Burning Ben

Absolutely awesome frag that had me in love at first sniff. This is what I'll be wearing next winter for sure. I also love the name, as my name is Ben! The coffee is definitely there, and its blending with dark chocolate is just genius, they combine to make a dark chocolate espresso note, the best I have ever smelled of any coffee or chocolate frag. I would say this note is the most prominent her. There is also realistic, campfire-like smoke constantly apparent, which really blends with the leather, similar to how Amouage's Myths combines smoke and leather in its dry-down. I normally don't like leather frags, but the leather here is so well blended and not too strong. I was also scared about the "burnt tire accord" but It's not too smoky for my nose, about as smoky as By The Fireplace, but not overpowering like A City on Fire. All this is backed up by a slightly boozy sweetness, like a slightly marshmallow-y bourbon brown sugar in the background. The multitude of other notes seem to blend into a blur, but they create a nice spicy framework for the main notes to work in. This is just what I look for in a fragrance, absolutely unique yet super approachable. This is a definitely a potent frag but it's not super sweet, like a dark chocolate opposed to a milk chocolate. I just get whiffs of yummy chocolate and coffee the whole time I'm wearing this. Incredibly cozy and delicious, this is a must try for coffee and chocolate lovers!

It opens with a lustrous, dark type of tobacco—cognac, muddied artfully with the espresso, dark chocolate, tobacco leaf, smooth incense, and beeswax—these are the notes that can be noticed. Other things like cherry, hazelnut, birch tar, plum, help to accentuate the richness of the cognac here that has a muddied yet alluring dark tobacco facet and are therefore not noticeable in the profile but as supports. It’s basically like This Is Not a Pipe by Demeter/Smoke by Akro, but miles more complex and nuanced, and really to me, in a good way. It alludes to a person that has drunk a few drinks and smoked a few dark cigars/tobacco—not cigarettes necessarily. They hadn’t bathed in quite a while, drenched a bit in their own alcohol actually, but not like cheap beer, more like cognac/wine. Hence, the birch tar, owning birch tar absolute myself, is misplaced rather high on the chart here. Fortunately, this description is here to stay in the drydown, and I’m sort of glad I waited off on looking into this genre of frags to get any FBs of the family because this is nothing short of a want for me. Admittedly, I would still reach for TiNaP/Smoke if I wanted a similarly dirty tobacco at a more economical rate, though this is definitely worth the asking price for the nuances present. + 1 * Smoke -> 100/100. An impressive artistic render by Prin Lomros.

you crash your car into a birch tree & spill scalding coffee all over your crotch & you step out of the car into the dark of the woods & a clump of hay is on fire in front of you & you're not sure if it was started by the car wreck or was pre-existent & you try to put out the fire by throwing your leather jacket over it & the half-eaten 85% cocoa chocolate bar you left in the pocket starts melting & the nearly empty pack of stale cigarettes in the other pocket starts to burn & you smack the jacket against the ground until it extinguishes & you manage to pull one of the lit cigarettes out & start smoking it & you burn your fingers but you also just wrecked your car so you're not that concerned & you put your fucked up leather jacket back on & it's so warm on your back & you lick melted chocolate off of your fingers & you decide to crawl up the side of the hill you drove off of & you look back over your shoulder & see that the little hay fire is still burning & you make it to the top of the hill & onto the pavement & you switch on a tiny keychain flashlight to inspect the tire marks you left on the road & you touch them and they're still warm

Strangers Parfumerie Burning Ben is seemingly one of the house’s better-known entries that I neglected to sample my first time around with the line but am happy to try out now. It immediately smells of a combination of various dark and smoky elements, from leather to liquor to coffee, with affectations that range from sweet to animalic to spicy, really a sort of smoky multifaceted blend that’s especially fitting for cooler weather and/or nighttime situations. I mainly get a bit of leather varnish, espresso, chocolate, nuts, resins, and spices. It’s really fascinating and performs reasonably well, though it’s always difficult to make a full assessment off of a dabber sample. As with much of the line, Burning Ben is EDP concentration, priced at $90 for 30ml, and sold in the US at boutiques like Luckyscent. I find the pricing to be very reasonable nowadays, even up slightly from $80 a few years ago, but $3 / ml is very fair for niche perfumery, and I feel I’m a bit overdue to retry some other entries and perhaps pick up a couple bottles from the line. 8 out of 10

