FRAGRANCE | Jeke Parfum Extrait by Slumberhouse: Handsomely dark and rugged

Slumberhouse first entered my consciousness early last year and I've since looked their fragrances up on Fragrantica on several occasions. I was curious but at the same time unsure if I would like them at all. They weren't widely available and some of the ones I'm most interested in were sold out. But when they released a new batch of some of their old fragrances late last year, I dillydallied until one by one, they sold out. Before everything went pfft, however, I got Jeke.

Presentation is ho-hum, with the 30ml bottle from the 2019 release looking basic and uninspired. Also, I don't know if this was the case with previous releases but it doesn't come with a box; just a simple, velvety pouch. At least local house Wren has its pouches in pleather, if I were to compare.

The presentation may be underwhelming but the scent is just fantastic. Jeke has a sweet and sour boozy opening that quickly transitions to dark tobacco and a deep, woody accord. You'd think the booze disappears but it merely settles into a layer underneath, quietly working its magic. The tobacco, on the other hand, remains mostly dry despite the vanilla-like sweetness blanketing the scent. Now before you bring up any comparisons to Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille, this is decidedly different. While Tobacco Vanille is smooth, elegant, and commanding, Jeke has a certain ruggedness to it because of a host of different elements at play.

A thick smokiness slowly builds up, filling the scent with its raw and wonderful aroma. It's almost like an approximation of smoke from burning wood or dried leaves although the sweetness keeps it dutifully in check because I don't think anyone would wish to smell like literal smoke. Rather than being ethereal, similar to the kind of light smokiness from incense in the likes of L'Artisan's Dzongkha and Penhaligon's Elixir, Jeke treads a more grounded and earthy vibe.

I also pick up something green and slightly camphorous occasionally peeking but it's more of an accent than a major player. And as everything settles several hours later, it acquires a sort of musky aroma that works seamlessly with the tobacco and wood.

Slumberhouse's Jeke is an intense and layered masculine scent, dark but not exceedingly so. It's a well-blended composition that embraces its rather rough character by maintaining a structure that's intentionally not too polished. Projection is not out of this world but the scent is very long-lasting. My, this is something really worth trying.