Cafe Oud
Aromas de Salazar (2021)

Kahlua on an incense-leaning oud.

The longer I owned this particular sample and the more I wore it on skin, the more I liked it - especially that initial coffee liqueur opening. And, thankfully, there's enough supporting ingredients (mostly oud, a bit of cardamom, and enough vanilla to balance things out) such that it doesn't smell like I've spilled a Black Russian on myself.

The scent doesn't evolve much beyond that initial accord as it wears. It just rebalances.
A bit less coffee, a bit more oud, spices, and vanilla.
Oilier parts of my skin (notably my chest) give me 10+ hours of wear.

High art? No.
Unique? Also no.
But I enjoyed wearing out my sample and appreciated its predictability on my skin.

Cafe Oud smells pleasant enough, but is far from setting the world on fire. I just can't get past the hunch that there are pre-blended fragrance oils here doing much of the heavy lifting, much like with De Rosa. There's a lot of cardamom somewhere in the middle that verges on stifling, but its one of the more wearable of offerings from this indie house.