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Dutyfruty – :
very pleasant quality of sweet honey tobbaco smell
not overpowering … but depends how many sprays you put on the coat/scarf/sweater/hat …. my neighbours told me i can be smelled from about 2 meters from them … 🙂 funny meeting as always
igor1961 – :
Ambra, Incenso, Iris, Miele, Tabacco … note scritte in ordine alfabetico. Nella realtà appaiono in una danza in continuo movimento. Una sublime evoluzione anche se spesso mi sembra che il miele tenga tutte le altre note per mano.
Una durata immane sulla mia pelle. Una scia notevole per le prime 4+ ore… poi rimane sulla pelle tantissimo.
Bravo Christopher Sheldrake.
Grazie Lutens.
Romero15y – :
I tried this one years ago and the outcome was a big yuck. I tried it today again and while its not an instant yuck, its still unpleasant and too heavy to my nose. Its simply a mixture of many sweet and heavy notes that i never felt comfortable with. Honey, tobacco, a big dose of amber…no, its just too much and too sticky for my liking.
sportak15 – :
Most tobacco fumes run spicy, but Chergui runs sweet and smooth.
You know how some notes have temperatures? The way ginger and spice ‘feel’ warm, and lily cold?
Despite the honey and tobacco in Chergui, there’s something cool about it, like the sensation you get when you smell mint. And it loads what could have been just a cozy feel-good fume with total sophistication. (I suspect it’s the hay.)
andrey8206 – :
This is all scented talcum powder. Typically speaking I’m a great fan of unisex powdery scents, but not to the point where it seems like I am actually wearing powder under my clothes. It is sophisticated and moreso for an older person. More feminine than masculine, but I can see some men wearing this for the dry down. The hay note is not as bad as I would think it would be. Well blended, but to the point where it’s hard to discern any other notes, very small amount of tobacco if any. Would not consider this a tobacco scent but a powdery scent. The color of the fragrance gives a false impression that it will be a darker scent, it’s light. Certainly not a blind buy. Reminds me of the food network meme: “I made a breaded chicken piccata with lemon jasmin rice.” and the judge goes, “um this is a chicken nugget.” Overall, happy to try it and can certainly appreciate it. But this is not something I personally would buy.
Greenrypark – :
It started out like very strong zest soap and aftershave. Later, I get honey, amber, tobacco, sandalwood. The powder that people are describing smells like powerful sandalwood to me. I like it. After drydown I think it ends up almost like a sweet, soft, hippy type of scent- like a clean, lovely, flannel shirted, long haired mountain man who might be managing the fireplace on an early fall day and the smoke lingers on him.
I’m sure the other notes round out the fragrance, but they do not stand out to me.
snem – :
brilliant, lovely and cosy fragrance for fall
honeyed tobacco leather … like a warm cup of tea in the mountain cottage
Zagid-69 – :
In my first experience w/ this, I wasn’t very impressed. I wasn’t impressed at all to be honest. I was able to smell the quality but I could hardly smell the composition off my skin. This may change because I’ve had this same kind of experience w/ Tom Ford Oud Wood. I was more impressed with Amber Sultan, also from this house.
smdk – :
Okay. I’ve finally fallen for this. I initially found it smelt of laundry detergent. What was I thinking??? This is stunning! It’s like burning resins and tobacco combined with amber and powdery violet. Quite unusual. Sweet / sour mix that just instantly enraptures. Stunning!
namazimus – :
I’m a Serge groupie, love his fragrances and what he achieved for niche perfumery. Just blind bought a 50ml bottle of Chergui but it’s not quite what I was expecting, it’s actually really nice and wearable. I thought it would be a bit more challenging, which is the Serge I prefer. The baby powder and honey notes in this are taking centre stage on me, which is lovely, but I want spicey, you can’t wear me to the office, Serge.
Anybody like to swap?
koval444 – :
I couldnt recall if I reviewed this. Anyway, its a wonderful scent, but an absolutely lousy performer. Someone in this thread said it would be among their favorites if it performed better. I agree. The sillage is ok, for five minutes. The longevity is literally about five to ten minutes. Then i sense very little. Its there, very very very close to the skin. But thats it. Its a pity, too, because this is a classy take on the back alleys of the Medina in Tangier or Rabat. The pigment sellers in marrakesch….thats what it reminds me of. But for only five to ten minutes.
