Tonka

The clove with the honey and labdanum create this deep smoky/leathery churchy, super syrupy smell that its a bit too much for me in the opening, because the clove is too thick, warm-spicy on its own already, and the honey here is syrupy and warm as well intensifying the clove's warmth. The jasmine with the aromatic solar anise make this lighter and airy compared to Flavia's Tobacco Vanilla which is very clove-heavy, austere tobacco-cacao and thick with moderate sweetness from the vanilla-cacao. Tonka Rem is sweeter and the honey here also has that Marc Jacob's warm honey floral sweetness. It's a bit of a culinary crime here for me in the opening and first minutes but once I get used to the clove, it doesn't bug me here, but in Flavia's Vanilla Tobacco it's too much throughout. In Flavia's perfume, the clove opening has a herbal tobacco undertone and a balsamic whiskey-like effect right away, and we don't have that effect here, the hay-like tobacco effect nor the balsamic whiskey-like, just the aromatic anise-bergamot and the honey-labdanum, a lighter balsamic effect. The honey here is a tad syrupy-dusty at first, as in Bee Ellis Brooklyn, but here it's more tolerable - it's a lot more dusty in Bee. The honey becomes very balsamic paired with the ambery deep labdanum. It all calms down a bit, emitting an aromatic solar jasmine-infused, leathery warm scent, but still very balsamic- churchy which I don't mind. It just feels like I'm in an orthodox church more than even Good Fortune Elixir Intense which smells churchy too in a different way. I love incense and all resins, benzoin, olibanum and myrrh and I prefer their balsamic churchy sweetness over the honey-clove's, but it's still an addicting scent because of the honey-anise and tonka. I'm not crazy about honey in most perfumes but I am a honey addict - in Greece we have too many varieties and I always loved exploring them taste-wise. After 30 mins the perfume feels softer and I get more of the almondy tonka with the bitter almond and the solar aromatic anise, all notes that I love while the clove shows its more attractive softer side, and its warmth is a beautiful touch. The honey at this point is gorgeous, subtly solar comforting, aromatic and delicious with the jasmine-anise influence. When I smell up close the scent has its initial more syrupy honey and labdanum's leathery smokiness still trapped within and I kinda like it, but the projection is as I described a softer spicy aromatic warm churchy tonka-honey scent. Here the tonka and the clove spice create the tobacco impression of Vanilla Tobacco without the hay-herbal trait in Flavia's perfume. The tonka sometimes has a tobacco smell minus the hay effect of the actual tobacco note which I also love - see Potion Arsenic Police and Super Gorgeous MK. Since it lacks the actual tobacco note of Flavia's Vanilla Tobacco, it doesn't have the balsamic whiskey-like aroma of the tobacco there so it's a more feminine honey-jasmine fragrance with an oriental thick base, and only a balsamic effect from the labdanum-honey pairing that leans amber-y. This lasts longer than Flavia's Vanilla Tobacco and the latter has coumarin, a hay-like sweet note which is also warm like candied almonds and I do get a sweeter almondy element in the drydown of Flavia's perfume, but it stays a dark scent with a sweet vanilla-coumarin effect. Tonka Rem smells more dimensional and stays brighter from the jasmine-honey, and more balsamic and churchy from the labdanum too, while Vanilla Tobacco is more tobacco-cacao-clove thick and serious-dark. Their later drydown is similar, but still Flavia's is cacao-thickly sweet. The amber-y effect of the labdanum has a unisex feel later in the drydown, but this to me is a feminine scent overall. This perfume gets better and better every minute. I loooove weirdos like this one. I wish they still made this perfume.

