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.

I tested this in a parfum store by spraying 4 pifss (each side of my beard,on my wrist and on my scarf) and during the entire day, night and the day after I could smell it continuously. I was walking in the cloud of it right to say. People around me kept asking me what I am wearing, except 1 person they all liked it. As a great fan of Narcissus (Lagerfeld Chloé Narcisse 1992) I have to say that what I am smelling is rather Jasmine from an anatolian or mezopotamian origine with oriental creamy facades (perhaps it's a different kind of Narcissus that I don't know, I've heard there are more than 10 types) armoured so heavily with Ambergris (yes not musk but ambergris, and luckily so, all hail to the urinale fetish god of seduction "Ambergris") And that was all:jasmin and ambergris,each of them first quality and natural aboslute oils,accompanying you so warm and friendly through the entire day, night and the day after. (on my scarf +2 days) Nevertheless I couldn't smell any hints of Tobacco (which we know very well from Tobacco Millesime by Creed) or Immortelle (fingerprinted with all aspects in Histore des Parfums Marquis de Sade, ELDO Afternoon of a faun, Sables by Annick Goutal) neither Honey, Hay or Leather.It's a wonderful women's fragrance with significantly prominent masculin-urinale-animalic aspects as contrast.I could tend to make an exception of wearing it time to time, but still not there for buying a full bottle

This is not strictly a man's perfume! It actually seems more feminine. It straddles the line between old fashioned glamour and grunge. The Narcissus is the first note I smelled, followed by the immortelle. Next came the seamless blend of honey and tobacco. I get a whiff of leather but no musk or grassy notes to speak of. It is skanky, to be sure. Due to mixed reviews, I sprayed once from a sample onto my pillow and sniffed. I literally said, "mmmmmmm. Mmmmmmmm!" before spraying it onto my body. Several more minutes in, I smell a soapy musk in the background. I don't love it; I'd rather the Narcissus be more prominent. The immortelle (not my favorite note) is skillfully blended with the honey (a beloved note) and so the immortelle doesn't bother me. Developing further, I smell a tonka/leather accord similar to L'artisan Parfumeur's Dzing!. Non tonka fans, such as myself, should take note that Dzing!'s tonka note is less prominent in summer, and downright annoying in colder weather. I expect the same from this perfume, too. The "barnyard-y" aspect to Dzing is present here, too, so be aware, if that is bothersome to you. All in all, this is a solid perfume, underrated, and sexy to my nostrils. I bought my sample from Olfactif and further wearings will determine if it is full bottle worthy.

Tabac Tabou is bucolic bliss in a bottle. What a beautiful, expertly balanced perfume. It starts out a little harsh...maybe a bit Dzingy; the leather/tobacco intro is reminiscent of animals and hay to me (which I love, so not a struggle). After about 20 minutes or so, this aspect softens considerably, but still quietly supports the composition as the daffodil, immortelle and honey begin to unfold. The floral aspect comes through quite strongly for me, but measured against the tobacco, leather, and honey the balance is such that I wouldn't characterize this perfume as a floral (not my favorite category) Love, love, love this perfume. If Bach's 'Where Sheep May Safely Graze' were a perfume, this is what it would smell like. I get 6-8 hrs consistently.Sillage is soft, but you don't have to bury your nose in your wrist to smell it. I appreciate the softness here. This scent is a little off-beat and I fear cranking up the volume would overwhelm poor bystanders that aren't as fond of the smells of the countryside. Did I say how much I loved this perfume? I'm really crazy about this stuff. Sublime.