Vakejavejonna – :
I recently acquired this one blindly. It is a cooler autumn day here. This is a gorgeous scent! I don’t seem to have a lot of luck with Lutens’ fragrances….either hit or miss. This one is lovely though!To my nose I am getting the tobacco and a bit of the honey. Worth a try if the notes sound interesting to you.
sfv671JeomiWogkig – :
I wonder what is so wrong with my nose. I am looking for a tobacco scent and, after testing many fragrances and reading notes/reviews, I was so happy to try this one.
Where the heck is tobacco here? I only smell lot of synthetic sandal wood.
I really start to wonder what is wrong with my perceptions, as it can’t be that all of you guys who praise this as a must try for Tobacco lovers be mistaken ..
Sad…
kld68 – :
Chergui. I got my 3 bottles in 2012. Fell in love with the hay opening which is very velvety and way elegant, Marlene Dietrich style. 2 hours later the hay tons down to leave space for the amber/tobacco/honey accord which on my skin smells like hands that played with groceries then picked dirt form the floor turning into a dusty musk sweetness, not vanilla sweetness. The strange thing is that the smell is so wonderful on me that my wife always gets close to sink her nose on my neck and kiss me and always compliments me on how delicious and sensual I smell. This experience lasts for about 14 hours with only one spray. Wonderful Chergui
malkov – :
Outstanding , simply divine at every level, performance is excellent, at least on me, the smell is a m a z i n g, honey-tobacco-hay-smoothness-sexy-intoxicating, my God this is beautiful , 10/10 without a doubt.
valjek – :
This gets a lot of love but honestly to my nose it’s just not that interesting. Nothing stands out maybe I’m asnomic to it? Not sure but for me it wasn’t worth the money spent. There is a sort of spice to it but watery as well. Meh
rgs603JeomiWogkig – :
I can easily understand why people like Chergui. It’s smooth and well blended. Unisex. Adequate performance.
I would love to love this perfume.
Everyone and their mother aleady mentioned the strong, initial burst of hay, so let’s talk more about the Tobacco instead. In Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille it’s gorgeous from start to finish and more about the tobacco leaf. Chergui on me is very… I-smoked-a-Marlborough-just-now-and-trying-to-hide-it-with-my-sweet-perfume-ish. There is even a very faint note of old sweat. To be fair, after 30 mins the tobacco has weakened to nearly tolerable levels. “Nearly”, being the key word.
So for now I will give Chergui a “Like” and try it again in a few months. It’s hauntingly beautiful on all my friends (all genders); creamy, sweet, powdery and warm. It’s not Chergui, it’s me.
Edit: a friend pointed out that maybe I shouldn’t be hatin’ on the Tobacco, maybe I should be hatin’ on the incense? Maybe? I’ve never before had an issue with incense… I’ll think about it.
Edit 2: I can’t stand the opening. After about one to one and a half hour it’s a truly stunning fragrance, full bottle worthy even! But the process of getting to that stage… Can’t do it. The combination of sweet-hay-smoked cigarette-sweat… Damn.
zillion – :
Niche fragrance very good
c ronaldo – :
The opening is unpleasant wet hay but the remaining life of the perfume is the perfect dry fall fragrance. Spicy amber with Smokey incense and woods. The rose and iris are listed because of the nice baby powder vibe. I do not get honey or tobacco. Truly unisex, nothing feminine here. This would be nice layered or worn alone. I do feel others fit this category so it isn’t necessary if you already have Smokey ambers.
domaha – :
Reminds me of pumpkin pie and thanksgiving in general. Can not see myself reaching for it too often, but I’m glad I own it. Fall exclusive scent.
Hazrqsytrtqaz – :
Very lukewarm on this one, Honestly the round wet dull-ness just bores me I think pure Havane even does a better hay-like tobacco once it dries down for at least 30 minutes
asell – :
This is a really beautiful niche fragrance that smells to my nose of the scent of honeyed amber with sweet tobacco and the unique note of hay, and also cinnamon. It smells like a sweet ambery drink on a rainy day in a farm stable. Although that may not sound that appealing, it smells fantastic in my opinion. Sillage is moderate while longevity is quite good at over 6 hours. This is one of the best amber offerings out there as far as quality and uniqueness of scent goes.