The idea and theme is quite repulsive I’m not here to argue about that As I always do my main attention is the “juice” as they call it The packaging is not important but must note it was minimal Again another notice I might add is my previous bad experiences with the perfumer not personally mind you but his work wasn’t very impressive TBO But here MR.PRIN you scored a home run sir Coffee - leather - Castoreum - tar - chocolate and tobacco When I read the notes all together I thought to myself it will be a definite abomination In what world can you mix these together This guy made a marvel to contemplate and a milestone to be proud of I almost went through a 1/3 of a bottle and believe it or not I bought it a couple of months ago Another respectable thing to mention is the performance it was incredible As much as the word is overused in the community but this scent truly is a masterpiece

This is not your usual every day wear perfume. Sample before purchasing. It starts off with smoky, burning rubber, leathery, cognac and dark chocolate well blended smell. After 2:30 to 3 hours it transition to a skin scent of wood, smoke, espresso and a little bit sweet note probably from the plum listed in the original perfume notes. The perfume is dark and heavy, i believe it is only suitable for cold weather. The genius perfumer Prin Lomros has created a scent that teleports you into a mysterious thrilling movie scene. Definitely a 10/10.

Oh wow I love this so much. Everything I want from a fragrance. Bold, unusual and multi faceted The opening is a blast of booze and smoke and wood and coffee and ..... something. It made me feel like I was slinking into a gumshoe's office ready to start some scandalous caper. After about ten minutes a smell of struck matches and the tobacco comes though. The dry down lasts all day and is a delicious muddle of incense and musk. I didn't get a strong leather vibe at all. Straight on the FBW 🔥🔥🔥🔥

This scent is a total win for me. You will smell like a sexy and mysterious guy, so definitely consider whether that is something that appeals to you and your style. Even though I am quite feminine, I love wearing this scent in the winter. It dries down to quite a powdery coffee and hazelnut scent with a slight smokiness that is lovely in cold weather. If you do not overspray, it is soft enough to wear during the daytime which makes it more versatile than you think.

Mainly coffee-leather-tobacco to me at first. Also, one of the realest coffee scents I’ve smelled. The coffee is immediate and bitter and true, as if more than slightly burnt and wafting out of a gas station paper cup. I normally don’t care for leather in fragrances but it is used quite well here. The chocolate scent gets stronger the longer it’s on the skin and lends a warmth and subtle sweetness without taking it into cafe mocha territory. Very much unisex. Not particularly masculine or feminine either which way. This also smells exactly like the first day of 3rd grade. STRONG black coffee, that rubber cement teachers used to use, dusty building, old wood, dewy grass.

An unusual and arresting Oriental gourmand scent, this is a very interesting and evocative perfume. It opens like a true gourmand with notes of chocolate, coffee, nuts and berries. Then it starts transitioning to a leathery musk with slight smoky accents. Finally it settles on a powdery ambery vetiver and patchouli. Overall the scent is quite an interesting ride and a shape shifter just like the powerhouse Korean film ‘ The Burning’ whose mysterious central character it takes its name from. Unisex slightly masculine leaning scent with moderate sillage, projection and longevity. Enjoy!

hell yeah this is super intense and smoky i really like it. You mainly get the smell of a really old and dusty leather burning with the hints of coffe beans. you'll mostly sense the smoky and leathery vibe in an animalic way with the coffe, chocolate and beeswax making the combination smoother and less harsh. You also kinda get the tobacco too, not as much as leather or incense tho. I find the dna similar to ecrin de fumee but that one isn't as animalic as burning ben. 8.8/10

This starts out as a blast of abrasive booze, smoke and tar, but it dries down into a pleasant gourmand coffee scent. It’s a great fragrance for someone with a complex personality, like if you seem tough at first but have a soft side. Leans a little masculine but could work on anyone. It’s really strong the first two hours or so after you put it on then after that it turns more subtle.

I like this one very much. Initially, I got a very strong burning pipe tobacco scent. It has faded, and now the leather is dominant with coffee underneath. There's a hint of chocolate. Very nice sillage.

Smoke, dark roasted coffee, dark chocolate. For those that love coffee fragrances, this might be a unique one to add to your collection.

Wow. Opening was crazy for me, super interesting and the dry down is gorgeous

Fragrance In Three Words: Cocoa Rubberised Espresso I had to try this and Scotch Peat after lots of positive reviews on YouTube. Unfortunately the first time I tried it (and Scotch Peat) I got a really unpleasant ammonia smell. It could just be down to my skin's chemistry on that day. For me it started off with a nice strong espresso coffee, very light cherry tobacco and a slight burnt smell from labdanum. As it progressed I got more of a chocolate cake smell and what is described as burnt tyre. It didn't have the seductive burnt tyre of Bulgari Black (1998) or the potency of something like Beaufort's Vi Et Armis (2015) which does a black tar note really realistically. Maybe it's down to the hype, but I can't help, but feel cheated. I know Prin Lomross is an incredibly talented and exciting perfumer, but it has too much of a throw everything into the mix feel. I was really letdown by the projection which was moderate; given the notes I expected a monster. Lasted around 5 hours which is good. Price in the UK is £75 for 30ml which is OK for a niche perfume. PS: something to watch out for is this (and Scotch Peat) might stain white clothing. Scores: 6 out of 10. 1ml decant

I got a sample of this one with the Salted green mango i bought. I don't like it. The name was choosen masterfully for the scent. i get a very burned like opening (not smoke, but BURNED), too overpowering to my nose. Couldn't pass that. Sorry, this is not for me.

This fragrance doesn’t start with the bottle – it starts with a flight. You’ve been in the air for what feels like forever. You’re exhausted, sticky, and just barely functioning. All you want in this life is a cigarette. You land in some not-so-glamorous Middle Eastern airport. It’s hot, the floor is grimy, the lights are dull, and the air is thick with espresso, sweat, and despair. You find the smoking room. And there it is – Burning Ben. That smell that greets you like a cloud of men drenched in heavy oud oils, puffing cigars and harsh cigarettes, sipping bitter coffee, and radiating collective exhaustion. Somewhere in the corner, a guy is literally burning paper. Everything mixes together into this suffocating haze that clings to your clothes and sanity alike. I honestly don’t get people who describe this scent as “dark and mysterious.” To me, it’s just that scene – an airport smoking lounge between flights and the desperate wish to get out of there as soon as possible.

Open - smokey but not as much as you'd think given the name; not overpowering or cloying, straw/grass note, virginia tobacco, edible, aquatic note, whisky, after a while chocolate makes an appearance, lumber, incense is there but not overpowering, sweetness and fruit comes later. Quite a masculine open. Dry down - very well balanced, chocolate, all spice, hazelnut, leather, incense becomes more dominant - nothing really jumping out at you though. Further development (10+ hours) Florally, soapy, powdery, sour, sweetness and spice. Overall What surprised me about this fragrance was how well balanced the notes are. Its very very well balanced. Also I was expecting something rather challenging and perhaps something a little off the wall. But instead I got a perfume that I think a lot of people can enjoy without dividing opinion too much. Its complex but not excessively. I don't think it will be one that I just throw on randomly but definitely when I want something a little more interesting that will make people stop and think 'what is that?'

First on, it’s a beeswax candle scented with bayberry. There’s a hint of coffee if I’m looking for it, and a melange of unidentifiable notes that blend smoothly enough that I can’t pick any out. There is a bright high edge that feels perfume-y to me, but so far overall it’s a warm, slightly smoky scent of complex incense consisting mostly of un-burnt resin. Full dry down 7 hours later: skin scent mostly of melted beeswax with a faint wood note. Nice, but still a bit aromatic for me. Still worth a try. I do like the execution.