Perfume Review – Tom Ford Private Blend Tobacco Vanille

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I’ve tried a number of tobacco fragrances lately and, to my surprise, my favorite has TF Tobacco Vanillebeen Tom Ford’s Private Blend Tobacco Vanille! It was quite unexpected, since I haven’t had a ton of luck in my prior experiences with the line and since Tom Ford fragrances can be a bit too potent even for my liking. (I usually adore powerhouse fragrances, so that says something!) Unintentionally, I seem to have started on the light end of the tobacco spectrum with Hermès‘ airy, ambered, rum and tobacco Ambre Narguilé, before working my way to the heavier, denser, more vanilla-y tobacco and rum Spiritueuse Double Vanille from Guerlain, and ending up with the richest of them all – a chocolate, tobacco and rum scent which I thought was wonderful!

Tobacco Vanille is a unisex eau de parfum which Fragrantica categorizes as “Oriental Spicy.” On his website, Tom Ford describes it as follows:

A modern take on an old world men’s club. A smooth Oriental, TOBACCO VANILLE opens immediately with opulent essences of Tobacco Leaf and aromatic spice notes. The heart unfolds with creamy Tonka Bean, Tobacco Flower, Vanilla and Cocoa, and finishes with A Dry Fruit Accord, enriched with Sweet Wood Sap.

The most complete list of notes that I’ve found was, oddly enough, on Nordstrom’s website which says Tobacco Vanille has:

ginger, tobacco leaves, anise, coriander, tobacco flower, clove, spices, fruit wood sap, benzoin, vanilla, tonka bean.

Tobacco Vanille opens on my skin exactly like a Christmas plum pudding, a sort of Christmas Plum Pudding PuddingDessertz Blogspotdark, blackened, moist-to-dry fruitcake that often is accompanied by a vanilla rum sauce. The similarity is so strong, it’s striking. The rum opening is accompanied by dark pipe tobacco, cinnamon chocolate, and spices. There is a touch of cardamom and ginger, just like in a really strong Chai tea. The subtle ginger note combined with the dark spices renders this a very different scent than Ambre Narguilé or Spiritueuse Double Vanille on my skin. The pipe tobacco is different, too. It’s not as sweet, light or fruity as it is in the other two fragrances, and there are no smoky, incense notes. Here, the tobacco is not like airy hookah smoke, but something a thousand times more dense. There is almost a chewy, black vibe to the whole thing with a faintly bitter underpinning, though I don’t know if it stems from the tobacco leaves, the fruit, or something else.

The rum note here is also different from that in the other two fragrances. It’s not as light or sugary but, rather, like a dark, sullen version. Or, perhaps, it’s just not very rum-like at all in the beginning, though that may well be the result of the amount you put on. I tried Tobacco Vanille twice, in differing concentrations, with the first time involving half my usual dosage. On that occasion, I didn’t get rum so much in the opening as some other strong alcohol. drambuieI couldn’t pinpoint which one but, for some reason, Drambuie consistently came to mind! Drambuie, for those of you who haven’t tried it, is a Scottish liqueur that is made from honey, herbs, spices and single malt whiskey. It’s very much like herbed honey with spices, whereas rum is a much more consistently sweet, dense, heavy black note in my mind. On the second try, with a lot more Tobacco Vanille on my skin, the aroma was unquestionably rum and not Drambuie.

A higher dosage of Tobacco Vanille results in yet another difference: a significantly stronger chocolate note. The more perfume I used, the stronger and darker the chocolate. In my first test, I used half the amount of perfume that I normally use because… well, frankly, one must be cautious in applying Tom Ford fragrances. They can be massive, potent, savage beasts — and I learnt the hard way after Amber Absolute that one should start with perhaps less than what one normally uses. So, using that halved dose, the cocoa note was a bit like a ghost. It popped up here, popped up there, and vanished for stretches of time, before re-emerging like a tease. In my second test, using my normal number of dabs, the chocolate was apparent from the very start. It wasn’t light, dusted cocoa powder either, but more akin to cinnamon-spiced, dark chocolate.

That the rich, dense, chocolate note combined with the slightly smoky aspects of the tobacco almost verges on a chocolate patchouli accord. Though Tobacco Vanille is often brought up in discussions of Serge Lutens‘ Chergui, the opening make me think of a very different Lutens fragrance: Borneo 1834. Tobacco Vanille lacks the camphorous elements of the latter, but the rich chocolate-patchouli, spiced chai, smoky elements seem much closer to Borneo 1834 than to what I experienced with the lovely Chergui. Chergui is simply not as dense, chewy and dark as Borneo 1834 and Tobacco Vanille. It also has a predominantly honey note, with florals, hay, incense and a very different sort of smoke element. Never once did Chergui call to mind a Christmas plum pudding! I should note, however, that despite the comparison and its sweetness, Tobacco Vanille is not a gourmand fragance. I think the dryness of the tobacco and the spices prevent it from being like dessert. In other words, it’s not cloyingly sweet or diabetes in a bottle.