4.5/5
dilyavolkova – :
I had high expectations going into this and the first 5 minutes were a little disappointing, but once the top notes fade it settles into one of the most beautiful fragrances that I’ve tried. I’m smelling all the same notes between the top and heart notes, but somehow they become more and more well-blended as time passes. I don’t know that I would be able to pick out the tobacco if I didn’t already know it was going to be there–everything just melds together so beautifully to be a somewhat sweet, ambery, delicious scent. I normally don’t like honey as a note because, rather than smell the honey itself, I feel like it just sort of mutes whatever other notes it’s blended with, but in Chergui the honey is used perfectly to bring everything together in a very pleasing way.
freekadel – :
Velvety. Like fine, yummy red velvet cake. Very sensual. Refined. Intoxicating! There is a very subtle sugar in this fragrance. Mixed to perfection. Nothing juvenile, but very elegant.
A heavy elixer indeed. The warmth, the spices, the leather, the top back on, the mix of the sugary goodness. What can I really tell you about this. It seems that it appeals to the masses but yet keeps to that niche that we all love. A very unisex fragrance. This is another one that my husband and I share. I think however, I do wear it more than he does.
The performance of this fragrance, is most excellent. Above average. I actually smell it on me the next day. When I wear this fragrance, it’s one of those that I find myself grabbing my own wrists, and sniffing, and sniffing, I just can’t get enough. Pure indulgence in a bottle.
kefoboche – :
I am being slowly seduced by Chergui. I wanted a beguiling oriental scent, like the winds of the Arabian desert… But, it was too sweet. And the baby powder was an unwelcome surprise. So I said goodbye to Chergui…
The other day, I was being hammered by a SA about it. So I sprayed Chergui on paper and put it in my car. A few hours later, “The car smells really nice…” I shook my head, and ignored it. But over the next 1 hour 20 minutes the same thought kept popping up. I transferred the test strip to my bedroom, and every time I entered, “The room smells MAGICAL!!!”
Whatever it was, however it was, why-ever it was – I decided Chergui was a quality beast! It’s better than most niche scents. And it’s magnetic. You don’t need to be looking out for it for it to charm you!
True, it’s not what I was expecting. Much less “oriental” and more sweet and powdery. Still an oriental. Soft and whispery – not like Ambre Sultan – which is spicy and full-on, and I think I was comparing it to.
I’ll try Chergui on skin, and if it is equally wonderful I will add it to my collection!
MoodyMadleine – :
Oh, Chergui, you are rarified and lovely. Your ambery goodness is alluring, potent, and compelling, but unfortunately I am testing you on one wrist while I am testing Ambre Sultan on the other, and Ambre Sultan wins. Your brightness doesn’t call to me the way Ambre Sultan’s darkness lures me in. Maybe it’s all the heavy, resinous amber oil I wore when I was younger, I don’t know. I understand why you are popular, but I just can’t join your legion of fans. Very close, but not quite.
Update many hours later: The dry down is decadent, warm, and creamy, exactly what I was craving. Ok, you win. I just ordered a full bottle because I am weak and you are beautiful.
newsome338 – :
Ooh this is a beauty! Very different and distinct.
It sort of smells like a tamed down TF Tobacco Vanille – once you get it to calm down, give it a good shower and let it have a rest. It has the same sweet tobacco & creamy vanilla quality, but sultry and seductive rather than all-out bestial and skanky.
The opening is sweet, so sweet that I honestly thought I could smell tuberose or something similar, but apparently there are no white florals in this! It must be the combo of amber, honey and sandalwood, as the perfume does open with a strongly sweet, creamy, ‘white’ smelling blast that comes across as white floral.
The projection is above average to strong, and the longevity is excellent as it lasts more than two hours on my skin – which tends to eat up the overwhelming majority of fragrances within 60-90 minutes tops.
This is a really standout perfume: elegant, sultry, seductive, intoxicating, and unisex (leaning more on the feminine side, though).
