FRAGRANCE | Cuir Cuba Intense EDP by Parfums de Nicolaï: Versatility and elegance in tobacco

halfwhiteboy - Cuir Cuba Intense EDP by Parfums de Nicolai 01

I've only learned of Parfums de Nicolaï sometime last year from an Instagrammer I follow and whose taste in fragrances I trust. I've read that its founder and owner, Patricia de Nicolaï, hails from the Guerlain family and has managed to successfully carve her own path in the world of perfumery.

Although blind-buying is never advisable, I was eyeing New York Intense for my first bottle from this house but ended up with Cuir Cuba Intense instead because the former wasn't available. Thinking I may never be able to consume a 100ml flacon, I picked the 30ml one. It's so tiny and cute! It's also (relatively) not that expensive (USD 66; USD 195 for the 100ml). Despite this, presentation is never sacrificed—yes, even for a teeny weeny bottle.

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With the name I was expecting a deep, dark cocktail of leather and tobacco, notes that I adore in my fragrances. Apparently I didn't get the memo that Nicolaï is never about deep and dark, as I was pleasantly surprised with a deliciously sweet licorice instead. It had just the perfect amount of sweetness, balanced by a fleeting minty-lemon zing and a bright and light spiciness courtesy of star anise, all grounded by dried tobacco leaves still buried deep in the background. And oh, there is no leather. Or at least I can't detect any.

Around 30 minutes later the sweetness and spiciness start to wane while the tobacco's intensity works in inverse proportion. The tobacco is gorgeously dark, a little moist from the remaining sweetness and perhaps some florals, but the overall scent remains rather bright for some reason. It's not a heavy scent to wear at all. It's more along the lines of Tabac Vert by Rogue Perfumery than the rum-infused Replica Jazz Club by Margiela or the ultra-dry Gucci Guilty Absolute.

The fragrance projects nicely, wrapping you in a lovely scent bubble throughout the day. The first 2 or 3 hours is on the stronger—but still inoffensive—side and is generally moderate thereafter. There's also a light, animalic, musky accord that appears late in the drydown although it's still the tobacco that lords over everything else up until the end.

Tobacco may be commonly associated with men's fragrances but I can see any woman pulling this off with no problem. Cuir Cuba Intense is a fantastic, well-blended EDP that impresses right from the start and progresses just as beautifully and elegantly on your skin. It's a perfect all-year, all-occasion fragrance regardless of where you are in the world. A must-try in my opinion.

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