Cigar Rum

Sampling Strangers Parfumerie Cigar Rum, seemingly one of the more popular entries from the line that I’ve heard the most about, and it’s a straightforward blend of tobacco and rum, mostly, with a sort of complementary spicy vibe that consists of resins, dried fruits, mandarin, woods, vetiver, and (curiously) seaweed. I get something a little peppery in the dry down, though pepper is not a listed note. The blend has a subtle, not prominent, sweetness, due to the dried fruits, probably, with something vaguely savory, perhaps via the seaweed. Still, the cigar and the rum are (fittingly) the main story, and fortunately, the result is not too similar to other boozy and/or sweet tobacco scents in the market that I’ve tried, as it’s not laden with honey, vanilla, or loud fruity notes, and the booze concept itself isn’t saccharine but instead leans a little more acerbic, as rum in particular sometimes does. Overall, this is a great blend, and resists becoming too sharp (between the rum, tobacco, spicy vibe, and seaweed), balanced well with the resins and slight sweetness. It’s an easy winner for cold weather especially (like the coffee-named scents from the line that I tried previously), strong but overpowering, and has a sophisticated vibe. Cigar Rum comes in EDP concentration and the house’s standard EDP pricing of $80 for 30ml, and is sold at Luckyscent and Indiescents. Luckyscent also sells a fairly comprehensive discovery set of 2ml spray samples. 8 out of 10

Given how popular Maison Margiela's Jazz Club is, You HAVE to try this. Opening hits you with a strong authentic whiskey/rum scent, it singes the nose a little. After about 10 minutes it mellows out and that's where the magic starts, it reveals layers upon layers. This fragrance smells sun-soaked and rugged, with layer of dried fruits. Raisins, dates, and maybe even prunes? While I know Dionysus is the Greek god of wine, not rum, this smells like the scent of Dionysus. It draws immediate comparisons to Jazz Club, but this is Jazz Club's older brother. Where Jazz Club is bright, young, playful, with a party-in-the-1920s feel, Cigar Rum is mature, grounded, and richer in both depth and expensive ingredients. There's a note of a smoldering cigar(not cigarette) or burning charcoal somewhere in there too. If you’ve ever wished Jazz Club to smell more expensive and mature, this is it. On clothes it smells exactly like sitting in a vintage car(perhaps a 1930s Sedan or a 1940s Cadillac) with leather bench seats that's been baking under the sun all afternoon, windows down, salty coastal wind blowing in. At $3.00 per ml, it’s slightly pricier than indie favorites like ELDO or Zoologist, but ABSOLUTELY worth the markup. It smells handcrafted and wonderful.

One of my favourites from the house. Surprised that so one has mentioned Vanille Havane (one of my all time favourites), it’s not as complex or rich, but the elements are similar enough to remind me of it (unsurprisingly with rum and tobacco). Great cold weather material and decent value.

Now THAT is what Maison Margiela Jazz Club is supposed to be! FYI, I hated Jazz Club, it stinks of used cigarettes... This fragrance, on the other hand, is everything that I wanted from such a scent! It's boozy, it's fruity, it's smoky, it's smells sophisticated <3 I love it!

Cigar Rum just smells good. The opening is my favorite part, but I love the dry down as well. The opening is a rum raisin and tobacco affair and the dry down brings the woodiness into the mix. Back up bottle worthy in my opinion.