FRAGRANCE | Is Black Afgano Extrait de Parfum by Nasomatto still on a high?

Back when I was just starting to expand my interest in fragrances, Nasomatto's Black Afghano was one of those that repeatedly caught my attention. I don't know if it was because of how cute the diminutive bottle looked with its oversize cap or if it was due to comments from people raving about the scent and swearing by how it smelled a lot like cannabis (or hashish, or whatever). Either way, I wanted it. Even though I've never taken any step at sourcing a bottle or sampling it at least, I eventually got one when it finally became available locally. This was some three years ago and the box remained unopened since. 

Anyway, I've worn it at long last. The bottle and cap are as cute as I remember them. And as with all the house's offerings, there's an alternative "normal" cap that comes in the box for when you need to bring your bottle with you, which is very useful when traveling. 

The scent opens with a resinous sweetness coating an aromatic, deep, dark green accord. It has a vibe that somewhat reminds me of Amouage Opus VII without necessarily smelling alike. There's a whispering smokiness, too, along with a developing woodiness. The wood is sharp, perhaps due to its intrinsic dryness, but is reigned in by the sweet resins. On some days, the sharpness can be a little stubborn and is able to flex its screechy character a bit more than usual but still, it never gets too much.

After several more minutes, I pick up a sour-ish nuance (from oud, perhaps?), which continuously keeps its head down until you no longer notice it. The scent becomes more rounded as it progresses and later, the wood reveals a smoky side to it. All this time, the gentle smokiness has been quietly working its way into the wood until its flavor has been fully absorbed. Nevertheless, the smokiness maintains its mild quality, which is leagues away from the billowing intensity of Bukhoor by Thomas Kosmala or the tarry character of Tom Ford Noir Anthracite. But it's there, adding depth to the composition. 

Even though the fragrance isn't linear, I find its development rather truncated. It stops at sweet, smoky wood with some sharpness showing. The only change from hereon is in its projection, which starts on the stronger side of the spectrum before gradually waning. Its lasting power, though, can afford you occasional whiffs even after several hours. It leans masculine in my opinion and is best used for evening affairs and in cold weather or in temperature-controlled environments. I feel like there no longer is as much noise surrounding Black Afgano but it certainly remains a pretty good fragrance and is definitely worth a try.

As for the elephant in the room, I'm not quite sure if it does smell like cannabis. Maybe it does. Maybe I just missed it, I don't know. You see, sometimes we become so conditioned by the notes we see listed in a fragrance that we tend to smell what we're told we ought to smell. I guess I'm just missing it here.

Anyway, I'll just leave you with a video by Filipino rapper Shanti Dope: