Black Afgano

There are certain moments in any fragrance collector's journey that feel significant in some way, and the moment you try Black Afgano in earnest for the first time is one of them. For the benefit of those who don't know, Nasomatto’s seminal black potion has a cult following and an extreme reputation. It is considered to be a dark overlord of a fragrance; brutal, omnipotent and pretty much immortal. It is also probably the best known of all fragrances that have a cannabis/"weed" accord in. Most of these sorts of fragrances are considered by many to be gimmicky attention seekers and honestly, I'd felt that Black Afgano came under this category in the past. At the risk of sounding a bit hipster and contrarian, I think Black Afgano gets a bad rep. It isn't an evil overlord, it isnt a silly gimmick and (if you'll pardon my double negative) isn't an unwearable, antisocial mess. What we have here is a surprisingly refined and very well balanced potion that is undeniably strong but not overwhelmingly so as long as you treat with respect. The weed accord is redolent of the squidgy black resin of yesteryear rather than the dank, genertically modified greenery we experience these days and it melds very nicely with the incense and saffron to take the opening notes sweeter than you might expect. The body notes are very fine indeed and it is only once you see past the weed in the opening that you really see this one shine. The spices and amber in the mids are really, really good. It still centres on the intense incense but it never goes too sweet or too resinous. The weed is complimentary but not too strong at all and - importantly - doesn't distract or subvert really. I am glad it is there but I am glad it isn't stronger. The base notes are basically as woody and dense as you would expect but the balsam works with the greenery and herbs to make it fresher than it seems. It is really very well judged indeed. It is incredibly strong. There is no getting round that. It is Interlude Black Iris plus plus sort of heavy and most people wouldn't be able to wear this even if they wanted to. It is not immortal but it will stay with you for 24 hours without any trouble. I cannot tell you how it goes on clothes as I've not been brave enough to do it, as I have a feeling it is going to become a permeant, permanent fixture on clothes. The drydown is just a play on incense. It goes from green to resinous to sweet to woody and is very enjoyable. The amber and balsamic textures get stronger as it dries down and it is a thoroughly absorbing wear as a result. The hyperbole of this scent from many seems rather daft and I think largely undeserved. A bit of attention seeking going on there, I'd say. I'd suggest its reputation probably comes from inexperienced people who do not know how to use perfumes like this, rather than from the juice itself. Or, to put it another way: overspraying this is something you likely will only ever do once. One on the chest and a tiny single spritz on your wrists will more than suffice. Any more than this is too much and detracts from what the fragrance is all about. Something more on the wearability here. It is fabulously unisex but is a niche scent for niche nights. Wearing this to the office or to a brunch would be a bit silly. Modern art gallery? Pitch black Berlin techno all nighter? Yes, indeed. It is a formal, wearable fragrance as long as you don't overspray it. Ive seen criticism of Nassomato fragrances as being high priced for such tiny bottles but I am forced to ask - if one wear is one spray, two at absolute most, and you are wearing this even once a month, then why on earth do you need a 100ml bottle that will take milennia to use up? the 30ml bottle - beautifully presented with that fantastic textured cap - is an informative gentle hint on how this wonderful potion is supposed to be experienced. This should carry one of those warnings like you get on booze advertising - "Your friends at Nasomatto remind you to enjoy this fragrance responsibly." There is a delicious irony to this being something you need to enjoy responsibly, referencing an oblique nod to university days of irresponsible living with its best known accord. It sort of makes me wonder what a Nassomato fragrance themed around flaming sambuca shots and casual sex with people you don't know the names of, might smell like. It certainly would be on trend these days. But is this art? It is fragrances like this that turn people who like fragrances into genuine collectors, real dyed-in-the-wool fragrance enthusiasts because they transcend "putting something on to smell nice" and move into a requirement to think clearly about what you are smelling and force you to have an opinion on it as well. Nasomatto are a provocative house that typify the notion of art-as-a-fragrance/fragrance-as-an-art better than almost any, and Black Afgano embodies that perfectly. It is wearable art. It isnt supposed to be a crowd pleasing "panty dropper". It is supposed to be something that makes you think, experience things in different levels and ask questions of yourself. You have to want to be challenged. Three Word Summary: Bottle My Art Scent - 6/10 Drydown - 7/10 Sillage - 10/10 Bottle/packaging - 10/10 Performance - 10/10 43/50