Review for 2015 version: This scent opens quite harsh on my skin. Rough, lots of coumarins, prickly and very strong. Over this, sweet narcissus lingers. The tabacco is already there from the start as well. This scent is quite strong and dry from immortelle and grass notes on me at this point. Almost too strong for me. Then the scent starts to change and becomes sweeter and the tobacco stronger. From here the narcissus and dry hay notes fade away and sweet honeyed tobacco takes a prominent place. Sillage is heavy on me, longevity long. Wow, what a gem. The tobacco from the drydown of Fougere Bengale without the prominent lavender and liquorice notes! I do enjoy the narcissus too, but it doesn't really last on me. The tobacco does. It was quite strong at first and I like this scent best when it tones down a little and becomes sweeter. A perfume version of this would be totally my thing, but I understand Parfum d'Empire will bring out an annual extrait version and the first 2016 ones will be distributed somewhere in May. Should be interesting! For now, this one goes on my wish list!

Honey-colored narcissus, musk and tobacco. Immortelle signature caramel sweetness mixes with musk and leather into a dirty, dark-yellow liquid. Thick and dense, and a little sticky, in this sweet fragrance, there is the bitterness and coolness of silk tobacco, and the dryness and smoke of tobacco leaves. The honey fragrance with a larger specific gravity slowly sinks and accumulates at the bottom. Brown-green tobacco leaves and Immortelle bring Tabac tabou to a salty note. Tabac tabou finishes with a clean and oily leather. Once because of narcissus, Tabac tabou is cold and green, Immortelle makes narcissus unique sour and quiet qualities to show. Until Tabac tabou excitation out the fishy smell of the animals inside, Tabac tabou faintly felt more erotic flow. Tabac tabou's heart is wild. But, that's it, Tabac tabou's wildness is limited. It has never been debauched, it is a tobacco fragrance that can be elegant even inappropriate. Tabac tabou has great contrast and layers. Great fragrance, great ingredients!

Holy wow, this perfume is crazy, and I love it. Upon first applying, it’s an insane mix of L’Artisan Dzing (animal/hay notes) and perhaps Van Cleef & Arpels First (indolic, musky flowers). Soon the floral becomes more clearly narcissus, indolic-sweet, but the hay and the warm, furry animals are still bounding about in there. In spite of its name, I wouldn’t have picked up on tobacco as a major note here. However, upon reflection, this does remind me somewhat of the smell of nicotiana flowers, which are related to the tobacco plant, so maybe that’s more the angle here. After developing a while, the animalic-floral-elegant mix also reminds me of Salome Papillon, though without the cigarette smoke. Mainly, this feels like a sister scent to Fougere Bengale from the same house, which I also love, though Bengale’s immortelle is much more noticeable. This one supposedly has immortelle too, but it’s more a supporting note, blended in with all the other sweet wild things. Will probably want more of this one.

A hay and leather beauty. This is not a smell alike to vintage Chanel Cuir de Russie, but the leather note in this has the same, plush texture. Whatever narcissus, tobacco, or hay materials/notes/aromchemicals are in there combine to just read as beautiful dry hay on a cloudy day in a pasture surrounded by wild animals. It's in the same vein as Fougere Bengale but without the spice and a bit easier to wear. I love, love, love this scent and the way Corticchiato evokes time and place with his scents...he truly is a genius. Much like Oeillieres (sp?), I want to smell this frequently but maybe not smell LIKE it. I'd say Tabac Tabou is more wearable that the Greco scent, though, and could imagine wearing this on a pastoral summer vacation. I wish that there were smaller bottles available, as I'd purchase quickly and dab a cute little extrait of this if I had the chance.

Despite the name, the real star of this fragrance is a very rich, strong, and pretty narcissus note that takes a minute or two to emerge after the initial tobacco blast. This is what I always imagined the original famous women's tobacco-florals of the early 20th century smelled like, such as Tabac Blonde (it's almost impossible to know now because that perfume has been so enormously changed over the decades). The sweetness of the honeyed tobacco, although not dominant after the initial few seconds, adds a nice edge to the narcissus. I have to hand it to Parfum d'Empire: they work within typical perfume categories but they always come up with their own unique spin on fragrances nonetheless. This is more expensive than many of their perfumes, but it's still reasonable for what you're getting. The ingredients smell top-notch.

