Tabac Tabou

If you are curious what the tobacco of Merlin would smell like, or that of the Sorcerer in Fantasia, here is Tabac Tabou. It has this magical, ethereal, effervescent and yet slightly dangerous quality that makes it very unique for the genre, and, for me, places it towards the top of the best tobacco perfumes I have ever smelled – right up there with Chergui by Serge Lutens. Chergui opts for a very complete and naturalistic impression of tobacco, beautifully capturing all of the nuances of the highly aromatic and leathery fermented Cuban seed leaf; Sheldrake’s inimitable attention to detail makes Chergui so beautiful and fascinating that it is never once boring in the slightest despite its linear presentation. Likewise, Marc-Antoine Corticchiato’s approach to Tabac Tabou leaves no detail, corner, nook or cranny overlooked in a masterful manner much like Sheldrake’s, however Tabac Tabou is not truly aiming for naturalism. Tabac Tabou is the idea of tobacco, the spirit of tobacco – what it would smell like if it was alive under a sorcerer’s hex. Two ingenious decisions MAC made in this composition are what are driving this magical interpretation: the use of immortelle and narcissus. Immortelle is hardly anything new in a tobacco perfume, granted, but the way it is handled in TT – and the stunning material that MAC loves so much, unforgettably featured in Immortelle Corse as an example – is what is commendable. The immortelle here has its natural curry spice facets pretty well intact, granting the overall tobacco accord a wild and exotic tonality, but more so than the culinary aromatics is this feeling of the immortelle being alight. As in Immortelle Corse the immortelle in Tabac Tabou is warm to the point of being hot, golden to the point of radiating light, it smells the way a burning tobacco ember looks, which is quite different to typical tobacco perfumes that present themselves as if you've lifted the lid off of a tin of cured pipe tobacco. Then, to my nose, is the truly clever addition of the narcissus material(s). Yet again, the addition of a honeyed floral note to a tobacco accord is hardly novel, but, this particular narcissus material(s), and the way it is handled, is. There is the honey note, the creamy white floral note, a bit of sweet earth and grassy hays, but it’s the dull yet hard, the sweet metallic taste of licking a silver spoon, and the green edge from this narcissus that give the greater tobacco accord a sense of supernatural jeopardy. The hot golden glow of the immortelle contrasted with this cool, green, dull knife-edge is very striking and gorgeous, and a masterclass in texturization with the smooth sandiness of the immortelle, and the fleshy narcissus with its hardened green edges. The more obvious notes of a tobacco perfume become apparent during the dry down with bits of slightly earthy vanillic benzoin, resinous and floral labdanum, and, obviously, a very minutely-fruity cured pipe tobacco note. The honey note that worked to convincingly deliver a facet of narcissus in the heart is more apparent here, alongside a good dose of musky leather. Even here at the dry down and skin scent the tobacco accord isn’t quite what we would expect; though toning down the otherworldly and edgy qualities of the preceding layers, it still comes across as odd, still alive and dynamic – a warm smoldering ember as opposed to a bright glow with glinting edges – and full of rich detail, breadth, and depth. I must detract from my fellow enthusiasts when it comes to Tabac Tabou. Naturalistic tobacco, this is not. Agrestic this is not to my nose either. This experience could be due to a batch variation, since MAC does make a point of informing us of the vintage on the bottle label. I smell magic. I smell a spell. Real green or cured tobacco does not smell like this. Agrestic and rustic implies the roughhewn textures of real grass, real soil, real wood and tree bark, real green stems and leaves and petals of flowers, yet I neither smell nor see anything naturally rough about this prismatic and plasmatic cloud emanating from Merlin’s pipe. This perfume is a stunner, one of the best tobacco perfumes I can recall to memory.

