I’ve been known to let people sniff a perfume I’m wearing and tell them an outright lie: “Oh, this? It’s built around a molasses-corn silk note that’s just been developed!” or “The perfumer was trying to re-create a country scene. Imagine a field in early summer: the scents of cows, manure, grass, damp earth, and a near-by forest full of blooming honeysuckle!” I tell these “stories” with a straight face and excitement in my voice and often people believe me: “That’s what it smells like!” they say.
I do believe it’s possible to pull the proverbial wool over the eyes (and noses) of even the most jaded perfume lovers if you wrap vibrant images, an exotic storyline, and “forbidden,” “rare” and “hard-to-import” ingredients around a new fragrance; maybe it’s even EASIER to pull the wool over perfume lovers’ eyes because we often have well-developed imaginations, and we desperately want new perfumes to be BOLD! OUTRAGEOUS! ORIGINAL!
I became excited about Nasomatto Black Afgano as I read news releases about its formulation; judging from the fragrance’s description (“smuggled” ingredients, harsh herbs, marijuana-as-incense) I was expecting something strange and “illicit.” Black Afgano’s dark brown juice is syrupy and the fragrance opens with strong aromas of “dirty” cedar (added cumin?) and musk. There is also a hint of wood-scented cigarette smoke in the opening minutes of the fragrance. Black Afgano’s mid-phase of development comes closest to smelling like marijuana with a dry, herbal-leafy accord (think cured tobacco) tinged with a sweet ‘sweaty’ note. As the scent dries down, there’s a brief moment of funky-furry musk, then Black Afgano becomes vanillic-amber-y with a touch of patchouli.
The lasting power of Black Afgano is sensational — I could smell it on my skin 24 hours after application — but it has minimal sillage; its stages of development are best observed at close range (nose near skin).
Though Black Afgano was blended to evoke the scent of high-grade marijuana (Cannabis sativa), and many reviewers and commenters on perfume blogs have been excitedly talking about its “weirdness” and its scent of fragrant weed, it does not smell much like marijuana (living, dried or burning) to me (or to a hashish-loving friend I let wear it). Black Afgano is a handsome oriental fragrance for men; it’s a “well-rounded” perfume with no ragged/jagged edges. Black Afgano smells more like the incense people use to cover up their pot use than it does the drug itself.
Nasomatto Black Afgano was created by Alessandro Gualtieri, and it’s available in 30 ml Parfum ($148). For buying information, see the listing for Nasomatto under Perfume Houses.
Note: top images of Cannabis sativa left and right via Wikimedia Commons. Lower image is s p l i f f # n i n e t y f o u r by splifr at flickr; some rights reserved.
51 Comments
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Hi Kevin!
This sounds absolutely amazing! It has many aspects I crave in a scent! Dirty cedar, musk, smoke, dry-herbal-leafy accord, sweaty, funky-furry musk, then vanillic-amber with a touch of patchouli? I love/wear Hindu Grass, I’d be very interested in smelling this.
Hide. My. Credit. Cards. Please!
Smokey: it IS very nice!
Kevin, Great review. I love the idea of making up stories about perfumes. I wonder if I can get my husband to try this one—I’d like to find an incense/tobacco-ish scent that he would actually wear. Probably best if I don’t tell him what it’s supposed to be first…
Have you tried PG’s Cozé, which is also supposed to have canapa sativa seed oil? To me that one just smelled very vegetal and rank (it’s also has pimento, I think—maybe that was it?). But some of the PGs seem to be different on me than on everyone else… in Cadjmere I get all coconut and almost nothing else.
Janice: haven’t tried the Coze…yet.
Thank you for this great review!
This perfume sounds wonderful, precisely what I like: strong lasting power and minimal silage. I’m a bit prudish with my own scent and like it to stay within my own personal boundary so that only those I want will smell it.
But Kevin, do you believe this is too masculine for women?
Angela: I find it masculine…but you may be OK with it. If you’d wear Dior Jules, you could wear this.
