Autumn 2022 Perfume Series: Best Coffee Perfumes

Hi guys! I’m kicking off my Autumn 2022 Perfume Series today with perfumes that feature a super cozy coffee note. Autumn is the perfect time to savor a cozy cappuccino, sweet caramel mocha, or a delicious, savory pumpkin spice latte so why not WEAR a coffee scent, too??

Below are my picks for the best coffee perfumes. There’s lots of variations on this warm and cozy theme so there’s definitely something for every taste here. There’s creamy, lactonic scents for the latte lovers, spicy coffee scents for those who love the vibes of a good Mexican hot chocolate, and plenty of coffee + vanilla combos for those who love their sweeter espresso treats!

Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium (& flankers)

• Top Note: coffee
• Middle Note: white flowers
• Base Note: vanilla
• Other Notes Perceived: pear, pink pepper, orange blossom, jasmine, bitter almond, licorice, patchouli, cedar, cashmere wood

This popular fragrance is a coffee-scent lover’s dream! There’s tons of sweet vanilla in addition to the prominent coffee note, making it reminiscent of a delicious vanilla latte. There are also some sweet, fruity touches; I personally get a little orange along with the pear. Beautiful white flowers of jasmine and orange blossom add to the overall yumminess. There’s also impressions of black licorice, patchouli, and deep, woodsy notes.

This deeper, darker, cozy fragrance is perfect for a night out. It’s also a great choice for cooler weather, when you’re craving a warm, cozy scent. Despite the deep, dark notes, I find the projection and lasting power to be lightly moderate. This is a feminine-targeted fragrance line but, of course, anyone can and should wear whatever they like (but for a more masculine version of this, see Café Tonka below). There have been SEVERAL flankers of this popular fragrance over the years, I’ll give a brief comparison below for each of the ones I currently have.

Find it here:

Black Opium 50ml, 90ml (at Bloomingdale’s)

Black Opium 10ml travel-size, 30ml, 50ml, 90ml, 150ml (at Nordstrom)

Compared to Black Opium Illicit Green

• Top Note: green mandarin
• Middle Note: creamy fig
• Base Note: black coffee
• Other Notes Perceived: fig leaf, pear, jasmine, orange blossom, bourbon vanilla, patchouli

I find this flanker to be very, very similar to the original. The main differences to my nose is that it is ever-so-slightly lighter and there’s maybe a little more vanilla. I think it’s the fact that it’s a bourbon vanilla, it’s definitely got more oomph. It doesn’t necessarily scream fig or anything all that green, to be honest. It smells great and if you like the original, you’ll most likely enjoy this one, too as they’re SO similar. The original is just a touch deeper & darker. Overall, this has stronger performance than the original on my skin. That being said, it’s no beast. Projection is light and it’s not a super long-laster but it does perform better than the original on me.

Find it here:

Black Opium Illicit Green 75ml (at Bloomingdale’s)

Black Opium Illicit Green 75ml (at Nordstrom)

Compared to Black Opium Intense

• Top Note: absinthe
• Middle Note: orange blossom
• Base Note: coffee
• Other Notes Perceived: boysenberry, jasmine sambac, vanilla, licorice, sandalwood

This flanker gives me jammy boysenberry plus lots of sweet and slightly powdery vanilla. I get the coffee and orangey impressions of the original. I REALLY love the jasmine sambac in here. Despite the ‘Intense’ name, this is not as deep and dark as the original, in my opinion. But it’s just as good! It has a bit stronger projection than the original and lasts the typical 3 or so hours before fading away. This is really yummy and another winner from the Black Opium line!

Find it here:

Black Opium Intense 8ml decants, 30ml, 50ml, 100ml (at FragranceNet)

Compared to Black Opium Nuit Blanche (discontinued but can still be found at the discounters & Amazon)

• Top Note: rice, bourbon pepper
• Middle Note: orange blossom absolute, coffee
• Base Note: vanilla absolute, sandalwood, white musk
• Other Notes Perceived: anise, coriander, peony, milk, caramel

Named for an annual arts festival in Paris, Nuit Blanche (Sleepless Night) is a touch fresher and lighter than the original with an overall similar vibe. I get vanilla, orange, and caramel and a little of the coffee. It has a creamier, more lotiony vibe than the original. I find the original to be like an older sister to Dolce & Gabbana’s The Only One (more on that fragrance below) and this one seems even more similar to it. This has about the same performance as the others and definitely has lighter projection than the original so it’s a good choice for those who prefer a more intimate skin scent.

