Havana

Havana by Aramis is a masculine-leaning eau de toilette from 1994 in the designer price tier. It opens with bergamot, lemon, cinnamon and juniper berry, moves into tobacco, leather, carnation and clary sage and dries down to cedarwood, vetiver, amber and patchouli. Expect around 9 hours of wear, and it projects strongly.

Notes, explained

Opening

Bergamot Sharp citrus with a faint bitter edge. The opening of about half of all men's fragrances.
Lemon Clean, sour, instantly recognisable. Bright but burns off fast.
Cinnamon Sweet heat. Reads festive, sometimes to a fault.
Juniper Berry Gin, basically. Piney, dry and bracing.

Heart

Tobacco Sweet, dried and honeyed. Nothing like a cigarette.
Leather Smoky, dry and a bit animal. Can be a new jacket or an old saddle.
Carnation Spicy, clove-like floral. Old-school and a bit peppery.
Clary Sage Softer, sweeter sage with an ambery undertone. Warm and herbal.

Dry-down

Cedarwood Dry, pencil-shaving woodiness. Clean and structural.
Vetiver Dry, earthy, smoky grass root. Smells like soil and citrus peel.
Amber Warm, golden and resinous. Not a real material — a blend that glows.
Patchouli Damp earth and dark chocolate. Either you love it or it's your least favourite note.

Smells like this

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