Tobacco 01

To me, Tobacco 01 opens with some dried plum and a surprisingly moist and fresh tobacco note that works in harmony with the cumin and peppery notes. It is sweeter than it sounds but there is a lot less of the fruity textures in this than you might expect from looking at the notes. They are dried fruits not juicy fresh. If you look for them, there are some nicely blended floral accords in Tobacco 01 but these freshen from the sidelines and are difficult to pick out as they are so enwoven into the greeny tobacco notes. The middle is rich patchouli, resinous amber and some Iso E Super to smooth it over whilst the base is an almost creamy gourmand sort of vanilla and honey that cleverly never goes too sweet. It goes almost chocolatey (I think from the patchouli) in sillage. If you breeze past someone wearing this you get the cocoa patchouli hand in hand with pipe tobacco scent which isn't as heavy as it sounds. But if you get in close on the skin, you get the heavier tobacco and the cumin which is much stronger than I was expecting. It is a really accomplished bit of perfumery from Angeline Leporini. The musk and cashmeran are, again, supporting actors rather than the headliners and do a really nice job in smoothing this over and making it much easier on the nose than it looks by note list. I cannot see Ambroxan in the notes but I am positive I can feel it in here, ironing out the creases and throwing a silk texture over the whole thing. I would say it is much sexier than Incense 01, Patchouli 01, Rose 01 or Vanilla 01. I dated a girl from Sri Lanka many years ago and this smells exactly like her skin: Dark, spicy, sexy, warm and languid, impossibly-exotic-but-very-familiar, but not brooding or difficult. It is a nice memory of a long time ago and I love fragrances that can evoke things like that. Layering suggestion: try a base layer of Killian - Intoxicated just to ramp up the spices and add a gorgeous coffee note. You could also look at a saffron or incense top layer, perhaps Encens Suave by Matiere Premier or Liquide by Les Liquides Imaginaires. This is a very versatile scent that lends itself well to layering I feel. Three Word Summary: Non Smoky Tobacco Scent - 7/10 Sillage - 8/10 Drydown - 8/10 Bottle/packaging - 9/10 Performance - 8/10 40/50

Tobacco 01 opens very sweet. Plum and apple come through strongly at the start, while the tobacco sits in the background. The sweetness dominates for the first 5 to 10 minutes, then tobacco and amber begin to rise. I pick up a faint cumin note, though it is subtle. Honey is present throughout but remains a supporting player. Vanilla also stays in the background. The sweetness is clearly driven by plum and apple rather than vanilla, which makes sense since vanilla sits in the base. Around 15 minutes in, the tobacco becomes much stronger. It blends smoothly with the fading plum and apple, which never disappear completely but shift into the background. The tobacco is a dry leaf style, which works well. Comparing it to Initio Side Effect, I see why people mention similarities. Side Effect also opens with plum, but it is only half as strong. The boozy character is more prominent in Side Effect, while the tobacco plays a similar supporting role early on. Cinnamon stands out clearly in Side Effect, but I do not detect it in Tobacco 01. This makes their openings quite different. For the first 20 minutes they feel related but not the same. As they dry down, the resemblance becomes more obvious. By 30 minutes, Tobacco 01 is very close to Side Effect. I prefer Tobacco 01 here. It is more powerful, projecting about twice as strongly, while Side Effect feels weaker even though I sprayed Tabacco 01 first. Side Effect may be slightly smoother, but Tobacco 01 carries more weight. After 90 minutes, Tobacco 01 is still radiating strongly while Side Effect has faded. The dry down is balanced. The top notes and tobacco sit evenly together, neither overpowering the other. It settles into a cozy, inviting scent that feels well blended and easy to fall in love with.

I can get quite angry when I see stupid comments on fragrances. Like why did they name it Tobacco 01? Please, if you don't smell the tobacco, your opinion on this fragrance is just not valid. The tobacco is definitely present. Swiss Arabian has this unique quality of amazingly blended fragrances. This one is no exception. The tobacco is really the star of this perfume but it's so smooth, I suppose because it's paired with honey, vanilla, cashmeran, musk. It's quite smoky and bitter. I also smell a fruity essence, I think it's the plum but also could be the green apple. There's also a hint of spice (red pepper, licorice). When I first opened it, it smelled different. It was very good and unique from the start but now it's just even nicer and more smooth. I love tobacco fragrances however to me, this one leans masculine. I've smelled a few fragrances in a style of TF Tobacco Vanille and those to me are more feminine even though the majority says otherwise. Tobacco 01 smells nothing like those, neither does it smell like Side Effect. Side Effect is less smoky and fresher, Tobacco 01 is fruitier, denser and more inscensy. That's why I find this less feminine leaning. Don't even have to talk about longevity and sillage as it's always on point with the Herritage Collection. 8.8/10

I don't think this perfume is being talked about enough. Tobacco 01 is the only Extrait de Parfum in their Heritage collection. Yes, compared to other Arabic fragrances, this may have a slightly higher price tag. Still, I think it's totally worth it. I'd even pay a lot more. As for its performance: incredible. The longevity, projection, and sillage are vast. I don't recommend applying it on clothing at all (maybe only on very light clothes that you're going to wash). The projection and sillage are equally powerful. They may not tell you anything, but I'm sure they'll smell you. As for its scent: Mainly fruity sweet, but not cloying or sweet-smelling, even though the honey is present. Both the plum and licorice are present from the first second. Later, I detect amber and those heavier tobacco-like notes. It's not a truly remarkable tobacco, as you might expect from the perfume's name. Still, it smells along with the other notes, making it feel... rugous? I know it doesn't make much sense, but I feel like it's a sweet and smooth tobacco, but at the same time rugous and noticeable. I don't know, haha. Definitely a compliment-getter and quite versatile within dense, nighttime fragrances.

This opens up with a lovely dose of Apple and Plum with Cumin and Licorice for a little bit of contrast. The Dry down is where the Patchouli shines, It combines with a hefty dose of Honey and Vanilla giving the composition a very slight Chocolaty vibe. The Tobacco stays throughout the entire life of the fragrance, it's slightly smokey and Ashy without being aggressive. Although people have compared this to Side Effect, Personally I think it's only in opening. I like this more than Side effect, as a matter of fact I don't like Side effect because of that Dried Coconut note which I believe is coming from the Sandalwood. This However doesn't have that. This is a beautifully blended fragrance without any of the notes dominating the others. Performance wise I'd say it's pretty long lasting especially if you spray it on clothes. I remember opening up my laundry basket and I could still smell it on my clothes which I wore a 2 days before laundry day. Projection is decent, It's not too beastly and not too loud which is exactly what I like for something with this scent profile. Overall, I give this a 10 out 10. A solid release from Swiss Arabian.