Landshark321

Creamy Coffee Abode is an original creation the Dua Designer Line, a very easygoing coffee-centric but not coffee-dominant gourmand, with hints of caramel, tonka, and vanilla making for a creamy, sweet-but-not-too-sweet experience. Caramel is, for me, the most prominent note after coffee, but the blend also has a vaguely dry, cocoa powder-ish quality to it, also, something accomplished by Choco Milk Treat (also in the DDL), as well, if I remember correctly, even though cocoa is not a listed note in Creamy Coffee Abode.

It’s less daring and bold than other coffee Dua originals, but for something in the more modestly-priced designer line (regularly priced at $33 for 30ml, with further discounts often available), it’s an affordable and especially appropriate option for someone who wants a more modest expression of coffee and sweets. It’s nice to have in the catalogue.

7 out of 10

Bois Precieux et Epices is the Dua inspired expression of Creed Spice and Wood, and good performance and a robust likeness to the original classy, woody, spicy, fresh blend that unfortunately just comes up with a very high price tag. Dua’s is really the only clone I’ve tried that does a serious job of approximating the original, and I’ve enjoyed it for years as one of the longstanding Dua inspired expressions that’s stood the test of time, with high quality and all of the good features—ease of wear, versatility, sharp classiness—of the original. I’d certainly recommend that others check this out if they’ve not yet.

8 out of 10

Sampling Bon Parfumeur 902 Armagnac Blonde Tobacco Cinnamon, a fittingly boozy, spicy tobacco scent, very pleasantly sweet also, accessible and not too sharp or heavy, with the Armagnac (a type of French brandy) being the center of the experience, flavored by cinnamon and tobacco, but not too much of either, with supporting notes of clove, geranium, plum, patchouli, labdanum, and vanilla. Really a nicely blended boozy blend with a lot of layers and nuance to it, and with very good performance, among the best of the brand that I’ve tried so far.

It shares the brand’s consistent retail pricing of $107/53/34 for 100/30/15ml, sold at boutiques like Ministry of Scent, from which I bought the sample. Overall, I quite like it, though it does not stand out as better than other sweet and spicy tobacco/boozy scents, despite very reasonable pricing in today’s market.

7 out of 10

Sampling Bon Parfumeur 801 Sea Spray Cedar Grapefruit, and it hits the mark reasonably well, being palpably aquatic and fresh, with woody and citric tones. There’s something vaguely dirty and animalic in the sea spray aspect, so it’s not a totally clean, benign aquatic but rather something with a bit of attitude and provocation, all while still being a fairly grounded, fresh experience. It’s pleasant but not especially memorable, and I prefer some of the other freshies in the line that I’ve tried so far. Still, I can see how this would be mass-appealing.

Its concentration is EDP and it has the same standard retail pricing of $107/53/34 for 100/30/15ml, not bad, overall, though, I think it would be more worthwhile for a couple of the others that I’ve tried.

6 out of 10

Sampling Bon Parfumeur 602 Pepper Cedar Patchouli, a fittingly spicy and woody blend with dominant pepper and cedar especially with a more measured use of patchouli, along with some added accords of chili, vetiver, neroli, and incense. It’s a little heady but overall feels pretty well-rounded and workable for most of the seasons, except perhaps the dead heat of summer, but given its liberal use of black/chili pepper, it’s in my wheelhouse, as I love the rich, savory aspect that pepper gives fragrances like this. The fragrance definitely takes on more of a resinous quality as it dries down, and I like that its complexity is revealed more over time this way as well. A very nice entry.

602 is EDP concentration, sold by boutiques like Ministry of Scent and with retailing pricing equaling the other perfumes that I’ve tried in the line: $107/53/34 for 100/30/15ml.

7 out of 10