Thirty minutes in, in my first test at a lesser dosage, the spice notes started to unfurl even more. There is a lovely light note of coriander with its lemony undertones, some candied ginger, and a soupçon of anise. There is also an almost milky accord which makes me think of thick, sweetened tea. The lemony note to the coriander adds to that mental impression of a dark black tea with milk and a sliver of lemon. In conjunction with the dark fruit, spices and tobacco notes, I feel transported to a British gentlemen’s club in Mayfair where High Tea has been served in one corner of a wood-paneled library and where members quietly smoke cheroots or pipes. It’s very masculine, very proper and, yet, simultaneously, for reasons that I can’t quite pinpoint or put into words, it’s also none of those things.

St. James Hotel's Library Bar, Paris. Source: Oyster.com

St. James Hotel’s Library Bar, Paris.
Source: Oyster.com

At a higher dosage, the impression of lemony, thickened, sweetened, dark tea goes away. The gentleman’s library is now serving pure rum, expensive dark chocolates filled with liqueur, and slightly fruited pipe tobacco. A butler brings in Christmas Plum Pudding with a white rum sauce that he sets discreetly to the side, as the gentlemen talk business and smoke away in their club chairs. It’s utterly lovely, either way.

Other perfume bloggers haven’t had quite the same mental association and imagery with Tobacco Vanille as I did. Scent Bound likened it to “loud frat boy” as compared to Spiritueuse Double Vanille‘s “beautiful and constrained young librarian,” though he has often stated that he really likes Tobacco Vanille and wears it when he wants to stand out.

Scent Hound, in contrast, seemed much less enthused about it. He found it to be “very much a 1980s fragrance, sophisticated, big and maybe a bit dated.” Interestingly, Mr. Hound noted: “[t]he first time I wore this, I liked it better than the 2nd time I wore it which made me feel a bit like I was walking around with a ‘Yankee Candle Company’ candle hanging from my neck. For those of you not in the US, that’s not a good thing.” That Yankee Candle Plum Puddingwas an extremely astute observation and dead on. At times, Tobacco Vanille really does evoke a Yankee Candle! Frankly, I rather wish I hadn’t read that comparison because it’s hard to shake the mental association once you’ve noticed it. It’s even harder when you Google “Yankee Candle Plum Pudding” out of morbid curiosity and find that, yes, they actually had such a scent for a limited time!

Despite all that, I find myself really enjoying the perfume, especially in smaller doses where it seems to have more layers and complexity. In my normal, regular dosage for perfumes (3 to 4 large-ish dabs on each arm), it’s a lot more linear and soon ends up as a predominantly rum and tobacco, plum pudding scent, especially in its dry-down.

I should note that dosage may not be the only contributing factor for why I had a slightly different experience than my fellow bloggers. It makes a big difference if one sprays on a Tom Ford scent, as opposed to merely dabbing it on from a vial. Perfume is usually milder or softer when dabbed on, as opposed to when it is aerosolized (if there is such a word). In my case, dabbing on Tobacco Vanille may explain why I didn’t find it to be quite as brash, aggressive and bullying as others have.

Then again, maybe not. After all, I dabbed on Amber Absolute and was well-nigh assaulted by its notes. It was such an 800-pound gorilla that I found it almost unbearable at times. Noir de Noir was also very potent on me (though never anything remotely close to Amber Absolute), as were others like Neroli Portofino and Black Orchid Voile de Fleur. No, the bottom line is that, on my skin, Tobacco Vanille was surprisingly gentlemanly for a Tom Ford fragrance and far from a brute. It had great projection, but not a beastly amount. The real surprise was the longevity which, even by the standards of my voracious, perfume-consuming skin, was much less than for other Tom Ford fragrances. All in all, it lasted about 8 hours on me. On normal human beings, you can easily double and, in some cases, triple that number.

Tobacco Vanille is, thus far, my favorite Tom Ford Private Blend fragrance. I think it’s cozy, comforting, richly heady, almost compulsively sniffable, and completely unisex. I definitely recommend it.

