Tabana

Tabana is a wonderful offering due to the talents of its creator Christian Provenzano. I’m not sure what Spirit of Kings must have paid one of the best and prolific perfumers in the business today, but it had to be quite a big payday. 44 fragrances is a lot of work! A number of reviewers (43) have said Tabana is similar to Tom Ford’s Tuscan Leather. Are they similar because of the leather note? Yes, but after that the ingredients are quite distinct. Tabano: Top notes are Agarwood (Oud), Saffron, Cardamom and Bergamot; middle notes are Leather and Pepper; base note is Ambergris TL: Top notes are Raspberry, Saffron and Thyme; middle notes are Olibanum and Jasmine; base notes are Leather, Suede, Woody Notes and Amber Clearly, to me at least, the differences make these, at best, 2nd cousins. I find the oud note to be strong in Tabano. Ambergris is strong and Saffron as well. Tabano has moderate silage and good longevity. I think it works better in cooler weather. It leans male and might be best as an evening scent. I think it is well worth a sample.

#551 in my "Tour de Fragrance" This is my first "Spirit of Kings" scent, and it impresses. If you love Tuscan Leather and Ombre Leather (though this scent has no tobacco), you'll love this too. It's $100 less expensive than those scents with the same quality. Acceptable for the office or date night in colder weather. But... there are several leather scents that are also great quality for $25-$65: Maison Alhambra Toscano Leather, Rasasi La Yuqawam, Montale Aoud Leather. So I wouldn't spend $190 for 100ml of this frgarance, nice as it is, or $270 for 100ml of Tuscan Leather. Both are wonderful scents, and that scent is all the more wonderful when it comes from a $20 bottle from an Arab clone maker.

Very lovely scent that evolves beautifully from fresh spiciness to softer leather notes with warmer spices. Definitely more masculine scent and I wear unisex scents a lot. For some reason this takes me to Portugal, I can't even say why, but it just does. It's a lovely warm summer afternoon in a park or garden after rain that refreshes the air. More in spring/fall when the temperature raises in the afternoon. It reminds me of some Penhaligon's fragrances, maybe Lothair(?) but I can't remember since it's been years since we had that one. But if you like Penhaligon's fragrances in general changes are that you'd like this one too.

Tabana reminds me of Tom Ford's Ombre Leather but with a subtle oud-y facet. It's less peppery than expected but still has that spiciness. As someone who is into leather fragrances, this is right up my street.

Traditional and spicy. A masculine leaning scent with a twist of dry oud. Heavy leather overtone. Gnarly to my nose.