Kevin, I just adore ‘Jules’ by CD, so I’m sure I’ll love this one as well.!
It’s such a pity that Dior have not promoted ‘Jules’ as commercially as the current offerings which lack true character and distinction like Fahrenheit, Eau Sauvage and Jules.
I know you can locate a few bottles of Jules online, but these rare and vintage collectors’ few are astronomically priced.
Perhaps we (perfume blogsites) should start a campaign to Parfums Christian Dior to re-release this iconic fragrance. What do you think, readers?
Desmondorama: as far as I know Jules is still being made…just not exported. Several French readers have written me saying it’s available.
Hi Kevin! First off, I’ll admit I’d be eager to sample something with a molasses-corn silk note for kicks. (And regarding your yarn-spinning, I have to say, “Muriel, you’re terrible.”)
You’ve made this sound pretty nice, but the wannabe-illicit copy is just too adolescent somehow for me. For a perhaps similar vibe at more reasonable prices, I’ll probably stick to the Fumerie Turque and Lonestar Memories that I’ve been sampling recently (LM last night, in fact). Enjoy your week and thanks for the review.
Joe: you’re welcome and I like both of your back-up scents.
Is the perfume black itself? I’m guessing it’s a dye?
Anyway, really interested in trying this. Black Afghani hash has a sweet kind of oatmeal-ish scent to it.. not sure if I’d want to smell like it all day but definitely curious to find out.
Plume: no, the perfume is NOT black at all…just a nice clear brown color.
Sigh! I don’t think I’ll EVER be able to pay off my Barney’s Card. HA!
C: don’t smell it and you’ll be safe!!!!! (love that bottle though…the top)
This was recommended to me in my Monday Mail entry, so this was at the top of my to-try list.
but I haven’t tried it yet.
Me too. I was wild about China White, which seemed to me like a grown up version of an incense/musk frag I used to rock years ago.
BTW, is it me, or does it seem like the folks at Nasomatto are using some boldness = illicit drugs equation to drum up their inspiration?
Norjunma1: yes, I’m sure the talk of drugs is thought to be exciting…and the perfumer is pretty wild himself. HA!
Krok: from earlier comments you’ve made re: your perfume preferences…I think this will please you.
I’m with Joe on the adolescent ooh-look-at-me-I’m-so-baaad attitude — grow up, will ya?! However, you are so right about certain descriptions and notes being like catnip to perfume people (hmm, poll idea, Robin?). Personally, I find it completely impossible to resist anything characterized as “disturbing”!
Lilydale: me too! Call it ‘disturbing’ and I must try it.
Enjoyed the review, thanks Kevin. Just responding to the catnip comment above which I totally relate to. Angela reviewed something here which she described as hideously beautiful and which she saw being worn by someone with a difficult past and possibly bi polar disorder. I bought a bottle. (Patou’s Que Sais -Je )
~*Orientalness*~ seems to appeal to a lot of people who like perfume.
I like Asian inspired things, but whenever ad copies mention the ~*~*mysterious and mythical Orient*~*~ I just want to send whoever wrote it the BigBang/2NE1 “Lollipop” video a million times.
Krokodilgena: I totally agree with you on your comment about the exotic and mystical Orient. Show me any perfume that hints ‘disturbing’, ‘illicit’, ‘taboo’ and ‘forbidden’ and I’ll be desperate to try/buy it!
That’s why I’m s hung up on “Opium’ by YSL; the advertising and sophistication of the perfume concept is almost drug-like.
oh yeah, I meant to say mystical and not mythical lol.
Taboo/forbidden doesn’t really interest me, I just like weirdo perfumes. CdG usually appeals to me.
Kevin -
This was hysterical – you are so bad! Thanks for lightening my day.
Rappleyea: you’re welcome!
I ordered Demeter’s *Earthworm* because I wanted a forest floor smell. Unfortunately, it smells exactly like fish-bait and damp dirt. Demeter seems to be very literal. Now where am I gonna where this?:)
Um, to the Delaware River Shad Festival?
