TOM FORD
Cafe Rose

2012

PERFUMER
Antoine Lie

rose de mai
saffron
black pepper

bulgarian rose
coffee
turkish rose

frankincense
amber
patchouli
sandalwood

This review is for the 2012 formulation. Cafe Rose has always been an intriguing Tom Ford for me. I’d only smelled it briefly once, but really liked it as far as I knew. With a new version of Cafe Rose (2023) officially announced on the day of this review, I figured it was time to properly get the original version on skin.

Edit: In the meantime I have tried the 2023 Cafe Rose and it’s not identical and definitely not as good. Check out that review here.

Cafe Rose is a blend of the brigher, fresher side of rose and a very subtle coffee. This is more soapy and light than I made it up to be in my head. Also more traditionally feminine leaning of a style for most people I think.

This isn’t comparable the rose-coffee mix of Maison Tahite Coffee Bomb or Montale Intense Cafe (albeit that’s much more vanilla than coffee). I pictured this as a lighter sibling to Noir de Noir, but after trying it seriously, I have to say they’re not remotely in the same category. One thing to came to mind in the drydown is that it feels a bit like a more feminine leaning sister to Serge Lutens Santal Majuscule, with it’s smooth sandalwood base.

There is an ambery warmth, a sweetness and even a creaminess in this for sure (that sandalwood as mentioned above). It’s very smooth and it’s really as if the rose petals are drenched in it instead of it being a contrast. However, I don’t think it particularly smells of coffee as strong as I thought it would.

I’ll say something perhaps controversial. This is as light as most common rose-patchouli or amber-rose fragrances and if it wasn’t for the name, most people would probably just view this is a rose fragrance. It would be interesting to see a blind smell test with Cafe Rose and see if people peg this as coffee; I have a feeling I wouldn’t have at all.

That’s not a critique of the scent as I love rose and this is a beautiful mix. A bit more saffron than I usually love, but it works really well, giving more of a slick edge to otherwise fluffy and slightly powdery texture of the rose and the creamy base.

This is actually up there with Noir de Noir, For Men Extreme and Grey Vetiver as my favorite Tom Ford releases, it’s just different from what I expected.