Wow! Eventually a scent that moved my soul, at least for memory reasons. I knew it was about to come out but I forgot, then I noticed it on a shelf and just had to try it! I like Reminiscence because they make scents which are both original and not too complicated. Musc is modern musk, Ambre is powdery amber, Patchouli is hippie patchouli... I just don't like the blue Rem line. Before spraying Tonka I expected a tonka bean scent in the style of Guerlain's Samsara (lost one!) drydown, powdery and delicately Woody. Instead I was shocked by explosion of anise seed which I like very much. Maybe some bergamot was there, no clove identified. Soon after came the HONEY in cubital power and ate the anise that was trying to pick out. Honey won and for a good hour that was all. Honey. Not my favourite stage. I have a love-hate relationship with honey in perfumes. Along the years I noticed that eating honey was not good for me, especially my throat. I had a strange reaction of clenching. But this reaction came first with the note of honey in perfumes that is much more concentrated even if probably not the real thing. The positive side is that honey in Tonka doesn't become stale on my skin as for other scents. Just a tiny bit. Then tonka bean came... Jasmine? Bitter Almond? Maybe a vague trace of them. Instead the tonka bean is there quite present but overwhelmed by honey. It's a sweet tonka with a light powdery effect, similar to Guerlain but less powerful and more shy in the blend. Basically it's a fragrance about honey, at least on my skin. In spite of all this honeyness, Tonka is a true beauty. I think that it is a sexy scent, or better sensual/ cosy, intimate like a couple hugging in front of a fireplace in the mountains. Along its life all the stages come and go, so the scent is not flat. It's an interesting effect that keeps the wearer captivated, softly teased. When I try a perfume and like it on the spot, I usually make a quick comparison spraying also Samsara on the other wrist, even if nowadays is tester of the diluited monodimensional EdT. If I like the new one the same or more during all stages it means that I really like it :-) Well, today with Tonka it was different because I immediately noticed that there was something purely emotional about this scent. I may not like it, but there was a familiar feeling. It took me about one hour to remember but it happened. I must be old and like many older people I cannot remember what I had for lunch and dinner yesterday, but sudden memories of decades ago come out. I had a flash of myself very young, propably aged 3-4 looking at my mother who was polishing the dark wood furniture in our old flat with a spray called Pronto Mobili, very common and still in use, in the vintage bottle of the '70s. I saw myself following her in the house, staring at her with love and adoring eyes, trying to catch her attention and being focused on everything she did and all her moves. In the flash I could feel that atmosphere again and also details like the cloth for polishing with a flowery pattern and the light coming from the balcony hitting the light green wall. That spray is based on beeswax. I'm not saying that Reminiscence Tonka smells like a furniture spray, but it comes close :-) ps. I want it.

I bought DUA's Golden Spice Latte and it is like Le Monde Gourmand's Latte D'Or mixed with Tonka Reminiscence. It has the warm, woody and balsamic oriental base from the tonka-vanilla-benzoin combo, similar to the warm tonka-vanilla-ambery labdanum base of Tonka Rem, minus the churchy effect of the latter. The benzoin in Golden Spice Latte along with the turmeric give a sweet honey-like and anise soft spicy impression of Tonka Rem without the heavy cloves that add to the churchy vibe of the latter. No tobacco effect there no cloves so Golden Spice Latte is a lighter scent. Golden Spice Latte smells like herbal tea at first and this quality becomes its distinct DNA throughout. It is intensely like Latte D'Or is, a sweet spicy kinda herbal tea scent, like Latte D'Or always smelled like a milky spicy herbal tea to me, but Golden Spice Latte has an intense honey-like sweetness like Tonka Rem has along with its oriental balsamic base so it is better than Latte D'Or. Also Golden Spice Latte has a soft spicy sweetness similar to Flavia's Vanilla Tobacco due to the vanilla-tonka and spices of the latter, but Vanilla Tobacco is too heavy in the cloves-cacao and tobacco department so it deviates from the character of Golden Spice Latte which has no tobacco note or scent. As I said the turmeric throughout in Golden Spice Latte, gives a ginger-tea impression pretty identical to Latte D'Or's crude ginger milky tea character, more intense, balsamic/oriental than the latter given the benzoin's honey-like sweetness and warmth. In Golden Spice Latte there is no strong milky element - no coconut there - while Latte D'Or is very milky and more plain like simple herbal ginger tea - no complexity. Golden Spice Latte still has some ''latte'' quality to it maybe from the vanilla, and along with the intense aromatic soft spicy, herbal vein from the turmeric, it's like a sweet turmeric tea. Golden Spice Latte lasts forever on me and projects amazingly. It also does not feel too oily or the notes muted or drowned in the opening, unlike some other very oily DUAs. I have requested them to create Tonka Reminiscence, but this is a good alternative. Some people list Turmeric Latte by Lush as similar to Tonka Rem and Golden Spice Latte is an impression of Turmeric Latte, so I may assume that Turmeric Latte may be likewise similar to Latte D'Or too.

