Black Afgano by Nasomatto
"Nice to meet you Sir Afgano. Are you royalty"?
"In price and cult status, yes indeed I am".
" That's nice, but are you at least related to anyone that can account for your elevated status"?
"You can say that I am. I share a genetic match with a respected California Parfumeur".
"I see.......and exactly who would that be"?
"It doesn't really matter since I'm superior enough to stand on my own aroma".
"Hmmmm........It wouldn't happen to be Laurie Erickson would it?
Nasomatto Black Afgano. I finally got around to purchase a sample from LS. Like most, I wanted to see if it really did smell like a pastime of mine from the 1970's. Yes, I am extremely familiar with the smell and taste of what I used to consider "The pause that refreshes". Black Afghan was no exception as was a slew of others ranging from run of the mill to very, very exceptional.
The answer is no. It doesn't resemble Hash in any shape or form. It doesn't mimic the bowl resin either or the smoke. That's fine by me since my tank has been full since the mid 1980's. I just wanted to let you know ( in case you were thinking of sampling it for that reason ) that, while it may be a dark, thick scent, hash it is not.
So, what has Black Afgano to do with Laurie Erickson? Well, Champagne de Bois is what. Black Afgano is the brother of Champagne de Bois. He has a darker skin tone and shows a slightly different face for the first 20 minutes. The drydown truly shows they are siblings. Really? Yes....really......
The very first thing I noticed when I applied Black Afgano was Champagne de Bois. I thought there was mistake, so I immediately did a side by side. The similarities are incredible to me. The only difference I noticed was Black Afgano was just a tad darker in smell in the top and heart accords. The density, projection and feel are a match and the aroma is just too damn close for my liking.
I can't even tell the drydowns apart. Once the 30 minute mark passes, they are the same on my skin. Well, is it good? Of course it's good. CdB is a favorite of mine and a terrific rendition of labdanum, sandal, vetiver and an assist from clove. There's simply no way I'd buy the Nasomatto since I already have the SSS.
Don't misconstrue this review as a slam on Nasomatto. They are a very good house. I cannot justify their price points, but that aside, they are g2g. Black Afgano however is eerily similar and would be redundant for me to own. Just sayin.........and if you think I'm an ass, do a side by side.
:) Another classic Aromi review.
ReplyDeleteI have a sample of CdB (did you send it to me?), so I think I'll skip the Nasomatto. I've been mildly curious about a couple of their other scents, but something about the house is a bit off-putting to me, so I haven't been in a rush to try them.
Hi Carrie :). I may have sent you the CdB, but am not certain. If I had never smelled CdB, I would thoroughly enjoy and possibly purchase BA. That stands to reason since I purchased CdB.
ReplyDeleteTheir price point is prohibitive to me, but others may not have a problem with it. Nasomatto is great for sampling though, so just for that, you should give them a whirl sometime.