Tobacco Rose: A new classic has arrived

There are rose perfumes and then there are rose perfumes. In the former category comes the goodYardleys and the not bad at all Marks and Spencer EDT. In the latter category comes the Andy Tauer roses and the Serge Lutens/Miller Harris roses.  And now to that category you can add Papillon Tobacco Rose. Tobacco Rose, by Nose Liz Moore for Papillon, opens with an abundance of good things straight away. From the first sniff I had tender dried tobacco leaves- not the Golden Virgina sort, but the not quite dried, still curling damp leaves:  imagine a pot pourri made of leather rose petals.  There’s a hint of powder, a whiff of fresh violets and the beautiful star of the show: the rose itself.  The opening is radiant.

The middle phase goes a bit gourmand, and usually I’m not a fan of gourmand, but I do love a nuttiness in scent and that’s what we have here.  There is a hint of almonds and richness that reminded me of Andy Tauer’s PHI Une Rose de Kandahar. The base notes are more tobacco and almond rich, but the rose is steadfast and you can wear this for eight hours and still know that it is a predominantly rose perfume.

I particularly like its lack of sweetness. I’m so over over-sugared scent, but this is pitched just right, with a clean greenness to it. The oakmoss gives it a chypre style base that smells so classic that it feels like its been around for years.

The quality of ingredients shines through: this is not cut and paste on the cheap like a lot of mass market High Street stuff these days.  These bottles are investment bottles and perfumistas will want them.  Of that I am certain. I recommend Tobacco Rose without any concern or doubt that you will love it. If you want some samples, try the Papillon website or our friends over at Les Senteurs.