Kanfetka – :
What a masterpiece! The honey and tobacco stood out and I could barely smell other notes. The two notes are contradictory yet complementary at the same time. Simply stunning! I am in love with it since the first sniff. It is so famous for a reason. This is one of my two favourites in Serge Lutens while another being La Fille de Berlin.
valensia4083 – :
Think Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille, where the vanilla is substituted by honey infused with pipe tobacco and hay. Once it settles down the whiffs are sublime & embracing. The trick is not to over apply but target the chest and pulse regions.
In the drydown the tobacco & hay are faint and the honey more pronounced with notes of iris and tonka.
At this stage, you get a phantom cocoa note emerging from the combination of the basenotes lightly resembling LIDGE L’Instant De Guerlain Extreme.
Class in a bottle.
4 Stars
Jevgenij1 – :
The most beloved in the amazingly eclectic and beautiful Serge Lutens line of offerings is this delicate Oriental ambery beauty which is inspired by the ambience of the Tunisian island it takes its name after. Like the shifting sands and water of this African paradise, the perfume shifts and morphs on your skin in so many ways, maintaining a delicate balance between the modern and the ancient. Chergui takes off with a nice tobacco leaf, delicate iris and rose, and grassy hay accord. As it begins to settle once notices a honey, incense and ambery centre. Finally it settles into a musky powdery base comprised of sandalwood, musk and amber. This scent is the stuff of dreams, exotic yet never overwhelming. In fact, this is probably the world’s first true unisex perfume, a masterfully blended beauty with moderate sillage and projection and very good longevity. One of those perfumes I always had the pleasure of having a bottle in my collection since it first arrived on the market some 13 years ago. A true masterpiece of modern perfumery. Enjoy!
carmautolla – :
The Birth of Liquid Fears by Salvador Dali 1932
lyulyok – :
Chergui invokes the scene of being outdoors on a cool night at a countryside property and starting up a raging bonfire with flintstones then settling down on a haybale with a glass of whiskey in hand and an unlit cigar in the other. A lovely experience.
witcher555 – :
I did try it out last week.
Now I am wearing it.
Received it yesterday with another Niche fragrance: Acqua di Parma Cedro di Taormina, the type of fragrance that puts a smile on my face, no matter what.
But it’s 8 degrees C. today, so I’m wearing Chergui. A type of fragrance that will have “to grow on me”.
As if that would be possible. A perfume doesn’t grow on us, we (try to) grow on them.
Question is: should I want to broaden my horizon, while there are already so many fragrances that tickle my senses positively, from day one?
Do I really need to expand my “collection” when most of the stuff I have already is being neglected?
But it’s this insatiable desire to find fragrances that will knock me off. The Holy Grail.
I’m sure it won’t be Chergui though.
The weird thing is that I realized, it will be like this after I tested it last week. I guess I just wanted something different. Which it is.
For now, it reminds me of Jaguar Classic Red.
For one sixth of the price, that one is far more wearable.
Sure, Chergui lasts longer, but it takes about 3 hours before I start to like it.
And if it’s exclusivity that I’m looking for, something that not “everybody wears”, than I’m sure that Jaguar is the more exclusive, lesser known fragrance.
In time I will let you know, if it grew on me.
olatoevace – :
A great one , that more people should try out.
This is a more modest and very slightly more feminine leaning TF Tobacco Vanille.
This is quality stuff that is more subtle than I expected. That being said it is a lady killer and a must sniff for the fragrance lover.
This is not loud like pure havane or as playful as viktor and rolf extreme, so don’t come in expecting this.
4 to 6 hours and a skin scent after a hour on me.
French Elegance
MORG – :
Рецепт: съесть эклер с кремом на сгущенке и карамельной глазурью, запить Lagavulin 18 и закурить Cohiba Siglo IV. В конце выпить черный чай с медом в прикуску. Мысленно, все это присыпьте пудрой. Восточная пряная сказка.
Если вам нравится такая тема, рекомендую Upper Ten, Lubin. Там все по-взрослому серьезно и лучше стойкость.
Polhigor – :
I gave into the hype and blind bought this years ago and it still remains in my collection.
I’m absolutely in LOVE with this fragrance, I wore it when I started college so it holds many memories. When I first smelled this I knew I was going to keep it for the rest of my life.
