Café V

*cue music that plays in the cafe in Persona 5* The evolution, complexity and quality in general is always amazing with Olympic Orchids and Cafe V is no different! In the opening act, cardamom and chai are the stars of the show. Both are so realistic and fragrant. There’s a heart of rich, dark wood but it’s mainly a warm spicy carda-bomb (ha) There’s this addictive acidic scent in the espresso and dark cacao notes that is so lush. This is a gourmand in Ellen Covey’s style, it’s not sweet or dessert-y but roasted and full bodied and spiced and delectable. Then I smelled my sample strip a few hours later and got this lovely, smooth, worn in leather with the scent of coffee being ground in the next room. I always cherish when I find a scent that genuinely evolves right under my nose (HA!!!). The cardamom and chai now take a backseat to leather and a bit of dark roast espresso beans and rich mahogany wood. I wouldn’t say the coffee notes are front and center at any point but it’s more so the atmosphere and cafe ~vibe~ This takes me back to working overnights as a barista at this cafe called Monkey Nest in Austin when I moved out there on a whim at 17. It smells exactly like the loose leaf chai tea and the lattes I would powder with spices and practice foam art on, and reminds me of the coziness of the low lighting, chatting with regulars, listening to the “chill indie” playlist on repeat. Or the yearly art fest they have in November near me where the air is crisp and cool and there are handmade leatherwork stalls and coffee pop-ups grinding their own beans and pouring from French presses.

Yum! I fell head over heels for cafe'v! I have been searching for an ambery,cozy,deep dark fragrace for fall. I had a large decant of amber sultan and almost bought that but decided to try one more. I love spicy,leathery,woodsy frags so i blind bought a full bottle of cafe'v. I didn't know what to expect and reveiws differ. Well, delicious! This perfume is high quality, thick,dark,woody,amber,cozy and perfect for fall. It smells like October. It starts with a blast of strong sweet cardamom (my nose perceives as cinnomin) cocoa. Soon it begins to smell similar to Amber Sultan, the ambery quality with the same green note that smells like angelica. Next it changes into a hot mug of creamy chi tea with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg and it's sitting on a bed of suede. Doesn't smell like harsh stinky leather, it smells like a soft luxurious suede blanket; it's not a dominant note but it's there. Finally it morphs into what reminds me alot of Chergui. Oh my gosh! I found my cozy, warm, spicy, frothy fall fragrace! Sillage is magnificent and longevity outstanding! 12 hours, and sillage is a good 6 feet. One spray lasts all day. Its georgeous. I also love that Ellen Covey hand signed a thank you for the purchase, the packaging is so elegant and i received 3 free samples. I will definatly be buying from her again. I just wish they sold bigger bottles:)

It's been 4 years since I purchased this and its been a couple years since I've worn it. This gets better And stronger with age! I keep all my perfumes in a dark wooden cabinet and Cafe V got stronger and darker and thicker oh, I didn't think it was possible to get any stronger and it did. It smells even better now that is aged than it did when I first got it. I wore this today and got compliments from everybody about how good I smell. It starts with strong burst of cardamom and cinnamon and then some leather in dark coffee come out along with whipped cream and some dark woods. It smells like a cafe. Absolutely delicious. Great to wear in the fall and winter. It smells like you could eat it. Cafe V will stick to your skin and clothes until you wash it off. So it starts strong and stays strong and a scent Trail follows you until you shower it all off. This is the only perfume that has stayed as strong as it was from first spray that I've ever tried. Definitely worth the money if you like Gourmet Coffee smells, Smoky leathery Woody smells, spicy perfumes ,then you'll love this. It reminds me of chai tea and coffee while sitting in an old Cafe.

Opens with whipped cream and vanilla, quickly throws off some caramel, cookie and marshmallow, like the inside of one of those puffy, bundt-shaped, chocolate covered marshmallow cookies, and a little bit like a samoa. There's also something slightly sharp that my partner described as minty, but it's much subtler, like a spearmint flavored mint, might be the cardamom. The chai flirts in and out. If you drink chai regularly, you might notice it more. The coffee is also subtle, smelling more of an overly flavored vanilla latte. There's no fresh grinds smell in this if that is what you're looking for. Slowly, it gets more leathery, like a well worn full grain leather when it's cool. A great gourmand and smelling salt. Some women may find it too masculine because of the leather, and I saw many reviewers detected heavy woods. The Cafe name is apt, but it smells more like a cafe that mostly does sweets and serves drip coffee than the brewing espresso scent you might expect.

I adore this perfume. The more I wear it, the more it smells like white chocolate. I also detect vanilla and a base of woods. This is a very creamy, woody gourmand vanilla, for sure! Sillage is fantastic. Similar to House of Matriarch Coco Blanc, but so much better and far more interesting. Makes me remember rainy days in Seattle when I would duck into a coffee shop with steam covered windows. So cozy and one of the creamiest wood scents out there, without being sugary sweet. An artisan masterpiece. Update: I now own a 30ml bottle. It’s different from my travel spray. In this one I smell hot cinnamon and leather. My first purchase was a few years ago, and it was creamier and wasn’t spicy nor leathery at all. Still beautiful in any case and well-blended! This one is like the same steamy coffee shop, but it has cozy leather chairs.