I remember someone saying they layered Demeter Dirt under something but I’d either sell it for a song on ebay or scentsplits or chalk it up to $15 wasted or whatever. Sorry to hear about it.
Joe: Dirt is nice with vetiver…but even I may draw the line at Earthworm (though I’d sniff it, if it were handy)
Alotofscents: EARTHWORM!? Demeter is INTO DIRT in many of the scents….
I like Earthworm! I get no fish food at all, just very loamy dirt. I layer it with green florally things like their Wet Garden to give it a bit more rainy-day depth.
Tama: that layering sounds nice….
I’m working my way through a large sample of Narcotic Venus, which I must admit I’m loving so far. After that exercise in projecting “the overwhelming addictive intensity of female sexual power” I might just need some Black Afgano and “a quest to arouse the effects of temporary bliss…” I sort of love the crazy copy, actually (“crazy nose,” crazy copy?) Thanks for the great review!
Gilty: I STILL have not tried Narcotic Venus…is it “hyper-femme?”
“smuggled” ingredients …. I love it! who thought of that?
Laken: HA! Who knows…but it’s one I’ve never heard before. Kudos!
Sounds absolutely fantastic…as long as it doesn’t resemble Yatagan in any way, I’m there. Yesterday I gave Yatagan it’s final try, and nope. Still nauseating. This would probably make a great replacement though!
Jared: no, not at all like Yatagan.
Jared! I’m sad… you have such terrifically eclectic taste for the unusual. I’m sorry that Yatagan nauseated you! It must be dabbed… lightly! But no lack of other perfumes if it doesn’t work.
Joe: “Dabbed”…be damned…Yatagan must be sprayed with wild abandon!!!!
I know! I even bought Yatagan unsniffed thinking it would be right up my alley. Sadly, even after several tries, I just can’t. Even lightly dabbed I’m not sure if I could do it. I did like Kevin and sprayed with wild abandon trying to force myself into it LOL. And…buh bye.
Great review. This is why I think that blind tests are great, It really puts the product to the test.
Abraham…blind testing is great…I wonder how often it’s used though…. Marketing people LOVE to put ideas in people’s heads.
Hey Kevin, I could also wear my Earthworm fragrance when I want to be nostalgic, or to attract a handsome Bass fisher, or even to lie to my nosey sister, “Yep, I’ve been working hard in the garden this morning.”
Off topic–I love Polo on a man, it turns me on. What smells similar or in the same category as Polo? I am still in the dark ages when it comes to men’s fragrances.
alotofscents: I, too, love Polo (in the green bottle)…and I really can’t think of anything quite like it on the perfume shelves.
Kevin, no Narcotic Venus is not hyper-femme. There’s a sharpness to it, a bit like that steam-iron musk to me, that makes it veer into darker territory. It’s also more subtle than its reputation…I don’t find it overpowering and, as you say about BA, it stays close to the skin. I’d call Beyond Love a femme tuberose; NV is definitely edgier and I think it may work on some guys.
Gilty: thanks…I’ll get a sample then.
I guess Nasomatto is to regulated substances what Etat Libre d’Orange is to sex… I’ll give this one a try, but I do find the line a little too deliberately rough-edged for my tastes. I almost scrubbed my fingerprints clean off when some Duro got on my fingertips during a decanting operation.
CarmenC: really…can’t wait to see what drug is next!
I would think the smell of marijuana would be easy to re-create, but I’m no scent chemist. Frankly, I find that skunky smell nearly revolting, so it’s nice that this doesn’t smell like it (to me)! I have never smelled China White as I certainly wouldn’t blind buy, but I’m so curious. No one on MUA, where I usually conduct swap, has ever had it (and/or) wanted to swap with me. ; (
JulesinRose: China White is my favorite of the Nasomattos I’ve tried … it’s worth buying a sample I think.