DETAILS:
Cost & Availability: Tobacco Vanille is an eau de parfum. It is available on the Tom Ford website where it sells for: $205 for a 50 ml/1.7 oz bottle, $280 for a 100 ml/3.4 oz bottle or $495 for a 200 ml/8.45 oz bottle. In the US, you can also find it at fine retailers such as Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, and others. In the UK, you can find it at Harrods where it sells for £135.00 or £195.00, depending on size. Elsewhere, Tom Ford fragrances are carried in numerous different countries; hopefully, you can find one near you using the store locator on the Tom Ford website.
Samples: If you are intrigued, but are also sane enough not to want to spend such a large amount without testing it out first, I suggest stopping by one of the stores listed above for a free sniff. However, given the potency of Tom Ford’s perfumes as whole, you may want to ordering a sample to see how it develops on your skin. You can find them starting at $3 on Surrender to Chance, or on other decant/sample sites like The Perfumed Court. I think Surrender to Chance has the best shipping: $2.95 for any order, no matter the size, within the U.S., and $12.95 for most orders going overseas. (It’s a wee bit higher if your order is over $150.) International shipping has leaped up in price (from $5.95) due to the U.S. Postal Service’s recently increased prices.

54 thoughts on “Perfume Review – Tom Ford Private Blend Tobacco Vanille”

    • Thank you, Lanier! 🙂 Yes, it was lovely to be so positively surprised. Even more of a surprise was the fact that it was my favorite out of the tobacco-and-rum scents that I’ve tried thus far. (I think I may prefer Chergui, but only by a tiny bit. Chergui, though, is a totally different perfume in my mind.) I never expected to like the TF one the most out of the trio with Guerlain SDV and Hermès A/N!

  2. I haven’t tried thus one yet, but I’m looking forward to trying it. People rave about Tobacco Vanille on YouTube and nickname it “The Panty Dropper”. Sometimes you are inclined to believe the hype. In your experience, the hype turned out to be true (to exclude the panty dropper aspect) but it is so great to find a wonderful fragrance that smells great, has excellent longevity and projection. You cannot beat it.

  3. Wonderful review! I find Tobacco Vanille to be my most used scent during colder months and ultimate compliment getter. I was afraid of it at the beginning because I’m not a big fan of sweet scents. But despite it TV is not sweet at all. I usually like to blend it with Velvet Gardenia which gives TV buttery-floral touch. I highly recommend trying it although Velvet Gardenia is extremely potent(even more than Amber Absolute in my opinion).

    • Thank you, Ross! I’m so glad you liked it. I’m trying to imagine the plum pudding of Tobacco Vanille combined with Gardenia and my mind just can’t consolidate the notes. But, I have to say, I’m now very intrigued by Velvet Gardenia. I love the scent of gardenia. But I did stop a little in my tracks when you said Velvet Gardenia is even more potent than Amber Absolute…. O_O

      • It is very strong. But I should add that Velvet Gardenia is the floral scent I enjoy quite a lot despite the fact that I’m not into floral scents. I like its animalic, dark aspects. I suggest you give it a try to experience it’s captivating nature. Victoria from Bois de Jasmin has great description of Velvet Gardenia.

  4. I got a sample of Tobacco Vanille from a friend from Basenotes and when I smelled it my though was “wow, it smells wonderful. Tobacco, vanilla, what’s not to like” Its smell reminds me of V&R Spicebomb, but TV is better. I also get an apple pie association smelling it xD

  5. This one seems to be the most popular of the TF Private Blend line. I really, really need to try it on my skin – most reviews seem to be overwhelmingly positive. When I smelled it on paper, I wasn’t impressed, but as I’ve said many times – the paper to skin comparison is apples to oranges, and gives no real indication of how a perfume will 1) smell on you or 2) change over the course of time. I’m usually a bit wary of boozy notes, as you know. I do like tobacco, but I can find it a bit overwhelming at times. At any rate, I’ll be trying it at some point hopefully in the near future!

  6. Great review my dear. I could see how this could be the right fragrance at the right time. As I am such a shrinking violet myself, this would tend to overwhelm me 🙂 As for the Plum Pudding Yankee Candle Company picture… ewwwww. I could not think of anything more disgusting to have sitting around my house.

    • You’re about as much a shrinking violet as the Hairy German is a Chihuahua….. *snort* No, I’m definitely chalking up our different reactions to skin chemistry! I mean, honestly, for this one not to be a beastly monster on my skin was quite shocking and can only be explained by skin issues. I think Tom Ford is a line that — perhaps more than many of the brands out there on the market — one has to really, really try on and never buy blind. His stuff is just too potent not to test it out on one’s skin first! And it’s crazy how MUCH of a difference in smell results from changes in doses. Unbelievable difference.