This is definitely one of my favorite scents of 2015. It opens with a warm, honeyed, boozy wave of tobacco spiced with immortel. This is sinuously entwined with a crisp green combination of grass with a truly exquisite Narcissus, all bedded on a plushly animalic musk. Warm, sunny, comforting. In a word, heavenly. I really do think this is a masterpiece and I am happy that Narcissus appears to be making huge comeback on the market. I can't refrain from sniffing myself. Projection moderate, lasts all day. My favorite from Parfum d'Empire. Definitely unisex in my book. I've often read that honey has a urinous facet but have never quite grasped it. Here I love the pissy note in the far dry down when it becomes a skin scent. Gorgeous stuff, Tabac Tabou. I've nearly gone through a full bottle in a month.

It makes me so very happy to see/smell narcissus popping up more frequently in perfumer’s creations. It’s such a cheerful yet humble floral. Partnered here alongside the immortelle, it remains present, but isn’t carrying a megaphone to announce its presence. The grass and hay notes here have a wonderful movement. Swaying in a cool honey-tinged breeze. There are fleeting moments where all the components merge together in a wonderful booziness, as if drunk on themselves. If I were an ingredient in here I’d be pretty intoxicated to be in this company, too. I’ve been jamming my nose into my wrist to find the pronounced tobacco, but it seems to be hovering above the skin. It casts itself in the projection, like drifting cirrus over the honeyed landscape below. Absolutely beautiful!

This, and Chergui, is my favourite tobacco scent. Where Chergui is deep and resinous, this is green and a little sharp. It oozes exotic elegance and presents an aura around you that others smelling might not even be able to identify when they smell it. Immortelle makes this warm, which balances it out - otherwise it'd be very vintage feeling. Narcissus isn't even what I'd first attach to this, but there is a white floral aspect to it that recalls some scents of the 70s. It's fairly modern, but it's also a nod back to the past. As for performance, it lasts quite a while (up to 14 hours) and projects reasonably well. It's beautiful. Would highly suggest.

Just sampled this today and it's definitely going on my "to buy" list. It is the tobacco I wanted in House of Matriarch's Sacre Tabac Sucre.It opens with the most true to life narcissus I've ever experienced in a perfume. Then it becomes a fresh tobacco note blended exquisitely with immortelle. A fresh almost herbal green tobacco mixed with a rich honeyed sweetness. I was quite surprised by the way each note is so true to life. Usually you only get that in natural perfumes. The projection is excellent and a tiny dab to my wrist lasted all day. Ten hours later I can still smell it. This is a masterpiece.

Parfum d’empire Tabac Tabou (2015) - honeyed narcissus - #marcantoinecorticchiato ‘s perfume is unusual for tobacco, for though I can smell whiffs of burning leaves, it is more green and animalic. Yet, he’s brilliant, since he combined ingredients that give off a tobacco note vs. combining with the usual coumarin heavy base. I get green and buttery Narcissus, animalic Honey and Beeswax, burnt caramel Immortelle on a base of White musks. Some people might get civet as well. Masterfully blended and a beautiful work of olfactory art.

To me this is less a pastoral, bucolic, hay-ride in the country affair but rather a sly, green eyed smirk by someone behaving badly yet knows they can get away with it. I've never experienced a fragrance that combines cunning greenery and comforting warmth this so well. To be fair I've never really smelled a narcissus-centered fragrance either, but if this is what narcissus has to offer than call me a narcissus fan. I smelled this and immediately thought that this is what Le Cri's ex boyfriend would smell like.

Beautiful blond tobacco, slightly animalic honey. The narcissus note is georgeous, dense, almost waxy like the surface of its petals. On me, the green notes barely show, but the immortelle is present all through the development, giving the tobacco and honey blend a very soft spiciness. Projection is moderate to intense. Tabac Tabou became a skin scent on me after 4 hours of wear. I don't feel like buying the extrait, but if Tabac Tabou ever comes out as an eau de parfum, I would definitely get it !