Steam Aoud (Aoud Hoggar Mota)

Montale love is strength - to - strength! The opening of Steam Aoud is a moist and chill manicured path lined with bright, sensibly camphoric, green cypress. They are only hints at the sought after status of evergreen, with no actual smell so much as the sight of breathtaking green pires woven between fog. Hanging mosses and giant palm leaves without much emission unmoved over millenia rustle slightly, nudged by groundlings of sweet tobacco leaf wilting beneath a jungle humidor canopy. As time passes, the waxy green cypress foliage remains elusive over an eternal dry down of very sweet taif rose and amber.

Interesting scent for sure! Opening is a bit rough, mostly due to the caraway, but it gets so much better with time. It reminds me of Aoud Purple Rose but with much less rose (I can smell a bit of rose here in the background). It's sophisticated and alluring but not for everyone since it's middle eastern through and through. Smells like a night time scent to me and lasts a heck of a long time with a lingering scent bubble. Love it. P.S. a much cheaper alternative would be Oud Al Mubakhar by Rasasi

After sampling a lot of the line, I finally settled on making Steam Aoud my first full bottle Montale purchase. Truthfully it came as a surprise that I'd love it so much given that this perfume seems to get almost no attention. I suspect that this is named Steam Aoud due to the oud being steam distilled rather than hydro distilled, which is probably the reason that there are no smokey or barnyard aspects to this oud. I don't smell caraway, tobacco or anything identifiabley herbaceous that I might be able to attribute to the Indonesian herb melange "Hoggar Mota". For the first 20 minutes, this smells exactly like india ink. Then, out of nowhere, it switches to a luscious honeyed, rose oud scent. It stays that way for the next 12 hours on my skin. Its gorgeous and almost velvety.

Oud, very clean and bright amber resins and hint of cumin, blending seamlessly together. The composition is bright and shimmering, dry and woody. Squeaky clean without being soapy. Easy to wear, bit regal, slightly formal - and definitely not my cup of tea. Would make a great office perfume for a friend of dry, woody scents. For professionals, for people who want to make the impression of accomplishment. Excellent lasting time and relatively polite - but not humble - projection.

Black Aoud re-packed. Same rosey, woody sharp oud that's typical of Montale's. Although, here the rose is a bit less, allowing more of the "aoud" to show. You'd have to smell them side by side to detect any significant difference, if any. I still like the smell a lot. I like Black Aoud to begin with. Like the for the smell, dislike for the marketing ploy.

Very strange kind of oud. Little bit similar to black aoudh but the rose is much more laid back here. Besides this there is a green or floral tone which reminds me of a cheap and bad smelling shampoo. This is maybe the least pleaseing oud Montale I tested so far. As I write these words after 12 hours of application I need to admit that I started to enjoy it a bit better than at the opening. As time goes by it gets closer and closer to Black Aoudh but much more polite. Without that shampooish tone I would like it.

I was gifted this. Aoud is not one of my favourite scents and I am damned fussy when it comes to Aoud and woods in general. This one is above average for me - a first for Montale for me as I am not a fan of their scent construction - I find them overpriced overrated and underperforming compared to its competitors in its price point - sorry - I know this will offend their fan base. One of the few occasions I’ll have a negative and one of the few occasions that I believe their business ethos ruins it for me. This is a somewhat airy fresher version of Guerlains Royal Santal or Oud Essentiel - or somewhere in between. The steam reference being quite apt. It has I am sure, though not listed Rose or carnation helping it along - the tobacco and carraway being complimentary and detectable more so skin to nose. Other wise - Guerlains Oud Essentiel outperforms this 3 to 1and it would appear to be the benchmark still for me (it is one of the strongest perfumes I have tried or owned - full stop). Not that this one isn’t good in projection and longevity per se - it basically what it should be for the price. I find this a nicer one wearable in Summer where as Oud Essential is a winter only scent. Happy Smelling Edit: Just read some reviews, it seems I’m not the only one that thinks there is Rose in here. Also any claims of poor Sillage and longevity are ridiculous - I think it’s a little anasomic as scent for most. Unfortunately/ fortunately for me my nose is very Oud sensitive and I get headaches usually from Oud which is why I’m fussy I guess. Assuredly I have a headache from this and I can live with it as it is worth it like Oud Essentiel lol

