TEO CABANEL
CAFE CABANEL

2019

PERFUMER
Cecile Zarokian

Cinnamon
Coffee
mandarin

Butter
Milk
Heliotrope
Rose

Caramel
Vanilla
Tonka Bean
Sandalwood
Musk

Café Cabanel seems to be the superstar from this house and it didn’t disappoint for me.

With Cecile Zarokian (Masque Milano Tango, Jovoy Remember Me, Nishane Ani) behind the composition, that shouldn’t be a surprise. It opens really strong, with a bitter coffee, a lot of cinnamon and a sharpish resinous touch. I don’t think there’s resins listed but something in this made me think of labdanum. That’s only for a brief moment though, because it quickly becomes smooth and creamy.

A hint of the orange comes through, reminiscent of the drydown of Casamorati’s Lira. It’s very sweet and lactonic, so the coffee doesn’t jump out at you, but if you look for it, it’s there. I’d say I get more cinnamon, milky vanilla and maybe even almond/heliotrope than coffee from it. I guess if you picture a latte machiatto with a lot of milk and sugar, rather than a strong roasted coffee bean smell, you get the idea.

It’s funny, because I thought I would love this for being a coffee scent and even though I get the coffee and I like it, I think there are better options for coffee purists. The milky vibe is why I absolutely love this. A while back I started looking for a lactonic scent, that wasn’t just sweet creamy or loaded with spices, but that retained a real milk scent and the best one I found was Jovoy’s Remember Me. With Café Cabanel Zarokian pulled it off again and it’s an extremely pleasant experience. I’d say it’s perfectly unisex and the performance is top notch. The projection is good and it lasts well above average.