Lots of tobacco with warm honey, it turns hot on my skin after a few hours and into a powdery soft hay with some musk. I do wish the lasting power was a bit stronger for what I pay, but I still love this nonetheless.
Gourmands, fruity florals, fresh citrus scents tend to do better on my skin, most spicy orientals never work with my chemistry. However, I think this is a good introduction into spicier fragrances, because of the sweetness it still works on me.
I remember a few guys asking if I was wearing a suntan lotion saying I smelled like I was at the beach.
This is a staple in my fragrance collection! Women should try this if you’re into “dark” and “sexy” fragrances.
P.S I find this is similar to Spicebomb by Viktor and Rolf, but that one turns into a dryer sheet on me.
alexstarlom – :
I REALLY wish I would have tested this before buying a full size bottle. I was really expecting more of a tobacco scent. On me, all I can detect is a sweet amber (amber is one of my least favs). I have used a single spray, bottle arrived today, 3/22/18. If anyone wants to purchase or trade, please message me.
klik2536mail.ru – :
On me: cool, bracing, aftershave notes that smell manly.
On my partner: sweet hay, soft tobacco, warm honey.
I have never experienced such a huge shift in notes from man to woman, and unfortunately, it goes the wrong way, smelling like men’s aftershave on me, the woman, and a spicy oriental women’s fragrance on my man.
Try before you by, this one’s odd.
nikass – :
Floral tobacco – amber – honey
Color impression: rusty crimson
So promising, so prominent, immediately recognizable and unique floral powdery tobacco with sizable coumarin (hay), spiky honey and warm amber base. It’s warm, melting, enigmatic, and enchanting like fine tobacco smell. It’s all a Cuban aficionado needs to wear.
★★★★★
kscsq130576 – :
Bee-young-ka nailed this- The baby powder dry down is a weird turn-on. Im guessing it comes from having used Johnson’s baby oil in the bedroom at some point in the past. When combined with the other (background) notes (tobacco, musk) you get something that is akin to the smell of a bedroom after sex.
Would smell incredible on women folk.
chop7777 – :
Amazing! Tobacco, amber, incense, and honey. “Beautiful” is the only way to describe it. Easily the best tobacco based fragrance I’ve ever smelled. On the sweet side but done very, very well. In fact, other brands should use this as the benchmark for how to use honey in a fragrance. If you like only one of this type of fragrance, it will be this one. Sillage and projection are moderate to heavy with a solid 6 to 8 hours before going to skin for 4 to 6 hours more. Warm and wonderful from beginning to end. Masculine leaning unisex perfect for evenings or a crisp day. Super classy. This one is back up bottle and signature worthy. Easy to over-apply so easy on the pump. Worth every dollar and a stone cold bargain if you get it at a discount. Well done Serge!
5 out of 5.
shii26 – :
Chergui for me smells sweet and slightly seductive, like burnt honey, it is reminiscent of Arabian nights but without a heavy Oud vibe, This fragrance is definetly unisex and depsite it’s sweetness it is perfectly fine for men. the smell is very pleasing, but the performance is disapointing
Longevity 5/10 – after only 2 hours I can’t notice this anymore except on my skin, for the price this is disappointing.
Silage 7/10 – the silage is decent for the first hour or two
alim1982 – :
I always see this pop up as a comparison for some of my favorite spicy fragrance. It’s always noted as being the better of what I consider a favorite
(like Diptyque Volutes). So my expectation were high.
Possibly too high. I wasn’t impress and it wasn’t the Cinnabar(Estee Lauder) or Opium(Yves Saint Laurent) I thought it to be.
My problem with Chergui is that it is too dominating( i.e masculine). It’s just very heavy on spice, pepper , tobacco and not ..well… balanced. Something powdery, citrus or floral should have been added to make it likable for me.
Volutes is more my speed. However, Chergui a sophisticated fragrance( as it is rightfully considered by many on here ),– but just not my speed.
2/19/18: Its Tom Ford Sahara Noir that this is compare too. Sahara Noir is intense but with a wink- Chergui is just intense.
successor_ – :
ok, let me start by saying Serge Lutens & Chris are my favorites.
But this I find to smell sooo powdery.
expensive black tie but still incredibly powdery.
Wish I could smell even one other note!
On me to my nose, pure powder.