I am having a love affair with Reminiscence. They have become one of my favorite "cheapie" brands to blind buy. Of course I always check out the reviews first on Fragrantica and have found that going with majority hasn't lead me astray yet. This is no different... Tonka is a more recent obsession for me. If I see a perfume is Tonka-based then I want it! This one is beautiful, yes sweet and gourmand-oriental? Not exactly foodie-gourmand but delicious and warm. Even though this perfume isn't a thick ambery fragrance, I find the tonka in it to really stand out (kind of like it does in BDK's Velvet Tonka). This perfume is "thinner" though, even though it has the ambery, warm, sweet vanillic facets. The almond is perfectly married with the tonka too. Honey isn't a main player but I can see it being in the mix. And the top notes really don't shine - if you are afraid of them - don't be. This isn't a cumin bomb or anything. This is very smooth and easy-to-wear. Delicious and comforting. Easy reach. Great addition to my Tonka collection. And to my Reminiscence collection. Others from Reminiscence... I do not recommend Santal Vanille unless you want a super watered down perfumey-smelling sandalwood vanilla. It was quite sad. Patchouli is a very thick heavy dark chocolate type Patchouli. I hardly wear it but will always keep it in my collection. I love trying to layer it with other fragrances to see what great combos I can come up with in the cooler months. It is special. Must like Patchouli though. Dragee and the other 2 in that collection - Amazing. Just get all 3. If you like powdery almond gourmand types. They're beautiful. ...next I am looking to pick up Rem Coco. Anyone else have other recommendations from this house? I feel it has a little bit of a cult following and I'm here for it.

i bought a bottle about a year ago based on the notes and the steep discount at the time, and I was not all that thrilled. I was hoping it would be a less powdery version of 'what we do in paris is secret,' which seemed like the fragrance neighborhood this would be in, but the clove note dominated the whole first half of the drydown along with the bergamot and gave a cold, medicinal vibe that overbalanced the tonka/vanilla/almond. I used it a few times over a couple months and didn't find it improved, so I put it away. a year later it's a very different scent. The spiciness is still there underneath but the honey and amber have finally come out, with tonka-vanilla richness and a bit of subdued jasmine that makes me think of jasmine extract or jasmine tea more than a jasmine flower scent. But the main feature is the spiced dark honey syrup and creamy nuttiness, like baklava or gulab jamun in perfume form, strong sweet and rich but missing that powdery cloying quality that many "sugary" perfumes have. It's hypnotic, very smooth and honestly I would wear it year round, including in hot weather because it's sweet but it doesn't feel "heavy" or fatiguing. Longevity is astonishing, too! There is also a faint touch of smokey sweet tobacco about it, perhaps from the tonka, which does make it a close cousin of TF TV and yes, it is like a less fruity BDK rouge smoking, so if you like anything in that family it's worth checking out. However, you have to be incredibly patient with it, it took as I said, more than 6 months for it to macerate and balance out in the bottle. edit: layer with guess seductive red for extra juicy cherry and dark sweetness! they go together really nicely 🍒❣️

Gave this a proper wearing last night... This is absolutely stunning! I haven't smelled TV, so can't comment on any supposed similarities, but enough people have, so my two penn'orth isn't required. Tonka is very smooth and beautifully blended; I scored a 50ml bottle on eBay for just under £40 and I would be thrilled with it at twice the price, as it smells far more expensive. A lightly spiced, slightly sweet (but not cloying) Oriental, I feel it tiptoes into gourmand territory. I don't get a heavy clove or anise hit from this at all. It is summer (late July) here, but I am in Cornwall and it was cool and very damp last night. Many people have recommended Tonka as best worn in fall/winter, but I don't think it feels too heavy to wear in summer; to be fair, I should mention that I have a fondness for heady orientals, so may not be the best judge of seasonal appropriateness! Sillage is moderate - my husband (who is very sensitive to - and not fond of - "perfumey" smells) couldn't smell this on me until I was within arm-length, so I doubt this would offend anyone. The longevity is impressive; I can still clearly smell this on my dry, perfume-eating and (on this occasion) un-moisturised skin, having spritzed a good seven hours ago; I did use about six sprays though, once I'd assessed its strength. However, this is "only" an EDT, so longevity is better than some far more expensive EDPs. Very highly recommended - I am thrilled with this blind buy. NB. For what it's worth, I think this fragrance is "unisex" (I should qualify and state that I don't ascribe to gender assignation in perfume - wear whatever makes you happy).