Black Afgano, a fragrance with a reputation that proceeds itself. Dark, brooding, menacing, "gothic", scary... If you listen to some of the reviews you'd believe that Black Afgano was the Devil's signature scent. While Black Afgano certainly is dark and heavy I don't personally find it scary or brooding. I certainly do NOT find Black Afgano to be haunting. There are fragrances that I believe live in that spooky world, B.A. is not one of them. With all of that being said, is Black Afgano a good fragrance? How does it smell? Like I mentioned previously Black Afgano IS dark and heavy, in a very herbal and green way on the opening. It's not a blast of marijuana that I get, contrary to urban legend, BUT a blast of the inside of the headshops of my teenage years. Remember those hole in the wall stores we used to have to visit to buy rolling papers, bongs, salvia, kratom, baja sweaters, and posters?? That's how Black Afgano opens. Nearly identical to my nose. It's NOT Nag Champa it's the photorealistic smell of old headshops. I love the nostalgia. After drying down Black Afgano settles down into a woody and smokey slightly spicy black green scent. I definitely get some Middle Eastern influence but I wouldn't describe it as a "middle eastern profile". Gualtieri certainly pulls from MENA perfumery but to my nose this is very much a "Western" style perfume. The inspiration for Black Afgano is hashish, and while the opening blasts me with the scent of a headshops, it's actually in the finish product on skin where I really sense the inspiration. It's a dark green, almost black, herbal smoke that sits beautiful on skin and wafts around the body. Black Afgano is a fragrance that at no point replicates a photorealistic scent of hashish BUT perfectly allows the wearer to sink into the warm, comfortable, flavourful, and hazy mood that hashish often facilitates for many. Black Afgano definitely shines in colder weather and will "fit in" best as a night time fragrance although it's great to wear on cold days where offices are not visited and consideration is not required. You could spray Black Afgano on at 3PM before going out, come home at 2AM and you'd wake catching whiffs the next morning easily. Longevity and sillage is not a concern but it's neither are obnoxious or overbearing here. In summary, Black Afgano is a lot like some of our favorite and most memorable heavy metal albums that were subject to the Satanic Panic of the 80s. It's big, it's bad, it's certainly not your grandma's perfume BUT is it evil? Is Black Afgano in league with Satan?! Absolutely not. Black Afgano is a show horse AND a work horse that I am very glad to have in my collection, because sometimes the good guys don't wear white. -8.5/10 Overall -Late Fall, Winter, Cold Spring -Night, Day(Not Office Safe) - Location/Situation: South Street, Philadelphia, PA It's 930PM on a Friday in January, you're headed to meet some friends..You decide to run into a smoke shop to pick up some rolling papers and a lighter before it gets to late in the evening. - Song: Sleep - Dragonaut

My Take on Black Afgano This is a masterpiece that deserves respect. All these years have passed, and it still shines. It’s an extremely complex perfume with no end. It smells dark, sexy, and ritualistic. From my understanding, this perfume is inspired by hashish, but I get more of an impression of charas. Charas smells fresher and greener than hashish, while hashish is more earthy. Right from the opening, I detect a cannabis note that adds a fresh, slightly pungent green nuance. Davana brings a hint of bitterness, while saffron offers this bittersweet smell with a slight metallic or cold edge that’s hard to describe. Then you have resins and cinnamon although I don’t detect the cinnamon as much. Tobacco adds a warm aroma that beautifully complements the saffron. There’s also a hefty dose of resins, which can come across as warm and spicy. I get that warmth combined with the tobacco, amber, and resins. Violet adds a subtle powdery feeling to it. The incense is constantly present, but it’s not the type that blows your head off it’s lighter, almost meditative. I also get a touch of oud, but it stays underneath everything.It’s detectable yet never in your face. Musk is there as well. Lately, I’ve been picking up on the coffee note more clearly. I won’t mention every single note because these are the ones I predominantly smell. Together, everything gives off this charas like aroma that, mixed with the incense, is almost hypnotic. It’s truly a masterpiece. Alessandro Gualtieri is a genius. I do love his creations, so I am quite biased. My favorite from him is Cuoium, so there isn’t much more to say. I feel like Black Afgano is much safer these days compared to the past, simply because there are so many niche houses around now, and it doesn’t feel as challenging. To me, it’s not challenging whatsoever. But it’s definitely not for everyone.

I have been waiting a long time to get this. This isn't the crazy, wild card as many portray; It presents itself as a Joker, but this is a well-blended form of leather/tobacco feeling scent, with two main notes: the sweet part of the hashish when is burned, which is very present, and the same note on a lower scale, akin to some sort of black ink (which is probably the oud). It is as good as many already said, however what is very peculiar of this scent is that i personally know all these elements on their own, and it never crossed my mind one time that this was going to work, as i think it takes lot of know-how to come up with this formulala, not only is genius, but is also very elegant, rock solid, deep and dark all at the same time, a very good serious man or women fragrance, to me is clearly for man, but this can easily work with a strong women too, would be perfect with a black or leather mixed suit, it smells like someone you don't want to mess with, Black Afgano isnt playing any games, is present and is aware of his sorroundings, is almost like a schield of a dark knight if you want. The performance was something special, it goes from the opening to the end as a perfect scent should be, dense, and light when is needed, strong on you, but airy and intriguing in the air, there is no way someone would not realise you are wearing it, this is how most scents should be as functionality, each step of the evolution is special, last forever on clothes and becomes even more cool as loses all the darkness. Master of dark scents.

What a complex perfume I must say... I had the opportunity to try both of Alessandro Gualtieri's creations Black Afgano and Terroni and I found both to be "brother & sister". Let me explain: Black Afgano is a wonderful perfume, in my opinion. It opens with a powerful note of cannabis not made for everybody, it might be perceived pungent at the beginning for those not used to such smell. After it dried on my skin, and waited about 5 min. I perceived the smell of hashish, very particular and dry. A touch of sweetness was perceived but after 20 min or so, just a hint. Like pouring liquor to a drunken person, drop by drop letting him know there is going to be more... after, the animalic notes started to appear mixed with the still persistent and opulent smell of hashish. After 2h all the notes were mixed beautifuly with the tonka bean note and it became this unique, woody, resinous and even creamy experience on my right hand's skin. Black Afgano is the perfume of Power. Not a powerful person, like millionaire, no. The kind of power that comes from owning the darkest corners of the mind. Now, Terroni... well, I had it sprayed on my left hand and I can tell you they smell incredibly similar at the beginning and for most of the time with the woody/dry profile with the difference that Terroni has more raspberry giving it a delicious fruity olfactory profile. Black Afgano: Longevity 10/10 Sillage 5/10 Cool seasons Night.