Steam Aoud is a quiet floater. Like a steam, like a literal thin fog that easily disappeared. Like a shadow revealing slowly then hiding back in darkness. It smells very nice and tamed as it doesn't have the power and sharpness compared with many niche perfumes blended with aoud, florals, woods and spices. The strength was only right from the beginning, a few minutes then it toned down mysteriously but with the right sweetness and minimal smoke vibe. One good thing about Steam Aoud on my skin is that I smell the faint amber along with the flowers and spices. Plus I do not detect powder nor sourness. It smells very refined only to the degree of lightness. Steam Aoud is a quality perfume, if we are to categorize it amongst the lightly composed middle eastern scents. A perfume so humble yet noticeable. I think it was really created to seduce, not to shout machismo, but by simply being reserved. Good for colder nights and office wear in 3 seasons not summer. I bet women would smell Steam Aoud sexy on men (close encounter) and light it may be, it shouldn't be more than 2 sprays (1 on skin & 1 on clothing) as it may still cause headache to the wearer when applied in excess.

Very refined and distinguished ouud release; starts with a well balanced, fresh, and balmy note that smells like a VERY NATURAL steamed cardamom. How do I know? having lived in the middle East, in the 80s and 90s, I learnt to brew café blanc with ground cardamom which I also add to Darjeeling tea. For you to know what I am talking about, imagine a less sweet, but fresher (more acquatic), Declaration de Cartier with light and natural ouud. Steam Aoud and Original Aoud have no aldehydes nor iso super e; in fact, they are the least synthetic among the Montale Aoud collection. The Hogar Mota kicks in about half an hour, if one is not sweating (in fact, this perfume likes inertia and cool entourage), and lasts up to 4/6 hours, depending on how many sprays applied! Personally, I follow Montale's advice on the package "apply without moderation..." I buy it to use it... If you are looking for something different, with a spiritual nuance, look no more for Steam Aoud has been created for Angels to wear! Sin does not combine with this perfume; its usage invoke purity and cleanliness... You can buy it with no regret!

I wonder what the notes of Montale Steam Aoud are supposed to be? Are they aoud, caraway, amber, and tobacco leaf? Or are they amber, caraway, aoud, and rose? I smell rose here. All sources seem to agree on the aoud, the amber, and the caraway. Is there tobacco in this composition? To me this smells more like a rose-saffron perfume than anything else. Fortunately, I do not smell any cumin (which is usually what is meant when "caraway" is listed as a note...). The important point is that it smells good. I do not find it excessively "herbal" or "medicinal", as some reviewers have observed. I had no idea what to expect from a name like Steam Aoud, but I have to say that this is a pleasant surprise. Another appealing oriental floral creation from Montale.

A very warm slightly fruity pink rose over a soft tobacco and amber base. Theres a hint of something transparent and slightly camphorous that creates the illusion of steam or mist. The appeal over other Montale roses is the atmosphere, and the gentle way it presents rosy and then ethereally woody. It is a robust fragrance without being sharp or strident. Drydown has a close-to-the-skin proper mushroomy funk of aoud. It's a creative little twist which makes this one a really good offering from this house.

I like it although it's not one of my Montale faves. It goes very floral on me and reminds me Estee Lauders Pleasures. I'm not saying it smells like Pleasures itself, it's just something about my chemistry that turns it once it settles on my skin. All-in-all it's a nice fragrance, though.

I bought a 20ml bottle directly from Montale. The fragrance is very nice, as other described, but it has zero sillage/lasting power. I prefer it to other ouds: no safran, no rose, only oud. ETA: It lasts a little longer that I thought, especially on clothes. The sillage is light.

I like this one! Less aoud and "in your face" than Black Aoud and Aoud Lime, but the amber works great here... A perfect blend, but not powerful enough for this price tag. 7,5/10