The Cobra & The Canary

Right from the start, this perfume smells like an American classic car after a complete restoration. The leather seats have been reupholstered, a lot of care products were used to treat the dashboard and bodywork, yet the scent of the decades-old original parts still comes through, creating a turbulent olfactory escapade. It really whets the appetite.

I own more than ten different leather fragrances. I love them, they belong to my favorite kind of perfumes. But somehow they often smell alike, the leather is usually so dominant that it overshadows the other notes of the scent. The Cobra & The Canary, despite being "another leather perfume", is very unique. It's way more classy, and wearable, and it smells more niche than the other half of my collection. Definitely among my 3 favorite leather fragrances, despite being the cheapest of those 3.

I have tested the perfume twice now and it was slightly different both times. The first time, right at the beginning, leather and smoke; I didn't notice any lemon there. Then it turned into a tobacco note, with some dry asphalt and a lot of hay. Towards the drydown, it moved into a slightly floral, grassy note; hay and smoke were still present. The floral note then faded, while hay and smoke remained until the end; I could still smell it the next morning. The second time, I again got a full blast of leather and smoke right away, but actually also a fruitiness at the beginning. Lemon fits quite well there. You definitely have to like the intense leather note and the smoke, especially in the first few minutes. I actually like this one a lot; my wife (so far) does not. The second time, I didn't actually smell any hay throughout the progression, but instead a lot of smoke, tobacco, and a violet-like note from the iris. The longevity was shorter this time, specifically from morning until late afternoon. In terms of classification, it is a masculine fragrance for me. Regarding the season, I clearly see it in late summer, towards autumn. So, not at the beginning of summer and not in autumn when the leaves are falling. Rather, when the straw bales are lying in the fields, the days are still long, and it is really hot. I will test it a few more times to see how it behaves under other conditions, but so far I like it very much. However, you have to be into leather and tobacco.