…but its not a dry powder.
this is a very damp scent, fetid even.
weirdly sexy.
Freudian weird.
Smells better on the men folk.
EXDSHED – :
I hate tobacco, I hate incense, I hate hay, but I LOVE this.
This fragrance is so well balanced and blended. The tobacco does not smell like cigarettes, it is sweet and almost herbal. The hay does not smell like barnyard it hints at animalic notes and makes me think of expensive saddlery. The incense is not a dusty church but a deep mysterious smoke.
An intriguingly seductive scent; unique, rich, and just a hint dirty (in the best way).
dch746elipseskism – :
Expertly blended tobacco and hay formulation – possibly the best frag in the SL line. Highly recommended.
muzmarsel – :
Love the sweet tobacco in this perfume , absolute gem, will definitely be adding to my collection, projection and silliage great, 10 out of 10 chergui.
arh860bedyWelty – :
@Chazas: Actually, it feels more delicate than the old Chergui I remeber. it is also less smokey and overwhelming, but still nice and well constructed. I can’t say about the sillage, since until now I’ve received no comments about from people around me, and it surprise me because I’ve sprayed it four times (on neck and chest and both wrists). I cannot smell anything around me, but only if I put my nose in my shirt. Well, I don’t wanna say I’m disappointed, but…
robbenoskin – :
finally I have CHERGUI!!! I wanted it for so long, since I tried it in 2013. I love it. <3
It is my signature fragrance, both with A la nuit and Shalimar.
alinaturskay – :
This isn’t the east wind that picks up spices, dust and heat. It is the east wind that infiltrates nomadic tents and absorbs the odours of honey, tobacco, animal bedding and dusty iris and rose.
Chergui is a cozy, dusty blanket seeping sweetness. From afar it stays linear, but as i am want to do when i wear this, i cannot stop smelling close and recognising its various elements taking turns at showing themselves.
Moderate projection and excellent longevity.
Try this in warmer weather as well. It blooms.
mgalka2205 – :
I’m shivering as I type. Currently 47 degrees Fahrenheit and I’m told the perfect climate to wear Chergui.
Initial thoughts are sweet honey and spicy tobacco, dusted into fine powder.
The honey is photorealistic at times and a standout note with spiced pipe tobacco and light amber playing supporting roles.
Soft, powdery iris provides a dusty texture that is the most unique aspect of the fragrance.
Blended together, Chergui is a unique artistic creation that doesn’t immediately remind me of any other scents.
Pleasant and certainly enjoyable on an intellectual level, the overall scent itself is not something that elicits a positive visceral reaction out of me.
Well done but not something I would wear often.
fullvip – :
I got this one so wrong when I first got it. I found it too sweet and powdery. I put it away as a potential swap or sell.
But.
I got it out a few weeks ago and I can’t believe I almost got rid of it. It is so good. Yes it is sweet, yes it is powdery, but it is also so spicy and the tobacco is on another level. This is so cozy, so masculine, so wearable. Perfect for fall and winter. The only problem now is that I feel less confident about getting rid of some of the scents I don’t like, what if they pull a Chergui on me?!
This one is great. Get it.
DnikD – :
A masterpiece. Very well blended. Chergui is very well balanced, an inspiration for the new perfumistas generation!
Кристиновка – :
When I first wore this (and still) I had in the opening the same feeling as I had with Dior Fahrenheit. Don’t call this ‘offensive’, because it was in a positive way. Very alluring scent. Though, I find Chergui much more pleasing than Fahrenheit. Chergui is very versatile and it’s like they call it: a very good entrance into Niche perfumes.
Teetidemn – :
I do not understand the love-fest for Chergui.
The tobacco, hay, and leather notes take an immediate back seat to clove and vanilla, leaving me underwhelmed by the dry-down. I smell ordinary…like so many of the other new spicy/oriental fragrances out there.
Maybe my affinity for vintage scents prevents me from enjoying anything bottled past the ’80s.
zhe465speagoessenda – :
This perfume has ruined all other perfumes for me. Living in the Midwest, the highest quality fragrances I could smell in a store were those at Nordstrom – until now. I found an independent perfume shop in the Twin Cities and experienced brands like Frederic Malle, Ormonde Jayne, and Serge Lutens for the first time. Chergui came home with me.
