Fumerie Turque 
Serge Lutens (2003)

The opening blast is a delight: It is the aroma of a sweet pipe tobacco that is flavoured, mainly with a dark rose and some fruits, like redcurrant, junipier and whiffs of blackcurrant, although most of the time is is a rather mixed fruitiness on me.

In the drydown I get touches of a smooth, dark and sightly dusty undertone of leather-like styrax note but not very sude-like to me. The sweetness is supported by a tonka/vanilla impression that lingers until the end. Soft hints of herbal teas - chamomille with whiffs of rooibos, are also present at this time.

The base continues the leather-vanilla theme, with a dark but rather smooth patchouli filtering into the mix gradually; this patchouli is neither harsh nor sharp.

I get moderate sillage, very good projection, eight hours of longevity on my skin.

This first part of this autumnal creation is a creative take on the tobacco-leather theme, but the later stages are somewhat blander at times. Nonetheless, overall a good composition. 3.5/5

Like Amouage Interlude Man, to me it evokes memories of smoking a fruit-flavoured narghile in a chicha bar in Beirut or Istanbul. Less cloying, less sweet and more balanced than Interlude Man in my view. I like it very much.