Opus XIV – Royal Tobacco is a fragrant journey along the Tropic of Cancer from Oman to Cuba, combining royal incense with equally regal tobacco. The perfume refers to the tradition of ‘El Lector’, whose job it was to read to cigar makers in Cuban factories and entertain them with captivating novels such as Les Misérables by Victor Hugo and works by Honoré de Balzac, Stendhal, Edgar Allan Poe and Herman Melville. This has become a legendary ritual as closely associated with cigar rolling as the scent of tobacco itself. In the interpretation of renowned perfumer Cécile Zarokian, a unique accord of incense and tobacco becomes a novel and rich sensory experience.
Ode to smoke
As the 23rd parallel in the north connects the sun-drenched coasts of Cuba and Oman, Opus XIV – Royal Tobacco combines their iconic treasures, royal incense and tobacco absolute, hence the name Royal Tobacco.
Both have been smoked since the earliest historical records, their vertical signature shaping the entire development of the perfume, each enriched with supporting notes that reveal and refine their complex personalities.
Aromatic flashes of cardamom and elemi illuminate a lush heart, where many facets of flowers and balsam cast their reflections on the incense and tobacco duo. Enhanced by benzoin, labdanum and myrrh, amber notes, vanilla absolute and tonka bean reflect the coumarin-like depth of fenugreek, while graceful spirals of prunol, Bulgarian rose and osmanthus absolute evoke the fruitiness and floral notes of high-quality cigars. Supported by anise and basil, the typically unmistakable burnt molasses notes of liquorice act as a link to the choral finale of smoky birch tar, vetiver and guaiac wood, enhanced by the blinding animality of oud.
Opus XIV – Royal Tobacco is a bold, lush, deep and modern creation that is equally suited to men and women.
