TOM FORD
CAFE ROSE
2023
Turkish Rose
Bulgarian Rose
Coffee
This is a re-issue and reformulation of Cafe Rose (2012).
I recently tried the 2012 Private Blend version of Cafe Rose and I really enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t classify it as a coffee scent. This 2023 version is a bit different to my nose, but also not a coffee fragrance. You can find my original review here, but below is a comparison of sorts between the two versions.
To get it out of the way; I prefer the 2012 Cafe Rose over this one. Usually Tom Ford does good reformulations (they did an excellent job with Beau De Jour in my opinion). This 2023 Cafe Rose is still a nice fragrance, but it deviates in a different manner than I would’ve hoped. Also good to note that the original’s perfumer, Antoine Lie, has had no involvement in the release of this 2023 version.
Basically, the 2012 Cafe Rose to me smelled like a beautiful rose, with an ambery warmth, some saffron and the tiniest hint of coffee in the opening. Leaning slightly traditionally feminine to me.
This 2023 Cafe Rose feels even less coffee-like, as in, none at all. Yet, also less like a full-on rose fragrance, with more pronounced spiciness. The spices add a hint of green that I didn’t pick up on in the original and that’s my least favorite part of this composition. I’d say the 2023 is fully unisex and loses the feminine tinge.
The rose itself feels a tad sharper in 2023, or maybe that’s just the spiciness. Even more bright soapy than the original I think as well, with less of the ambery, smoother/creamier backbone. Neither seem to be great performers on my skin.
Do you want coffee? Skip both. Do you want a smoother rose? Go for the old one. Do you want a spicier rose? Go for this one. I definitely prefer the 2012 version. The 2023 Cafe Rose is a nice scent and may appeal to more men, but I find it a step backwards. If it all changed, I was hoping for more coffee, but instead it took the tiny hint of coffee out and the quality feels less nice to my nose; it’s all a bit sharper and more ‘transparent’.
The one thing that is an upgrade here is this awesome bottle; one of the prettiest presentations of 2023 in my opinion.