Parfum D'Empire Tabac Tabou (review based on the 2016 vintage/batch) For me, Tabac Tabou holds the number one spot as the most thorough Corthicchiato composition. I might prefer Ruade due to its boldness, but Tabou is overall more complete. It is a perfume that delivers on all aspects and has no weak points. Unique, complex, artistic, well made, easy to wear, yet never boring or mainstream. It is tricky to categorize, and I believe there are slight variations (more or less intentional) from vintage to vintage, but the one I have, I'd label it as an Agrestic perfume overall. And yet, there is so much more going on. I get four main themes in Tabac Tabou that interwind seamlessly: the Floral, the Leather, The Smoke, and The Animalic. The floral part is dominated by the narcissus. This note rules the show and governs supreme over the others. However, there is a powerful, perhaps "phantom" accord of linden blossom that is always there for me. I don't know if it is an actual made-up accord or if it comes across that way for me because of the association of the green notes, the narcissus, and the honey. That might be the case. But I always get this Linden blossom facet when I wear it. That so distinguishable scent: fresh, floral, heady, lemony, and honeyed, all at the same time. The leather accord here is soft. It is leather gloves or a wallet. It plays on the more polished and finely-worked side of the leather spectrum. The smoke, as I would call it, and not the tobacco leaves or cigar accord. It has a hint of fresh leafiness at times, but the way I perceive it, for the most part, is a penetrating smoke that blends so nicely into the work frame of the perfume. And lastly, the animalic facet, displayed here through the musks and the narcissus. It gives off this creamy, heated, and slightly sweaty quality to the perfume that is just enough to intrigue but not so much that it would offend people around you. The evolution is consistent and follows through in the same manner with each wearing. I get a fresh, almost wet, and green opening soon backed up by the floral nuances, the narcissus, and the prolific "linden blossom" facet. Further, it gets enveloped by the smoke accord, gently supported by the leather nuances. The final stages get warmer and sweeter as the immortelle, honey, and musks reveal themselves. It is a long journey and will keep your nose engaged throughout. If you love these accords like I do, each stage will offer a different and delightful experience. Overall, it is one of those "perfect" olfactory compositions in my books and one that I deeply enjoy. I would love to try all the vintages and perhaps observe the differences between them. However, I enjoy this one immensely. Precisely, the way it highlights the agrestic facets and the floral accords of narcissus and "linden blossom." IG:@memory.of.scents

تابو قید و بند ها؛ممنوعیت ها و خطوط قرمز؛طبقه بندی ها و محرومیت ها؛پوسیدگی ها و تحجر؛خشونت و تعصبات و شکست نهایی اونها در مقابل آزادگی و آزادی؛نو اندیشی و در مجموع تلاش برای بهره مندی و لذت بردن از زیبایی های طبیعت حسی هست که ناخود آگاه از استشمام بسیاری از کارهای جناب کورتیشیاتو بهم دست میده و از اینرو؛ارادت ویژه ای به ایشون دارم! شروع سبز؛انیمالیک و الکلی سنگین؛با وزش نسیمی ملایم که از بوی غبارگرفته ی گیاهان خشک و حسی انیمالیک سرشاره؛به فضایی چرمی که با عظمت و زیباست میرسه.این فضای چرمی رو یه حس پودری ضعیف همراهی میکنه که در عین رسمیت و اقتدار اونو شیک و جذاب میکنه.به مرور حس پودری ضعیف میشه و یک شیرینی خاص که دودی و غبار گرفتست؛چرم رو احاطه میکنن و فضا رو به سمت تنباکویی دودی؛خشک؛تلخ و کمی سبز سوق میدن. با گذشت زمان؛عطر چرمی؛تنباکویی که دودی و کمی پودریه؛به زیبایی به سمت تنباکوی خالص رهسپار میشه که پوششی آمیخته از آکوردهای مختلف داره. گیاهان خشک؛یه حس دودی و کمی شیرین و دیگر آکوردهایی که تشخیص اونها سخته اما ترکیب همه ی اونها؛تن پوش برازنده ای بر قامت تنباکوی لوکس؛فاخر و با عظمت این عطره. این همه جلوه و جمال و جبروت نیازی به دگرگونی نداره و عطر به زیبایی تا پایان بر همین مدار سیر میکنه. تبک تابو؛عطریه برای نمایش داستان گیاه مقدس بومیان آمریکا که طی آیین های باستانی سوخته میشد تا خدایان از دود اون تغذیه کنن. گیاه شفا بخشی و تهذیب و تصفیه ی نفس. نعمتی که مردمان عادی فقط حق یاری گرفتن از اون و واسطه قرار دادن دودش برای ارتباط با آسمانها رو داشتن و استفاده ی ویژه ی اون بعد از خدایان؛مختص کاهنان ؛ موبدان و ارواح بوده! ایده ی خانه ی پارفوم د امپایر در خلق این اثر؛ایجاد حس برداشتن اولین گام بسوی شکستن تابوی گیاه مقدسه! زیر پا گذاشتن خطوط و طبقه بندی هایی که تمتع از زیبایی های آفرینش رو در انحصار قشری اندک و متحجر قرار میده و بعد از اون؛حرکت بسوی خوشی؛کام روایی و محظوظ شدن از تمام خصوصیات و حسهای این نعمته... عطری پیچیده ؛غنی؛عمیق و قدرتمند که مثل سایر آثار ارزشمند این خانه؛بسیار با کیفیت و خوش ساخته. مثل دشواری قوانین و دستورات استفاده از گیاه مقدس؛پی بردن به رموز این عطر سخته و همچون غذای خدایان؛دسترسی به اون بدلیل تولید محدودش کار هر کسی نیست! یه عطر با موندگاری بالا و پخش خوب که برازنده ی مردی موقر و جدی و البته جسوره.کسیکه از تجربه ی سختیهای گذشته و ساختار شکنی های اون دوران به ثبات و تعمق حال رسیده و از ماجراجوییها و چالشهای آینده؛واهمه ای نداره! چرا که ایمان داره هیچ چیزی نمیتونه رویاهای بزرگ و آرمانهای والای اونو تغییر بده... کامنت:م.ع (سایت لوکس بایر (با امکان تست سمپل