Find it here:

Black Opium Nuit Blanche 90ml (at FragranceNet)

Black Opium Nuit Blanche 90ml (at Amazon)

Teo Cabanel Café Cabanel

• Top Notes: tangerine, coffee, cinnamon, lemon, mandarin
• Middle Notes: Bulgarian rose, heliotrope, almond, milky and buttered notes
• Base Notes: vanilla, tonka bean, caramel, sandalwood, patchouli, muscs

I get lots of cinnamon upon first whiff and it combines with the caramel to give me a yummy butterscotch accord. Combined with the coffee, all of the notes together remind me of a delicious butterscotch latte. As it dries down, I sense the almond, heliotrope, and tonka, all of which give it lots of almondy impressions. It’s got tons of autumnal spiciness and a lactonic note which bring to mind a spicy chai latte or possibly a coffee version of Mexican hot chocolate. I do sense the buttery note a little, too, which gives me a slight impression of cinnamon French toast. In fact, it also reminds me a little of a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and milk! lol It eventually dries down to a sparkly, pleasant Oriental amber.

This unisex fragrance also smells fabulous on my husband. His masculine chemistry pulls more woods and a musky vibe, in addition to the usual creamy, spicy impression. The projection is pretty quiet for this fragrance but it lasts well, at least 5 hours before really fading. Overall, a very interesting, yummy, and spicy amber gourmand. This fragrance comes in a beautiful and unique bottle, too.

Find it here:

Café Cabanel decants – many size options ranging from 1ml to 5ml (at The Fragrance Decant Boutique)

Café Cabanel 30ml, 100ml, 100ml premium (at Teo Cabanel)

Les Senteurs Gourmandes Café Tonka

• Top Notes: saffron, pepper
• Middle Note: coffee
• Base Notes: tonka bean, amber

In my opinion, this pleasant coffee fragrance is the masculine counterpart to Black Opium. The opening is full of spicy, gourmandish vibes. I get lots of the coffee and spices. It’s very much like a spiced latte and quite delicious smelling. On my skin, the tonka note dries down to feel really masculine with sort of an aftershavey vibe. But it’s SO GOOD on my husband! It’s super similar to Black Opium on him but more ‘manly.’ He gets tons of coffee and a delicious cacao/chocolatey accord. It really smells great on him!

The projection is moderate and it lasts at least 4 hours for me. Another great thing about this fragrance (and this house in general) is it’s SUPER affordable! You really can’t beat a retail price of around $60 for a full 100ml bottle of a fine perfume from a French niche house!

Find it here:

Café Tonka decants – many size options ranging from 1ml to 5ml (at The Fragrance Decant Boutique)

Café Tonka 100ml (at Amazon)

Montale Ristretto Intense Café

• Top Notes: Italian black coffee, Turkish rose water
• Middle Notes: French rose buds, roasted coffee beans, woodsy notes
• Base Notes: vanilla pods, white musk, caramel, amber

If you like your perfumes and your coffee STRONG, this is the one for you! This is a flanker of Montale’s popular Intense Café, which is supposed to be a coffee-focused fragrance but to be honest, doesn’t have all that much of a coffee scent to it. It’s more musk (a LOT of musk), vanilla, and rose-focused. But this one is the real deal! This is chock full of coffee and I also get tons of caramel so this one, for me, is truly like wearing a luscious caramel macchiato. It does still have some musk but it’s much more in the background with the coffee, vanilla, and caramel running the show. The rose is there but not overpowering, it’s more of a supporting player.

Projection is excellent for this unisex offering, it is a strong and VERY long-lasting perfume. Sadly, I personally get a strong headache from something in this perfume. I seem to have this issue with the more musky Montale/Mancera fragrances. But I still wanted to feature it here because that’s just an odd personal quirk for me, many other people love and wear this fragrance with no issues. And it does smell really, REALLY good. I definitely (always!) recommend trying a decant first so you can make sure you love it and don’t have a weird reaction like I did.

Find it here:

Ristretto Intense Cafe 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants (at Scent Split)

Dolce & Gabbana The Only One

• Top Notes: violet, bergamot
• Middle Notes: coffee, iris
• Base Notes: vanilla, patchouli
• Other Notes Perceived: orange, pear, orange blossom, rose, caramel

I’ve featured this fragrance once before in my list of fave Citrus/Jasmine/Vanilla perfumes but it fits so well into this coffee category, too. It reminds me of a little sister of Black Opium with its warm and cozy caramel coffee vibes. It opens with delicious citrus notes of sweet orange and bergamot. There’s some light powdery touches from the beautiful iris and violet. Super yummy gourmand vibes all the way, this is an easy grab for me.