When I see the red juice I want to drink Chergui like a dry wine. It even smells like wine in a glass decanter before a spray brings it to life. I immediately sense honey then something dry like hay in the cloud. On my skin the spices, sweetness, and warmth remind me of a mulled wine. It’s so sophisticated though! As I move about I smell the essence of powder and smoke. The person who wears Chergui lives in a fastidiously curated world where her treasured possessions are etched with a signature patina. Chergui, fine wines, and lives well lived get better with time. I smell Chergui on me now and can smell it on myself 30 years from now.
If you want to indulge in fantasies of food and global travel and time travel explore Serge Lutens. My want list just got larger.
gogita – :
This offering is magnificent. I am in love. So rich and deep and perfect for winter. A dark beauty. Sandlewood incense is most prominent to my nose and it really is heavenly.
ADIOBEST – :
I found a bottle of this for a song and scooped it up as blind buy on pure reputation alone, figuring if nothing else, it will resell well if I don’t like it.
This leans far more masculine to my nose, opening up with lots of soap and powder over the honey than I like when I wear it.
It then does this weird thing where as the mid and base notes comes out, they are instantly swallowed by my skin, all the sweet tobacco and amber melting into a cozy skin scent. maybe on some this is a sillage beast, but I get 4 hours close wear tops out of it before it fades away.
On my husband, though, it really shines: an instant leather and pipe tobacco wafting through honeyed fields. No hint of the soap and powder, this is all warm and borderline gourmand on him.
hrepido – :
I’ve never thought this one smelled like the desert wind. No, it’s more like a desert camp. Imagine a team of dust-covered archeologists, or gun runners, or even spice traders, camping out around the fire, smoking hand-rolled cigarettes, eating baklava and smelling handkerchiefs spritzed weeks earlier with their girlfriends’ perfumes. I feel like Indiana Jones would have worn Chergui. I love it from the first red and orange leaves all the way to the last snowfall, and with its spot-on longevity and sillage my little decant has lasted a year or two of regular cold-weather wear; you’ll never need to re-apply.
desch – :
(Review from a sample)
I finally managed to sniff this! So, I’m quite impressed. It is a very refined and elegant fragrance. It starts off a bit more on the masculine side, with tobacco and amber, and with a boozy vibe as well. Then it becomes more feminine with honey, iris, and rose. Oddly I don’t really smell incense, which is all right.
Near the drydown, I smell a lot of tonka (maybe the hay) and musk, it is very creamy and relaxing.
Sillage is moderate, and lasts quite a long time.
I think it is more masculine than feminine, but I can totally see a woman wearing this anyway.
Edit: after trying my sample again, my opinion hasn’t changed much. I mostly get hay and iris with a little amber, then in the drydown it gets more subtle and musky. Super classy and masculine, this would be perfect on a gentleman in suit. I can’t pull it off, it is too powdery for me. I want to love it, because I feel an affinity to it in some way, but it just doesn’t happen
bul737speagoessenda – :
Chergui is everything I wanted from Tabu, Obsession, Toujours Moi, and other orientals…but didn’t quite get. Here it is, finally. Such a perfect blend of dried tobacco (aided by the hay note), honey, cinnamon, powder, sandalwood, even some vanilla, and dare I say suede/leather? It is like a creaking leather chair next to a fire and a romp through a dusty, late-summer-twilit farm both at once. A true unisex with a tantalizing trail.
alla0486 – :
My father is originally from Kentucky. When I was little, we would drive from Texas to Kentucky about twice a year (Summer and Fall) to visit his family there. They lived on an old tobacco farm out in the country. To get there meant driving past tobacco farm after tobacco farm, and the smell of curing tobacco wafted through the air the whole way. It permeated throughout the countryside and seemed to be a permanent part of it. The smell is so beautiful and nostalgic for me. Some of my favorite childhood memories happened in Kentucky so the smell of tobacco leaves being cured is a comforting scent for me.
This fragrance reminds me of that smell and is therefore absolutely gorgeous to me. I’ve yet to find a perfume that captures the perfume-like scent of cured tobacco leaves being carried by the Autumn wind— until I found this one.
I blind bought it after reading the reviews here and I’m glad I did. It’s interesting to me that some say t