Montabaco Cuba

First proper sampling of Ormonde Jayne Montabaco Cuba, a fresh, spicy, slightly sweet blend that’s smooth and easygoing and highly pleasant while having just a bit of provocative sharpness at its opening. Its main notes are a blend of citruses, florals, and spices—most notably bergamot, juniper, jasmine, magnolia, and tea—with a base of tonka and tobacco. It has a great blended effect that defies categorization somewhat; it operates at the intersection of a handful of different genres and themes without being too over-the-top in terms of being a freshie or tobacco scent, but somewhere in between, with the abovementioned ensemble of citruses and florals providing a bit of a laundry-fresh aspect in contrast to the tobacco or sweetness in tonka. This is an easy one to love and I can easily see how its reputation has gotten so strong so quickly. This particular release from Ormonde Jayne, a limited edition, is on the pricier side of the brand, at $275 for 88ml (sold via boutiques like Perfumology), but its utility is extremely high, as this could easily be an everyday type of fragrance that is nevertheless very sophisticated and special. I quite love it but I’m not sure I’ll ever spring for it, a comparable situation for me to the Lubin Aristia collection—especially Sinbad and Galaor—that I undoubtedly regard as excellent but perhaps just do not need a full 100ml of, given the price point. Still, this Montabaco Cuba is very special and I would highly recommend checking it out, as it could be extremely useful to some. 8 out of 10

This is a good scent, good longevitiy and high quality with naturals and great packaging - however I don't get much tobacco at all - I get an overwhelming Jasmine bomb and not for me. It's not exactly what I would think of Cuba as - a very fresh/floral fragrance, reminds me somewhat of Roja Oceania, however the dry down is almost sour-like after 3/4 hours. Ormonde Jayne customer service was really poor at getting back ro me also unfortunately.

Those who know, know! This is an exclusive Limited Edition frangrance - only 250 in production. My copy is in the early 200's. One I definitely will not exhaust in a hurry due to its uniqueness, exclusivity, gorgeous smell, and then some. This is a lovely men's fragrance that in my opinion may pass for unisex, but tends more to the blokes corner. It is such a lovely smelling fragrance and the fact that it is LE makes it all the more special. Glad to have it in my collection. 10/10

Just added this to my collection and am quite happy. I love the light citrus/tea/flowery scent. To me it has no tobacco that I can detect. It reminds me very much of Memo's Winter Palace which is in my top 5 scent that I wear mostly in the summer. I think this is a very well balanced scent with citrus and flower scents really well blended together. Very safe scent to wear and stays rather close to the skin. I think its really an excellent unisex scent.

Easily the best in the Montabaco series. Something about the addition of orange and a pinch of vanilla perfectly balances the bitter woods of the original. The opening is lovely and fruity, almost candy-like and the drydown is typical Montabaco with a fruity touch. Performance as with the entire line is ample, excellent release!

Hopefully this won't remain a limited edition. I'd like all the Montabacos.