WO/03 Café Et Cèdre, from Zara was released in 2023. The perfumer behind this creation is unknown. It has the top notes of Bergamot, Coffee, and Pepper, middle notes of Clary Sage, Olibanum (Frankincense), and Orris Root, and base notes of Amberwood, Cashmeran, Palo Santo, and Tonka Bean.
I can see the slight comparisons to Santal 33 as it has a similar feel to the base however the tart “pickle” note in the Le Labo is replaced here with spice and orris. I have Santal 33 also and to be honest I prefer to wear this, it’s a much smoother wear. It opens with a blast of black pepper, I don’t personally get much coffee at all but as the pepper dies down it’s replaced with a earthly orris. This to me is very different to the iris in something like Dior homme and more similar to MC Iris Malikhan or some of the Celine line. Performance is quite good but it’s not a loud fragrance, all the better for this scent profile. It feels much classier and more expensive than the price you pay. If I blind smelled this and you told me it was a niche house at £150+ a bottle I would believe it. Haven’t smelled many from Zara but I’ll be checking more out based from this one.