Both the projection and longevity for this feminine-targeted fragrance are moderate. This is a fragrance that you can wear pretty much anytime but it’s especially well-suited to this cooler time of the year with its cozy caramel coffee impressions.

Find it here:

The Only One 50ml (at Amazon)

The Only One 100ml (at Amazon)

The Only One 8ml decants, 30ml, 50ml, 100ml, 100ml tester (at FragranceNet)

Lalique Soleil

• Top Notes: bitter almond, cardamom, mandarin
• Middle Notes: caffè latte, jasmine, pear granita
• Base Notes: musks, pink praline, sandalwood
• Other Notes Perceived: milk, candied almond, caramel

Lalique is beautiful luxury crystal and glass-making company that also dabbles in perfume. This house has tons of great (and affordable!) perfumes and seems to kind of fly under the radar, especially in North America. I’ve been slowly collecting their perfumes and each one has its own character and has been equally fabulous. This yummy gourmand is in contention to be my favorite of the bunch. It opens with a gorgeous, sparkling mandarin orange and tons of almond. As it dries down, it settles into a delicious caramel-praline coffee scent. This is a great choice for someone who likes the overall caramel/coffee feel of Black Opium but may find it to be a bit much – and/or doesn’t care for its darker patchouli/licorice vibes. This has a much lighter feel.

Projection and longevity are moderate/average. This perfume isn’t as dark and heavy as some of the others in this list which makes it quite suitable for year-round wear. It has a lovely, soft, feminine feel that’s absolutely gorgeous. As you would expect from a fine glass-maker, Lalique’s bottles are always exquisite, which makes them a lot of fun to collect. Some even come with little charms or jewelry. If the idea of an almondy latte with a touch of citrus and praline sounds good to you, this is the one.

Find it here:

Soleil 100ml (at Macy’s)

Soleil hair mist 50ml (at Macy’s)

Soleil 1.5ml sample, 30ml, 50ml, 100ml (at FragranceNet)

Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Café

• Top Notes: coffee extract, green almond
• Middle Note: Siam benzoin
• Base Notes: cedar, vanilla absolute, white musks

If you’re a vanilla lover and not yet familiar with Comptoir Sud Pacifique, please allow me to introduce you to your new favorite house! This tropical-themed house does gourmand vanillas SO well. This yummy concoction pairs a deep, rich, syrupy vanilla with coffee to create a very sweet, creamy vanilla latte impression. There’s lots of thick, ambery impressions from the decadent and resinous benzoin. It’s also lightly powdery. This one is so delicious-smelling, it makes me want to continuously smell my wrist all day! 😊

Average projection and longevity for this unisex fragrance that may lean a touch feminine (but only a touch). I would definitely recommend this thick, rich fragrance for a cooler autumn or winter day when you feel like enveloping yourself in a warm, cozy feeling. Another thing to love about this house is their prices are super affordable and everything comes in a handy travel-spray size, as well as their standard 100ml full bottle. You can also now test them in decant form from Scent Split. I plan to do a full post featuring this house in the future so please stay tuned for that!

Find it here:

Vanilla Café 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants (at Scent Split)

Vanille Café 30ml (at Amazon)

Vanille Café 100ml (at Amazon)

Skylar Vanilla Sky

• Top Notes: bergamot zest, sweet orange, cappuccino
• Middle Notes: pure vanilla, jasmine grandiflorum, cinnamon bark
• Base Notes: caramelized cedar, sheer amber, sandalwood

Here’s my pick for the fans of lighter fragrances. This light and airy vanilla has the aroma of a yummy cappuccino. It’s the perfect combo of cappuccino with a light splash of vanilla cream. There’s also a light touch of woods from the cedar and sandalwood that gives it a little depth and extra interest. It’s just gorgeous and a great choice for anyone who appreciates interesting/sophisticated vanillas.

Skylar’s hypoallergenic fragrances are also an excellent option for those who find traditional perfumes to be irritating to their skin or overall just too heavy. I think this feminine-leaning would be a great daytime/office scent, as well; it’s so light, I don’t think it could be offensive to anyone. Read my review of the Skylar line here.

Find it here:

Vanilla Sky 10ml travel rollerball, 50ml, also available in 2oz & 8oz candles (at Skylar)

Floral Street Ylang Ylang Espresso

• Top Notes: tangerine, Sichaun pepper, fresh rose
• Middle Notes: jasmine, patchouli, ylang ylang, tiramisu accord
• Base Notes: espresso beans, cocoa beans, guaic wood
• Other Notes Perceived: whipped cream

On the other end of the spectrum is this super deep and dark delight. This one is for the ‘chocolate-cakey patchouli’ lovers! It is a dark, heavy, woodsy, and earthy scent. I get lots of patchouli, coffee, and tiramisu with the ylang lightly in the background and it’s a really decadent and scrumptious combo. It really does smell like both coffee and ylang. There’s also an enjoyable, spicy little tang from the Sichaun pepper that’s quite interesting. I’ll be honest in saying this one won’t be for everyone. The patch note is quite strong here. But it’s also got tons of chocolatey/espresso/yummy vibes. I’m not usually big on patchouli but I really like this. Overall, I find it incredibly interesting and so different from my usual go-tos!

