Arrakis

As I write this review, I have Mystery Tobacco on one hand and TT Arrakis on the other. This specific genre of fragrance is one that I absolutely love, and therefore have sampled a large number of them with minimal differences. I'm going to do my best to differentiate between five of the best IMO from the ones I have sampled in this very narrow scent profile. Those I have chosen are: Mancera RT, PDM Carlisle, Argos TOB, Mystery Tobacco, and TT Arrakis. From a distance (or on the back of my neck) the sillage on these are pretty indistinguishable with slight differences. Up close, I believe the closest two are Mystery tobacco and Arrakis, and the main difference for me is the emphasis on certain notes. I'm going to be rather general in my descriptions of these five so as to save words. MT and Arrakis I would describe both as sweet cherry tobacco scents, with MT having slightly more emphasis on an underlying ashy tobacco, and Arrakis having more emphasis on the aromatic and sweet cherry accord. I believe Arrakis leans more towards TOB which is boozy, sweet vanillic, and aromatic; whereas MT leans more towards the opening of RT and the dirty tobacco. NOTE I said 'leans'! To me RT is not super pleasant, too much sweetness in the drydown and harshness up front. Carlisle in the opening comes the closest for me into gourmand territory, with an almost baked pie accord. Unfortunately the dyrdown has too much vanilla and is pretty guaiac dominant. I have finally ended on Mystery Tobacco because it is my favorite blend and fusion of all these characteristics, despite being probably the weakest of the bunch in performance. However, by no means is it a weak fragrance. I'm not going to rank these; it depends which characteristic you want to be highlighted. BTW I don't think Herod belongs in this discussion, as it is too far removed from these five. If you're deciding between these, give 'em a sample! You can't go wrong secondo me :)

The name Arrakis derived from Mu Draconis which is a multiple star in the constellation of the Dragon also known by the traditional name « Alrakis » which is derived from the Arabic name given to it by Arab observers, al-Rāqiṣ, "the trotting camel" or "the dancer. Arrakis is also an imaginary planet from Frank Herbert's Dune Cycle universe. Also called Dune, it is a desert planet entirely covered with sand and rocks, traversed by the immense Worms of the sands. Despite this, it plays a crucial role in the galactic economy, since it is the only source of the vital « Spice ». This movie created by David Lynch is one of my favorite science fiction film ever and it marked my youth as much as Star wars. The fragrance is a an intense Woody Spicy fragrance from the Luna constellation collection and launched in 2019. The nose behind its composition is the talented perfumer Paolo Terenzi. 💫Top notes are Osmanthus, Citruses, Spicy Notes, Saffron, Thyme, Rosemary and Grapefruit 💫Middle notes are Tobacco, Guaiac Wood, Vetiver and Patchouli 💫Base notes are Tonka Bean, Cambodian oud, Amber and Musk. The perfume opens with bright, creamy, citrusy and aromatic notes, then it settles its base on a woody semi gourmand blend with a beautiful Turkish tobacco note combined with a fruity boozy note. The dry down is a lovely amber, oud and tonka bean combo with hints of white musk. The scent has moderate projection and sillage and a great longevity. If you're into fragrances such as Naxos by Xerjoff and Tonka impériale by Guerlain you will probably dig this. The blending of this creation is really amazing and according to the nose @p.terenzi , it was not made on the traditional pyramid way but more on a spiral style like the constellation it was inspired from. Arrakis is for sure bright like a star that will surely be welcomed in the constellation of my favorites fragrances.💫🤗💖

The name Arrakis is believed to have come from the Arabic name الراقص ar-rāqiṣ, meaning "the dancer," originally a name for the star Mu Draconis. The journey to ARRAKIS, the fragrant star by Tiziana Terenzi begins with a whisper of sparkling citruses and aromatic herbs that read very italian on skin. But what I find makes ARRAKIS truly special is the contrast between light and darkness, and how everything works in perfect equilibrium. The incredible perfume opens on a tridimensional cocktail of citrus fruits, pairing the acidic bitterness of grapefruit to the sweet refreshing aroma of bergamot and lemon revealing a bright luminous start. This awakening introduction connects into the heart centered around a narcotic essence of tobacco drenched in the rich sweetness of tonkabean developing a gourmand effect as the apricot facet of osmanthus reveals a fruity tone supported by a leathery nuance of saffron that work wonders as it diffuses into the creamy and exotic substance delivered by cambodian oud, the smoky shadows of guiac and the strong earthy addition of patchouli, framing the final phase of ARRAKIS in a quintessence of darkness and allure.

To me it is closer to PDM Carlisle and CH Mystery Tobacco than Mancera's Red Tobacco, and it is sweeter than any of them. Unisex leaning feminine quite floral opening swings the other way after an hour or two to become masculine leaning unisex. Longevity, sillage and projection are very good, borderline enormous. Definitely fall/winter scent, but would be perfectly acceptable for spring nights, even in late spring. Retail price tag of $550 is absolutely ridiculous, but if you buy it at discount sites, price drops so much that it becomes ok, if not a graet buy. I had it at double sale for $98, at this price for this quality, performance and presentation it becomes kind of chipie! It is a top shelf tobacco frag, and if you like sweet tobacco scents and see it under $160, Arrakis is full bottle worthy and safe buy.

I like it. BUT, honestly, I have to say it smells like Red Tobacco by Mancera. I have both of them, and I would say they're 95% similar. Arrakis is a little bit darker and maturer, the projection is softer than RT. Arrakis is a gentleman. Red Tobacco is brighter, more nutmeg, more sourness from oud. Red Tobacco is a young man. And RT is more like a linear note. If you tried both already, I bet you will find the similarities. Red Tobacco was launched in 2017, Arrakis was launched in 2019. About the price level....uhm, depends on if you want to pay for extra packaging details or not.