Reviews – Santa Maria Novella – Tabacco Toscano

Santa Maria Novella – Tabacco Toscano – The tobacco for summer – 7.5/10

I never hear much about the house of Santa Maria Novella. The luxury apothecary from Florence is criminally under the radar. Although they have stores worldwide, it remains a perfume “bucket list” item for this fraghead to visit their Officina Profumo/pharmacy in the Italian city. Before I dive into my review today, their fascinating backstory warrants attention.

Santa Maria Novella’s origins can be traced back to 1221 when Dominican friars connected to the nearby Church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence began experimenting with garden plants to create herbal concoctions to assist with their various ailments. The advent of the bubonic plague in 1381 saw the monks create their first scented water, believing that the distilled rose water they made would ward off the illness. A retail operation commenced in 1612. The 1990s saw rapid expansion. Nowadays, Santa Maria Novella products are available in many stores around the globe. Interestingly, the pharmacy and its products have featured in a few films over the years, including Hannibal, The Portrait of a Lady, and Casino Royale. My favourite scent from the house is Tabacco Toscano.

Tabacco Toscano takes its inspiration from the Toscano cigars of Lucca, Italy. As I haven’t tried the cigars, I cannot say how close the scent comes to evoking its inspiration. The two main notes in Tabacco Toscano are tobacco and vanilla. Despite that note profile, Tabacco Toscano isn’t anything like the Tom Ford scent, Tobacco Vanille. The Santa Maria Novella perfume doesn’t feature that dried fruit accord. Instead, the tobacco in Tabacco Toscano is light and sheer and somewhat dry. Unlike most modern-day tobacco fragrances, this one doesn’t have honey in it. However, since malted vanilla and amber notes are present, it has a hint of sweetness. Nothing overwhelming nor harsh. The malted vanilla is creamy, but I never think of food or gourmand fragrances when I wear the scent.

If anything, Tabacco Toscano seems to take a few of its style cues from the classic Bulgari Scent, Black. Remember the one in the hockey puck bottle? Similarly to the Bulgari, a distinct rubbery, leather birch appears after some minutes on my skin. The birch/leather is refined and clean and injects Tabacco Toscano with an air of smoky refinement. I don’t detect much in the way of bergamot or jasmine, but perhaps their influence adds to the green, fresh earthiness of the perfume.

Tabacco Toscano is the perfect tobacco for warm days. To be sure, less robust and with poorer longevity than many scents in that category. Still, much of Tabacco Toscano’s appeal lies in its lightness. How often do we find a tobacco scent so discreet that we can wear it in summer? The cologne strength warrants a heavy touch with the sprayer should better performance be required. Indeed, without that liberal touch, projection is weak, and it becomes a skin scent within an hour. Overall, Tabacco Toscano is likeable, and even those averse to tobacco scents may enjoy it.

Quick Notes:

Launch Year: 2008.

Top notes: Bergamot, jasmine.

Heart notes: Tobacco, birch leaf.

Base notes: Malt, vanilla and amber.

Longevity: 2 hours maximum. Cologne strength.

Projection: 1 hour low.

Season: The tobacco to wear in the summer.

Price: 100ml EDC, $198AUD.

Alternatives: Bulgari Black, L’Occitane Eau des Baux.

Have you tried this house? Do you have a favourite?

Note: All photos by me.