I blind bought this from reviews and comparisons to Tobacco Vanille (which I love). I love sweet scents, gourmands, spicy vanillas, etc... and I love the smell of vanilla-cherry tobacco. This is pretty spot on for TV. Haha. I prob shouldn't have bought it. BUT-- it is a tiny bit sweeter, smoother, and creamier. A little more cake, less clove/tobacco. So I guess it's more feminine. I think I like this more.... I love it. And if you can't afford/get Tom Ford TV-- I highly rec this! It was about $50 from ebay. And it's so damn close. This was a tissue test, will report back on a proper skin/clothing wear. :) Mmmmm..... less clove/green tobacco than TV, and more sweet. Like snickerdoodle cookies. ;) But still a great dupe for TV. Decent sillage/potency- not super strong (mugler strong) by any means, but I kept covering myself in this because I enjoy it so much. And I wanted to assault my own nose with it. :) My day-after tissue test is a little more flowery powdery (jasmine/almond?- has some slight relation to Hypnotic Poison) - but not much. In fact, my day-after tissue test is EXACTLY the sweet vanilla/cherry tobacco scent I was aiming for! My co-worker smokes a pipe, and his van/cherry tobacco smells SO GOOD- I wanted a perfume to match that. And this is closer to that than TV. It almost makes me want to sell my new TV to buy more Tonka backups! Haha! This is just delightful. My first tissue test has lasted for days. A sweet honey tobacco smell. Sort of like TV meets Lalique Le Parfum.

If Pure Havane by Mugler is sold as a male perfume, i don't see why a man cant pull Reminiscence Tonka. Smells unisex to me. I love it and got a few compliments! Every phase of the scent is good, very good : from the nutty smell in the opening, to the vanillic drydown, its really a gorgeous scent, i do detect a green (as "fresh leaves") tobacco note inthe mid phase, with a sweet (but not cloying) honey and i'm surprised not many pointed how it sometimes smells like a lighter version of Tobacco vanille, less potent, less sweet but drier (i actually believe Tonka is more masculine than TV). The performance is still very good, 3 sprays work fine for a whole workshift (8/9h) though the projection is average. The drydown leans on the gourmand side, it reminds me of warm biscuits (vanilla, tonka bean and almond blended). Im just slightly disappointed by the fact that the tonka is actually weak in that fragrance. The honey is too strong so that it sometimes overshadows the other notes. But at that price, the quality is worth it ! Scent 16/20 Longevity 8/10 Sillage 6/10 Projection 6/10 RATING 7,2 / 10

I am not sure if people are reviewing a reformulation but I have the vintage bottle with stars on this and totally disagree with the voted notes. First, let me say that this is beyond love. My nose calls it a dry tonka with tons of musk (TONS, like Salome had a baby with a tonka bean), an almost myrrhlike quality, and a hint of floral; incredibly sexy. It's mainly a musk fragrance with tonka wound together in bed. I think the honeyed note that is being voted is because of the animalic quality. That beeswax scent more like. It's not really syrupy or sweet. I also do not see almond in this at all. That was when I wore it in the spring. Now, I am wearing in fall and the honeyed note is more dominant. A honeyed floral note. So wonderful how in different seasons and even different years our noses pick up different things in the same scent.

I was expecting something sweeter and simpler with this one. I was wrong. It opens up strong and dirty - a true masculine feel, but as it dries down it opens up to reveal luxurious layers of sweetness, spices and a hint of floral. I don't get tobacco at all so I truly don't understand the comparison to TF TV. It shares the same full and rounded vanilla note, but that's about it. It's shamelessly sexy, sticks around for hours and projects beautifully. I love the scent it leaves on my clothes for days. I am a vanilla and tonka lover. I especially love when they are paired together as wonderfully as they are here. The perfect mix of sweet, spicy and earthy - perfectly unisex, and won't cost you a kidney. A happy blind buy for me.

