Cuir Cuba Intense

Having started reviewing fragrance about three years ago, I am at a point where many offerings start smelling the same, not 100% the same, but similar enough to feel redundant. Today I came across a small store selling the full line of Nicolai fragrances. I had sampled some of the Eau Fraiche line in the past had enjoyed them enough to buy a 30ml, but also kind of dismissed them as innocent freshies. But wow, the intense line is probably the most amazing set of offerings I have come across in a while, honestly they feel otherworldly, a level of respect for olfactory art that transcends public opinion. I started with New York, a harmonious Creed-esque citrus oakmoss, then went over to the mysterious peppery patchouli, then came this beast. I remember reading somewhere years ago that the inspiration of this fragrance was the famous Hemingway absinthe-based cocktail, Death in the Afternoon, mixed with the signature smell of green tobacco leaves of Cuba... and it is spot on in this case. It is an ingenious combination of a potently fresh overtone of anise and licorice, somewhere between ouzo and absinthe, with a herbal incense base, resembling an airy almost green tobacco accord somewhere between the fresh hay of Chergui and the herbal dry humidor of Lorenzo Villoresi Atman Xaman. There is just the right amount of creamy sweetness and just the right amount of freshness in the base where it just comes to a perfect harmony. Unlike so many other absinthe or anise theme fragrances this one actually maintains that distinct spiciness for hours (needless to say stay away if you don't enjoy anise or licorice). I particularly love the dry down, woody but sweet, fresh and soft spicy but not as edgy as the opening and with a bit of a fougere-like musky touch, but nothing too vintage smelling. It is one of the few scents I bought after a single whiff, probably one of the most stunning creations I have ever come across, something I must own at all times, and secondly one of my favorite interpretations of tobacco out there. I think it may come from my upbringing in the Mediterranean, where anise incense and the occasional narguile are key parts of the olfactory palate.

I was apprehensive walking into the Nicolaï boutique. All I had smelled from the brand thus far was New York Intense which smells like something even my grandfather would have found old school. So, in an attempt to guide the salesperson towards changing my perception, I asked them for something a bit odd, a bit non-traditional. She ended up having me try about a dozen fragrances, but she was very right to reach for that one first. From the first sniff, I got a whiff of something I hadn't even thought of in about 10 years, but that had defined my childhood. An absolute madeleine moment - a blast from the past by my favorite childhood snack. And if you're thinking it's some anise candy, then you're close (but no Cuban cigar). See, my mother kind of limited the amount of sweets in the house. It's a little odd, but instead she often had me snack on... Freshly cut fennel!! That's what I had unfolding on my skin along with blonde tobacco and subtle animalics! I was transported back to happily chomping my way through a bulb and still am every time I wear this. Does that resonate with the name Cuir Cuba? Maybe not, but I honestly could not care less. This won't be for everyone, but for me it was an instant masterpiece. Could very well be a new signature scent: it's fresh but has substance. It's surprising and unusual but is still very classy and unabrasive - unless you're an anise/fennel hater in which case I'm sorry for you in more ways than one. Quality is supreme, performance is there and the price is right. This is modernized classic perfumery at its best in my opinion. Got me a 30ml for now as I literally haven't finished a bottle in almost 10 years, but I have a feeling this might be one of the rare bottles I'll actually need a bigger size of in time.

PPHHHWWOOOOAR! What a scent! RAWHEAD has a good description here. To me though - despite the notes - this smells like slightly damp tobacco with caramel fudge and salt! On the dry down after a few minutes the bright citrus disappears. A cursory sniff to me smelled more like caramel fudge and tobacco but its your nose playing tricks. I can smell the great projection being the same with mint and anise registering but closer nose to skin I can start smelling the note table though to me mostly mint and very much liquorice with cigarette tobacco rather than pipe as well as hay and lavender. After a while darker earthy notes like the patchouli and civet come forward. Amazing scent - if you like tobacco you will want this... haven't got anything like this except Atelier Cologne Tobacco Nuit which is simpler. This is more complicated with many changes and layers. Tope shelf next to PDM Herod, TF TV, Miller Harris Feuilles De Tabac, Comptor Sud Pacifique Rhum et Tabac, Atelier Tabacco Nuit, Xerjoff Naxos, Slumberhouse Baque, Ex Idolo Ryder and Farmacia SS Annunzia Tobacco D'AUtore - all give remarkably different takes on a tobacco scent (except TV and Herod). Wish I had a bigger bottle ;)

