If your intention is to smell like a photorealistic bag of roasted coffee beans or even the interior of a ritzy cafe, this isn't it. To me, it's more reminiscent of a dessert flavouring, with a couple of accords that remind me a LOT of something I've smelled before, but can't quite put my finger on. Still drives me up the wall. Although it's absolutely not a syrupy sweet fragrance, it does change a bit from top to bottom, getting sweeter the longer it stays on skin.

Starts off very grainy-ashy and chocolatey, unsweet, and with a clear and dry cardamom, similar to the way Caravanserail Intense from Nicolai opens. But whereas that fragrance has a lovely raspberry note, there's no fruitiness in this one at all. When the coffee does come in, it's the brewed steam coming from a cup - additives and all - and NOT the raw pre-ground stuff that so many people expect from something with coffee in the name. To me, there's an obvious, though superbly blended vanilla in the heart and drydown, that contrasts the dark, chocolatey nuance very well. But you can still tell that it's a recreation and not the real stuff. Synthetic - yes, but honestly very pleasant.

Definitely gets sweeter and more dessert-like in the drydown and perhaps closer to bases often used in feminine perfumes like Black Opium, so fellas might think it leans fem by then. Personally, I still really enjoy the scent and can see it as a welcome layering piece for gourmands. And although it's not exactly a superb take on the smell of roasted coffee beans, as a stand-alone cup-of-coffee scent, this still trumps most designers and clones by a good margin. Wouldn't say it's niche tier, but if this were a Hugo Boss release, it would likely get accolades galore. Not floral, not fruity, but ashy semi-gourmand goodness. And perfectly unisex through the top and mid.

Unfortunately, longevity is only about average right now - definitely weaker than many gourmands, but it'll likely improve with time. Most middle easterns do. As far as the presentation - 10/10. Heavy bottle, metallic cap, great atomizer and beautiful box. Rather attractive and would make an excellent gift. So far, I've already layered it with A*Men and wow does it make a great combo. Feels like THIS was the coffee accord that fragrance was originally missing. The REAL Pure Coffee. lol Looking forward to trying a few others from the line!