This feels as orangish-yellow as a sunset on the golden savannah. Because a perfume's name bear meaning, but in capable hands it may revert and challenge our expectations, I woul dstart saying that depending on your skin chemistry this may skew more a hay-fougère-narcissus scent than a tobacco-leaves one. In any case, what you will get is a polished, refined, well-blended, elegant and vintagish composition. It opens with an astonishing dry and crisp bouquet centered on dehydrated narcissus that smells like baked, arid hay. Around the narcissus you get some green grasses, sprinkled with a sharp (and beautiful) civet: all enveloped in the faint muskiness of ambrette. In the background a magical immortelle smells like its green stalks and wildflower tops, but it is as if these flowers are lacquered with animalic honey. All around is a diffuse, thin cloud of dark, dried tobacco leaves. This is a mirage diaphanous and contemplative. The tobacco is definitely there, but the front and center is the the narcissus, accompanied by the grass, and the animalic notes. I am experimenting a transition from a cool, somewhat green and aromatic, dry fougère (reminiscent of Fougere Bengale), to a golden, warmer, muskier, honeyed, and animalic oriental one. This transition is triggered by the the honey, civet, and ambrette musk that slowly begin to inch their way to center stage after roughtly 15 minutes. Then I get honey and more honey until the narcissus, hay, grasses, and animalic muskiness fuse into one single accord, with the tobacco leaves always on the background, but bear in mind their scent is notable. From there on, things dissolve even further and get more and more yellowish. At this point I am lost in this golden savannah, like I am taking part in a tribal ritual because the tobacco leaves leave their smoke all around this golden landscape. Overall, the treatment of both the fougère and animalic ambrette civet accords feels very much like what I experienced in other beautiful Marc-Antoine Corticchiato's creation. Sillage is soft and not overpowering and it lasts a long time. follow me on IG @alexolympia6 Thx.

Tabac Tabou (great name) is another excellent scent from Parfum d'Empire. An underrated niche brand with a good price-point, I am very taken with their Corsican-inspired scents. TT is a beautifully-composed tobacco-dominant scent, that, while creative and good-quality, is slightly challenging. Tobacco by its nature has unpleasant associations for many, but its smoky-sweet-herbal quality makes it an interesting and edgy inclusion in perfume when used well. Here, its multifaceted quality is celebrated and enhanced by the other notes. Herbal, leathery, sweet and polleny at the same time, TT is a deeply satisfying take on a tobacco scent. It is not overly smoky - the emphasis seems to be on tobacco as a plant, at least initially. TT opens with a good-quality blond tobacco note, more herbal than smoky initially with a nice hay-like, toasted quality. The narcissus follows, an inspired addition. I like yellow florals in general, and its grassy, polleny quality marries beautifully with the tobacco note. There is an earthy, green undertone throughout. It becomes dry and slightly smoky as it progresses, with some soft, sweet spice tying it all together. As it develops, it becomes sweeter, with the honeyed quality of the tobacco becoming the focal point. Usually, this is a subtle nuance, but the honey note adds rich sweetness, contributing to the amber base. It provides a nice counterpoint to the subtle smokiness. A dry, refined leather note emerges as it dries down, Hermès-style - smooth and polished. It is an expensive handbag rather than animalic. It becomes cleanly musky as it fades, with a hay-like nuance remaining until final fade. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. A unisex, cold weather scent, TT is one of the best tobacco scents I've tried. I understand its lack of mass appeal, but I adore this olfactory artwork. M. Corticchiato has done it again. Tobacco as a plant, then smoked - all on a honeyed amber base. 4.5/5.