Meyan ve anasonun baskın bir açılış yaptığı ilginç bir parfüm. Adına bakarak tütün baskın bir parfüm beklemeyin. Meyan ilk başta biraz acı bir hava ile var. Hemen yanında anason. Ancak yarın saat sonunda tütün "bende buradayım" diyebiliyor. Zaten tütün kendini göstermeye başladığı andan itibaren parfüm kendini gösteriyor. Ilk yarim saati unutun. Ardından gelen ise karakter sahibi oldukça erkeksi bir parfüm. Lavanta sahnede değil ama parfume kalite hissi verecek şekilde arkalarda geziyor. Animalic nota kendisini hissettirmiyor ki bu çok iyi. Ama parfüm biraz da kendini hissettirmeyen bu iyi harman sayesinde farklı bir noktaya gidiyor. Bağıran bir parfüm degil ama kendini hissettiriyor. Kalıcılık makul. 30-4₺ yaş be üstü için uygun. Gençlerin bir parfumden beklentileri ile ortüşmeyebilir. Bu markanın birçok parfümünde genel eğilimin dışında harika tasarımlarla karşılaştım. Cuba da onlardan birisi. Kalite ve karakter.

I get more licorice and anise than mint. The lemon stays for longer than I was expecting and magnolia is the most prominent floral note at first. There is something "stanky" in here; the cumin comes first with the slight BO quality it has, and the civet waits around in the background until later and is light when it does show up. The tobacco is on the milder side but is still definitely there. Sweet, spicy, a bit floral, a bit funky, and completely intoxicating! This fragrance wowed me. I couldn't help but smell my wrists over and over again when I wore it. There's nothing else like it, and it changes so much over time. I need a full bottle. I will say, I would not call this a safe blind buy. I adore it but, I could understand someone else not loving it as much.

One of my best Nicolaï, an amazing, unique, sophisticated, nostalgic perfume. It reminds me of taking a little siesta on a hot, summer afternoon in my grandma's old house. The soft spicy minty top note makes a kind of cacao/coffee feeling and it's exquisite. I suppose the tobacco note already emerges a little at the beginning, mixed with anise and licorice. This beautiful top note last pretty long time then gradually hay and tobacco become stronger. I can detect cumin and lavender well. Not much of geranium, ylang-ylang nor magnolia. There is no oud for sure, but the bottom note is a very stable woody mixed with patchouli. I love using this perfume in hot humid summer day like today, feeling the scent vaporizing from my skin and playing around, then slowly gone.

to me, it ́s easily become a NO.1 fragrance of my entire collection. It used to be Bel Ami Vetiver but this is more refined, more formal, more professional, hi quality ingredients here ! Classy, refined, sophisticated, above all the boring trends, completely on different path than the rest of repeating perfume smells .... unique, timeless masterpiece. Nicolai easily and quickly became my most unique perfume company of all time .... better than some Les Exclusifs or Guerlain L ́Art et Materials or even some Malle ... hands down, creativy, uniqueness, proffesional blend of hi quality notes. .... youtube review about Nicolai Cuir Cuba, Ambre Cashmere and Caravanserail on Miles scents channel - overall impression

Perfect woody spicy scent with high doses of licorice and tobacco. A great combination that hides the fougere quality that exists underneath it. The lavender ia there but the tobacco plays high on the compositon. It's more of a pipe tobacco with it's sweet tendencies, helped by the licorice. A gorgeous sweet sillage that screams high quality materials in a classic, but yet, modern way. My favorite from the house. Good longevity and projection, super underrated, and such a classy scent that plays a different tone. It could had been the L'Homme Ideal from Guerlain, if Nicolaï was the perfumer. The leather doesn't existe but the Cuba part is well perceived and applied. Recommended! 4.5/5

Heady, rich, darkly fabulous stuff! Opens with a pungent, lavender-studded anise and licorice with a chilled shot of lemon and a twist of mint. But what dominates is a heady, earthy tobacco leaf which reminds me of that fragrance found in empty cigarette packets. The leaf is darkly mysterious and adds enormous character to the almost syrupy anise. Underlying all of that is the scent of a sun-warmed, harvested meadow and an uncharacteristically shy cumin and coriander seed. I love this. It's fabulously hedonistic, suggesting sensual luxuries and drowsy pleasures enjoyed without urgency. Distillation: hedonistic scent dark and fragrant tobacco lit up by anise

Solid as a battleship and fascinating as a Rubik's cube, Cuir Cuba opens with minty lavender, noticeable licorice and layer upon layer of various spices. Quite aromatic in its richness but not fully; it’s comfortable and controversial with patchouli and animals to prove what I say is true. The ingredients are mega ripe and rich, emphasizing the lemon from the citrus and geranium, the soft peel of ylang ylang and a tobacco note that's ongoing. Yet at the same time, this is an ethereal scent, the epitome of contrariant elegance and a real fragrant mullet; business in the front and party in the back.

