One of my earliest scent childhood memories is of my dad smoking his pipe. I should, in fact, say pipes because he proudly collected them. I have inherited this collection and I hope to take it home with me as soon as I can visit Italy.
What I most vividly remember is the pipe tobacco he used when we lived in England in the 1980s. It was named Mac Baren Latakia Blend and it was created in Denmark in 1964.
Cut into thin slices from twisted “ropes”, the tobacco coins had a dessert-like appearance along with a smoky and sweet aroma; to me, they looked and smelled like dark chocolate with hints of dried fruit.
Vanille Debauche by Kyse Perfumes, an American independent house known for its gourmand fragrances, vividly reminds me of the scent of this tobacco.
As soon as I spray Vanille Debauche, I am transported back to my childhood as I opened the pipe tobacco tin and sniffed repeatedly.
Created by perfumer Terri Buozzo, who launched Kyse Perfumes in 2014, Vanille Debauche is a delightful mix of tobacco – pipe tobacco to my nose-, a lightly spiced up vanilla, and dried fruits. I also detect a dark cocoa note that isn’t listed in the olfactory pyramid but that my nose perceives as delicately veiling the composition, bringing to mind those smoky chocolate-like tobacco curls I sniffed in my youth.
I don’t find this creation to be especially debauched, despite the boozy notes being listed, but, I smell something sweet and thick like maple syrup or caramel.
Amber and woods add a rich depth, and warm beeswax rounds out the fragrance and adds elegance to it. These darker notes, along with the tobacco, mitigate the fragrance’s sweetness, which is never cloying or excessive.
The cocoa butter with the same scent is soft and luscious, and allows for a nice layering with the fragrance.
The notes below are listed in the Kyse Perfume’s website:
Vanilla bourbon CO2, beeswax, boozy notes, amber, dried fruit, wood, tobacco.
I reviewed this from my personal fragrance (15 ml bottle) and mini cocoa butter tub.
Vanille Debauche is sold as Eau de Parfum in 15, 30, 50, and 100 ml bottles. The fragrance is also available as body cream and body butter in various sizes.
Photos: my own and Sarah McGuire.
I LOVE the sound of this perfume and the memories you have associated with it. Those pipes look so cool. I will have to sample this soon. I am a sucker for vanilla tobacco scents.
Thank you! Vanilla and tobacco can really balance each other out beautifully.