      Yankee Candle Plum Pudding….. Hahaha. I added that photo in just for you! 😀

  7. Tobacco Vanille was the first Tom Ford’s fragrance that I loved (and bought a decant of). Since then I found many other perfume loves in both his Signature and Private Blends collections. But Tobacco Vanille holds a special place in my mind.
    I have to be in a right mood to wear it but when I do itfeels great. Youjust have to apply it with a light hand.

    • It’s definitely one that I want to get a decant of myself. Absolutely lovely fragrance. Has anything overtaken it as your favorite TF, despite the special place it holds as your initial favorite?

      • I think that I like Arabian Wood on me and Tuscan Leather on my vSO slightly more than TV. And then go Champaca Absolute, Amber Absolute, Black Violet and Violet Blond.

        • You’re a definite Tom Ford girl! I want to try the first two you mentioned at some point, as I’ve heard good things about both, but I need to get through some of the other samples I have of his perfume. Out of the ones you’ve mentioned, I do have Champaca Absolute, so we’ll see how that goes. 🙂 I can’t make up my mind on Violet Blond but it’s been a while since I smelled my sample of it.

          • Don’t smell the sample – wear it!
            Violet Blond isone of the few perfumes that gets me compliments from “regular people” almost every time I wear it.

          • I have worn it. Twice. 🙂 I simply don’t recall it in detail beyond some very peppery notes in the very loud beginning and a strong impression of a call-back to old Guerlains, like L’Heure Bleue. I merely meant that I need to try it a few more times (and to focus on it) before I can make up my mind.

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  17. This is by far, the BEST Tobacco Vanille review that I have read. Your description is so well written and brings this complex fragrance to life. I originally tried Tobacco Vanille as a Christmas gift, not knowing anything about the fragrance or how pricey it is. I fell totally in love with the. sweet, deep, rich spiciness and when I went to purchase a new bottle, I was mortified at the price. A co-worker told me about a pure perfume oil blend that she purchased online for less than $40 an ounce and I thought it would be a waste of my time, but to my total surprise, it has the same deep, sweet spiciness as you described here. For those who want to give a try, it is worth every penny. Chemistry and Co. http://www.chemistryco.com. I am very pleased with Tom’s Ford’s Tobacco Vanille, both the original version and the pure perfume oil interpretation.

    • Hi Donna, thank you for stopping by. What a useful tip about the dupe and cheaper oil. Thank you! I’m sure there will be people who find that extremely useful, as Tom Ford’s prices are high indeed.

      Thank you also for your kind words on the review. I’m very happy that you liked it so much. 🙂

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  23. Crikey! That’s a pretty excellent, top-notch review… Puts into perspective the piece I did about Tobacco Vanille on my own website, as mine now looks pretty superficial in comparison…

    Like you, I love the smell of Tobacco Vanille, but my only concern is whether I could actually wear this successfully. I mean to say, there are lots of smells in the world that I like – including many food smells – but I am not sure I want to smell strongly of those smells myself all day long. Can I see myself turning up for my workaday office job, sitting at my PC with all the other drones and smelling like Christmas? I’m not sure it would work. Admittedly, I’ve never actually tried doing that (the Tobacco Vanille I sampled was just a test-spray at a Tom Ford concession), but I wonder how I would pull it off.

    • Hello, Mike, and welcome to the blog. Thank you for your kind words on the review. I understand exactly what you mean about actually wearing Tobacco Vanille successfully. I think it really comes down to individual tastes and, specifically, a tolerance for very gourmand or foodie scents. On me, TV becomes so Christmas Pudding-like that it actually exhausts me a little by the end, and I’m not really one for gourmand fragrances in general.

      I don’t know if you’ve noticed but there are quite a few scents that replicate TV’s bouquet (like Phaedon’s Tabac Rouge which is quite a similar scent in some ways), or that have big strands of Tobacco Vanille’s DNA in them (the drydown of Naomi Goodsir’s Or du Serail, or parts of Roja Dove’s Creation-E/Enigma Pour Homme). People seem to absolutely LOVE that aspect. They think the plummy-spiced, tobacco-vanilla sweetness is beyond delicious, cozy, and comforting. So, it’s really a personal issue of tastes. Not for you and I perhaps, but then, maybe we enjoy things that they don’t. 🙂

      • Many thanks for your reply and those tips, and sorry for the slow response from my side!

        I’ll be sure to check those recommendations out if I can: my problem is that I am based in Singapore these days, and while access to mainstream fragrances or the higher-end ‘big names’ of fashion is no problem (there are a number of Tom Ford concessions here, for example, and for the lower-end stuff we’re inundated with Sephora outlets!), getting hold of the less mainstream fragrances is a lot tougher (it may just be that I am not looking hard enough, of course!).

        Anyway, great blog, looking forward to reading more!

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