might have changed my mind. When I first got it in October 24, my experience with it was just an overpowering sticky sweet rose with nothing much else going for it. There was a fleeting coffee note that barely lasted 10 mins and then it was just dark dense roses. It was a little off putting at the time, so I put it aside and almost forgot about it. Yesterday (31/12/24) I noticed it on the shelf and took it out for spin.... And boy was I blown away! Age and maceration seems to have finessesd the blend of elements in this composition revealing the full intent of the perfumer. You get the florals with the rose in the open before the coffee makes it’s presence known within the first few minutes, and when it does you get the essence of this fragrance in all it’s glory: a beautiful milky coffee in a cloud of vibrant roses, transporting you to streetside cafes in spring where you sip a rose latte as you watch the world go by. It’s a bold but casual fragrance in my opinion. Suitable for cooler evenings and less formal settings. It’s great for a night out for dinner or the theatre. I wouldn’t recommend this for the office or for serious engagements. Lasts a good 6-8 hours on skin, maybe 12 hrs on clothes. Good value for money at it’s price point.

I ordered the mini 20ml bottle as part of the “My Little Treasure Box” direct from the Montale website. I have not given this fragrance any time to macerate so this opinion is initial first application only at the time being. When I first sprayed this I was definitely unsure and it was honestly quite obnoxious. I immediately get hit with a very slight coffee note and an intense rose - it actually made me think of sipping on a sweet coffee and eating Turkish delights. Unfortunately the slight coffee note disappears almost immediately and you have left an overwhelming musky floral rose. It’s not my typical fragrance as I’m not a huge rose lover but I also couldn’t stop sniffing? The dry down is where this fragrance really shines though!! The obnoxious rose fades into such a beautiful sweet rose. Overall this is a VERY feminine musky floral fragrance with a hint of vanilla at the dry down. If you are expecting a coffee note - this ain’t ya gal. If you want a beautiful classy sweet rose, she’s definitely ya gal! Is it the type of fragrance you could wear every day? No. Probably not. I can see this definitely being a perfect fragrance for a formal setting. I certainly would not call this a gourmand fragrance either as there are no lasting gourmand notes and is straight up floral!