Cuba by Les Destinations

It’s a perfume I like but it’s not easy because it doesn’t follow olfactory trends. The image it gives me is dry tobacco inside a cedar cabinet, with a hint of rum at the start that disappears as it dries, perhaps even a room full of pencils. It’s very pleasant, but not for those seeking a conquering fragrance that will earn compliments. I think it won’t appeal to the younger crowd, although someone more bohemian might appreciate it. I see it as perfect for alternative men who want a signature scent that sets them apart from the rest.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: it needs to be clarified that many people were sold on the idea that this is from a German or English house, and as people don’t like to inform themselves, they buy into that story. LES DESTINATIONS is a niche RUSSIAN brand I met a year ago in Moscow and fell in love with. This perfume, CUBA, if you’ve been there, is a walk along the Malecón in Havana at 5 pm: the scent of a Habano cigar before lighting it, fresh due to that herbal touch and a dirty, masculine cleanliness from the patchouli. I don’t detect the raspberry, but rather a slight sweetness that softens the harsh tobacco as it dries, like it has just been lit, bringing in the night and the party in the tourist streets of Havana. It’s a scent for men in their thirties, not for young people or those seeking sweet commercial aromas. It’s a defined men’s fragrance.

Les Destinations has just landed in Mexico and their Cuba is a curious proposal: dry tobacco, cedar and leather that, at first glance, smells more of alcohol than what the technical sheet promises. Perfumer Veronique Nyberg has created something complex that demands patience; the first time I tried it, I only sensed the alcohol, then a rum appeared, and only on the third try, with calm, did the tobacco emerge, lasting through the entire development. After two hours it becomes pleasant, with that dominant tobacco and other hidden aromas, reminiscent of Cuban cigar smoke on clothes but finer. It has elegant moments, like a man in his fifties, but it’s not powerful nor does it leave a trail. The price is fair, I like it but not too much; I wouldn’t buy it again nor use it frequently, it’s for unconventional occasions. If you’re looking for something better from the line, try Costa Rica or Montreux.