This easily unisex fragrance is definitely not office or close-quarters safe and would be best worn to outdoorsy or night-time events in cooler weather. As one would expect with all of these strong notes, it’s got fantastic projection and longevity. When I wear this one out for the night, I can still slightly smell it the next morning! This is a great scent for coffee lovers but you have to also be ok with patchouli being in there which I know might be a deal-breaker for some. But if you love a strong coffee note and are open to the patchouli, this is absolutely worth your while to try. Read my review of the Floral Street line here.

Find it here:

Ylang Ylang Espresso 10ml travel-spray, 50ml, 100ml (at Floral Street)

Honorable Mention: Maison Margiela Replica Coffee Break

• Top Notes: coffee, red apple, lemon essence
• Middle Notes: lavender essence, spearmint essence, orange flower absolute
• Base Notes: milk mousse accord, Sri Lankan sandalwood essence, Virginia cedarwood essence
• Other Notes Perceived: pepper, patchouli, tonka bean, benzoin, vanilla, vetiver

This is an honorable mention because though it is called Coffee Break, I only get the coffee note for about the first minute. Literally blink and you will miss it! It quickly turns into a very powdery aromatic lavender, minty, and vanilla fragrance. The lavender and spearmint give it a very refreshing vibe. Some lovely tonka joins the party in the dry down. Overall, the fragrance has kind of a wintermint feel; it actually reminds me a bit of those round, pink, thick, chalky wintergreen Necco-like candy/lozenges, lol. It also reminds me a bit of a lavender/vanilla linen spray I have, which gives it a cozy, comforting feel. For me, this one is perfect as a relaxing bed scent.

This fragrance has both moderate projection and longevity and is unisex with a slight feminine lean. I would put this fragrance in the same family with Imaginary Authors’ Telegrama, Yves Saint Laurent’s Libre, and it’s almost a dupe of Sci Fi by Ellis Brooklyn. If you love a comforting vanilla/lavender combo, this should be a great option for you. Read my review of more from Replica’s line here.

Find it here:

Coffee Break 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants and 100ml full bottle (at Scent Split)

Coffee Break 10ml travel-spray, 30ml, 100ml (at Nordstrom)

Honorable Mention: Xerjoff Golden Dallah

• Top Notes: fresh exotic spices
• Middle Notes: amber, Cambodian oud, coffee absolute, incense, rose absolute
• Base Notes: cocoa, tonka bean
• Other Note Perceived: Hazelnut

This is another one that does not really smell like coffee to me. My understanding is this fragrance is supposed to smell like unroasted Arabic coffee made with lots of spices. It actually smells a bit like marijuana in the opening, which is not my fave. Thankfully, that impression does dissipate fairly quickly and I start getting lots of spices and a very earthy, leathery feel along with some incense. The oud is very mellow here (I’m a bit sensitive to oud) and not animalic or ‘barnyard-y.’ To my nose, this fragrance dries down to turn into an almost identical dupe to Byredo’s Black Saffron. I tested them side by side and they are SO similar! I personally like Black Saffron better (I’m a Byredo girl through and through) but wow, I was shocked how alike they are.

As with most Xerjoff fragrances, the performance is very good here and you’ll only need a spray or two. Definitely unisex with maybe an ever-so-slight masculine lean. Despite this not being the most coffee-heavy fragrance to my nose, I do think it is quite cozy and if you tend towards earthy, leathery fragrances, this is a great one to sample.

Find it here:

Golden Dallah 1ml, 2ml, 5ml decants and 50ml full bottle (at Scent Split)

Shower Gel to Pair With These Fragrances

I have a great option for a shower gel to pair with these delicious-smelling coffee fragrances:

• Vanilla Mocha Café (sometimes known as Vanilla Mocha Cream), with notes of cozy cappuccino, vanilla orchid, & white tonka bean

So, there you have my picks for some of the best coffee fragrances out there. Do you enjoy the aroma of coffee? Have you ever worn a fragrance with coffee notes? Perhaps you’ve tried one that isn’t listed here? Tell me all about your experiences with coffee perfumes! ☕

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