Finally a successful spontaneous blind buy. Tonka is a beauty!! Syrupy spice cake with dark vanilla, candied ginger, a pinch of black pepper, and lots of honey. I also get crisp, citrusy Coca-Cola notes that blend in elegantly and provide enough freshness to keep the sweetness in check. Well, not exactly Coca-Cola but rather its less sugary and aromatically more complex artisan cola counterparts that you can buy in thick glass bottles. The longevity is good while the sillage is just moderate, so I can safely overspray - but I'd prefer if I didn't have to. Tonka can be easily worn by men too - it's quite unisex, imo.

Tonka by Reminescence is, in my opinion, the ideal scent for fall/winter. It's a lovely, warm gourmand with delicious cherry/almond accord. The cherry is dipped in honey, slightly waxy, and accompanied with some spices. It is similar to Le Bain by JOOP, but Le Bain doesn't feel that full, intense, round, and has moderate (almost weak) longevity on my skin and moderate sillage, too. Tonka is very intense and mouthwatering, performs really well. Very cozy scent, highly recommended if you want something like that for the upcoming fall. I'm going to wear this probably even these days, during summer. :) :P

No words to describe it. I blind bought almost an year ago. This is just beautiful and it got even better over time. It was love at first sniff but I fall more in love everyday. As it macerated a bit (I keep it in the box, away from light and heat) it became even more intense and long lasting. This is honey and spice cake made by angels. Everytime I smell this perfume I'm left in awe. Heavenly smell, beast mode performance (at least on me) and it's not even an EdP! This is an EdT, which is crazy to me!!! The price is great. You can not get better than this. Absolutely flawless, a masterpiece.

Beautifully warm, rich honey and tonka with tobacco nuances akin to a TF Tobacco Vanille sans the dried fruits. While I wasn't keen on TV I LOVE Réminiscence Tonka. Sillage is huge, longevity lasts well over 12 hours! This scent is only to be worn on a chilly Indian summer or autumnal days as the sweet warmth is overbearing in summer heat. 1 single spray to my neck has lasted from 10am this morning to my getting home from work at nearly 9pm! (I have the original vintage star bottle).

A must have if you like Tonka. Extremely long-lasting and unisex, Tonka is so beautifully constructed that nothing sticks out. Sweet but not too sweet thanks to the combination of anise and bitter almond with tonka and vanilla. If you have problems with the honey note, just so you know the honey here is just an aura, really! Tonka is comforting, warm and wonderful! It is a powdery fragrance and performance is also really good. 9/10 for me. IG @deepgreenbeauty

I love this stuff. It is all I hoped for and more. I love this not overly sweet, warm spicey tonka heaven in a bottle. Definitely unisex and yes, I see a similarity with SL Arabie. I find this perfect for day wear as it is not overly strong. My girlfriends find this a bit masculine but hey, what do I care. It might be an edt but its more potent than many an edp I have tested. Very long lasting and with a moderate sillage. I just cannot stop sniffing my wrist.

I am wearing the sh*t out of this today, and it's AWESOME!!!! Again, I think I prefer this to Tobacco Vanille... it's got more notes, less masculine, sweeter, fuller. The TF quality isn't there of course.... This has all my fave notes: anise, honey, vanilla, almond, tonka.... but yes... it's pretty similar to TV. It doesn't say "tobacco" as a note, but there is no mistaking the similarities to TV. IN A GOOD WAY! <3

It's strong! I like it. The opening is pretty masculine but it becomes more feminine as it dries down. This could be a unisex scent. The sweet honey, almond, vanilla and tonka bean notes linger beautiful together. The anise and clove notes add some spice. The musk is subtile and the white florals create more dimention. It's slightly overwelming but I don't mind. This scent would be wonderful during the cold months!

To me; this is very light and tender, though it is very prominent on the honey. I still have not fully recovered from a decent autumn cold, and I am no expert of the fragrance of tonka, so I can not give a full and proper review. But today, I have discovered that this goes very well together with Love Chopard. It becomes a very nice, oldfashioned honey rose. I like that a lot! ☺

I had given away Tonka since it appeared a lil bit masculine-leaning for my taste. Today I met my friend to whom I had given it and he was surrounded with this soft scent bubble oozing honeyed tonka-esque tobacco. It smelled so good that I asked him to give it back to me in exchange for my Crystal noir (Versace) and he agreed and we lived happily ever after.