Cuir Cuba Intense is a truly unique and one-of-a-kind fragrance with a well-blended scent profile. The standout notes are tobacco, licorice, and star anise, creating a deep, aromatic experience. Woody patchouli and various spices play supporting roles, adding complexity and depth. There’s also an animalic undertone that might be polarizing for some. Personally, I appreciate fragrances that break the mold, and Cuir Cuba Intense certainly delivers on that front. It’s distinctive, bold, and intriguing—definitely one for those who enjoy something out of the ordinary. Rating: 4/5

I really can't understand the negative votes about this fragrance. So many dislikes? Really?!! Something is going wrong here. IMHO, Cuir Cuba Intense is extremely refined and elegant fragrance. It is very well blended with high-quality materials. The opening is nice, actually during this stage it reminds me of a smoother (much more unisex and slightly floral) version of Creed Tabarome. A few minutes later it changes a lot and from that point, Cuir Cuba is a totally different story than Tabarome. It has very sexy and seductive base part, I like it a lot. Thumbs up!

Cuir Cuba is mind blowingly good! I am crazy about this perfume. For some reason, I find it powdery, and it has a bit of sweetness to it. I don’t smell tobacco, instead, I think I can detect anise and powder, almost like makeup powder. I’m a vanilla girl, I love gourmand scents like Fire at Will, Sugar Kisses, and many others, and although this one allegedly has no gourmand notes, for some reason I can still smell them. I recently bought a 30 ml bottle, and now I need to buy the 100 ml ASAP. I totally recommend it. Also, I think this is a feminine perfume.

I tried it for the first time yesterday and absolutely loved it. really interesting celery, cut grass and hay in the opening and I felt it dried rather sweetly on my skin with the ylang ylang and coriander really coming through. It feels like walking through a field with tall grasses when it hasn't rained in a while, fresh, grassy and dry. I believe it would work spring-autumn but maybe a bit too fresh for winter wear. Androgynous, savory, and complex.

The reviews on this are so immature, I hate when people say a fragrance is awful or terrible. Most of the time it’s purely subjective. Perhaps nobody else is a fan of licorice, as that is the dominant scent in the opening. To me, this fragrance smells masculine in a more nuanced way. I visited a family owned leather shop in Florence last year and this fragrance makes me think of one of the owners enjoying a Negroni on the patio after closing shop.

Cuir Cuba Intense is exquisite to say the least. The magnolia note with the tobacco and licorice make this fragrance very interesting. I applied it in the morning and I could still smell it in the evening. After it dries down I could smell some civet with leather but not in a strong way. It was sweet as a matter of fact. I think it can be worn both day or night. Another great fragrance from the house of Nicolai Parfumeur.

An excellent Leather perfume, not at all sweet imo (and that's a plus for me), very potent and original. In theory it is unisex, but finally it will take a side - a masculine one, but not macho. Leather, dry tobacco, licorice and some spices - for a wonderful all day & all night concoction, made to be appreciated by all in the neighbourhood! For the better of the humankind, no more than three sprays! A deserved 9+/10.

I haven’t been this genuinely 'WOWed' by a fragrance in a long time. It has an incredible level of masculinity and versatility. After wearing it several times, I’ve noticed an aromatic quality coming from the Anise. I don't usually enjoy tobacco-based fragrances, but this one has genuinely made me happy, even though it’s not exactly 'WOW' in terms of longevity and sillage. My rating for this fragrance is 9 out of 10.

As all Nicolai perfumes this blend is GORGEOUS! The only problem with this one is it does not last longer than 3 hours. I have to bury my nose into it to get a wiff. I really expect more for the money in terms of performance. I have to admit that the 3 hours that it did last it just kept evolving and evolving! Stunningly masterful.

Sweet licorice tobacco. Beautiful frag, opening is unique and interesting and potentially challenging but goes away quickly and leaves a passive, polite Amber. Doesn’t last too long nor is it too dynamic and a bit of a let down after the opening which is intriguing but it is a very nice scent. 8/10