Tabac Aurea

Laurie Erickson does it again with one of the all time great tobacco scents. I truly believe that the use of predominantly natural materials at SSS is what really makes the difference in the way her scents achieve such a high level of fidelity to the vision she has for her productions. I'm extremely surprised more people don't rate the sandalwood note in this scent as highly as myself. It's actually the first thing I notice in the top notes. That cold, angular sandalwood, perhaps the Australian variety such as you might find in CdG Blue Santal. I love that note, and it marries perfectly with the pipe tobacco, to take the 'grandpa' out of it. Or is it more of a case of taking grandpa out in the bush for a walk? The other note that I find most prominent, especially as the scent dries down, is another that is hardly mentioned here, and that is the perfect dose of patchouli working it's way into the blend. Sure, the amber is divine, and it's there for sure, but to me, just like the vanilla, it's lurking way in the background, just helping to round off that sharp sandalwood and add a touch of sweetness, and I mean just a touch of sweetness, to the mix. Then it all lays down on what I'm beginning to identify as one of the house signatures, which is a cedar wood incense/burnt cedar/birch tar note, which is instantly recognisable. Yep, for me, this is a positively divine blend of sandalwood, tobacco and patchouli, with a supporting cast of amber, vanilla and clove. I can't begin to explain how much I like this scent or how impressive it is. As with all offerings from SSS, Tabac Aurea has longevity up the wazoo and the perfect level of projection so that you and those lucky enough to be within about an arms length of you can all be impressed by just how awesome you smell. Others have mentioned Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford here, but to me, that syrupy sweet abomination isn't even in the same ball park as Tabac Aurea. Even another TF production I do love, Tobacco Oud, can't hold a candle to this. Move aside both of you! This is yet another complete gem from Sonoma Scent Studio. If you haven't yet had the pleasure, please...do yourself a favour!

I know that there are no booze notes listed but the opening of this scent smells like fresh / wet tobacco and the sort of boozy scent that skin breathes out after a night of drinking whiskey. It’s not necessarily a bad smell - I think it replicates the scent of tobacco much more realistically than other, sweeter tobacco blends. I found the opening pungent but interesting - I was a little worried that I smelled too hungover for my morning class today. The drydown is lovely - more of a dry, woody tobacco with a smooth base of sandalwood and warm ambery leathery notes that all blend together. Luckily the vanilla / amber / musk doesn’t go sweet on my skin, and the labdanum doesn’t make it go too powdery leathery. I thought this would be more of a fall scent but it’s an unusually warm and humid day in October and the sandalwood / tobacco drydown is blooming on my skin! Like many scents from Sonoma, this is lovely and well crafted but at times a touch too photorealistic to be easily wearable. I plan on wearing it, though perhaps only venturing out after the boozy stage has died down a touch. I gave an extra sample pip to a classmate who loves the smell of her grandfather’s old tobacco pipe - she loved it! Here’s to scent memories and the scents that call them back! :)

Tabac Aurea is a fantastic tobacco scent. It seems like most of these spicy tobaccos usually tend to have big, queasy, syrupy sweetness (looking at you, Tom Ford TV) but this one avoids the cloying potpourri bomb-vibe. Instead of relying on vanilla for its sweetness, it uses amber (the same fantastic amber from winter woods and other SSS scents) and labdanum. The result is a comforting scent that retains an ample amount of mystery and depth. Their are subtle supporting notes that contribute to rounding out the scent, adding additional depth and wearability and as such it doesnt smell too much like a candle or anything of the sort. The tobacco in Aurea is not raspy, dirty, or candied. It's toasty, familiar, and naturalistic. I can't think of a tobacco note that I like more than the one in this. It's just extremely well done and I love it. The only drawback to the Sonoma Scent Studio line is choosing which one is full bottle worthy as they all are fantastic for their own reason. Performance is fantastic as usual. 8.5/10

Tabac Aura is a warm, creamy, smooth blend of cigar and vanilla. As a woman, I find this a wearable and comforting fragrance as the vanilla adds a feminine touch to the cigar smell. A couple of months back I was at Bloomies and tried Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille which was a heavy, cigarette tobacco smell with syrupy vanilla. Tabac Aura actually takes me back to post college graduation. There was a group of us who remained friends and we would hang out together on the weekends. Although most of us weren't smokers, one day the guys had discovered cigars. When we would get together they would hang out on the balcony and smoke their cigars. The girls didn’t really like smoking them so we would sit inside, but one day they got us these mini, vanilla infused cigars that smelt absolutely divine, and exactly like Tabac Aurea. From then on, we would hang out with the the guys on the balcony smoking our cigars. Since then most everyone got married and moved on, but this fragrance brings back fond memories of those days.

I can hardly manage words for this one. I hadn't sought it out on my own, since it sounded too masculine for my very-girly taste, but a friend sent me a sample, and I tried it on a golden autumn afternoon. Tabac Aurea is gorgeous, autumn in a bottle. I must admit that I'm utterly unable to be objective about the scent, because it reminds me so greatly of an old boyfriend. Pipe tobacco, the soft leather of a worn bomber jacket, spice, a patch of woods with moss and earth and grass underfoot, the smell of clean male skin... excuse me, I'm a little dizzy here. Whew. Although the classic Tabac Blond seems to have been a starting point for this scent, I perceive it as being both very masculine and absolutely something I'd wear. It is strikingly balanced between earthy and sweet, both crisp and smooth like the best apples for eating, like the golden days of fall.